Date Posted:
09/23/2010
Title:
Deaf/HH Can Now Make ZVRS Calls From iPod Touch
Summary:
The Z™ released their newest mobile option today: a ZVRS app that allows deaf and hard of hearing customers to use iPod Touch to place calls to hearing people.
Body:
CLEARWATER, Fla. [September 23, 2010] — The Z™ released their newest mobile option today: a ZVRS app that allows deaf and hard of hearing customers to use iPod Touch to place calls to hearing people. It marks the first time a non-smartphone device can be used to place calls between deaf and hearing callers.
Now, the iPod Touch 4th Generation becomes a mobile videophone for the deaf and hard of hearing. The ability to make calls over WiFi provides them with a mobile videophone that does not require a telephone network.
“With our new app, iPod Touch becomes a viable alternative for deaf and hard of hearing people who want the ability to communicate when they are on the go,” said Sean Belanger, CEO. “Because iPod Touch is not an actual mobile phone, there is no cellular service plan or monthly payment requirements, yet deaf and hard of hearing customers will have access to thousands of useful apps, games, email, Internet and—now—ZVRS.”
Approximately 90% of deaf individuals are born to hearing parents, and as they go through their daily lives, they must interact and communicate in a hearing world. Although some use instant messaging and Internet-based relay on mobile devices, many find the typing process cumbersome, particularly if English is their second language. Many deaf people prefer to use video relay service (VRS) for phone calls, as it allows them to communicate in their native language—American Sign Language (ASL)—for a smoother, more natural conversation flow.
VRS uses a real-time video connection between the deaf/hard of hearing person and an interpreter. The interpreter “relays” the conversation: voicing what the deaf person is signing to the hearing caller and translating the spoken words of the hearing caller into ASL for the deaf person to see on screen. (The hearing caller can use any mobile or landline phone.)
Until recently, VRS was limited to videophones, which are typically designed for fixed usage on a desktop. This summer, The Z™ released an iPhone 4 app making it possible—for the first time—to place mobile ZVRS calls in locations with WiFi. Like that app, this one uses Apple’s built-in FaceTime software to connect the deaf/hard of hearing iPod Touch user with a ZVRS interpreter.
For more information about the new ZVRS app for iPod Touch, go to www.zvrs.com/ipodtouch. To learn more about the iPod Touch device, go to www.apple.com/ipodtouch.