Homeward Bound

Newark to London

I am back in Newark airport for the fourth and final time on the Pocket Hal Tour. In contrast to the mad dash across Manhattan on Friday, I made it to Newark nice and early ahead of my return flight to London which departs later this evening. The past three weeks have been extraordinary. A lot more people now are aware of Pocket Hal version 7, and many of those people showed a keen enthusiasm to learn more about Pocket Hal version 7 and Dolphin products in general. My perception is that increasingly people in the US are looking to Dolphin to provide powerful, stable, secure and easy-to-use assistive technology software. Dolphin continues to rise to the challenge, and more and more institutions, organizations and individuals are gaining access to information and technology through the use of Dolphin's software. As for Pocket Hal itself, version 7 is now released and can be ordered either direct from Dolphin or from your nearest Dolphin dealer. The product will continue to develop, and as always Dolphin welcome your feedback. For me, this week I am taking a short break following the Pocket Hal Tour, and I will return to Dolphin's UK office on Monday. I will continue to work to make sure Dolphin Mobile products are as robust and as easy to use as possible. Thanks to everyone for supporting the Pocket Hal Tour, and I am sure we will be speaking again very soon.

Date of post: Tue, 26 Sep 2006. 18:49:51 EDT

Wake Me Up When September Ends

From Albany to New York City

Today Gareth and I presented Pocket Hal to a group of State Councilors at the Northeastern association for the Blind in Albany New York. The Dolphin dealer in this region is E.V.A.S. who may be able to offer Pocket Hal version 7 with a Dell X51V in a bundle. Other options for making further savings and reducing the initial cost include purchasing a PDA Phone with a service plan from a cellular provider. This can help spread the cost of the PDA hardware meaning that those on a budget can still enjoy the benefits of Pocket Hal. One of the repeated requests I have received throughout the tour is an audio tutorial for Pocket Hal, and this is something I fully intend recording for the Dolphin web site when I return to the office. If people have specific suggestions of items you would like to be included in that tutorial, then by all means I welcome your suggestions. You do not need to be familiar with Hal to be a Pocket Hal user, although you may find some screen reader experience useful. Pocket Hal includes all the power and features of a mature screen reader written for the Windows family of operating systems, including hotkey sets to emulate other popular screen access software. Your preferred hotkey layout can be chosen from the "Keyboard" dialog found from the "Configuration" menu in both Hal and Pocket Hal. As the Pocket Hal Tour draws to a close, again I would like to reiterate my heart-felt thanks to everyone who has participated either in person by coming along to one of our Dolphin days in the US over the past 3 weeks, and all the people who have followed the journey online through the blog and podcast. This has been an exhausting yet rewarding experience for me. Traffic to the Dolphin site and the Pocket Hal tour has been tremendous, and Dolphin hope to make more use of emerging technologies such as RSS in the future. Additionally I would like to express my appreciation to everyone behind the scenes who have made Pocket Hal and the Pocket Hal Tour possible. The PHT has been a team effort, and the fact that I and the PDAs are still in the right number of pieces is testament to the dedication of the Dolphin team. Thanks everyone! I am writing this post aboard a delayed train from Albany to New York City. I have a flight to catch later this evening, and it will be touch and go as to whether or not this train gets me into Manhattan in sufficient time for my flight. My hotel reservation for tonight in Newark has been canceled, so if I do not make the flight things could get interesting! Stay tuned over the weekend and I will let you know if I made it!

Date of post: Fri, 22 Sep 2006. 16:18:11 EDT

In a New York State of Mind

From DC via Newark to NYC and beyond.

Today, Gareth and I visited the AFB in New York City to demonstrate the features and functionality of Pocket Hal. Today we took quite a detailed look at the Word Mobile Spell Checker, and the ability of Pocket Hal to announce and spell misspelled words, as well as read and spell the list of suggested alternatives. Pocket Hal includes a number of useful hotkeys to make this possible. The easiest way to learn your keyboard layout is to use key describe mode accessed by pressing DOLPHIN KEY + SLASH on a QWERTY keyboard. By Default the CAPS LOCK is designated as the DOLPHIN KEY by default. The same CAPS LOCK + SLASH combination can be used to exit Key Describe mode. The purpose of key describe mode is to provide information about the key pressed. In this mode no key strokes are passed through to the application. This mode offers the opportunity to learn about Pocket Hal's hot keys and learn about the general keyboard layout. Pocket Hal is also in Key Describe Mode all times while the Getting Started Wizard is active. When the Pocket Hal Tour and I arrived in to Newark from DC on Wednesday evening, I had completed a very rough circuit of the United States over a 3-week period. The end is drawing near, and unless I forget I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued support throughout this adventure. Tomorrow we are in Albany and I am writing this as Gareth and I head upstate New York aboard the 17:45 service from Pen Station in Manhattan.

Date of post: Thu, 21 Sep 2006. 18:57:29 EDT

What Difference Does It Make?

What sets Pocket Hal apart.

The Pocket Hal tour is being followed far and wide. For example, a couple of days ago I received an email from a gentleman in Singapore who wanted to know the differences between Pocket Hal and another Windows Mobile screen reading product. Key differentiators was also a theme on Wednesday when Paul and I spent the day with ITG in DC. Many of the benefits of Pocket Hal are identified here on the Dolphin web site in our product pages; however here are just a few off the top of my head which came up earlier today. Pocket Hal is based on Dolphin's proven screen reading technology which has been maturing for decades. Pocket Hal uses industry standard synthetic speech from Nuance Communications as well as offering a wide choice of other speech synthesizers. Pocket Hal offers literary grade II Braille input and output using a wide range of compatible Braille hardware. Pocket Hal offers the most comprehensive set of verbosity settings and verbosity scheme management of any mobile screen reader on the market. Pocket Hal allows separate synthesiser voices and style rules to be used to differentiate between: the screen reader, edit areas, prompts, menus, document read and virtual focus. In its default state Pocket Hal does not interfere with the functionality of the PDA screen. Visit the Pocket Hal product pages and try Pocket Hal yourself free for 30 days with no risk.

Date of post: Wed, 20 Sep 2006. 22:54:39 EDT

Everyday Is A Winding Road

Denver to DC via plenty of places!

It has been an extremely busy few days, hence posts here being a bit thin on the ground. This week my calendar is pretty full so not a great deal of time and energy left for blogging and podcasting. I have been using the Dell X51V for recording voice notes and the HTC Universal with its built-in keyboard for making text notes. While away from the UK I have also been able to keep updated with world events with the BBC News podcast, and whenever we have some travelling to do I can simply plug in some headphones to a PDA and listen to whatever I have downloaded overnight. The trick is remembering which of half a dozen PDAs I saved the MP3s on! :)

Download the MP3 audio file: Everyday Is A Winding Road

Date of post: Tue, 19 Sep 2006. 22:17:27 EDT

Please Release Me

Pocket Hal version 7 available to order

While the Pocket Hal Tour continues in the US I have had word from the UK that Pocket Hal version 7 is now available to order. To place your order please contact your local Dolphin reseller, or Dolphin direct.

Date of post: Mon, 18 Sep 2006. 21:43:36 EDT

Money Money Money

Pocket the difference!

One of the recurring themes of the Pocket Hal demonstrations tends to be that of cost. A bespoke blindness specific PDA device generally costs many thousands of dollars. A main stream PDA running Pocket Hal costs less than one thousand dollars. And even when you add in a pocket Bluetooth Braille display the total cost generally tends to be less than half of that of the bespoke options. As they say in the US, do the Math! :)

Date of post: Thu, 14 Sep 2006. 22:51:33 MDT

The Great Beyond

Get Mapping!

A very knowledgeable and enthusiastic group attended Dolphin's Pocket Hal day at Beyond Sight on Thursday. Some of the attendees were very excited by the potential of Dolphin's Mapping technology. Essentially a Map is a series of rules and instructions which direct the screen reader in classifying, identifying, and describing objects onscreen. The power of mapping means many non-standard Windows Mobile applications can be made accessible. Pocket Hal includes the tools for doing this. Those who attended the Pocket Hal day all received a pre-release evaluation CD. And if you were not there, have no fear a demo will be available from the Dolphin web site in just a few days. In other news, Denver is known as the mile high city owing to it being one mile above sea level. I do not think I have traveled to this altitude previously, and I suspect I may be experiencing a touch of altitude sickness? Although I have always been given to understand that you need to be much further up than a mile before you feel the affects of altitude? Although today I did not feel my usual self. Hopefully some rest will remedy this situation. Tomorrow we are back at Beyond, and tomorrow evening I take some time out to fly to Orlando for a couple of days with friends over the weekend.

Date of post: Thu, 14 Sep 2006. 17:48:53 MDT

Woke Up This Morning

From San Francisco to Denver

When I awoke 18 hours ago I really had no idea how challenging today would be. In all the mayhem, time zone changes, questionable food, and a touch of rudeness, we have been able to bring you a Podcast. Just a little one, but it is a Podcast non the less. Today I describe how to make sound recordings with a regular mainstream PDA and Pocket Hal. It really is very simple. If you have any PH questions do not hesitate to drop us a line and I will try to answer them here on the PHT podcast. This morning I had breakfast with Dave S at 7AM before he headed East. Upon returning to my room to start packing and prepare for the trip to Denver I discovered I had purchased a baseball bat at the Giants game on Tuesday evening. This would not have been a problem if the bat had fit in my suitcase! This is why much of the organization and logistics for the Pocket Hal Tour have been checked by other people. I really had not thought this baseball bat purchase thing through at all. Anyway, I used UPS to send it to one of the Dolphin US offices and I will worry about it later. Today I had bigger fish to fry, like getting to Denver. This may sound easy, and a single two hour direct flight from San Francisco should be easy as pie. Not a chance of it. Airport security seemed to be in full force again today. I do not have a problem with this. But some times a little human courtesy gets lost by some of the officialdom. Airport assistance was pretty poor with my having to hang around for an hour or so on at least two occasions. Added to this was the flight itself which was an hour late. Oh and a slightly amusing moment when I tried to buy a coffee and a sandwich from an incomprehensible Chinese lady at San Francisco airport. We were both trying hard but not getting anywhere fast. Paul and I had fun with the car rental company in Denver, and the GPS gave us the run around, not to mention the challenging lack-of-food situation when we finally arrived at our hotel. The food in the US is generally pretty awesome, but the chicken sandwich I just had ... Eh hem, you do not want to think about that too much. Until next time, this is your intrepid Mobile Screen Reader traveler saying bye bye for now.

Download the MP3 audio file: Woke Up This Morning

Date of post: Thu, 14 Sep 2006. 02:01:25 MDT

(I Left My Heart In) San Francisco

Well not really, but it is a great city!

On a busy Tuesday in California with Access Ingenuity, I did not have much time to record a podcast, so I figured I would give everyone a day off! We had a pretty full day demonstrating Dolphin software to audiences of rehabilitation councilors and adaptive technology trainers in the Bay area. The feedback was very encouraging indeed, and people were surprised at how feature-rich and friendly Dolphin software can be. During our free time this evening Dave S and I had a quintessential American experience. Along with Dave's good friend Mark who also works in the industry we went to see the local baseball team the San Francisco Giants who in spite of recent poor form won 10 6. I purchased a souvenir bat which subsequently I discovered will not fit in my suitcase! On Wednesday Dave S heads East. Yours truly takes the Pocket Hal Road show from the Bay area to Denver Colorado. Thanks to everyone in California who has made my stay an informative and fun experience. San Francisco certainly has plenty to offer.

Date of post: Wed, 13 Sep 2006. 01:13:32 PDT

Freedom

Pocket Hal the first screen reader to escape from Alcatraz?

The theme for today was freedom. A day demonstrating the freedom and flexibility afforded by Dolphin access software. The freedom of those of us who are blind or low vision to work learn and play utilizing the power of accessible technologies. And the desperate attempts of the incarcerated to escape to freedom. Join Dave S and I on the latest podcast as we head out to the Rock in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

Download the MP3 audio file: Freedom

Date of post: Tue, 12 Sep 2006. 00:27:42 PDT

You Got It

My Tour of San Francisco

It has taken 24 hours to =edit together the audio from my 3-hour tour of San Francisco which took place over the weekend. In places the audio here is not as great as I would like, but this was an extraordinary experience. check out my guide's mobile phone ring-tone atop the Golden Gate Bridge! I told Ray all about the reason for my trip and he found it incredible that Dolphin had made PDAs talk at all! In other news, the other Dolphin Dave has checked in. I have managed to get just a touch of sun burn, and Pocket Hal continues to attract encouraging feedback. Thanks all, and keep it coming. We hope to publish some of our favorite messages here on the web site soon. The week ahead looks to be pretty busy. But I will do my best to keep you all in the loop. From Pocket Hal and me, night night from the bay. Enjoy the podcast

Download the MP3 audio file: You Got It

Date of post: Mon, 11 Sep 2006. 00:39:51 PDT

Relax

Chilling out over the weekend in San Francisco,

It is the weekend and after a busy week, with another just around the corner, This evening I relaxed at Alfred's Steak House with the President of the American Councel of the Blind. See www.alfredssteakhouse.com. Alfred's has one of the largest single malt scotch list in the Bay Area... over 100 labels! And the steak was truely stunning. Very many thanks to Marvelaina and Chris Gray, President of ACB, for a tremendous evening. they were both staggered by the tiny form-factor and capabilities of main stream PDAs, and were interested enough to request a demo which I plan to provide tomorrow. On Saturday afternoon I took a tour of the city which included the World Famous Golden Gate Bridge. I have some audio and will edit and post that tomorrow. It is time to put pocket Hal to bed for the night. TTFN.

Date of post: Sat, 9 Sep 2006. 23:29:22 PDT

Go West

From Boston to San Francisco

Fishermans Warf is the part of Town where my 4th hotel this week is situated. Click to hear yours truely waffling from the Warf, and for some air trafic control audio. This podcast was recorded on a device based on the HTC Universal running Pocket Hal. Previous posts have been recorded on a range of PDAs, including the Del X51V and HP 2795 amongst others. Stay tuned as I will shortly be posting a tour of the city of San Fransisco, and tomorrow you will get two Dolphin Daves for the price of one! you lucky lucky people you! Thanks to everyone so far who has sent in positive feedback. Keep it coming.

Download the MP3 audio file: Go West

Date of post: Sat, 9 Sep 2006. 15:26:01 PDT

More Than a Feeling

Quack quack!

To find out what that is all about tune in to the latest podcast on the Pocket al Tour. Tomorrow we Go West!

Download the MP3 audio file: More Than a Feeling

Date of post: Thu, 7 Sep 2006. 23:45:00 EDT

New York New York

The Pocket Hal Tour is heading to Boston following an exciting day with HP and Microsoft

HP are commited to accessibility and Pocket Hal was featured on Wednesday at the Accessibility Booth part of a HP business press day held in New York City. South America was well represented at the press event and a number of reporters were interested in the idea that people with disabilities must have access to mainstream technology in order to gain maximum independence, interoperability and full acceptance in the workplace. Pocket Hal does that by making off-the-shelf Windows Mobile devices, such as those offered by HP, fully accessible to those of us who are blind or have low vision.

Download the MP3 audio file: New York New York

Date of post: Thu, 7 Sep 2006. 01:03:35 EDT

Everything I've Got In My Pocket

From Newark to New York.

Having spent Tuesday on the 26th floor of the Gateway Centre in the Dolphin USA Newark office. With Pocket Hal 7 successfully installed on a stack of HP PDAs, this afternoon it was time to head East to a rather soggy Big Apple. I love the energy of New York City! My taxi getting lost and the driving rain did not dampen my spirits as I made my way under the Hudson River to the Hudson Hotel (www.hudsonhotel.com). This place is extraordinary with a lobby which feels like a Night club, carved wooden cladding on the inside walls of the lifts, and minimalist metallic furnishings in my room where I recorded the latest podcast.

Download the MP3 audio file: Everything I've Got In My Pocket

Date of post: Tue, 5 Sep 2006. 20:13:10 EDT

Welcome To My World

With Gareth Collins and Ron Stewart

Gareth is our Technical Support manager and Ron is VP of Operations at Dolphin Computer Access USA.

Download the MP3 audio file: Welcome To My World

Date of post: Tue, 5 Sep 2006. 11:46:09 EDT

All the Way

From London to Newark

Quick mini-rant before I go to bed!

Download the MP3 audio file: All the Way

Date of post: Tue, 5 Sep 2006. 00:25:33 EDT

Come Fly with Me

Let's fly away!

Just a little in-flight audio for your amusement. It's amazing what modern technology can do!

Download the MP3 audio file: Come Fly with Me

Date of post: Tue, 5 Sep 2006. 04:59:58 GMT

Ticket to Ride

Jacket off, shoes off, skin off!

As one would expect security is ramped up to the max at Heathrow airport. While this means checks take longer, I found it strangely reassuring knowing that everyone else on my flight from London to Newark would be subjected to the same scrutiny and I am confident that later today the Pocket Hal Tour will be landing safely in New Jersey. For the most part the "meet and assist" staff at Heathrow have been tremendous, although I have declined the use of a wheelchair twice. It is the eyes which do not work, my legs are in fine fettle thank you very much. More to the point, by accepting a wheelchair I would be depriving someone who genuinely needs it. 75 more minutes on British soil, before a 747 takes the Pocket Hal Tour and I to the US for the better part of a month. See you on the other side of the pond!

Download the MP3 audio file: Ticket to Ride

Date of post: Mon, 4 Sep 2006. 14:48:53 GMT

Another Suitcase In Another Hall

From Worcester to Epsom.

Ok, the Tour starts tomorrow. I'm packing up and getting ready to begin the long journey that is the Pocket Hal Tour. I recorded this in my living room before zipping up my suitcase and calling a taxi to take me to the train. Martin Roberts, good friend and colleague in the AT industry, will be putting up with me tonight before I fly out to the US tomorrow.

Download the MP3 audio file: Another Suitcase In Another Hall

Date of post: Sun, 3 Sep 2006. 14:39:37 GMT

Hello

A brief welcome.

Recorded in the Technical Support Department on Wednesday afternoon.

Download the MP3 audio file: Hello

Date of post: Wed, 30 Aug 2006. 16:53:00 GMT

The Final Count Down

The clock is ticking and final preparations are being made as I am just days away from embarking on the Pocket Hal Tour!

Over the next month I will be chronicling my adventures as I present Dolphin's screen reader for Windows Mobile PDAs to audiences across the United States. During this time you will hopefully learn more about Pocket Hal, and how I am using it on a daily basis. Moreover, I plan to capture the atmosphere of each of my destinations with audio! So not only will you be able to come with me on this extraordinary journey through my text posts here on the Pocket Hal Tour web site, but you will be able to listen in and feel like you are right there with me! Be sure to read up on how to get the Pocket Hal Tour Podcasts. This is how you can automatically receive audio updates from me and the Dolphin team as together we go where no mobile screen reader has gone before.

Date of post: Wed, 30 Aug 2006. 14:58:53 GMT