Date Posted:
07/15/2010
Title:
The Z™ To Host Launch Party In Vegas For World’s First Mobile VRS: ZVRS On iPhone 4
Summary:
The Z™ will host a launch party for the company’s newest innovation during DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas. Guests will preview ZVRS on iPhone 4, the world’s first VRS on a mobile handheld device.
Body:
CLEARWATER, Fla. [July 15, 2010] — The Z™ will host a launch party for the company’s newest innovation during next week’s DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas. Guests will have the opportunity to preview ZVRS on iPhone 4, the world’s first video relay service (VRS) that allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to place phone calls to hearing people on a mobile handheld device. ZVRS calls can be placed on Apple’s iPhone 4, using its built-in FaceTime software.
The party and live demonstration will take place on July 20 in the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are required for entry and can be picked up for free at The Z™’s booth at Deaf Nation World Expo.
VRS allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to have telephone conversations with hearing people. Using a videophone with real-time video connection, an interpreter “relays” the conversation between the two parties: voicing what the deaf person is signing to the hearing caller and translating the spoken words into American Sign Language (ASL) for the deaf/hard of hearing caller to see on screen. The hearing caller can use any mobile or landline phone.
On July 10, CEO Sean Belanger announced the service will be released to the public on July 26, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability.
“In the past, deaf and hard of hearing people have faced tremendous barriers with limited options for communicating in any way other than in person, face to face,” said Chris Wagner, vice president of marketing. “The Z™ has been dedicated to providing multiple videophone products, services and features so that deaf and hard of hearing customers have options to choose the communication solution that best fits their own, personal VRS needs.
As witnessed in Apple’s commercials, FaceTime opens the door for the face-to-face communication necessary for people who communicate in ASL. Two people who use sign language can easily connect through FaceTime and communicate freely. However, approximately 90% of deaf individuals are born to hearing parents, and as deaf and hard of hearing people go through their daily lives, they must interact and communicate in a hearing world.
Many deaf and hard of hearing people prefer to use VRS for phone calls, as it allows them to communicate in their native language for a smoother, more natural conversation flow. Until now, VRS was limited to videophones, which are typically designed for fixed usage on a desktop.
Although some deaf and hard of hearing people use instant messaging and Internet-based relay on mobile devices, many find the process cumbersome, due to the need to type what they want to say, then wait to read what the hearing person says as it is typed back.
Linda Raymond, deaf/hard of hearing program coordinator for Clark County School District in Las Vegas, was among those who got a sneak peek preview of ZVRS on iPhone 4 during the National Association of the Deaf conference last week in Philadelphia, Pa.
“It’s awesome!” said Raymond. “There will be no need for me to carry my laptop wherever I go! The picture is clear. I love it!”
For more information about ZVRS calls on iPhone 4, go to www.zvrs.com/iphone. To learn more about iPhone 4, go to www.apple.com/iphone.
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