Although this technology has been out there awhile I thought I would still include it in this section for those who were not aware of it....
The iCommunicator promotes independent communication for persons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or experience unique communication challenges by allowing effective two-way communication to occur in most natural environments.

The iCommunicator translates in real-time:
-Speech to Text
-Speech/Text to Video Sign-Language
-Speech/Text to Computer Generated Voice

This video demonstrates the features and benefits of iCommunicator.

Ray Smets, Cisco's vice president and general manager, Wireless Networking Business Unit, talks about trends and demands around video over enterprise wireless network		 Rochester Institute of Technology to Enhance Learning Capabilities With Innovative Video Applications and Cisco Media-Ready Wireless LAN
Ray Smets, vice president and general manager for the Cisco Wireless Networking Business Unit
"The ability to deliver video and multimedia applications over the wireless network -- with the same quality and performance that users are accustomed to receiving via a wired network -- has inherent challenges. The new Cisco VideoStream technology addresses those challenges for the growing demands around delivering real-time visual collaboration and a need for new sustainable business practices, especially to support a distributed workforce. RIT is a perfect example of how the right wireless infrastructure not only delivers key applications for the broader population of students, faculty and IT staff, but can also be the launching pad for the innovation of new applications like the video lectures that RIT is offering to its deaf and hard-of-hearing students." MORE INFO

Google to Add Captions, Improving YouTube Videos
NY Times November 19
In the first major step toward making millions of videos on YouTube accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people, Google unveiled new technologies that will automatically bring text captions to many videos on the site.

The speech recognition technology that Google uses to turn speech into text is not new; Google currently uses it to transcribe voice mail messages for users of its Google Voice service.READ MORE

Spykee Spy Robot w/VOIP & Webcam
Spykee is far more than your ordinary toy robot. Perfect for audio-visual surveillance, Spykee has the ability to move, watch, speak, and hear. With a built-in video camera and microphone, the robot takes real-time pictures with video and with sound effects. When motion is detected, Spykee activates an alarm or sends a picture by email.
Who could possibly live without this thingamajig!

TAKE A LOOK
Video: Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam gets hands on
Just-announced Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digicam / pico projector hands-on video (left) provided by What Digital Camera over in the UK, and aside from the projector they've uncovered a pretty straight forward digital shooter: 12 megapixel, 5x optical zoom, pretty standard dimensions, and a 2.7-inch LCD. However, the projector itself seems to do the job quite admirably... See more ads

Still in development, this ingenious portable concept of "functional equivalence" for the Deaf cannot be ignored.
Should this "DeafCommunicator" reach the market, it will impact the future and become the new "must have" quite possibly burying the Blackberry next to the TTY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tandberg Webcam

CAMERA INFO		 HI-DEF WEBCAM / VP
In April I had the opportunity to preview this PrecisionHD Tandberg USB webcam, courtesy of the Microsoft Tech Center in Chicago. This is the first Hi-Def webcam that will be creeping into the VRI / VRS markets.
MD at Microsoft Tech Center

As Technology morphs and the quality and techno curve rises the prices for things below that drop. An
Ojo Shadow Personal Video Phone was recently offered at buy.com for $99.99

 

 Ojo-Video phone Program opens high-tech world to deaf students
Unique summer academy seeks to diversify the computer-science work force ...This is a GREAT move...educating deaf youth in computer science. The whiz kids of tomorrow!
READ MORE

Making Broadband Access Available and Affordable for all in the U.S.
By Alan Weissberger September 18, 2009

Professor Allen Hammond, Director of the Broadband Institute of California, offers a perspective on the importance of broadband access and a prescription for making it available and affordable for all U.S. residents. Recommendations for Digital Inclusion, U.S. Broadband Policy, a national wireless network, funding and measurement tools are also included in this interview. READ MORE

If you see some interesting products or deals you would like to pass along or you would like a product reviewed on this page Email MD