Do We Need Specialized Hardware For The Deaf ?

VIDEO: Do we need specialized hardware for the Deaf? Companies that once made specialized hardware may soon be relegated to software and services.



A company called Purple Communications this week unveiled a product called SmartVP. It’s a videophone with applications and features to help Deaf people communicate. Purple says it’s the first videophone to feature “true HD quality.”



How do Deaf people use the telephone? In the past, most used a typing system called TTY. Paging devices soon followed; the term became so fixed that the Deaf community is said to still call all wireless devices, including iPhones, “pagers.”

But the age of the video call has changed all that. Now, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing routinely communicate by simply using sign language over a video call. When a Deaf person wants to communicate with a hearing person, there are “relay services,” involving live translators proficient in sign language.



One smart thing Purple’s doing is pursuing what they call a “five-screen strategy.” What this means is that their customers can use Purple’s relay service on PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or TV. Here’s a YouTube video pitching SmartVP. Refreshingly, it’s not full of over-the-top music, like the majority of tech promotional fare out there. ...READ MORE: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/513336/do-we-need-specialized-hardware-for-the-deaf/



Sign up for more information: http://www.purple.us/SmartVP. Are you ready for a smarter way to make calls? Make the Smart Choice. SmartVP.