Sprint has just rolled out a new app that allows the hearing impaired to talk on their cell phone in a revolutionary new seamless way.
The new app, Wireless CapTel by Sprint, which is powered by specialist company Raketu, leverages a standard relay service that the hearing impaired have been using with their landlines for years.
However, integrating the technology for mobile users has been a challenge. Today, Sprint removes that barrier from its customers by integrating it directly into its mobile service.
If users have the app installed, when they dial a number, the special relay service will activate automatically. Hard-of-hearing users can type a message on their phone, which is read aloud to the person on the other end. Their responses are then transcribed into text for the user, allowing both parties to have a seamless conversation.
“Sprint Relay is pleased to add another groundbreaking solution to its portfolio – and bring to the market a service that improves our customers’ experience,” said Sprint Relay director Mike Ellis.
Sprint is not the first to integrate CapTel into mobile, but it is a landmark move for the carrier and it eliminates the need for Sprint users to download a third-party app.
The new app is available now from the Android Market, and is compatible with “select” phones running Android 2.2 or later. Users should search for “CapTel by Sprint.”
