World's first braille phone hits market

Now, even the visually impaired can use a phone while on the go, as the world's first Braille phone is now in the market.

 

Braille is now an option for the buttons to be used in the UK-made OwnFone, whose makers let users design and order custom-designed phones.

 

For as low as £60 (P4,400), users can specify that the phones they order should feature Braille buttons, which the visually impaired can read.

 

Aside from the keypad, users can also select the design and color of their phones.

 

OwnFone is about the size of a credit card, weighing about 40 grams. Its manufacturer claims a battery life of up to one year on standby mode.

 

3D-printed

 

A report on the BBC said the phone's front and back can be customized using 3D printing techniques.

 

BBC quoted inventor Tom Sunderland as saying the use of 3D printing for the device's parts help keep down costs.

 

"3D printing... provides a fast and cost-effective way to create personalised Braille buttons," he said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News