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Wireless carriers will adopt a new real-time text protocol by December 2017
The FCC is ready to adopt a proposal that'll bring a new protocol to wireless networks to help people with disabilities communicate. It's called real-time text (RTT) and will be a replacement for the aging teletypwriter (TTY) devices that let users transmit text conversations over traditional phone lines. The new RTT protocol will work over cellular networks and other "IP-based environments." According to the FCC's statment, RTT will ""allow Americans who are deaf, hard of hearing, speech disabled or deaf-blind to use the same wireless communications devices as their friends, relatives and colleagues, and more seamlessly integrate into tomorrow's communications networks."
Video relay calling breakthrough uses FaceTime to help the deaf
In the past, the only way for the hearing impaired to communicate was either in person or by way of the TTY (teletypewriter); the TTY is a device that's about as large as a laptop computer, and it allows the hard of hearing to type on a QWERTY keyboard and have the communication transferred. However, iZ breaks that barrier; it will allow the deaf to pull an iPhone 4 out of their pocket and effectively communicate. Now, another technical impediment will be on its way out. This is wonderful news. At first, the technology will only be available through Wi-Fi and the iPhone 4, but it's a safe bet to say that it will eventually filter down to other devices and be able to use cellular service. For now, though, it's quite a start. [via AppleInsider]
iPhone doesn't work with most 3rd party headphones
As several tipsters have pointed out, the recessed iPhone headphone port means that a lot of third party headphones don't work properly: we've tested a few models already (you can see the current list after the break), but maybe you can help us out and let us know which models work / don't work in the comments -- and yes, if you have to press down on the jack to get both channels to play sound, we count that as not working. You'll need to buy a $10 headphone adapter if you want most third party headphones to function correctly, which sounds like a great business plan to us: just break an important device function, and sell the solution for fun and profit. For now, one of the few third party 'phones that do work are the Zune headphones.%Gallery-4439%
