CaptionCall phones

GrayEagle

GrayEagle

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Anyone have one? They're fairly new. Here's a link:

https://www.captioncall.com/CaptionCall/Default.aspx

It's supposed to be better than the CapTel phone that I have from the state. You have to have DSL internet service as it works through the internet, although I understand I don't have to have my internet on on the computer all the time.

The phone and caption services are free, as it is the CapTel. I do have to pay for phone calls, toll, long distance, just as I do now.

The big difference that makes me interested in getting this, is that people can call our regular home phone # and when I answer, there will automatically be captioning. No special #s to call first, like if someone is calling me through CapTel. I haven't answered my home phone for many years because I can't hear well enough to take straight voice calls. We can't afford *two* phone lines, one for DH (husband) who is hearing and one for me. So I use IP-Relay through AIM mostly for incoming calls. Text only given out to friends & family. It would be so nice to answer the phone again! :aw:

Any comments about how well this Caption Call works? :)
 
Never heard of it till you posted it now. Must be quite new in that it's not listed under the CA Telephone Access Program (CTAP) either.
At a first glance, it seems pretty nifty to have and that it is actually a step up from Captel. However the bigger question is probably the reliability. I found a video of it actually being used here:


Seems like it's not exactly going to be fine and dandy as one may expect, probably a lot like the youtube transcribing technology. But still a good step forward nonetheless?
 
I saw the CaptionCall at the Tech Day at our local Deaf Center last year. But they were rushing people to get one to avoid the $99 one time fee. And I just wasn't sure, you know? I've since then learned that the captioning technology is pretty much the same as Captel -- the captioner has to train his/her voice to the computer, repeat your words, and the computer then generates the captioning to your phone. So there is human oversight to make corrections and so on. It's supposed to be faster I guess because it comes through the internet. And the software in the phone is a step up from the Captel. (By the way, I've heard there is an Internet version of the Captel phone, not usually provided by the state, but not considered all that much better). But the bigger advantage, to me, is that you can take all calls and all calls are supposed to come in captioned. Unlike the Captel phone, one one has to dial some special number when calling you, so you get captioning. As I understand it, the CaptionCall is *not* like that crap on YouTube at all.

With that lousy technology, there is no human involved at all, so the captioning is awful.

The CaptionCall gets FCC funding, so there is no charge at all to me, but it is not yet available through CTAP or any state's equipment provider. But the captioners and equipment are gov't funded and offered free to the Deaf and HOH just like the state programs' equipment and service.

So, I am hopeful... :aw:
 
I have one and hate it

1) its has a wireless option to connect to your home network, needless to say it likes to randomly disconnect.
2) captioning blows to say the least, you are often prompted with captioning service is unavailable

There are a number of threads about this phone, you can also google it and see the same complaints.

I volunteer at Bridges, which is formerly the Nashville Leage of the Deaf ad HOH. There are a few people down there with these phones that complain of the same thing.
 
Did a forum search in several places here, for Caption Call, and nothing showed up but my own thread here.

I emailed a personal friend who is an advocate for the Deaf and HOH, and she has had one for over a year. Said she loves it and gets good quality captioning.

Off to google around the Net...
 
I have CapTel phone . Your link seems good to me. Anyone who have low resournce/incomes then they may get it for free but it depends on each state what they offers. i think it's voc reh. For us, my hub bought it but have never used it. My kids use it. :lol:

First, try to contact any deaf service to see if they have one, sometimes they loan you for "borrow time". Like my friend uses it now.
 
Well, I googled and got input from Deaf/HOH friends that have this phone. They gave good reviews that the CaptionCall phone was as good, or better than the CapTel. So, it's free, I decided to go ahead and have one set up and try it out. I still have the CapTel from the state, and if the Caption Call is unsatisfactory because my DSL feed isn't fast enough, or for whatever reason, I can always go back to what I do now, making outgoing calls through Captel and incoming through my special IP-Relay phone # and AIM. :hmm:

The guy is coming next Wednesday, so I'll just see how it works out.
 
Well, did more research, and more negative than positive about these captioning phones that use the Internet connection. Horror stories about captioning disappearing midway through a call, etc. I decided for what little phoning I do any more, I'll keep my setup that I have. So I cancelled the appt. to have the phone installed. For outdoing, I use my hardwired free from the state Captel phone. For incoming I use my IP-Relay phone number and AIM. Works for me and both are dependable...:hmm:
 
captioncall

i just got it and is free but i cant keep it it belongs to them and someone comes over my house to setup the phone it was easy to setup anybody can to it
mine is hooked up thru erthenat cable not wifi cuz with wifi is little slow on caption
and i was surprised this caption call is regonize voice that translate voice to txt to the screen from the person talking to you and is all private no operator relay to caption to you
at last this captionphone is made sorenson product
 
GrayEagle said:
Anyone have one? They're fairly new. Here's a link:

https://www.captioncall.com/CaptionCall/Default.aspx

It's supposed to be better than the CapTel phone that I have from the state. You have to have DSL internet service as it works through the internet, although I understand I don't have to have my internet on on the computer all the time.

The phone and caption services are free, as it is the CapTel. I do have to pay for phone calls, toll, long distance, just as I do now.

The big difference that makes me interested in getting this, is that people can call our regular home phone # and when I answer, there will automatically be captioning. No special #s to call first, like if someone is calling me through CapTel. I haven't answered my home phone for many years because I can't hear well enough to take straight voice calls. We can't afford *two* phone lines, one for DH (husband) who is hearing and one for me. So I use IP-Relay through AIM mostly for incoming calls. Text only given out to friends & family. It would be so nice to answer the phone again! :aw:

Any comments about how well this Caption Call works? :)
Click to expand...

So there is no third person listening to your call and typing what being said ?
I would use a phone that had CC as long a third person was not listening in .
 
All captioned phone calls have a third person listening in, and typing what the hearing person is saying to you. Voice recognition software alone, with no human working with it, still produces jibberish and nonesense (like on YouTube).
 
I have an app on my iPhone, and its called Clear Captions. I don't use it that much, The app is brand new and it hasn't gotten much reviews about what other deafies/ HOH really thinks about it. I honestly prefer the Z4 mobile app, you can call deafies from your IPhone or any other android phone that has a front-view camera and to their VP at home or on their computer, even make calls to the person that has the Z4 app too! (sorry off topic i know, just comparing differences)

Clear captions is okay...It's always slow, and some words are spelled wrong, but it's probably because its still brand new. Here's a look at what it is: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCN0GYiPZVA&list=UUOlKYfmla9FwOl2glRthVGA&index=5&feature=plcp]Going Mobile? - YouTube[/ame]
 
Caption call phone

I've had mine for several months and am quite dissatisfied. (My mother always said you get what you pay for). I do have some hearing on the telephone, but my main problem is that people talk too fast for me to process what they say. But the captioning can't pick up fast speech either, so what's the point? (I need captioning for my captions?) But my real annoyance is that 2 months ago, it stopped working and when I called customer service they tried to get me to fix it over the phone. (Of course if I had been unable to hear at all on the phone, that would have been useless) They told me first to unplug it, then to do a restart with a paper clip!! This is hi-tech? Needless to say that didn't work. I was away for the summer and called again when I returned to get them to send someone out to fix it. I waited 2 weeks for a call-back with an appointment, and finally called them a second time. It has now been another week and no one has called.
They have set up an information session on caption call at NYC Center for Hearing and Communication. I plan to go, maybe with my phone, and let everyone there know of these problems.
 
Hi, I am seriously thinking of returning the Captel 840i phone that is still here on trial. I only need it for the captioned answering machine capability and that is driving me crazy with the menus and push button finger-dance.

And it seems the only captioned messages that are accurate are junk messages I don't want at all.

So, knowing that these phones are far less than ideal, I'm thinking of trying a CaptionCall because they just added a save captions option.

Anyone out there tried both? Which one is more user friendly and why? Can you turn the phone ringer totally off on the CaptionCall?

Thanks...
 
Hamilton CapTel

Just started using. Does not always enter captioning mode. Does translate voice mails well. The big problem is that I cannot answer on a noncaptioned handset and then lift the receiver on the caption phone. Voice comes thrugh but cannot start captioning
 
Thanks for your reply, MnSidhe.

I sent back the Captel 840i and a CaptionCall is on order. This is my last chance to be able to get voice messages and now that the CaptionCall can save captions, I'm hopeful it will be at least an ok option.

Apparently there are not enough phones or installers to meet the high demand right now so I'm not sure when I will actually get my phone.

I would appreciate any additional info/experiences, good or bad, as they arise for you. And, I have found CaptionCall on facebook very responsive in answering my questions. Maybe they could solve your issue.

Thanks...
 
How about foreign accents from around the world? Is it toes-up, still, in this department?

Roll over, go to sleep for another 20 years. Star Trek is a ways off. At least now, if someone writes in Russian to you, just use ImTranslator. It comes in handy for some foreign-language web sites that I go to. Just go to the page, high-light the text, click on the ImTranslator button, a window pops up, and you pick your language and translate. Not perfect, especially between languages with no common roots.

Again, go back to sleep...
 
I sent back the Captel 840i and just had the CaptionCall installed. I think it is far superior compared to the Captel. The captions will never be perfect on any of these types of phones due to the quiet, fast or mumbled voices of people on the other end, but the display is much better, and less menues to deal with. CaptionCall has updated with being able to save captions and another update is coming soon to fix a few other issues. They are planning major updates over the air in the future for some great new features.

Before the CaptionCall arrived, I spent a hugely frustrating week trying out various ip/relays and more. Nothing is perfect but I am way more appreciative of the CaptionCall now.
 
A coworker just offered a referral for this. I need to look into it more. One question is: if I use SIPRelay for voices messages, I believe this will be superior because a relay operator might be transcribing that, but I'm not sure.
 
Did you know? CaptionCall is under Sorenson. BTW you can get free with promo code: hs2200.
 
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