Proloquo2Go the Premiere AAC App for iOS

Proloquo2Go is the most full featured augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app for iOS. The app can help people who have trouble communicating communicate by touching words or phrases that they want to have spoken aloud. To learn more about Proloquo2Go visit their website at Proloquo2Go.com. Proloquo2Go has an extremely visual interface that makes finding what you are looking for easy. The home screen of Proloquo2Go has a grid with folders; each folder has an image and title on it. The user touches a folder to enter that category. For example if you wanted to say "yes" you would click on the yes, no, maybe folder and the touch the yes button. Once you touch the yes button a computerized voice would say "yes." Many folders have numerous sub folders which can make it time consuming to find the word or phrase you would like to say. Luckily, you can make quick sets of words and phrases you use often for quicker access. In addition you can make custom commands such as family member's names or home address. Proloquo2Go also allows users to input the word  they want via a keyboard. The keyboard has advanced word prediction that allows users to insert words faster. When using the keyboard you can type out phrases that Proloquo2Go will say allowed when you are finished typing. Proloqu2Go allow features several high quality text-to-speech voices. Proloquo2Go is a feature filled AAC app that can allow people to communicate. Because of the abundance of features Proloquo2Go can be slightly complex to use at the beginning. To try Proloquo2Go you can stop by your local Apple Store and find the app installed on all of the display iPads. Proloquo2Go is $189.99 in the App Store and works with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Proloquo2Go can replace much more expensive AAC devices and using Apple devices can make users feel less self-conscious than using a dedicated AAC device that is different from anything peers or same age students would use. To watch Proloquo2Go featured on 60 minutes click here. To learn more about Proloquo2Go click read more below.

TextGrabber: Fast, Cheap, Accurate OCR app for iPhone

TextGrabber is a low cost OCR app for iPhone that quickly and accurately converts printed text into digital text that can be edited or read aloud using text-to-speech. Click here to download TextGrabber. The app is easy to use. Snap a photo of the text you want to read then crop the photo and finally read the text. TextGrabber only takes a few seconds to convert the printed text into a digital format. Once the text has been recognized you can have it read aloud to you using VoiceOver. TextGrabber can also translate captured text into many languages. One negative of TextGrabber is it does not have built in text-to-speech,  or Speak Selection, a new iOS 5 feature, does not work. In day-to-day use I found that TextGrabber and ZoomReader offer similar OCR speed and accuracy. To improve the accuracy turn on the flash while taking the picture. TextGrabber does not feature built in text-to-speech with highlighting while ZoomReader does not offer a cropping tool for removing unwanted text. To read more about ZoomReader click here. Click read more below to see screen shots and examples of TextGrabber in action,including a step- by -step depiction of TextGrabber converting a newspaper article.

Vibrating Alarm Clocks Help the Hearing Impaired

Alarms are very important to wake people up. People with hearing impairments can not hear when the alarm goes off. Luckily there are vibrating alarm clocks to wake hearing up people with hearing impairments. There are many models of vibrating alarm clocks at a variety of prices. One option is the Shake-N-Wake vibrating alarm clock which is worn on the wrist. The clock and vibrator are all small enough to wear on your wrist. The Shake-N-Wake alarm clock is $19.99. There are many other options for people who need vibrating alarm clocks. To shop for more click here.