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Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
This is something I'd like to see developed and, if possible, given to those who would benefit from it. But let me give you an idea of what I'm looking for. I've been searching for months trying to see if it's already available but so far I can't find it. I've also posted and contacted many companies and developers and so far I'm pretty much being ignored.
Those who know me would probably guess that this has something to do with my being deaf. Here's the main reason for this. When I lost my hearing a cell phone was very expensive and they where almost the size of a brick. Now, as you know, they are very small and fully functioned. I've owned some cell phones in the past. I usually just picked up the cheaper kinds because all I can use them for is text messaging. I recently picked up a mobile phone that has a keyboard and that makes texting much easier for me. Now, because I can speak with my voice there's a better way for me to make phone calls then using a TTY. IF you're hearing and a deaf person calls you with a TTY it might feel a little odd to some people. Mainly because they know there's a third person listening in and the voice you are hearing won't be of the person you are talking to. It'll be that of the replay operator. In other words if I called you with my TTY you might just get the voice of a woman speaking for me. There will also be a lot of pauses in the conversation as I type in what I want to say. There's also the matter of you (the hearing party of the conversation) having to say "GA" (Go ahead) after your 'e done saying what you want to say. "GA" is basically used like they say "Over" on a two way radio. It tells the relay operator that I'm done talking and I await the reply. At the end of the conversation when you're going to hang up the phone you'd say "SK" (Stop Key). So that would mean the conversation is over. So for me, a person who can speak but can't hear. A better option is something called a VCO (Voice Carry Over) call. Here's what happens in a VCO call. -I call the operator and give them your number. -The operator calls you. -When you answer your phone "Hello" the operator will type that to me and I'll read what you say. -I reply by simply talking in the phone like normal. I'm sure you can see how this would be a lot better because it's my voice you'd here. The pauses would also be shorter because only the operator will have to type instead of both me and them. Unfortunately this still has the "GA" & "SK" issue. There's there's another thing called "2-line VCO". This is just like the VCO call but you won't have to say "GA" or "SK". In fact this is pretty much like a normal phone call between two hearing people. The person I call might not even know I'm deaf. Here's how it works. -I sign onto AIM because they have a relay service for the deaf. It basically turns the IM into a TTY call. -I give the operator my phone number. My phone must have 3 way calling (conference calling) capability. -Operator calls my phone. When I answer I put them on hold while I call the number of the person I want to call. -When they answer I put us in a conference call. Now the operator, the person I'm calling and myself are in a conference call. When the person talks to me the operator IM's what they say to me. Other then that I just talk in the phone like normal. Since the operator only needs to type what they are saying the flow of the conversation runs smoothly and they don't have to say "GA" or "SK". I just decided I'll go ahead and explain my idea here because some of you might have picked it up by now anyway. There's a device on the market called a PVCO (Pocket Voice Carry Over). Here's how it works. -I plug the device into the headphone jack on my cell phone. -call the relay operator. -When they answer I push a button on the device that sends a pulse signal informing the operator that I'm using this VCO device. They send a message to my device asking for the number to call. -I speak into the phone and tell them the number. -The rest happens as I described above when I outlined a VCO call. Doesn't seem to bad does it. But here's the thing. When you purchase a mobile phone you pay to have it activated and you're set to go. For us deaf people we'll have to spend a couple hundred more dollars for this device. Then he also have to lug this other device around with us. This seems pointless when my cell phone already has all the required. It has an LCD screen to display the words sent to me.It has a keyboard (not all are qwerty but they can all type text). It has a microphone and speaker. So it seems pointless to have to spend more money and carry another device around with me. One might think I'm whining about it but I'm really not. I agree that if I want to tell my friend I'm on my way over or to remind my girlfriend to pick something up on her way home then I can just text message her. But what if I want to have a conversation, call the police or even order a pizza. I won't be so frustrated if there's wasn't a solution. I'd just live with it. But there is a solution and it's just hasn't been put together. Here's why I think the solution is in the form of some kind of software.My idea is this: Most phones now have a WAP browser (Some even HTML) and they can both have chat rooms or IM's. Most phones can also make conference calls. Now in the above PVCO it sends a signal to notify the operator that it's a VCO call. A phone would be able to send that pulse signal. If not the phone then it could be emended in the software or even from a link on a web site (or WAP site) "Click here to make VCO call" type thing. Can you see what I'm getting at? If anyone in here might have some knowledge on this matter it would be helpful. I'm sure there are issues I haven't thought of. Even pointing them out might help me find ways around them or find some kind of alternative. Ron Jaxon |
blink_inc Loyal user Hamilton 278 Posts |
Wow!
Are you near any universities? I would suggest visiting a professor that deals with computer science and software engineering. put together a small team of the best in class. Visit a related not for profit organization for thier involvement, potential sponsorship and connections to private funding. see a lawyer for confidentiality agreements, incorporate and find a good patent attorney. implement voice recognition software....voice to text...you could train the phone.. good luck, will//
I am a Sankey addict....please, help me!
My name is Will, my company is Blink, an experience in transposition. |
blink_inc Loyal user Hamilton 278 Posts |
I do have an old friend that is a dotNet coder.
I think you may need more than that though. http://www.pleasantvalleysoftware.net/ his name is Dean. Let him know you were referred by Will.
I am a Sankey addict....please, help me!
My name is Will, my company is Blink, an experience in transposition. |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
Thanks Will. I sent him an Email from his site. I didn't go into detail. I just gave a little outline and asked for him to let me know if I should send more details.
You mentioned voice recognition a couple of posts up. That's already being used in some ways for deaf phone calls. There's something called CAPTEL (Captioned telephone). Right now it only works on house phones (You need a special phone). The voice recognition is used by the relay operator only though. Basically if I called you with it. The operator would listen in and repeat what you say into their microphone. So I would be able to read it on my special phone. It's nice because it's almost real time. Voice recognition tech. isn't good enough to pick up anyone's voice yet. The program has to "learn" their speech. When the technology improves I think it'll take the place of a lot of relay operators. There will also be a lot of applications for deaf people to use it in real life. Kind of like "real time" closed captioning. I've been looking into that too. In fact I already use it. When I go to Sean Bogunia's house to work on magic or brain storm ideas. Sometimes he'll put his headset mic on and turn on the "Speak and type" in his lap top. So I can read what he says. I'm going to start using that in my lectures as well. Will make it a lot easier to answer questions. Thanks again. Ron Jaxon |
Daegs Inner circle USA 4291 Posts |
I am developer, and this is something that would need a TON of inter-company work to get off the ground.
First off, If you are basically writing patches to work around the interface with AIM's service(you aren't talking about setting your own chat relay operators, just using AIM's, right?), then you really need to talk to Aol because if they change their protocals, then you'll need to update the software on the phone, which would mean pluggin the phone into a PC(special hardware, etc) and having the users manually update things. Not to mention continuous work trying to keep things updated Secondly is whether the thing could be coded in Java(what it seems my cell phone uses) or whether it would need to be phone specific, if its phone specific then again you would need to work something out with manufacturer to make sure that features will stay the same and you wont need to re-write the entire thing from scratch with the new version of the phone. Basically, anytime you are writing "patches" to patch together different technologies(ie cell phone + aol AIM service) you are at the mercy of both AOL, cell network supplier and cell phone manufacturer. If they change anything all your software could be easily worthless unless you get prior arrangements from everyone involved(unless of course aol has a strong set in stone api for their VCO chat thingy, even then you are at mercy of cell phone people). So I would say the core problem is getting the companies involved to commit time and resources to it to make sure that your solution will work constantly. Getting this to work on ONE phone with AOL's current service is one thing, to get a solution that can be installed on hundreds of phones that you wont have access too, all the while withstanding any protocal changes by either AOL, the cell company or the cellphone manufacturer is the hard part. Hope this makes sense.... while certainly writing some software that will run on a phone to patch together AOL aim + a cell call won't be too difficult(relatively), getting that solution to work commercially is a whole other beast. |
blink_inc Loyal user Hamilton 278 Posts |
This is a company, not just an application.
Dean is a really smart guy and knows people. I hope he will at least guide you in the right direction. Six degrees of Jaxon..... will//
I am a Sankey addict....please, help me!
My name is Will, my company is Blink, an experience in transposition. |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
Thanks guys.
Well, I just found a possibility. Funny, I've been looking around for a while now with hardly any luck. Just when I open my mouth I find this. Who knows when it will be up and running but it's a start. Check it out. http://www.i711.com/my711.php?tab=2&article=143 Ron Jaxon |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
I have to come back to this.
Ok, I've been using the i711 service in the link in my last post and it's great for what it is. I'm able to make TTY calls. I'm sure most of you know what that is but just to outline. I'd go to their site. Enter the number I want to call. They call that number. The operator types everything they say to me. I reply by typing then the operator tells the eprson I'm calling what I said. Ok, that don't seem too bad. I'm not making this post to whine about my deafness. but I'm still so frustrated. VCO (Voice Carry Over) is what I really need in order to have a somewhat normal flowing conversation. Some people just don't have the patients to wait and wait for my reply or to knowing there's a third person listening in. I had to try 3 different places before I got one that would actually take my order for a pizza. Most of them just hang up. With a VCO call they might not even know the operator is there and there will only be a sleight pause as I read what they say. To reply I just talk to them. Here's where my new frustration is. On my computer I have a microphone. AIM has a relay service and they also have voice messaging (Basically a phone call on line with your computer mic). Here's how I think it should/could work. I'm connected with the operator via AIM. I put us in voice chat. I give them the number I want to call in the text box (My Mother for Example). My mother answers the call and the operator types what she said "Hello F" (F = Female). Now I just talk into my computer mic. and my mother hears me. Is there any reason this can't happen? I mean it won't cost anyone anymore money. The same number of calls are being made because they are only calling the one number like they do now when I make a TTY call. Go ahead and try it sometime. Sign into AIM. Send the number you want to call in an IM to the screen name (ThatsHamilton) or go to i711.com and use the form on that page. They'll call the number you gave them. When they answer they'll tell you what they are saying. To reply you type what you wan to say. Why can't this work with my computer Mic? Right now I could make the VCO call because I do have 3 way calling on my landline phone. But it's not possible for me to do. Here's why: When I want to make a VCO call (Means I talk to them instead of type to them). I'll IM the operator by putting the fallowing in the IM message, "making a VCo call. My number is 000-000-0000". -Now they call my phone (Porblem #1) -I answer the phone and talk into it, "Can you hear me?" -Operator types "Yes I can hear you" in my IM box. -I put operator on hold as I dial the number I want to call. -When they answer (Problem #2) I put us in 3-way call (Me/operator/person I'm calling). Now I can talk into my phone and they'll here me. The operator will type what they say to me. Now here are the problems: -Problem #1 = How will I know when my phone rings? I'll have to go out and buy the gadget that makes a lamp turn on to let me know it's ringing. -Problem #2 = When I call the person I wan tot call. How will I know when they answered their phone so I can put us in 3-way call? Frustration!!! Ron Jaxon |
Jaxon Inner circle Kalamazoo, Mi. 2537 Posts |
Does anyone in here use skype? I wonder if that might open some doors for this.
Ron Jaxon |
tupawk New user 87 Posts |
Not sure if this is possible with your phone but... I know most cell phones have an AIM client available now. You could try connecting to it and making your call using the AIM 2-line VCO.
Not sure if that would work or not since I have never spoken with anyone using any of the technologies you mention in your post. Worth a shot though. |
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