Category: accessible Devices
Hey guys. I think this is what we've all been waiting for, a screenless gps player that's mainstream and affordable. Well, it is when compared to some of the ones for us.
http://gizmodo.com/5037396/kapsys-kapten-is-screenless-voice+driven-key-ring+sized-gps
Not only does this gadget have the aformentioned gps but an mp3 player and radio too. It's entirely voice activated and from the description, doesn't appear to need a receiver either. I'm gonna do some more hunting to see if it's been released in the U.S. yet or if it speaks English. If so, it might be worth it to get it from France.
Here's more on the Kapten
http://www.itechnews.net/2008/08/15/kapsys-kapten-screenless-gps-device/#more-12644
So this is definitely something for us. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to tell some national blind groups about this. If we can get them behind us, then we could show Capsys that we're a valid customer source and perhaps they'd be willing to launch this in the U.S. Any French speakers here? *smile*
And here's another one.
http://forums.automotive.com/70/5047/navigation-gps-systems/navigation-system-that-requires-no-screenits-true/index.html
Unfortunately for us, this is more for drivers. However, it may help some sighted friends.ui Still, with these two coming out, maybe it won't be that long until screenless gps systems become as common as screenless mp3 players.
Okay, I've written a draught of a letter to Kapsys explaining how beneficial such a system could be for the blind and how it's economical enough to bring them in a mass profit while being affordable for us and our state agencies. I stressed how this is a nitch market and how this is the first fully voice-activated gps that's fully-accessible to us. I also expressing my interest in promoting it etc. I went to their main site at kapsys.com and it's inaccessible on the Mac but might work in Windows. If not, I'll have someone help me with that. lol Should they accept my ideas, I'll tell them about the need for accessibility on the website. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Hmmm Anyone who as ever tried to use voice activated dialing or any other voice activated voice prompts outdoors may not be too thrilled with the voice activated idea,But otherwise if it can handle predestian mode, it could be another tool for us.
Oh and if its a gps unit then it should most likely have a gps reciver built in, doubt you can pair it to your phone via bluetooth though and use it as just a gps reciever
The Hollux M1000 has pedestrian mode though, plus that's a screenless GPS unit, works via bluetooth from most smartpphones. Costs around ~$85 or £42 from Amazon.
Jen.
if i am not mistaken that hollos unit is just a gps reciever. The unit tiffany mentioned in her post is a stand alone gps unit that also doubles as an mp3 player and etc.if i am not mistaken the holix
Hey, Tiffanitsa, this sounds really neat. Will they sell to the U.S. or does it only come with french speech. I wonder how much it would be in U.S. dollars? Definitely send that letter to them and I hope they respond. Actually, I'm pretty good with directions; map sort of in my mind; it's my mom who gets lost and who I have to tell her which road to go on ect. Let us all know how this turns out.
Chastity
Yeah would love to have that GPS.
I went to their site and it doesn't appear to have any links. I'm gonna ask a sighted person to check just to make sure. If that's the case, then I'll find a seller of it and see if they can help me get ahold of the manufacturer that way. There's gotta be some way to find these guys. Not giving up. Glad I have support. Hugs.
Well, I just found another system that's much older than the ones mentioned but that seems to hold alot of promise if I can ever find it. The only thing I don't know is if it's able to be updated. But then again, I didn't even know they had gps systems for consumers back then. Has anyone ever used this and if so, is it worth going after?
Taken from
http://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=113583&top=0&productid=89932&trail=0
"STRIDER
--- DISCONTINUED. (Verified 12/2002) RETAINED IN DATABASE FOR REFERENCE. --- Strider is a voice output electronic mobility aid designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. It uses Atlas Speaks, a talking map program (see separate entry) to enable users to learn about the physical layout of a neighborhood, city, or state. It lets users figure out the best path from point A to point B using cross streets, landmarks and local points of interest. When the user is ready to go, he or she can transfer route information from Atlas Speaks into a Braille 'n Speak, print it on a braille printer, or enter it into a personal tape recorder. Strider is a map access system that can be carried by the user as an orientation tool. Strider's components - a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, earphone and a keypad - fit into a carrying case. Strider can direct the user on a path plotted ahead of time, help determine the course while walking or keep one apprised of the current location. The Strider carrying case can be worn over a shoulder like a backpack and has a pocket for easy access to the keypad. OPTIONS: Atlas Speaks can be purchased separately from Strider."
I just found this page, which gives a little more info, not only on Strider, but on several other gps systems too, including ones not sold by them. i didn't know that there were so many.
http://www.senderogroup.com/allgps.htm
"Mike May and Charles LaPierre began working on the first accessible GPS prototype at Arkenstone in 1994. It was called Strider and was terminated in 1997. A related talking map product called Atlas was released for the PC in 1995 and was sold through 2001. Sendero released the first accessible GPS called, GPS-Talk for the PC in 2000. A year later, Sendero teamed up with Humanware with the first accessible GPS on a PDA, the BrailleNote. That product has continued to evolve as other products joined the market Sendero was creating. These include Trekker from Humanware and StreetTalk from Freedom Scientific.
After over a decade of experience, Sendero expanded from the BrailleNote to two other platforms with its Software Development Kit (SDK). GW Micro and Hims from Korea adopted this SDK for their Braille Sense and Voice Sense PDAs with a product called Sense Nav.
Code Factory, who makes a screen reader for mobile phones and Windows PDAs, worked with Sendero to create Mobile Geo, released in September 2008.
In addition to the 3 Sendero based GPS products and two Trekker products there is also Wayfinder Access for phones with the Symbian operating system, mostly from Nokia. This is based on the mainstream Wayfinder Navigator. Finally, there is a point of interest only product for mobile phones called Loadstone. It has no street maps, only points of interest created by users or public domain points. The great thing for blind people is that there are options to fit a variety of needs and wayfinding situations."
hi,
firstly you can get hold of kapten from maxiaids now i believe. i've seen it advertised in 1 of their news letters so it's worth looking there.
i'm looking at kapten myself now as way finder access has been discontinued as i'm sure you know by now. anybody here signed the petition about that? so yes now that access has been discontinued i'm seriously considering kapten as an alternative.
the thing is i haven't been able to read that much about it from a blindness perspective. any reviews that i've seen whilst don't give it all that much credit, i equally don't trust the ability of the person reviewing the product as he himself produces his own accessible gps system which is far more expensive. so he's far from likely to give an accurate discription of a rival product.
i've been talking to a local company to me that sells adaptive tech products. cobolt systems. i'm in the middle of trying to organize my going there to see them to get a comprehensive look at this device. as a current soon to be former WFA user i think i have a good idea as to what i want out of a gps solution.
equally if kapsys are continuing the development of the kapten without display then we really should be getting on the bandwaggan here as well. after all, it's a mainstream product which is always going to be cheaper than the alternative.
i have managed to put a question to the website it's not so difficult now well today is the first time i've looked at it being honest. but i managed to successfully submit a question trouble is you can only use a max of 400 characters so you have to be quite selective in what you say.
if nobody else on here has got this unit then when i do eventually get a look at it i'll tell people here what i think.
Yes, by all means, please tell us how it goes. I'm extremely interested. I've vaguely heard of way finder access but am not too familiar with it. Is that the one that works with mobile phones or with the BrailleNote or is it a separate package?
lol Never mind. I just read up on the older posts here and found the info on way finder access. I wonder if strider would still work if I can get ahold of it or if it relies on live info and would therefore be useles today? The one problem with that is that it's a bit heavy. I like to keep my phone as simple as possible, so needless to say, i don't have one of those smart phones. Does anyone know if there's a modern gps system for the pc? I might be able to use it with my Thinkpad.
I've seen kapten just last tuesday. it's amazing and I'm going to get it on wednesday. been looking for something like this for a long time.
It's basically the same thing as way finder access, only much cheaper and separated from your phone, which in my opinion is better. After all with something much cheaper that has the same functions, maybe it doesn'tmake much sense to keep wayfinder around.
I've never used either one. could you explain a little bit about how it works? Also, how much does it cost? I forget.
it doesn't have a look around option though does it? Not that i can see from the instruction manual. Have you had any experience with the software that comes with it? What about the kapsys my space anything on that?