Viable and its new Video Phone: vPAD
15 02 2008All..
I’ve been asked by a few folks about vPAD from Viable and whether the vPAD actually belongs to Viable or not. I got the answer from Viable - see the following text.
"Viable designed and joint developed vPad with its South Korean manufacturing partner, SBNTech. Viable holds the intellectual property rights to the design of the product and has the worlwide exclusive rights to the deaf and hard of hearing market. Viable and SBNTech will jointly market vPad and its derivative products to other commercial markets."
So that means the VP product has the "worldwide exclusive" rights to the deaf and hoh market. Cool.
See the links:
http://www.viable.net/product/vpad
http://www.viable.net/support/faq/vpad
Not free? Wow - finally! I wholeheartedly support the concept. Why? It would free us from the tyranny of leasing contract terms. Also, purchasing will ensure that we will be more responsible for the video phone product and not to abuse it. It would empower us to be more independent. It also would mean I can purchase a video phone for my hearing daughter who just had a baby. I can’t purchase Sorenson VP, nor can I "purchase" OJO easily for my daughter with out adding monthly expense for her and have to deal with download program issues to make it compatible with my OJO.
If freebie, then many of us will have three or four video phones in our homes; Sorenson, OJO, DLINK, and Web Camera. Probably will only use one or two. If we purchase one, you can bet we’ll likely be using that one to make spending $$ worthwhile.
It is entirely possible that many states with their equipment distribution programs may include the video phone as part of their program. In Texas, although no decision has been made on this, I probably will encourage that on the premise that it is up to the deaf to choose their own telecommunications products.
The real test is yet to come, though. Is vPAD as good as it claims to be? Easy to setup? Complicated configuration? What features are available with vPAd? This is what will ultimately be the deciding factors as to whether the vPAD is worth purchasing or not.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Howdy Ed….it has been almost 20 years since I went to the FCC on loan from NTID. I’ve been retired for 3 years and love it on the lakefront house in Sodus which is 30 miles east of Rochester. Sally and I travel quite a bit and enjoy our 8 grandchildren, all on the West Coast !!
I need to tell you about a first time experience using the VRS. I called SNAPVRS and was astounded to hear everything going on. I heard the ringing of the third party telephone and the voice coming out of it on my TV speakers. It’s exactly like going to the movies with your C.I. and you can hear the voices, the explosions, the bullets, the screeching of car brakes, and all the other actions on the screen. It makes me a little more fluent with the phone conversation. THANKS to SNAPVRS !!! I know Sorenson VRS doesn’t have that capability and I don’t know about the other VRSes.
I’m hearing a lot of good things about your work and your DEDICATION !! I heard Gally will honor you at graduation and I’m happy for you. You truly deserve it. You broke the mesquite thorn figuratively speaking.
Paul
Ed,
I was not impressed with vPad and there is one big reason, it does not contain a battery. Therefore, it is not truly a portable. I am not in agreement of the invention because you can use a laptop with a cam (add on or built-in). And, a laptop is wireless and it contains a battery. In fact, you can download Viable software onto your laptop and it will function just as well as if you had a vPad. My webcam is $100 and the laptop has a bunch of features I can use while you can’t with a vPad.
If you travel and have a laptop, why would you bother with a vPad? It’s an extra item to carry around. And, you must find a socket to plug in to get electricity to operate the vPad.
Download the Viable software onto your desktop PC and/or laptop. Then you can call anyone, including any IP address. It is really simple.
Oh, one more thing, I was told Viable was going to have the battery pack for vPad in the next generation. I do not want to wait for it when I can use my webcam and laptop together.
Phil
But is there a monthly fees?
Phil,
At least you expressed ur thots and shared ur insights. We’ll find out when the product comes out and see how it goes.
Ed
Paul,
Hey - good to hear from you!
Hey everyone, Paul Taylor is an old war horse who has been around a while. I was green in relay stuff when he was in the FCC tackling relay business.
Good grief, you retired? Good for you. My turn will come in Aug 2008.
Thanks for the complimentary stroke. Since u have OJO, perchaps we can try video chatting?
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
I remember the Taylors when I came to their house to purchase my first tty (the Minicom!). That was sometime in 1984. I was attending NTID. Well, I recently saw both of them on “Through Deaf Eyes” and now I wish I had chatted with them more.
Ed, if you have a chance, ask them when the DVD release of “Hear and Now” will come. I did some checking and found that film will be on HBO in May 2008 so I guess the DVD release will come later. Ed, thanks for your website and congrats for the honor of being the “father” of the VRS.
Thanks for the info. I actually have not expermiented with various video relay service yet. I should start to try out some of other vrs rather than using sorenson vrs. I wish good luck to Viable vrs competing with other vrs companies. Of course, there are many different opinions from everybody related to VRS companies.
Troy,
On monthly fee. I would hope not. Website didn’t say anything about that so I’m assuming not.
Ed
I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Independence at last, maybe!!! Concern: how does the VPad connect with other VPads? with different VPs (VP100/200, Dlink; Ojo; etc.)? if still ip address dependent, I’ll wait till FCC powers that be gets off their idle butts and start ordering that all VPs connect with on another via a uniform, easy to use number like the NANP (North American Number Plan). This disgusting delay is INEXCUSABLE!!! It violates every functional equivalency rule in the book of VP users!!! The technology is there to do the job which will enable VP users to call one another with VPs of different manufacturers as easily as telephone users can one another with telephones (cell phones, mobile phones, landline phones, VoiP based phone, CapTel - you name it) of different manufacturers, enable E911 calls just like one can dial 911 on telephones, help reduce and control IP relay fraud, and whatever else I’ve forgotten.
Larry,
You go, Larry. You make perfectly sense. Number system will solve horde of problems (probably will create a bunch of new ones, but probably easy to fix/control).
Hopefully the FCC will finally act on the numbering system soon (?) considering teeming public seems to be realizing the value of numbering system.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Awesome! The Viable Pad is fanstanic than vp or tty or webcam ..etc but It is easygoing , smooth ..etc .That’s making perfectly sense . When will it start ? How much does it cost ?
Felicia,
No idea when it’ll come out and cost. Hope it will be soon.
Ed
While in Scandinavia recently we saw CNN featuring this product several times in its coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
what’s happen to Viable? they seems to be quiet and not show anyhting at deafnation.
Troy,
Check out http://www.viable.net/ and you can call with SorensonVP, SnapVRS, DLink, or web camera with this viablevrs.tv as IP addy.
You can call about 12 VRS providers now with any of these vp. That is called “interoperable”.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Viable just released VPAD+ and will soon be selling for $99. That’s what I heard. They’ve made a lot of improvements and I’ve seen the demo at Deaf Nation in Colorado and was really impressed with Viable’s ability to market this. It has wifi built in, portability, clear screen and picture quality was awesome. The community should welcome this and purchase this phone because it would belong to you. Of course most of the people would think ‘free free free”…BUT, alas, I remind you that with today’s economy, the deaf and hard of hearing have shown increasingly the ability to purchase things and can afford it and this VPAD+ is affordable and even can sell to the hearing community! I applaud this and I wholeheartedly welcome Viable with open arms. I look forward to purchasing this!