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Alternatives to the portable phone

Article Abstract:

For people with modest personal communications needs, alternatives to cellular and cordless phones are available. . For example, Radio Shack sells a $100 phone that has a built-in speaker so that the device can function as a pager. Radio Shack also sells $60 modules that can be mounted either inside or outside of a building, also functioning in connection with a telephone system. Speakers and amplifiers and installation procedures will increase the costs of such a system. Radio Shack's $39.95 Horn Alert beeps a cars horn if a call comes in on a car phone. A variation on this idea is a low-powered radio-powered beeper that alerts a person that a call is received on a car phone. Alpine's $250 8201 and $280 8202 pagers are examples. Such beepers, which can be triggered manually, can double as remote-control security systems. Datawave is testing a one-way paging system, the $34.95 WPP-1 Personal Pager and the $29.95 WDB-1 Wireless Door Chime.

Equipment and supplies, Design and construction, Telephone, Telephony, Telecommunications, Alpine 8201 (Electronic pager), Alpine 8202 (Electronic pager), Datawave WPP-1 Personal Pager (Electronic pager)

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Making phones the deaf can use

Article Abstract:

Gallaudet University, a Washington DC school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, is engaging in a year-long experiment with Bell Atlantic and the Telecommunications for the Deaf advocacy organization to determine the success of new telecommunications for the deaf (TDD) devices incorporated into public telephones. Forty pay phones at the school have been equipped with TDDs, which look and operate similarly to word processors, allowing users to type in messages on the device, which includes a tiny screen. The experiment includes TDD phones at other key Washington DC locations, including the Library of Congress, Union Station, and the National and Dulles International Airports. The testing will determine how well the equipment holds up to heavy public use. Ultratec manufactures the equipment used in the experiment.

Research, Innovations, Product information, Telecommunications equipment industry, Telecommunications systems, Bell Atlantic Corp., BEL, Disabled persons, Washington, D.C., Text telephones, Pay telephones, Pay telephone, Communications equipment, Deaf, Deaf persons, Handicapped, Gallaudet University, Communication aids, Ultratec Inc., Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc.

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