GITEX is for blind people too

This enforces its leading position as the ultimate provider of assistive technology to blind Arab computer users in the Middle East. Blind Arabs will have the opportunity to try the latest assistive technology from Nattiq and its partners at stand number 809 in Hall 8.

On display will be the latest version of the award-wining Hal / Supernova screen reader software. Hal / Supernova 6.52 will be demonstrated running with Microsoft's Windows Media Center. Blind users may now experience working with multimedia devices such as TV sets and DVD recorders. Nattiq will also introduce Pocket Hal screen reader which turns a standard PDA into a talking device reading everything on the PDA's screen with a loud and clear voice.

Nattiq will also preview its latest Arabic OCR technology introduced for the first time at Gitex. A blind user may scan any printed Arabic text and hear it being read to him automatically.

Talking books will also be demonstrated. Ease Publisher software may turn any electronic text into a talking book. A valuable tool to publishing houses who intend to produce talking books for the blind. Sighted customers may also benefit from such books as it is more convenient to listen to a book than reading it.

The second generation of talking mobile phone software, Talks, will also be demonstrated. Talks provides blind people with privacy and independence in using their hand sets.

There are over 6 million blind Arabs in the Middle East. They are hardly visible especially in large events such as Gitex. "Through Nattiq's participation in Gitex we are sending blind Arabs throughout the Middle East a message that they too may enjoy coming to Gitex where they will find out what is new in their field of interest", said Auda Hazeem, Nattiq Technologies CEO. Nattiq hopes to raise awareness about the availability of modern assistive tools especially designed for blind through continuous presence in major regional trade shows.

Nattiq Technologies was established in 2001 in the United States and moved to Dubai with a branch office in Sharjah. It has forged strategic alliances with assistive industry leaders such as Dolphin Computer Access, Scansoft Inc. and Humanware corp. Nattiq serves blind people throughout the Middle East and North Africa.