CORRECTING and REPLACING HP and Partners Build on HP's Pocket PC Platform to Bring Assistive Technology Advances to People with Disabilities.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CORRECTION...by HP

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 2003

In BW5276 issued Oct. 15, 2003: Contact info, phone number for Brigida Bergkamp should read: 650-857-3299 (sted 650-847-3299).

The corrected release reads:

HP AND PARTNERS BUILD ON HP'S POCKET PC PLATFORM TO BRING

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Wireless Mobility Technologies on HP iPAQ Devices Range

from Learning Robotics for Children to Networked

Devices for People with Sight and Speech Disabilities

Marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month, HP (NYSE:HPQ) today highlighted the many advances HP and its assistive technology partners have made in helping people with disabilities achieve a better quality of life using the HP iPAQ Pocket PC as a platform.

Through its Accessibility Program Office, HP builds relationships with assistive technology companies to meet its goal of designing, producing and marketing products and services that can effectively be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. Using their free membership in the HP Developer and Solution Partner Program (www.hp.com/dspp), assistive technology companies can use HP technologies, platforms and operating systems to create their own innovative solutions. The program also offers technical, sales and marketing support.

"HP is an excellent partner to the assistive technology industry," said David Dikter, executive director, Assistive Technology Industry Association. "Their leadership in developing quality products and their commitment to accessibility set them apart. This commitment extends to many areas of the disability community, including HP's significant work in providing technologies and partnering with assistive technology manufacturers in product development."

HP integrates accessibility features, including access to the Web, into the design of all its products. It is the only information technology manufacturer to have the accessibility features of all its products documented and available online. The National Federation for the Blind recently named HP one of the first national recipients of its Non-visual Accessibility Web Application certification.

"HP is proud of our relationship with our assistive technology partners as we bring mainstream technology advances to people with disabilities," said Duane Zitzner, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "We're combining our strengths to shorten what has traditionally been a large gap in time between the introduction of the latest technologies and when they become available to people with disabilities."

The following products and projects illustrate how HP and its partners are using the HP iPAQ Pocket PC to make technology a fabric of the everyday life of people with disabilities:

-- CosmoBot -- AnthroTronix (www.anthrotronix.com) in College

Park, Md., designed this robotic rehabilitation toolkit for

children with disabilities. CosmoBot runs on Linux, using the

HP iPAQ as a platform. The HP iPAQ is embedded in CosmoBot's

square body and, together with a custom-developed card,

directs CosmoBot's interaction with children. CosmoBot

responds to the children's body movements and voice commands,

and through an interactive control device. By exploring and

manipulating their environment with CosmoBot, children gain a

position of independence and control, which in turn can result

in motivation to succeed. CosmoBot is currently being tested

in both clinical and educational settings.

-- Employee Handheld Adaptive Device -- Utilizing the HP iPAQ,

the employee handheld adaptive device is central to Project

SEARCH, a joint project currently being piloted at the

Cincinnati Children's Hospital 

(www.cincinnatichildrens.org/ps) and aimed at increasing the

national employment of people with disabilities. The device,

with software developed by 4M Automation, is a networked job

training and coaching solution that taps the HP iPAQ Pocket

PC's expandability, memory capacity and multimedia

capabilities. Project SEARCH employees can refer to the device

for an audio or graphics-based step-by-step instruction on how

to complete a job and also to check progress to completion.

The device also includes a calendar that can alert the

employee of an appointment and provide directions to the next

destination. Job coaches and family members also may relay

messages and reminders to the person through it.

-- Mobility Agents -- AgentSheets (www.agentsheets.com) and the

Coleman Institute of the University of Colorado at Boulder

(www.cs.colorado.edu/~l3d/clever/assets/flyer/mfa.pdf) joined

on this project using the HP iPAQ as the platform for a

prompting device to aid people with disabilities using public

transit systems. The system tracks global positioning

system-equipped buses, alerts the passenger when the correct

bus approaches, helps the passenger on board through audio and

visual cues and reminds the passenger when the bus reaches the

destination stop. It also connects caregivers to the passenger

through a digital map that pinpoints the passenger's location.

The HP iPAQ was selected for this project because it provides

the optimum combination of the computational power necessary

to run complex simulations and animations and out-of-the-box

wireless networking including Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) and

Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology.(1)

-- PAC Mate -- HP and Freedom Scientific

(www.freedomscientific.com) launched their relationship with

Freedom Scientific's best-selling screen-reading software,

JAWS(R) for Windows(R), which runs on HP desktop PCs. St.

Petersburg, Fla.-based Freedom Scientific used the HP iPAQ as

the model of functionality to develop the world's first

wireless Pocket PC handheld computer for people who are blind

or who have low vision. PAC Mate users can surf the Internet,

send and receive e-mail, and manage data with ease.(1) PAC

Mate runs JAWS for Pocket PC. Among other accessibility

features included is an Eloquence speech synthesizer with a

dual-channel sound card so the speech function can be used

while listening to Internet broadcasts.

-- Palmtop Impact -- Enkidu Research (www.enkidu.net) in

Spencerport, N.Y., and Saltillo Corporation (www.saltillo.com)

in Millersburg, Ohio, worked together to develop Palmtop

Impact using the HP iPAQ as its core. The Palmtop Impact is a

portable communication device designed to give people who are

unable to speak a convenient and powerful way to be heard. The

user can touch letters, words, phrases or even picture symbols

on the HP iPAQ touchscreen, which are then converted into

loud, clear speech. The HP iPAQ screen can easily be seen even

in bright light. The expandability of the device allowed the

integration of a powerful built-in amplifier and speaker, as

well as an additional battery, providing extended usage

without recharging. A rubberized case provides added

durability, a feature designed for the many children who use

Palmtop Impact.

-- Trekker -- From VisuAide (www.visuaide.com) in Quebec, Canada,

Trekker is a lightweight travel tool for the blind that uses

the HP iPAQ as a platform to provide the user with a talking

personal guide. Weighing 1.3 pounds and equipped with an

onboard microphone and a Braille touch screen, Trekker is the

first global positioning system-based portable product

offering digital maps for the visually impaired. It keeps pace

with the user, announcing street names, intersections,

addresses, stores and businesses, restaurants and area

attractions as they come. Pressing the "Where am I?" key

pinpoints the user's location. An offline browser allows the

user to explore a route in advance.(1)

"Our assistive technology partners are crucial to meeting the needs of a dynamic market," said Michael Takemura, director, Accessibility Program Office, HP. "These achievements with the HP iPAQ Pocket PC not only open doors for the more than 500 million people worldwide with disabilities, they also form the cornerstone for mainstream solutions that benefit everyone."

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $71.3 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

(1) A standard WLAN infrastructure, other Bluetooth enabled devices, separately purchased hardware and a service contract with a wireless airtime provider may be required for applicable wireless communication. Wireless Internet use requires a separately purchased service contract. Check with service provider for availability and coverage in your area. Not all Web content available.

Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by Hewlett-Packard Company under license. Windows is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

In the Internet address www.cs.colorado.edu/~l3d/clever/assets/flyer/mfa.pdf, there is a tilde between www.cs.colorado.edu/ and l3d/clever/assets/flyer/mfa.pdf. This symbol may not appear properly in some systems.