Braille QWERTY Keyboard

This is the BrailleNote Apex. It’s a device that the blind/visually impaired (I’m not sure which term is the more acceptable one) can use to, as the name and photo implies, take notes. It runs Windows CE 6, which this type of device usually runs, and, is aimed at students and the like.

Like so many netbooks, it’s powered by an Intel Atom processor, and comes with a bit of flash storage—8GB, to be exact. Of course, you can add extra storage with a handy SDHC card.

An internal application suite, named Keysoft, can let users browse the Web, send and read e-mail, record audio notes, etc. There’s even an instant message client.

Yes, this is something that I’d have to see in person to fully appreciate how it works, and how positive an impact it makes on people’s lives.

[ Article Source: TechCrunch ]

Braille Printer for the Visually Impaired

Braille definitely has given a new dimension to the life of the visually impaired; still they have to rely on the others to fulfill their day-to-day needs, for differentiation between identical objects often becomes difficult for the sight-impaired. Enhancing the value of Braille, Chinese designer Danni Luo has designed a printing device to create special embossed labels, so the visually impaired could also distinguish products with similar characteristics, such as pill bottles, CDs, files, etc., effortlessly without seeking help from others. Dubbed the “Embossing Braille Printer,” the hand-held label printer lets the users install the name or brief information of the particular product onto a 25mm x 50mm label with embossed Braille characters via a voice-recognition recorder, so the sight-impaired could avoid misidentification of analogous objects, which often leads to grave consequences.

[ Article Source : the Design Blog ]