Coming Soon: ALT-Chat from Saltillo

Saltillo Company, who have been making the ChatPC line of products for many years has announced they will be offering a new product the ALT-Chat, which is essentially a bigger, stronger version of the ChatPC software installed in the PRC Springboard Lite hardware. The price is expected to be from $3500 to 5000 depending on software choices and features choosen.

Here are the specs for the ALT-Chat:

>Color Dynamic Display

>Lightweight and portable

>Software volume control

>On/off switch and auto power-down

>Several hours of recorded speech

>Holds numerous vocabulary files, each containing hundreds of pages

>3,000 PCS symbols are included on the ALT-Chat™. The included DesktopChat software includes approximately 10,000 PCS symbols and 3000 Imagine symbols.

>NeoSpeech, DecTalk or Loquendo synthesized speech

>Accessed by finger touch, single switch or two switch scanning

>Extended-life rechargeable (Lithium-Ion) battery.

>Screen size: 7.0" (diagonal)

>12 to 36 month warranty

>Size: 7.3" x 7.3" x 1.8"

>Weight: 2lb. 8oz.

The New ChatPC Silk

Saltillo has released a sixth version of the ChatPC called the ChatPC Silk. Like all of the ChatPC line it is a high quality, hand held speech generating device. Some of the features of the new ChatPC Silk are a larger screen (4"diagonal), a lighter weight (12.5 oz) and new options for the speech syntesizer including Loquendo and NeoSpeech (you can still get Dec Talk with the child voice). Three models are available the Silk Standard, the Silk Plus and the Silk Dedicated Device. The first two models are open and allow access to all of the operations of the handheld, the third is a closed system for medicaid/care billing.

Several different preprogrammed page sets are availble from a 16 location basic or primary school edition to a the VocabPC for symbol users and the PalmChat system for emerging and literate users. Four symbols sets are available: Mayer-Johnson PCS, Imagine Symbols, Unlimiter Symbols (also known as Ping Pong Boy) and Clarity.

The device costs in the $3,000-$3,500 dollar range depending on configuartion.

My Voice is My Power (part four)

Today I visited again with my former student (the one I wrote about in the second My Voice is My Power follow up). This time he had his AAC device. What a difference it made!

When I first arrived he used his device to tell me that he was mad at me because he doesn't like change. I realized that this was because I was supposed to spend the entire week with him, but instead was only with him today (see previous entry about my going to NY). So we talked about it and he was fine after a few minutes. Without his communication device it would have taken us hours to work this out.

We visited and he told me all about his week and his new school using his ChatPC. Then he went to a page of all of his teachers and friends from when he was in my class and he asked about each of them one by one. After all the updates he decided he wanted to go visit a classmate who was in my class with him and then happened to move to the same residential school he is at now.

The entire drive there he talked to me with his device. He told me about the music he has been listening to (Bruce Springsteen), his favorite class (horticulture) and his favorite friends and staff members at school. It was great. Then we called his old (as in former) speech therapist and he used his ChatPC to talk to her on speaker phone. On the way to visit his classmate he decided he wanted to go to McDonald's where, without help, he ordered his fish sandwich and a Coke.

We then visited his friend, who he nagged about her not using her ChatPC (it wasn't charged) and then he gave her a foot rub. (I kid you not.)

Next we went to Bob's Discount Furniture to sit in the massage chairs and try out the massage Bob-o-pedic Craftmatic style bed. He used his device while we there to chat with my father (who is a salesman there). He told my dad that I am mean, messy and that the side view mirror is broken on my car. My dad told him that they were both saying all the same things about me (thanks soooo much, dad). Then my student decided to look for Bob, but since Bob doesn't work in that store he settled for a Bob's Discount Furniture tee shirt, even using his device to say what size he wanted.

Then my dad asked us to do him a favor, could we go to his house, find his cell phone and bring it to him? We said yes and were off on an adventure to look for the cell phone. We found it and brought it back to the store. The entire time we were conversing with the help of the ChatPC.

It was such a different day today versus the day we spent together in April when he did not have his ChatPC. His voice is his power.

See the My Voice is My Power video.

Chat PC 4

The Chat PC 4 (and the Chat PC 4+ for literate communicators) has finally been released, and since the Chat PC 3 was a miserable device (at least in my personal experience) I am hoping that this beautiful new device brings the Chat PC back to its glory days of the Chat PC and the Chat PC 2, both of which I have had extensive experience programming and teaching students to use. My complaints with the Chat PC and Chat PC 2 were they were a bit fragile and that they were difficult to mount on wheelchairs, issues that seem to be resolved in the four. The colors are pretty too, as long as you like blue or black. I really, really, really hope they have resolved the horrible issues with transferring files from the Chat PC 2 to the 3, which is why we consistently told parents not to do that. Perhaps a Saltillo rep will comment and tell us how easy or hard it is to go from a Chat PC2 or 3 to a Chat PC4. That would be nice and would show the same level of responsiveness as Mayer-Johnson, Dynavox and PRC.

Here is the Saltillo website write up:

ChatPC-4 combines the newest developments in electronics with powerful language capabilities. The original ChatPC was introduced in 2000 and soon became the most widely used PDA-based communication device available. Saltillo is happy to introduce the ChatPC-4, the latest model in this versatile line of products. The ChatPC-4 builds upon the features that have made previous versions of this product so valuable, but includes many new enhancements that make it even more useful and powerful. Among the enhancements are powerful new vocabulary options, increased ruggedness and many new features that increase the flexibility and ease of use of this product.

The ChatPC, always known as a durable device, has become even more rugged in this latest model. The PDA integrated into the ChatPC-4 is a ruggedized, industrial computer, covered by a rubberized housing that offers additional protection to bumps, drops and accidents. The clear screen cover can serve as a stand when the ChatPC-4 is being used, and as a screen protector when being transported. The new case also has a convenient means of connecting to a wheelchair mounting system.

ChatPC-4 contains numerous features for adapting the vocabulary for the specific communication needs of the individual using the device. The Mayer Johnson PCS symbols and the Imagine symbols are included for customizing and creating your own pages. You can also use the included DestktopChat software to create pages and to import photos and other images from a computer. ChatPC-4 also contains pre-programmed starter vocabulary sets, which can save hours of setup time.

Another significant enhancement in ChatPC-4 is the integration of Loquendo speech synthesis. Loquendo has set the standard in the European Telecom community and is now available for the ChatPC. The Loquendo speech has a more natural sound in English and other languages. Simply by choosing different voices from a menu, the ChatPC-4 can speak English, French, or Spanish. DecTalk is also still available as an option for those who prefer the classic voice of ChatPC.

ChatPC-4 Features
-Software and hardware volume control
-On/off switch and auto power-down
-1 hour to several hours of recorded speech
-DecTalk or Loquendo synthesized speech
-The device is accessed by finger touch - no stylus required. (Note: a stylus is helpful for programming because of the small size of the controls).
-Rechargeable (Lithium-Ion) battery.
-Screen size: 3.5" (diagonal)
-12 month warranty
-Size: 2.1" x 3.5" x 6.4"
-Weight: 19 oz.


Brand New Features
In addition to the many features found on previous versions, ChatPC-4 offers many new features including:


-PalmChat, a word-based default vocabulary option that provides high-frequency core words in a 30 button page layout
-New button actions that provide word morphology
-An improved color display which is easy to read inside or outside – even in direct sunlight
-A powerful Casio palm-top computer
-An additional battery that doubles the battery life of the Casio
-All of the Casio features (stylus, connectors, control buttons) are accessible
-Now contains the Imagine symbol set in addition to the Mayer-Johnson PCS symbols

Customizing the ChatPC-4
ChatPC-4 includes many customizing capabilities that help you fine-tune the unit for the individual tastes and needs of the operator. The size, color, background and font of the keys can be customized for visual and cognitive perception. The touch-screen can be adjusted to meet the fine motor skills of the user. The messages and symbols on the keys can easily be changed.

The number of buttons on a page.
ChatPC has always allowed you to select the number of buttons on a page when you create the page. But what happens when the page is full and you still need to add a few buttons? ChatPC-4 allows you to easily change the layout of the page to add the extra buttons.

Reconfigurable keyboards
Spelling keyboard pages can now be created and modified to meet the access needs of each individual using the system.

DesktopChat Software
All customizing and programming can be done right on the ChatPC-4 itself. However, software is included which allows all of the editing and customizing to be performed on a Windows computer. The DesktopChat program also provides an easy means of importing photos and other graphics to be used as symbols on the ChatPC-4. Cables and instructions are included for downloading the vocabulary to the ChatPC-4.

Accessories:
Carrying Cases...
The carrying case for the ChatPC-4 is a canvas case with a clear window that allows the device to be accessed while in the case. The carrying case comes with both a shoulder strap and a waist belt. The ChatPC-4 is inserted upside down so that the individual can use one hand to bring the ChatPC-4 into position and make selections with the other hand.

Note: Medicare only funds communciation devices that cannot function as portable computers. If your funding source is Medicare or follows Medicare guidelines see ChatPC-D4+ in the Communication Devices section. The ChatPC-D4+ has all other computer functions disabled.