Blind Bargains

#CSUN14 Audio: Bones Turns a Milestone into a Vibrating Clock


At first glance, we thought we had found a new Milestone from Bones, but the company was actually showing off a new alarm clock and timer for the deaf-blind using the same shell and vibration feedback. To learn more, we spoke with Bones Managing Director Stephan Knecht who gives us a demonstration of the Helen Vibrating Clock in this podcast. Blind Bargains audio coverage of CSUN 2014 is generously sponsored by the American Foundation for the Blind.

Transcript

We strive to provide an accurate transcription, though errors may occur.

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Direct from San Diego, it’s BlindBargains.com coverage of CSUN 2014. The biggest names, provocative interviews, and wall-to-wall exhibit hall coverage, brought to you by the American Foundation for the Blind.

Are you a professional working in the vision loss field? AFB’s eLearning center has the tools and resources to support you. Learn about technology, eye conditions, aging, and more, 24/7, wherever you are, through AFB’s webinars and online courses. Earn credits and enhance your knowledge by visiting www.afb.org/elearning.

Now, here’s J.J. Meddaugh.

J.J.: We are here at CSUN 2014 with Stefan Knecht. He is the Managing Director for Bones. Bones, of course, famous for their line of Milestone media players. But we have a Milestone that looks like a Milestone, but is actually an alarm clock and watch for the deaf-blind. Stefan, welcome to Blind Bargains.

SK: Hello there. Hi.

J.J.: Tell me what we have here.

SK: Well, it’s the deaf-blind alarm clock called Helen. It’s of course completely operated by vibration. It’s a language made by vibration which counts the hours in tens and single units.

J.J.: We’ll hold this up and we’ll see if we can get a bit of a sound here.

SK: Okay, let’s first press the upper button for the hour. So this was two long and four short. That’s 14; that’s 2 p.m.

J.J.: Oh, it’s in 24 hour time.

SK: Yep. Let’s go for the…

J.J.: Four short vibrations there.

SK: Four tens, yeah, and now the individual minutes.

J.J.: Five, six, seven, eight, nine. A long one for five.

SK: It’s 2:49.

J.J.: All right. And it really is, I believe. Or it’s close enough, at least.

SK: That’s for the time. Also, there’s a second mode for the alarm time, so it will vibrate to wake up. Also you can attach a vibrating pillow, which is quite heavy, to make sure people wake up in the morning.

J.J.: How does that work? Do you sell that, or where do you get a vibrating pillow from?

SK: Oh, that comes with it.

J.J.: Oh, okay. So it’s part of the package.

SK: Oh, yes.

J.J.: I see. These are the same – anyone who’s seen a Milestone, the really simple interface, there’s just a few buttons on the device; it’s the exact same shell as a Milestone.

SK: Yep. It’s in a dark blue with the black lower shell, so it can be distinguished. It looks pretty nice, in fact.

J.J.: Is there only 24-hour mode, or can it do 12-hour for U.S. people?

SK: It is only 24-hour mode to make sure what time it is. Third function is a timer. People usually take this at the belt in the protection case. Then it starts vibrating when the cake is done in the oven.

J.J.: How would you set the timer using the vibrations?

SK: Similar. I’d press for a long time, like 2 seconds until the thing starts counting – one, two, three, four – with short vibration pulses. And then I know four is like 40 minutes, and then I in addition set the single minutes – 41, 42 – then it starts counting down.

J.J.: Okay, so you did the 40 minutes. Once you get it to 40, and then you press a different button?

SK: Just let it go.

J.J.: And then press it again?

SK: No, press the lower one for the single minutes. The other one was the middle one for the tens of minutes.

J.J.: And then of course, it’ll vibrate when it’s done. Will it keep vibrating until you stop it, pretty much?

SK: Yeah, it will stop after one minute.

J.J.: As far as the vibrations, of course, that does do a little bit of a number with the battery, right? How long does the battery work?

SK: Oh, a long time. Typical use is half an hour a day; it lasts for several weeks. It’s rechargeable.

J.J.: USB?

SK: Yes, it has USB for charging. But also, it has Learning Mode, where it also gives out the information by voice at the same time by the vibrating. This is a teacher mode for learning.

J.J.: Some people who might be just hard of hearing and maybe could hear a little bit, they could benefit from having it both ways as well.

SK: Possible.

J.J.: How big is the pillow?

SK: The pillow is like 5x5 inches, 1 inch thick.

J.J.: Do you stick that under your existing pillow, or do you actually sleep on this pillow?

SK: Put it anywhere in the bed. The whole thing will rattle. It’s actually quite heavy. The thing usually starts jumping around. People often dig it in their head pillow.

J.J.: Right, because obviously you need a pretty strong thing to wake yourself up if you can’t hear the sound.

SK: Oh, yes.

J.J.: Is this available now, and how much does it cost?

SK: It is available now, and price is a bit high. It’s 750 USD. These things are handmade, handcrafted by our company for the moment. Trying to shift into mass production, and that will lower the price significantly. Much lower.

J.J.: Is there any U.S. distributors for this yet?

SK: Yes, it’s LS&S, ILA, and EnableMart.

J.J.: Okay. Hey, thank you so much, Stefan, for showing this to us.

SK: Thanks.

Blind Bargains is your home for the latest assistive technology news and reviews. Visit us at blindbargains.com, or follow Blind Bargains on Twitter for the inside scoop.

This has been another Blind Bargains audio podcast. Visit BlindBargains.com for the latest deals, news, and exclusive content. This podcast may not be retransmitted, sold, or reproduced without the express written permission of A T Guys. © 2014.

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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.


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