ACCESS Communication Software for the Deaf

gtanner

gtanner

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Thanks to all those who have downloaded and installed NexTalk ACCESS. The number of users continues to grow and we are vary excited about the future for this unique communication platform.

I want to address the issue of the monthly fee associated with NexTalk ACCESS. While NexTalk had worked in the past with a company called UR Relay to provide a free software program, we are unable to offer a free program today.

Why?

UR Relay was using an FCC license from another company to bill the FCC for their services. This is why UR Relay could offer it to the deaf community for free, because the FCC was paying for it. When the FCC clamped down on fraud in the industry, one of the changes was that a company could no longer use a third party companies license to provide service, which in effect, killed UR Relay and closed down their free program.

NexTalk is not funded by the FCC. (coincidentally, I have had discussions with the Director of Relay services at the FCC and they are very enthusiastic about our ACCESS communication Platform). In order to provide you with complete communication, our network must communicate with the rest of the world, which means we have to assign 10 digit phone numbers to each subscriber. The monthly fee associated with NexTalk ACCESS is what we pay to secure a phone number for the ACCESS subscriber. At $6.95 a month, that is a great deal less that if you contacted your local telephone company and asked them to provide you with a phone line to use with your TTY Phone.

We will be doing our first update to the software next month. New look, new features, new benefits.

Thanks

Gary
 
Last edited:
For me, the VRS portion sucks.

If I do a webcam with hearing friends on Skype, I find I can still type a text message. If that service had a text message box, I would find myself using that, too.

The rest of the platform, I really do I like as I'm very familiar with the other features currently in NexTalk.
 
NormanF said:
For me, the VRS portion sucks.

If I do a webcam with hearing friends on Skype, I find I can still type a text message. If that service had a text message box, I would find myself using that, too.

The rest of the platform, I really do I like as I'm very familiar with the other features currently in NexTalk.
Click to expand...

Norman,

Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it. The ability to chat/text while in a video call is one of the new features that will be introduced next month. This feature will be added to all three video call options: VRI, Video Phone and VRS.

Thanks

Gary
 
gtanner said:
Thanks to all those who have downloaded and installed NexTalk ACCESS. The number of users continues to grow and we are vary excited about the future for this unique communication platform.

I want to address the issue of the monthly fee associated with NexTalk ACCESS. While NexTalk had worked in the past with a company called UR Relay to provide a free software program, we are unable to offer a free program today.

Why?

UR Relay was using an FCC license from another company to bill the FCC for their services. This is why UR Relay could offer it to the deaf community for free, because the FCC was paying for it. When the FCC clamped down on fraud in the industry, one of the changes was that a company could no longer use a third party companies license to provide service, which in effect, killed UR Relay and closed down their free program.

NexTalk is not funded by the FCC. (coincidentally, I have had discussions with the Director of Relay services at the FCC and they are very enthusiastic about our ACCESS communication Platform). In order to provide you with complete communication, our network must communicate with the rest of the world, which means we have to assign 10 digit phone numbers to each subscriber. The monthly fee associated with NexTalk ACCESS is what we pay to secure a phone number for the ACCESS subscriber. At $6.95 a month, that is a great deal less that if you contacted your local telephone company and asked them to provide you with a phone line to use with your TTY Phone.

We will be doing our first update to the software next month. New look, new features, new benefits.

Thanks

Gary
Click to expand...

NormanF said:
For me, the VRS portion sucks.

If I do a webcam with hearing friends on Skype, I find I can still type a text message. If that service had a text message box, I would find myself using that, too.

The rest of the platform, I really do I like as I'm very familiar with the other features currently in NexTalk.
Click to expand...

gtanner said:
Norman,

Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it. The ability to chat/text while in a video call is one of the new features that will be introduced next month. This feature will be added to all three video call options: VRI, Video Phone and VRS.

Thanks

Gary
Click to expand...
Are you a paying advertiser here?
 
Are they going to work on app for mobile (iOS, Android, etc)?
 
PowerOn,

Absolutely. expanding the platform to android and apple are very high on our product road map. Currently the software works on a Microsoft tablet. I use it on my Surface pro 2.
 
Of course, it would be desirable to have it run on Mac OSX via a universal binary and on Linux.

But that involves considerable development costs to extend this to all operating systems.
 
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