oratio

taken from internet
Oratio for BlackBerry ® is now availableLongueuil, QC, Canada and Barcelona, Spain, February 1st, 2010 –HumanWare and Code Factory are pleased to announce that Oratio forBlackBerry(R) smartphones is now available for purchase. Formallyknown as Orator for BlackBerry smartphones, Oratio is the first screenreader software solution that enables visually impaired users toaccess and operate BlackBerry smartphones using state of the artText-To-Speech technology to convert the visual information displayedon the BlackBerry smartphone screen into a intuitive speech output.This enables its users to use BlackBerry smartphones to increase theirindependence and productivity in today’s competitive world.The name was changed from Orator to Oratio to avoid any confusionwith an existing product called Orator being manufactured by atelecommunications company in the USA. “Although we got accustomed tothe name Orator for BlackBerry in the last few months, Oratio is lessgeneric and provides a more personalized name and sound for theproduct” says Michel Pepin, Product Manager at HumanWare. Availability:Oratio will first be released in North America in English, supportingthe BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone from AT&T, available throughonline purchasing from www.oratio4bb.com for $449 US for a singlelicense. Support for additional BlackBerry smartphone models andlanguages will be available in subsequent versions of Oratio.Oratio is the product of the joint collaborative efforts betweenHumanWare, Code Factory, the leading provider of screen readertechnology and maker of Mobile Speak, and Research In Motion (RIM),the maker of the award winning portfolio of BlackBerry products andsolutions. Oratio users will experience more freedom and independencein their activities with the ability to stay connected anytime,anywhere. Users will also experience greater flexibility to managetheir day-to-day activities in ways that are most convenient for them,increase their productivity and achieve more by quickly andefficiently accessing information they need.Oratio also provides employers with an accommodation solution forblind and visually impaired employees that leverages an organization'sexisting investment in BlackBerry infrastructure and technologies.Feature rich, through its easy to use menu and efficient shortcutkeys, Oratio will provide users with:Intuitive and familiar audio user interface.Easy-to-use customization options for frequently used settings.Auto start mode when the device turns on.Different verbosity levels to allow users to define the amount ofinformation provided.Keyboard echo settings for text entry.Easy to use command structure.Support for BlackBerry smartphone's core applications.BlackBerry smartphones offer multiple applications essential in abusiness environment. Oratio was designed to support the coreapplication found on the BlackBerry smatrtphones allowing visuallyimpaired users to:Manage instant messaging, emails, SMS and MMS.Make and receive calls with access to caller ID on incoming calls.Manage contact list and call log.Schedule appointments and tasks with alarms and reminders.Access to the phone's settings, ring tones, speed dials and voice tags.“Oratio is the first screen reader solution for a JavaME operatingsoftware (O/S). While this first release version may not answer eachspecific individual user's needs, HumanWare, with the jointcollaboration of RIM and Code Factory, remain dedicated and committedto the future development growth of the product. We invite Oratiousers to share their experiences with the product. This will provideus with directions on how to improve their BlackBerry smartphoneexperience” says Michel Pepin. “Our goal is to provide equal access tovisually impaired users by enabling them to access and operateBlackBerry devices in a manner that is functionally equivalent tosolutions offered to sighted BlackBerry users”.