Saturday, July 24, 2010

Do you UbiDuo?

So we found this communication device at DeafNation.


I was wondering if anyone can give me some feedback. I was thinking it would be good for my son to use at school. Sometimes he wants a last minute meeting with a teacher or study time with friends. He often uses his text screen on his phone for this but the teachers are not good at texting and resort to paper. This would allow for real time conversation. One feature I like is he can later download the conversations to his computer. One drawback is it weighs six pounds. Any thoughts?

17 comments:

  1. I've used it at certain offices such as the auto repairman or the local motor vehicles license bureau. Not too impressed. More often than not it doesn't work, or the reflections from overhead lights obscure reading the screen.

    My tried and true way is to use pen and pad. A laptop or netbook might be a more versatile tool than a UbiDuo. A doctor I go to uses a laptop with me by her side.

    The cost of the UbiDuo could be (unfavorably) compared to the cost of two netbooks tethered back to back or linked through AIM.

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  2. I wish there was plug and play usb port that will allow two computers to communicate with each other using aim or similar program. That way we don't have to worry about wifi or passing a computer back and forth to each other.

    DSi can communicate with another DSi and allow you to chat with each other but it doesn't have a keyboard. you have to use your stylus.

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  3. yeah, ubiduo should improve their technology. Make it slimmer and improve their screen (like E-book)

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  4. The new version is very nice. Several Gallaudet students have used it at their internships. The screen is not hard to read at all. You don't need to worry about an internet connection or wifi. I know several deaf people who work in mostly hearing environments, and they keep it on their desk all the time. That way when someone wants to chat, they can -- the Ubis are already there. (and no, I don't work for the company.)

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  5. A hospital was sued by Deaf patient(s) recently for using UbiDuo. It wasn't a good substitution for an interpreter in a hospital setting.

    More than that, I don't know much about UbiDuo. It's not something I personally will use, due to its weight and size. I rather talk and lipread and if that doesn't work well, use paper and pen. Other devices can be used, i.e. a personal computer, a laptop or a pager.

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  6. anony,

    Can you provide a link about the lawsuit?

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  7. You can use two laptops and set them either to communicate wirelessly using adhoc. You can also use a crossover cable. Use netmeeting in any flavor of winxp os. It works way better than ubi-duo. But remember a deaf person's language is asl. Many deaf people are embarrassed by their language in written form. Ubi-duo is better for hard of hearing people with excellent language skills. ASL users don't like these devices. The internet is full of examples of how to set up a peer to peer network either wirelessly or using crossover cat5 cables. Ubi-Duo officials may try to confuse people saying their product is the best. Not so, two cheap netbooks using adhoc wireless or cat5 crossovers are better.

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  8. I want to correct the falsehoods presented by Dianrez . Like Dianrez , I live in Rochester, NY so I know the places she is referring to. The DMV only has the Interpretype (ITY). The "auto repairman" is Mac's II, which shares the same inventor as the Interpretype.

    The UbiDuo operates on it's own FCC-approved frequency so there's no need to be tangled with cords, as it would happen with two laptops and a cat5 cable. Furthermore, there's no back and forth for the typing, as in ITY or IM because typing on the UbiDuos is in real time, letter by letter, on split-screen. So conversations are faster and smoother. The screen are adjustable plus background can be adjusted to black or white. More information about the UbiDuo can be found at www.scomm.com

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  9. Ubi-duo has only one advantage. No competition. Peer to peer networking offers the best competition. Two 10 inch netbooks using adhoc wireless and/or a crossover cat5 cable. Use netmeeting in winxp oses. It works, I have connected dozens of laptops that way with satisfied customers. Why pay Ubi-Duo's exorbitant costs? You the reader decide. I figured Ubi-Duo sympathizers would butt in. Competition is healthy.

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  10. I've seen the UbiDuo at conference booths and would not really use that for myself. I very much prefer to use what I already have: my laptop, AIM, pen/paper, pager (if I had one) than lug around the UbiDuo. It's a pricey machine, too! If your son is known for losing things then this is the one thing you would not want him to lose. =P Just my two cents.

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  11. if deaf child or teen are embarrassed by their writing, this is a GOOD opportunity for the teacher to see he where he is struggling in real time writing. And probably help him more in that area before he goes to college.

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  12. Wow thanks for all th great comments!

    So my son had some thoughts. He says it is too heavy to carry in his backpack all day but it would be cool to have at school. He likes the way the screen is split and the speed of conversation. He types faster than he writes. He also likes that you don't have to sit right next to the person.

    The big issue he has is the size. Another thing he pointed out is paper and pen don't cost $2000. He even came home a couple of times with notes written on his arm from a conversation with a girl.

    So we are still thinking.

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  13. DEAF PATIENTS SUE JACKSONVILLE HOSPITAL OVER LACK OF INTERPRETERS

    Caserta said an UbiDuo communication device used at Baptist that allows patients and staff to communicate with keyboards and monitors isn’t helpful if the patient struggles to read, write or type, as several of her clients do

    http://deaftimes.com/usa-l/deaf-patients-sue-jacksonville-hospital-over-lack-of-interpreters/

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  14. Actually 2 10 inch netbooks are quite light to carry. If your son is technically inclined, he would appreciate using the netbooks instead of using the pricey ubiduo.

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  15. I saw the UbiDuo at the Deaf Nation World Expo in Las Vegas and the minute I saw it, I knew immediately that I had to have one for my job at the USDA. I have had the UbiDuo since this past October and now I am able to interact with 30 of my hearing co-workers. I am amazed at how much it has changed my entire work environment. You need to check out the UbiDuo at www.scomm.com.

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  16. total garbage. 1800$ and a 1 color lcd screen?
    2 decked out netbooks cost less than that!

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  17. OK, I tried the UbiDuo yesterday. Of course netbooks/laptops/tablets are cheaper. But the things that impressed me most about the UbiDuo are that it is instant-on (no waiting for Windows, Android etc), its screen works outdoors or in sunlight too and it is deliberately simple. Setting up and fixing an ad-hoc wifi network or using crossover cables is beyond most people's comfort zone. No, you can't play Angry Birds on it or Facebook with it. But that is why it is instant-on and simple enough to be using it 10 seconds after you turn it on even if you've never seen it before. And, yes, there are situations where a sign language interpreter is more appropriate.I don't work for SComm, I assess the needs of disabled people and recommend real, working, here now, appropriate solutions. It's not so much to pay for the personal ad-hoc communication we hearing people take for granted. Just my opinion.

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