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August 2006 Accessible Cell Phone Newsletter

ETO Engineering, PLLC

Ray Gonzales

http://www.etoengineering.com

Content

Nokia opens up firmware upgrades

New Nextel phone for visually impaired

New Verizon phones for visually impaired

VoiceOnly! and EasyBlue! cell phone accessories for physically disabled released by ETO Engineering

Sprint makes improvements to child tracking

Artone wired neckloop now being sold by ETO Engineering

Nokia opens up firmware updates

Nokia has new site, http://www.nokia.co.uk/nokia/0,1522,,00.html?orig=/softwareupdate to allow users to update selected phones on their own. The Phone Software Update site provides step by step instructions and software to update a number of recent S60 smartphones using a PC. The phones are limited to late model S60 version 2 handsets such as the popular N70 and the 6682 sold on Cingular. Handsets with carrier customized software, can only be updated to the most recent customized version, not an unlocked one.

New Nextel phone for visually impaired

Nextel's i580 has enhanced support for the visually impaired - The i580's Voice Playback
functionality has a simulated voice to guide users through phone menus
and through placing and receiving phone calls. I haven't seen it but it probably is a continuation of the accessibility started with the Nextel i355.

New Verizon phones for visually impaired

Verizon LG 8500, 8300, 5300 have been getting a lot of attention on the yahoo user group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BlindusersLGVXPhones/. The phones have some moderate improvements over the LG VX4650 in accessibility. A list of voice recognition phones for the visually impaired from Verizon and other carriers can be found at http://www.etoengineering.com/vision_phones.htm.

VoiceOnly! and EasyBlue! cell phone accessories for physically disabled

ETO Engineering has recently released some new products aimed at physically disabled cell phone user. The first is VoiceOnly! which is an accessory to allow making calls and hanging up Nokia and Sony Ericsson Bluetooth phones by voice only. The second is EasyBlue! which is Bluetooth headset that you control using a standard TASH ability switch rather than having to press the tiny button on the side of the typical Bluetooth headset. More information can be found at www.etoengineering.com.

Sprint makes improvements to child tracking controls

Sprint announced improvements in their child tracking and parental controls. Sprint has made it easier to register phones with the Family Locator service and added compatibility with more handsets. Family Locator allows parents to register handsets, and locate them or send them messages from a web or phone interface once those phones have accepted a request to join the family's network. Sprint is further emulating Disney's offering by introducing parental controls. They have announced that parents can control incoming and outgoing calls on the Sanyo 2400, and that parents can control PCS Vision online access on any phone in a family's plan.

Artone wired neckloop now being sold by ETO Engineering

ETO Engineering is now selling the wired Artone neckloop in addition to the Bluetooth version. Very similar to the Nokia LPS-4, it can replace either the Nokia LPS-4 or Motorola SYN7875. The neckloop comes with a industry standard 2.5mm audio jack as well as a Nokia pop-port style adapter for use on Nokia phones. More information can be seen here, http://www.etoengineering.com/artone_wired_inductive_neckloop.htm.

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