Australia's braille OwnFone: 3D-printed features, customisation, usability and more

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Transcript

24 August 2014

Voiceover: Media Access Australia, inclusion through technology.

Roberta: In what is claimed to be a world first release, mobile technology company, OwnFone, have recently launched the first braille-based mobile phone for blind and vision impaired users right here in Australia and here to tell us more is the Online Content Coordinator for Media Access Australia, Adrian Redden. Hello, Adrian.

Adrian: Hi, Roberta.

Roberta: Now, what is the OwnFone and how does it work?

Adrian: So the braille OwnFone is a mobile device specifically created with the blind and low-vision community in mind. It's also claimed to be the first commercially available braille mobile released in Australia. The phone allows users to make and receive calls using the single-button system with pre-programmed buttons to call numbers of the user's choice with triple zero included as a default option in case of an emergency. Now, the cool thing about the braille OwnFone is that it lets you make your own personalised phone using 3-D printing technology. So starting with a blank template, known as the seed, braille buttons can be added and customised onto the device according to your own personal preferences and choice of contacts. So the entire phone customisation process is completed online by the company's website.

Roberta: And, Adrian, what are the main applications of the device for blind and vision impaired people?

Adrian: So the goal of OwnFone is to remove some of the complications associated with using traditional smart phones to perform essential tasks, like making and receiving calls, which, depending on the technology, might sometimes be inaccessible or not very user-friendly. According to the company's website there are 35,000 people in Australia with blindness or low vision who are likely to benefit from braille technology. Despite the benefits there have been criticisms of the new device. For example, it has very limited features and is able to call just a few numbers. Screen readers are increasingly common for current smart phones, so that eliminates the need for a dedicated braille device, and it's also been argued that braille is something of a dying written language, largely due to screen readers, so having a braille device is useful to fewer and fewer people.

Roberta: Are there similar devices on the market at the moment, though?

Adrian: Yeah, there's the RealSAM, which is a dedicated single-button, handheld device which provides a natural speech interface for accessing media information services, and that was created by a Melbourne company, Real Thing. There has also been the Amazon Fire smart phone released earlier this year, which was applauded for having its accessibility features take centre stage. That being said, standard smart phones or touchscreen devices with accessible tactile feedback are not widely available. Samsung's Galaxy S features basic haptic feedback and amazingly at last year's consumer electronics show there was a product called the Tactus Series B Tablet, which actually had morphing pop-up buttons on its LCD screen. This gives us a lot of hope for dynamic accessible content in the future.

Roberta: It certainly does. Now, two big questions, Adrian. How much does the OwnFone cost and how do we get our hands on it?

Adrian: Sure, so the braille OwnFone can be ordered and customised via the company's website, which is www.ownfone.com.au. That's o-w-n-f-o-n-e.com.au. So the phone comes in kids' or seniors' variations with the braille version starting at AUD$89. From here you can select to build a phone with either one or three contact names, including emergency services, so there's a maximum of four contact buttons. You can then enter the name of the phone owner and numbers of selected contacts. If you're happy with your design it's just a matter of selecting your payment plan, which is either $20, $30 or $40 per month, then entering your shipping details and moving on to confirm and pay.

Roberta: And you were saying in that, is that a plan, Adrian, so that you pay that per month or do you pay an upfront fee?

Adrian: Well, it's actually a plan, Roberta, so it's either $20, $30 or $40 per month.

Roberta: Yeah.

Adrian: And, you know, it's basically just whatever you're happy with for your plan, you can just go ahead with that.

Roberta: Well, thank you so much for all of that. Now, to find out more about the OwnFone or similar blind and vision accessible technology visit the Media Access Australia website, and that is www.mediaaccess.org.au, or call the office with any questions on 02 92126242. Well, thank you again, Adrian, for that update on the phones.

Adrian: Thank you, Roberta.

Roberta: I've been speaking with Online Content Coordinator for Media Access Australia, Adrian Redden, and Media Access Australia are supporters of this program.

Voiceover: Media Access Australia, inclusion through technology.

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