AOL and Sorenson Communications Team to Offer Text-to-Speech Relay Calls to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community.DULLES, Va. & SALT LAKE CITY -- The AIM Relay Service Lets Users Access the Sorenson IP Relay Service Directly from the AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. or AIM Buddy List A list of colleagues, workgroup members, friends, etc., that you might wish to communicate with via instant messaging. See instant messaging. Feature on Their Mobile Devices and Personal Computers E[acute accent acute accent n. A mark (´) indicating: a. that a vowel is close or tense, as é in French été. b. that a vowel or syllable has a high or rising pitch, as in Chinese or Ancient Greek. c. ]America Online See AOL. Inc. (www.aol.com) and Sorenson Communications(TM) (www.sorenson.com), the nation's leading provider of video relay services (VRS (Video Relay Service) A communications service for the hearing or speech impaired. A VRS is the video counterpart of a TTY relay service, in which the user types on a terminal, and the relay operator speaks the messages to the recipient (see TDD/TTY). ) and equipment for the deaf community, today announced a partnership to allow deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to access the newly launched Sorenson IP Relay(TM) directly from their AOL or AIM Buddy List feature using the AIM Relay Service (www.aim.com). (1) E[acute accent]Sorenson IP Relay, a free service provided by Sorenson Communications, lets deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals place text-to-speech relay calls to any standard telephone user in the United States. Under the new alliance, the free AIM Relay service provides individuals with a new access point to Sorenson IP Relay via the AIM service and Buddy List feature on their personal computer or mobile device (i.e., Sidekick, BlackBerry, PalmOne, Treo etc.). E[acute accent]To get started, relay users simply instant message the AIM Screen Name "siprelay" to contact a Sorenson Communications Assistant. The assistant then places a telephone call to the hearing recipient and relays the messages between the two parties, reading the instant messages out loud to the hearing recipient and writing the responses back via instant message to the deaf caller. The "Siprelay" Screen Name can be added to the Buddy List feature as a permanent buddy, and deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can both initiate and receive Sorenson IP Relay calls through the AIM service. E[acute accent]"We are proud of the popularity of AOL and the AIM service in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community as an essential communication tool," said Tom Wlodkowski, director of accessibility, America Online, Inc. "We are excited to make the AIM service even more valuable through this partnership with Sorenson Communications. We anticipate users will appreciate the ease of being able to connect with Sorenson IP Relay to make relay calls through the platform of their choice, whether it's sending a mobile instant message from their wireless device or a standard one from their desktop at work." E[acute accent]"We are honored to collaborate with AOL to improve the quality of communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing users," said James Lee Sorenson, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Sorenson Communications. "Sorenson IP Relay provides deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with a highly convenient and effective way of communicating with hearing telephone users via mobile devices and personal computers." E[acute accent]The AIM Relay Service is accessible on the Web through the free AOL Instant Messenger See AIM. (AIM) service (found at www.aim.com), and through the Apple(R) iChat(R) client. It is also available on a wide range of wireless devices and cellular phones that offer WAP-enabled access to AIM. The AIM Relay Service requires no additional software. E[acute accent]The AIM Relay Service is an extension of AOL's Accessibility Policy, a companywide priority that aims to address and meet the technology needs of people with disabilities. More information on AOL's accessibility efforts is available at www.aol.com/accessibility. E[acute accent](1)A wireless service data plan is required in order to use The AIM Relay Service on mobile devices. Additional charges from the wireless service provider may apply. E[acute accent]About the AOL Instant Messenger Service E[acute accent]The AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM) (AIM(R)) service (www.aim.com) is at the center of one of the largest and most active communities online, and is available for use on computers, mobile phones and other handheld devices. With a network infrastructure that handles more than 2 billion instant messages each day, the AIM service enables people around the world to connect in real time via text, audio or video instant messaging The inclusion of video in an instant messaging (IM) system, turning it into a two-way video conference. For example, in 2003, Apple introduced its iSight video camera for use with its iChat instant messaging. See instant messaging. , and to engage in shared activities, such as casual gaming and picture-sharing. E[acute accent]About America Online Inc. E[acute accent]America Online Inc. (www.aol.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of Time Warner Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : TWX (TeletypeWriter eXchange Service) A U.S. and Canadian dial-up communications service that became part of Telex. In 1971, the Bell System sold TWX to Western Union. TWX transmitted 5-bit Murray code or 7-bit ASCII code at up to 150 bps. See Telex. ). Based in Dulles, Va., America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services. E[acute accent]About Sorenson Communications E[acute accent]Sorenson Communications Inc. (www.sorenson.com) is a provider of industry-leading communication offerings including the Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS), Sorenson IP Relay (siprelay), and the Sorenson videophones. Sorenson VRS enables deaf callers to conduct video relay conversations through a qualified American Sign Language American Sign Language n. The primary sign language used by deaf and hearing-impaired people in the United States and Canada. American Sign Language (ASL), n. (ASL ASL - Algebraic Specification Language ) interpreter. Sorenson IP Relay allows users to place text-based relay calls from either a mobile device or personal computer to any telephone user. The company's line of Sorenson videophones are the only customized videophones with auto-updating technology, which include the latest video communication features for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. E[acute accent](C) 2005 Sorenson Communications. All products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. |
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