World's smallest handheld Braille device for the blind

Pulse Data International today introduced the world's smallest handheld Braille device for the blind. The BrailleNote PK weighs less than a pound and has dimensions of 6.8 inches by 3.6 inches by 1.3 inches.

It is the first Braille personal digital assistant (PDA) in the marketplace that can fit into a pocket.

"The BrailleNote PK provides blind business professionals with the same kind of personal digital assistance functionalities that sighted business professionals have available to them," says Peter Standish, Chief Executive Officer of Pulse Data HumanWare, Pulse Data International's North American subsidiary. "With BrailleNote PK, the blind business professional is able to connect when they are on the go. This includes connecting to a WiFi hotspot at a cafe or airport, and surfing the Net at high speed to catch up on e-mail. With BlueTooth wireless technology built in, a user can also exchange information with their personal computer or connect to another larger BrailleNote device."

Adding Bluetooth technology to Pulse Data International's BrailleNote product line provides new options for the blind user. For example, the BrailleNote PK can connect with any other Bluetooth enabled device without extra software or programming. This includes a wide range of wireless devices such as mobile phones, personal computers, headsets, and keyboards.

"This opens up many more choices for the mobile blind business professional," says Peter Standish. "Not only does the BrailleNote PK offers all of the critical personal productivity tools expected in a traditional personal digital assistant, it has an intuitive and efficient environment specifically designed for a blind user."

Key features of the BrailleNote PK include:

• the most powerful word processor available in any blindness product. This includes automatic compatibility between all Braille formats and other print-based word processing formats such as Microsoft Word.
• supports all major POP3 E-mail services
• which makes it easy to manage mail for business and non-business activities on the same tiny device.
• a daily planner that synchronizes with Microsoft Outlook.
• an address list that can be synchronized with other Bluetooth enabled devices such as cell phones and personal computers.
• a media player that allows blind business professionals to listen to audio books or training materials.
• over 30 hours of battery life.
• a scientific calculator and a stopwatch.

Pulse Data International expects to ship the BrailleNote PK early in the fourth quarter of 2004.