Qualcomm announces Andorid smartphone for the blind

Blindness and smartphones are usually not mentioned in the same sentence, but this is now all about to change. This week Qualcomm has announced it’s developing a multi-function Andorid smartphone that will combine the technologies blind and visually impaired people use separately.

In collaboration with Project Ray, the ‘off-the-self’ device will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor and will offer a user interface that is designed for eye-free interaction with services such as phone calls, texts, social networking and navigation. As Wired reports finger gestures will allow users to navigate to their desired function, while haptic vibrations and voice alerts let them know if they are on the right track and give choices.

Chief executive of Project Ray, Boaz Zilberman said the user interface presents a “new language for human-device interaction that is built ground-up for eye-free operation”.