AT&T Expands Wireless Offerings for Customers With Disabilities |
AT&T Launching New Services to Support Customers With Special Needs
SAN ANTONIO, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has
announced plans to launch new wireless software products this year to
increase usability for customers who are blind or visually impaired. AT&T
will partner with Code Factory to offer two new products: Mobile Speak and
Mobile Magnifier, both for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 operating
system devices.
AT&T consults with leaders from the disability community to develop
product and service offerings designed to meet the needs of customers with
vision loss. "By working closely with organizations that are committed to
serving seniors or people with disabilities, AT&T is able to better
understand the unique needs of its customers," said Carlton Hill, vice
president of Product Management for AT&T's wireless unit. "These new
software options will help make it easier for all individuals to enjoy a
digital lifestyle wherever they go."
"Code Factory's mission is to make it possible for visually impaired
consumers to use the most advanced mobile technology," said Eduard Sanches,
CEO of Code Factory. "AT&T has a long track record of enabling
communications for all of its customers, and we are very pleased to partner
with them to make even more mobile devices accessible to the visually
impaired."
Mobile Speak is a powerful, full-fledged screen reader with an
easy-to-learn command structure, intuitive speech feedback in several
languages and Braille support that can be used with or without speech.
Unlike other screen readers for mobile phones, Mobile Speak automatically
detects information that the blind user should know, just as a sighted user
would easily find highlighted items or key areas of the screen at a glance.
Supported applications and functions include:
-- Speed dial, call lists and contacts
-- Text messaging
-- Calendar, tasks, notes and calculator
-- Internet browser
-- Word, Excel and PowerPoint
-- Voice Recorder, Media Player, voice speed dial and voice command
-- Phone/device settings, profiles, alarms and ringtones
Mobile Magnifier is a flexible, full-screen magnification application
that supports low- and high-resolution screens and can be used with or
without speech feedback. Magnification software is compatible with a wide
range of mobile devices. Unique features include:
-- Magnification levels from 1.25x to 16x
-- Font-smoothing for easier readability
-- Three different layouts: a full-screen, split and distributed view
-- Different color schemes, including inverted color
-- Automatic panning and cursor-tracking
-- Automatic zoom function that detects areas of interest on the screen
"We have found that individuals who have vision loss want to be able to
choose from a range of wireless handsets," said Paul Schroeder, vice
president of Programs and Policy, American Foundation for the Blind. "Just
like people who can see, customers with disabilities want options. We
applaud AT&T for its leadership in investing the effort to understand and
address the needs of individuals with vision loss."
Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series
60 operating system devices will be available from AT&T in the fall of
2007. For more information about wireless product or service offerings for
those with disabilities, visit
http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources.jsp.
Note: This AT&T release and other news announcements are available as
part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss.
About Code Factory, S.L.
Code Factory is a software company committed to the development of
products designed to remove barriers to the accessibility of mobile
technology for the blind and visually impaired. Noted for innovation and
responsiveness, Code Factory is the leading provider of screen readers,
screen magnifiers, and Braille interfaces for the widest range of
mainstream mobile devices including Symbian-based and Windows
Mobile-powered Smartphones as well as phones and PDAs running the Windows
Mobile Pocket PC operating system. Further, Code Factory is the only
accessible software provider to support more than a hundred phones working
on the GSM, CDMA and WCDMA networks. To learn more about Code Factory and
its mission of bringing complete accessibility to mobile devices, visit
http://www.codefactory.es.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its
subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of
AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their
offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications
services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and
voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory
publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and
YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators
in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen
integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services
provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at
http://www.att.com.
(C) 2007 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. AT&T and the
AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. For more information,
please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at
http://www.att.com/newsroom.
SOURCE AT&T Inc.
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CONTACT:
Lauren Butler of AT&T, Office,
+1-404-236-6152, Wireless, +1-404-405-5623, lbutler@attnews.us
