// Pocket Picks //

It’s certainly an interesting concept - Indian phone maker Spice has come up with the idea to make a phone for blind and visually impaired users. Obviously it doesn’t have a screen and the hardware is based on the company’s extremely low tech ‘Phone for the common man’. This was also designed without a screen so it would be mechanical simple and have good battery life - 400 hours standby and 4 hour talk time are quoted. The ‘Blind Phone’ adds a Braille language keypad with voice technology that speaks the numbers as you press the buttons. The only other features are the two right-sided LEDs - the red flashing light is for low battery warning, while a solid blue one shows an un-interrupted network. The phone dimensions are a solid 105 by 45 by 15mm, while weight is 70 grams. And also, like the ‘Phone for the common man’, the ‘Blind Phone’ is designed to cost around $20 - just don’t expect to see it outside developing markets.