Bill Machrone over at PCMag writes about the lack of serious, OS-level support for TTY/TDD support in smartphones and PDAs and points out a couple of software options hearing-impaired users can add to make things a little more accessible. Lormar Logic apparently offers something called Lormar Internet TTY for Sidekick, BlackBerry, Treo, and Palm that lets you use the built-in keyboards as a TTY device or contact relay operators, who can translate your text to speech and vice-versa. And apparently there is another service for the Sidekick II called WyndPower 2.0 that will allow full-duplex TTY services.
It’s a shame things like IM and SMS aren’t more practical for mundane things like booking hotels or making a quick business communication (although I’m sure that increasingly they are). I find the use of technology to shore up disability endlessly fascinating and encouraging. If you are hearing impaired and have any other gadgets you find indispensable, let me know.
I Know You Talk to Bill Gates [PCMag]
