BlackBerry Smartphones Receive Calling Solution for the Deaf from Sorenson

Miss-Delectable

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BlackBerry Smartphones Receive Calling Solution for the Deaf from Sorenson

Sorenson Communications today announced the launch of SIPRelay Mobile for BlackBerry (News - Alert) smartphones from Research In Motion.

Working with the company’s current SIPRelay service, SIPRelay Mobile is designed to streamline calling and helps deaf and hard-of-hearing users to place free calls while on the go to any hearing telephone user in the United States and its territories, company officials say.

Users can place wireless calls both from their call history list and from their BlackBerry smartphones’ address book. Once the calls are placed, they’re quickly relayed through a network of text-to-speech communication assistants.

When a deaf or hard-of-hearing user wants to place a SIPRelay Mobile call, he or she first downloads the free application from Sorenson IP Relay, using his BlackBerry browser or to a PC for later installation on the BlackBerry smartphone, company officials say. The user then must enter the number of the person he wishes to call on the BlackBerry smartphone and types in a message on the “chat” screen, according to the company.

The message is received by a professional Sorenson communications assistant who contacts the user, and reads the message to that person. Sorenson Communications officials say that as the hearing telephone user responds, the assistant types out the reply and dialogue flows back and forth fluidly between the caller and the hearing person.

Pat Nola, president and chief executive officer of Sorenson Communications, said that officials at the company are pleased to be able to offer the mobile communication tool to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Claiming that SIPRelay Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones make it easier for users to connect to the SIPRelay service, Nola said that his company aims to continue creating innovative solutions that provide communication options for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
 
I'm sure some deaf Blackberry users will be happy to know about this. :)

Hopefully, they are working/have plans doing this on Sidekicks and other devices. I am not talking about the Instant Messaging thing. I don't use such on both of my mobile phones through T-Mobile and AT&T.

I used to use the IP-Relay app on my Sidekick to contact hearing people until GoAmerica bought IP-Relay out from Verizon. GoAmerica/i711, IMO is one of the worst relay providers I have experienced ever in my lifetime. About a week ago, my mother had left a message telling me to meet her at 6:00PM (it was already past 6 o'clock), I called her through Sorenson VRS to see what's up, I asked her where she was, etc. (she was asking me the same question), she was kind of upset that I called her in middle of a meeting. I had decided to print the message from IP-Relay to fax it to her to see why I called her - she said that wasn't what she asked the relay operator to leave message for me. I have repeatedly told her to call me through Sorenson VRS from now on.

I apologize for the ranting here.
 
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