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From today, blind and visually impaired people across the UK can access the RealSAM Smart Speaker (www.realsam.co.uk) via their Amazon Alexa device. With over 360,000 registered blind adults and children in the UK, the RealSAM digital hub provides visually impaired people with unparalleled access to information and entertainment – supporting their independence and everyday enjoyment.
RealSAM subscribers will benefit from an AI assistant, that guides people through its mass library of content in a way that surpasses the device itself. Subscribers will gain access to the dedicated hub for blind and visually impaired people, providing them with over 27,000 books, newspapers, podcasts, radio stations and content from Calibre Audio – a national charity that lends audiobooks to anyone who is print disabled.
Having launched last month on Google, this technology has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from within the disability community, including those who are unable to lift a book with conditions such as Muscular Dystrophy or being limbless. Furthermore, parents of disabled children have used the wide range of resources in an educational manner in a time of disruption.
Chloe Tear, a disability writer in the UK commented “It’s a great lifeline, especially when adjusting to assistive technology or wanting to get the latest information from sight loss charities. I love the navigation on RealSAM.
“Another great feature is the ability to give more than one command at once. Previously on smart speakers, you would have to ask one thing at a time. I believe this feature will allow visually impaired people to access information at a quicker speed. Not only is this great in general, it puts us more on par with reading speed. Therefore, if audio is your preferred method of accessing things, you’re on to a winner with RealSAM.”
The RealSAM Smart Speaker is clearly valued by such customers and this has culminated in winning at the Digital Book World Awards for Storytelling AI Developer of the Year by Project Voice. Having been recognised for being best best-in-class achievement from across the voice technology and conversational AI landscape, as well as beating the Amazon Alexa, puts RealSAM in a prime position to continue to deliver outstanding work within the remit of accessible technology.
The hub of content is accessed through a fully voice-controlled media skill that once subscribed to, utilises the latest AI technology to improve the independence of those living with visual impairments and sight loss. Activated in exactly the same way as all Alexa ‘skills’, the new platform subscription is available for £19.90 for 12 months’ access for new customers. This price reflects the constant innovation behind the technology as new content and partnership material are continuously being added to further enhance the user experience yet for now the price remains the same.
Sample phrases include:
‘Alexa, open RealSAM. Alexa, find books with title Little Women’.
‘Alexa, open RealSAM. Alexa list podcasts. Alexa, play TED Talks’.
‘Alexa, open RealSAM. Alexa, tell me about Henshaws’.
For more information, visit www.realsam.co.uk
