Karen.Keil@p2.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Karen Keil) (03/22/91)
Index Number: 14124
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
AS> I, too, have a Superprint 400a by Ultratec along with two Krown
AS> Research models which are really my favorite. I don't think I'm
AS> familiar with the Compact TDD - is it anything similar to the
AS> Intele-Type by Ultratec?
The Compact TDD is a new TDD that is very portable--you just fold
it up and snap it shut when you are done on the phone. It is
fairly small--about the size of slightly more than a third of a
standard sheet of paper. (9" x 5"?) (folded up) It has a backlit
LCD display with two lines of dialogue visible. You can store
phone numbers and memos and conversations.
Some people think Ultratec is a better brand than Krown. I
wouldn't know, not having much experience in TDDs. Interestingly,
Krown makes the AT&T brand of TDDs, too. I was very interested in
an AT&T model that had a full screen display, but felt it would
take as much room as a computer, especially on my desk at work! I
have a Superprint 400 at work.
AS>Isn't there a dealer in your area (Denver) where
AS> you could have purchased the units directly?
Yes, there are. I thought I would save money by ordering from
Ultratec directly. At this writing, I think the parts used in the
TDDs are part of the problem, not just the handling by UPS.
AS> Oh, I'm so glad you are going to make this year's SHHH convention.
AS> The SilentTalkers will all have to get together for dinner,
AS> gab session and perhaps satisfy our fix of BBSing during the
AS> convention.
Well, it's SO tempting to attend, especially with it being right in
town! It should be fun and very interesting! Besides, I want to
meet more people like me who are dealing with many of the same
things I'm dealing with. BTW, how would one satisfy the fix of
BBSing during the convention? Would someone rent or bring a
computer? (Just curious.) :-)
AS> BTW - are you familiar with Listen-Up in Denver? ..... the main one is
AS> on Pearl Street. A very close relative of mine is the owner - Walt
AS>Stinson.
No, I am not familiar with Listen-Up offhand. Just looked it up in
the Yellow Pages--it's an audio/video, autosound and compact disc
store doing custom installation, also.
AS> I feel confident that techology will improve in the future but
AS> I do feel it'll be with laptops and perhaps that little pocket
AS> gadget one can carry around to print out conversations/voices
AS> in crowds and the like.
You mean those gadgets that would translate the conversation around
you into captions? I've often wished for something like that,
especially in staff meetings at work with all the information they
throw out at you.....it sounds like a spy thing on Mission:
Impossible (come to think of it).
For right now, it's just a wishful fantasy (sigh).
Karen
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!809.2!Karen.Keil
Internet: Karen.Keil@p2.f809.n104.z1.fidonet.orgStu.Turk@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Stu Turk) (03/22/91)
Index Number: 14129
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
KK> The Compact TDD is a new TDD that is very portable--you just fold
KK> it up and snap it shut when you are done on the phone. It is
KK> fairly small--about the size of slightly more than a third of a
KK> standard sheet of paper. (9" x 5"?) (folded up) It has a
KK> backlit LCD display with two lines of dialogue visible. You can
The problem I can see is that the LCD displays are often hard to read and
unlike LED's, you more or less need to be right in front of the screen to read
it - making it unuseable for typing to someone standing next to you (that is,
someone who doesn't use sign language. One advantage it has over the regular
TDD's LEDs though is that the letters don't move...
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Stu.Turk
Internet: Stu.Turk@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.orgAnn.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org (Ann Stalnaker) (03/23/91)
Index Number: 14144 [This is from the Silent Talk Conference] > The Compact TDD is a new TDD that is very portable--you > just fold it up and snap it shut when you are done on the > phone. It is fairly small--about the size of slightly > more than a third of a standard sheet of paper. (9" x 5"?) > (folded up) It has a backlit LCD display with two lines > of dialogue visible. You can store phone numbers and memos > and conversations. Come to think of it, I believe I saw a demo or two of the Compact TDD at the SHHH Convention last year. I have packed away most of my pamphets/brochures/info stuff since I'm moving shortly and had forgotten all about this until just recently. I have two TDD portables that satisfy my needs when traveling and I don't plan to invest in any more TDD's since CPU's are taking over the place of TDD's, especially the laptops. My personal preference of TDD's are those made by Krown Research as I think they are of a higher quality than the UltraTec. I'd like to clarify that AT&T has a contract with Krown Research to sell their products and they sell them cheaper than you can buy them directly from a dealer or from Krown. I liked the 1310 unit that works similar to a computer but it still doesn't quite meet the standards of a CPU. I've been using a CPU for nearly 8 years as a way of communicating with my friends - so guess you can say I'm a bit spoiled. All of the parts of UltraTec are made in Japan but assembled in the USA - need I say more? Some of us will be bringing laptops, computers, modems, etc. with us to the convention - so we'll be linking up to several BBS's as well as getting our daily fix. We also hope to have a workshop of some sort to get other SHHH members interested. Yes, Listen-Up is an audio/video, autosound and compact disc store - a great one. Walt used to do the sound track for the Rolling Stones when he was in graduate school. He has some of the best equipment I've ever encountered and has always gone out on a limb in helping his 3 hearing impaired cousins. My parents have always purchased stereo systems with outstanding speakers from Walt - more so for our benefit than theirs. While I don't hear any of the high frequencies, I do hear enough of many musical instruments (using earphones) to get the rhythm. I'm hoping Walt will help us out at the convention with some of the sound equipment we may need. As to the pocket gadget that transmits conversation into print, it has already been manufactured (in Japan, I believe) but is not on the market just yet and I believe it is a bit costly right now - far too much so for any of us to afford. I have not seen this little gem yet but others have We can keep on dreaming - who knows, one day they all may come true. I will say this - technology has come a long way the past 20 years or so -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!385!14.0!Ann.Stalnaker Internet: Ann.Stalnaker@p0.f14.n385.z1.fidonet.org
Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Jack O'keeffe) (03/28/91)
Index Number: 14513
[This is from the Silent Talk Conference]
AS> As to the pocket gadget that transmits conversation into
AS> print, it has already been manufactured (in Japan, I believe)
AS> but is not on the market just yet and I believe it is a bit
AS> costly right now - far too much so for any of us to afford.
AS> I have not seen this little gem yet but others have
Annie, as far as I have been able to determine, that "pocket gadget"
continues to be in the realm of "vaporware". We've heard all rumors,
but have not been able to track it down. Neither had anyone else on
the tech committee.
If anyone has actually seen this device, or has an address or
reference to it, please post the information here or NetMail to me.
Some have confused this with the little multilingual dictionaries
(like RatShack currently has on clearance sale). We're talking
something completely different -| SPEECH -> TEXT |- A pocket-sized
"DragonDictate" with a humongous vocabulary and capable of reducing
continuous (not discrete) speech to text in realtime without
"training" the speaker.
Hmmm. . . If we could only get one of the blink's synthesizers
to run in reverse gear . . . ;-)
... Caveat Emptor!
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!26!Jack.O'keeffe
Internet: Jack.O'keeffe@f26.n129.z1.fidonet.org