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Trekker |
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A revolutionary system that uses GPS and digital maps to help blind persons find their way in urban and rural areas, Trekker users can pinpoint exactly where they are, learn about area attractions, and find out how to get to specific destinations. GPS lets them know their location, anywhere in the world, with continually growing precision. Fitting in the palm of the hand, Trekker offers the visually impaired greater freedom, raising their confidence in their ability to travel near or far, for business or pleasure. It also helps users access and enjoy the most valuable and interesting opportunities their surroundings have to offer. Trekker helps guide the visually impaired through their environment. It complements existing aids (white canes and guide dogs); it does not replace them. Sleek and discreet, Trekker provides information in the most natural way possible and allows users to record both vocal and written notes. A wide variety of maps are available and downloaded, or ordered and delivered on CD or storage cards. User-friendly Trekker employs off-the-shelf hardware for GPS input. Trekker is fully upgradeable, so it can expand to accommodate new hardware platforms and more detailed geographic information. Trekker provides the comfort, flexibility and performance of the newer generation of wireless GPS receivers. Based on the simplicity of wireless technology, Trekker allows users to easily wear the equipment without the hassles of the wires and adapt it to their own needs. Trekker also offers enhanced input efficiency through the ability to enter text in Grade 2 Braille and the possibility of using an external Bluetooth QWERTY or a Braille keyboard. Newer features of Trekker: Handling Multiple Maps - Keep several maps on the same storage card. Choose which ones to activate (up to 4 maps). The user can create routes, navigate, search Points of Interest (POIs), and browse in all modes, seamlessly, from one area to the other. Bigger Regional Maps - Wider Areas - Far fewer maps are now required. For example, the US is covered in 25 maps, the UK and Ireland in 4 maps, and Canada in 2 maps. Newer areas are divided into regional maps. This provides flexibility when creating map combinations suited to each user's needs. Improvement of the POI Database Structure - Newer database structure provides a better POI search engine: Use any field as search criteria (e.g. zip/postal code); This function is also available from the Quick Route destination dialog. Newer Database Structure for Personal POIs - Trekker also handles Personal POIs in an independent and indexed database structure. The end result is: More efficient searching for POIs and the ability to search using multiple criteria (by category
and zip/postal code, for example); Open Structure for External Sources of POIs - Databases containing complementary sources of information, such as publicly available Web sources, other users' POIs or locally provided bus stops, can be imported into Trekker through the Map Manager. These databases should follow a specific CSV format. PC Tool to Manage Maps and POI Transfers to the PDA - Trekker provides a PC tool called Map Manager. This application manages the transfer of files between the PC and the Trekker PDA storage card. Files transferred can be maps, Personal POIs for backup, or third-party databases containing points of interest. Map Manager also allows conversion of Personal POIs recorded in previous versions to the newer Trekker map format. Routes in Motorized Mode - When in Motorized mode, Trekker can provide turn-by-turn navigation instructions. It can also browse a Motorized route in summary mode (again, with turn-by-turn instructions). Enhancements in Routes (Pedestrian or Motorized) - When a route is activated, the starting direction is announced. Pressing CTRL-WAI provides the next instruction and distance to it when a Pedestrian or Motorized route is activated. Free Mode Improvements - The following improvements have been made to Trekker when in Free mode: Automatic guidance to a POI; Browsing Mode - Offline browsing can be started from an address. Improved System Information - The following improvements have been made for Trekker in its system information: City Name announced in the following situations: at start, when entering the city, when asking
"Where Am I" in Motorized Mode. This information is also available on-demand through a shortcut; Conversion of POIs Saved in Previous Trekker Versions - The older (personal) POIs converted to the newer format match the original position. Trekker can have the capabilities of its companion notetaker Maestro added to it or they can be purchased as one integrated notetaker/GPS product. When they say the future is here, they're not kidding - and nothing proves it better than Trekker - as enthusiastic user Doug Wakefield of Arlington, Virginia says. An Information Technology Accessibility Specialist for the government, Wakefield has seen many a technological aid for the blind appear on the horizon over the years. Some impress him, some don't. When he saw Trekker demonstrated at a conference, there was no hesitation: "This," he said, "I want." And after using Trekker his initial reaction was more than confirmed: "I love it, pure and simple…I don't usually get this high on a product, but Trekker really deserves it. It's tremendous!" Operating on the highly accessible and flexible HP iPAQ Pocket PC, the compact, lightweight Trekker system is comfortably worn. As you walk along with your white cane or guide dog, Trekker keeps pace with you, announcing street names, intersections, addresses, stores and businesses, restaurants and area attractions as they come. Or use the search function for an exhaustive database of point of interests. Lost your bearings for a moment? Press the "Where am I?" key to pinpoint your position. Trekker will even advise you if you turn into a dead end. Got a comment? Activate the onboard mic and speak a quick note for future reference, or enter it in Braille on the touch-screen. Obviously the high-tech but friendly Trekker is a boon when entering an unfamiliar area, like on business trip. But it also increases accessibility and enjoyment of the most useful and interesting opportunities in your own neck of the woods. "My wife and I love to walk and to try different routes," explains Wakefield. "But we don't have talking signs here, and in the suburbs it not always easy to find another pedestrian to tell you what street you're on. With Trekker, we never get lost. So we go exploring in areas we probably wouldn't otherwise. My wife says it's like having your own talking signs." Trekker also accompanies Wakefield on familiar routes, such as his mile-long walk to and from the office. Trekker keeps him automatically and continuously advised of where he is on the route, freeing part of his attention to consider the day's schedule or other matters. "You always know where you are. That means you have one less thing to worry about." "Yet, it's non-intrusive. It talks to you but you're not required to answer back." The clip-on speaker position and volume are adjustable and Trekker can be set to do its job while remaining discreetly in the background. This adds up to what the Wakefields have dubbed a "subtle" quality they both appreciate. Wakefield cites Trekker's Browsing Offline mode as a major advantage. Using this feature you can explore an area to be traveled while in the peace and quiet of your home, hotel room, or wherever. Among other things, this allows you to organize your route ahead of time, avoiding potential problems. "With the off-line browsing feature, I can virtually tour an area before traveling it. If I'm going to run into an intersection with seven different streets, I want to know about it beforehand. Trekker lets me plan my route in advance." Trekker is a full-featured standalone orientation product for the blind with the lowest acquisition cost. It is the first GPS-based product to offer digital maps to the visually impaired in a fully portable application. Wakefield notes that many technological aids for the blind end up "simply occupying shelf space" after purchase because they don't work right. Not so with Trekker, says Wakefield. "Trekker definitely works! It really does." Another aspect that Wakefield finds particularly gratifying is Trekker's speech synthesis quality. "I was very surprised and pleased when I heard the voice," he says. "It was much better than I anticipated." Trekker provides information in the most natural way possible, with continually growing precision, and a wide variety of maps are available covering most Western countries. Maps can be bought online and downloaded, or ordered and delivered on CD or Compact Flash cards. The system employs off-the-shelf hardware for GPS input. Trekker is fully upgradeable, so it can expand to accommodate new hardware platforms and more detailed geographic information. In addition to its many orientation advantages, the system is just plain fun to use. The Wakefields maintain they never go out without it. Trekker's maker, HumanWare Inc., however, wishes to stress the system is only a complement to the traditional tools of white cane and guide dog. Doug Wakefield A free upgrade is available for users of earlier versions of Trekker by clicking on the
following link: Tech notes: |
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Florida Reading accepts the following credit cards when ordering our products or arranging for our services:
Florida Reading and Vision Technology is an Authorized Dealer for the following manufacturers:
Florida Reading and Vision Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 519 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33302 Phone: 1-800-981-5119 Fax: (954) 462-4647 sales@floridareading.com |
