Braille PDA

NBP is taking a leadership role to research, develop and produce specific affordable, accessible technology products that will help promote braille literacy for young readers, and support blind students and adults in school and in the workplace environment. While paper braille will not disappear in the immediate future, NBP believes that it is equally important for blind people to have accessible technology to access information that the digital age provides.

Introducing an Affordable Braille PDA

NBP will be launching its first product, a braille Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) designed specifically for blind people. Most people use PDAs in our personal lives and know them as smart phones, iPads, and laptop computers. NBP's device serves this same purpose and is tailored for blind people by removing the screen, and adding a 20 character Braille display and standard Braille keyboard for data entry. The Braille PDA is small and portable - about half the size of a sheet of paper - and less than one inch thick, so users can take it everywhere they'd take a cell phone. It will be built on an open source platform, possibly Android, to encourage innovation. View features and functions.

Why Create another Braille PDA for Blind People?

Braille PDAs for the blind are not a new concept. The technology has been around for several decades but since blindness is a low incidence disability in the U.S., the size of this market does not encourage the same innovation as found in mainstream technology. As a result, current braille PDA's are expensive - in the $5,000-$10,000 range - and often lack the same features as sighted people have come to expect in a PDA.

E-Braille Offers Endless Possibilities

A working prototype of the Braille PDA is expected to be completed in 2012. It is expected to be available to the public soon after that, and since it will be built using an open source platform NBP expects many of the features and applications will continually be upgraded and expanded. Applications will be developed by NBP and third party developers so the possibilities are endless as to how this product can evolve.