Zen concept PC caters to visually impaired

There's hardly a shortage of pocketable devices for the blind, but the Zen is lookin' out for the visually impaired who crave a more full-fledged computing experience. Essentially, the Sandbox PC (hardware) and Zen (operating system) would team up to "create a computing environment that could be used with eyes closed." More specifically, it would utilize an Active Surface for displaying text in Braille and producing images, windows and icons that could be felt. No word on whether this contraption would handle other tasks such as reading one's e-mail aloud or enabling the blind to still participate in Hot or Not, but nevertheless, it's definitely a step in the right direction.

[abelIAN @ Feb 28th 2008 3:08AM]

"...or enabling the blind to still participate in Hot or Not..."

ooh, low blow!

[zfurie @ Feb 28th 2008 4:28AM]

This is what I call Surface Computing!

[cromas @ Feb 28th 2008 5:32AM]

That joke and the preceding comment are even more distasteful than the "any more Japanese?" joke from a few days ago. Engadget, clean your act up, please.

[Bryan @ Feb 28th 2008 3:08AM]

Remember that movie Blind Justice w/ Rutger Hauer, that movie rocked!

[frankXchange @ Feb 28th 2008 3:45AM]

Very interesting for seeing persons as well. Imagine a zen device with colour display ability. You reach out and feel the frame of the window your files are in, then feel the files as you drag them out of the folder. The files feel like paper; the window like glass, and the frame is metal.

Now let's combine that with another technology: Lidar. (It was supposed to be incorporated into motion picture cameras by now, to privide an alternative to blue/green screen). An 8-bit alpha channel in the picture saves depth information taken by tthe camera. Now open that on the zen and watch the photo push out of its frame.

Oh yeah.

[JohnTitor @ Feb 28th 2008 3:56AM]

does it play music?

[TK @ Feb 28th 2008 4:01AM]

Creative lawyers are standing by!

[Ayle @ Feb 28th 2008 5:10AM]

They even used the same font... That's just asking for troubles.

[blarvh @ Feb 28th 2008 7:09AM]

This ISN'T made by Creative??

[Super Intendo @ Feb 28th 2008 4:08AM]

Can it play doom?

[stuart @ Feb 28th 2008 4:16AM]

I think its about time that manufacturers started thinking about the visually impaired. I have a friend who is partially sighted, and I know how frustrating he find it to use devices such as phone/mp3 players due to their often small OSD text and icons.

[Monbot @ Feb 28th 2008 5:44AM]

how about using this technology with a touch sensitive screen

[Eptin @ Feb 28th 2008 6:32AM]

Has anybody actually figured out how this tactile-surface would actually work? I don't suppose it conjures up an ever-changing surface, perhaps a nod in the direction of The Abyss movie?

[Togarth @ Feb 28th 2008 8:10AM]

A bit like in the way Apple's consumer products cater for the mentaly challenged?

[Jeff Lewis @ Feb 28th 2008 8:54AM]

*Thank you*

We almost made it through a post without a single Apple reference. Fortunately, you saved us from that nightmare.

And it was delightfully unrelated to the post too.

Bonus points.

[Togarth @ Feb 28th 2008 9:09AM]

@Jeff Lewis
One does one's duty with no expectation of reward!

[DrunkenCP @ Feb 28th 2008 9:47AM]

It may be difficult to render a useful PC tactile display, but something like this would be very useful for small mobile devices like cell phones and PMPs. It would be great if phones and MP3 players with something like this would allow the visually impaired to use text messaging or read song info in braille.

[mattydread @ Feb 28th 2008 10:57AM]

Looks a lot nicer than the old school braille device the blind character used in the movie Sneakers.

[mister_s @ Feb 28th 2008 2:54PM]

"handle other tasks such as reading one's e-mail aloud or enabling the blind to still participate in Hot or Not"

horrible comment...we r reading an writing such posts jus cos we r not waiting for a device capable of doing this.

[AL @ Feb 28th 2008 3:16PM]

Not all vision impaired folks can read braille.

[John Warner @ Feb 28th 2008 4:01PM]

Thanks for the info on the Zen device.

I am twice cursed. I am vision impaired (nearly blind) and also visually impaired (ugly). I look forward to my first encounter with tactile computing.