Cambridge-based technology specialist Mobispeech wins prestigious ‘Handheld Learning for Innovation Award 2009’! » Education » 24dash.com

Cambridge-based technology specialist Mobispeech Ltd beat off stiff competition at last night’s prestigious ‘Handheld Learning Awards 2009’ winning the Innovation Award in the ‘Special Needs and Inclusion’ category for CapturaTalk; the UK’s first Windows mobile phone software* to convert text-to-speech from a digital photograph. The awards, voted for by the public (by text message), were hosted by highly-regarded presenter Jason Bradbury from The Gadget Show. CapturaTalk, a joint venture between iansyst Ltd (www.iansyst.co.uk) and Raspberry Software Ltd, is designed to support literacy and language skills, especially useful for people with learning difficulties or English as a second language.

CapturaTalk helps users to capture essential information and understand text wherever they are, offering a unique portable solution to recognise text and numbers from a photograph taken on the phone or digital document. The software works across a broad range of applications to support learning, enabling text-to-speech for Pocket Word, Notes and tasks, SMS, e-mail and Pocket Internet Explorer applications.

CapturaTalk is fully integrated with the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. When users decide to read something back, the software highlights the words as it is reading them, helping to reinforce word recognition. If they do not understand a particular word, they simply pause the program, select the word and the software will read the dictionary definition back to them in high-quality Acapela Lucy voice. If they do not understand part of the terminology in the description, they can also listen to the meaning of other words. CapturaTalk also helps users to decode words and enhance phonic learning, which has equal benefit to students and individuals for whom English is their second language.

Neil Milliken, Director at Mobispeech, enthused: “We are delighted to have won this prestigious award and to be recognised for our innovative use of technology. Developments in mobile technology have been phenomenal over the years and now offer tremendous benefits to education. CapturaTalk provides an easy way for people with learning difficulties to access information and understand text using technology they are familiar with.”

Forming part of the world’s leading event for using mobile and inexpensive access technologies, the awards were attended by more than 1,500 international delegates. The conference, now in its fifth year, brings together thought leaders, innovators, practitioners, developers, policy and decision-makers from the education, technology and entertainment sectors.

For more information about CapturaTalk, please contact Neil Milliken at iansyst, tel: 01223 420 101; email: neil@capturatalk.com or visit the CapturaTalk web site www.capturatalk.com.

For press enquiries or to arrange an interview with Neil Milliken, please contact Ashley Cox at Livewire Public Relations, tel: 020 8339 7440; email: ashley.cox@livewirepr.com; website: www.livewirepr.com
 

*The software is designed to operate on Microsoft Windows Mobile Professional devices (Touchscreen devices) running Windows mobile 5.0 or above. Devices that have been tested and are fully supported are HTC Pro, HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Cruise, HTC TyTN II (Kaiser), HTC TyTN I (Hermes), Samsung Omnia, HP IPAQ 614c and HP IPAQ 914.