Available immediately at no extra cost, Sprint’s hard of hearing customers can now take advantage of the company’s new web-based solution called WebCapTel(R). This new service allows a person who can speak but is hard of hearing over the phone to log on via a computer’s web browser and read word-for-word captions of their dialogue.
Customers who use the service will be able to make and receive calls on their own cell phone, land-line or even an amplified phone. If there are any details that were missed during the conversation, they can log into www.sprintcaptel.com and read written captions of everything their caller speaks; all this in real time during the conversation. Web interface customization options include changing font size, color, or even backgrounds. Captioned conversations can also be saved for later review.
This service is available anywhere in the United States and within US Territories but is currently not applicable on calls to or from international locations such as Canada or Mexico. Sprint forecasts that this new service is expected to help an estimated 23 million Americans with hearing loss.
This works surprisingly well. It even makes note of sounds (such as typing, coughing, laughing).
Makes me wonder if someone is actually sitting there listening.
I believe there is a real operator there relaying it via text.
Might you post where you got that information Chris R?
There is a relay operator listening in. I’m deaf myself and have been using relay operators for a long time. Their job is to be discrete and they are not allowed by law to repeat anything they hear said in a conversation. As I said, I’m deaf so here’s how it works. If I called you using this service you’d hear my voice. What ever you say the operator send to me as text. I’m not sure if they are using Dragon Naturally speaking of just typing. But if they are using the voice recognition then they simply repeat what you say to me in their microphone. Either way there is a relay operator manually sending the text to you.
I just found a video that demonstrates how it works. This is about the captel phone which came out before the web based wecaptel. But as far as the relay operator goes it works the same way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciRlkTdhsuU