Fingertips Lab Launches O6 – Elegant “Eyes-Free” Controller for iPhone
SAN FRANCISCO – June 14, 2017 – Fingertips Lab announces availability of its award-winning O6 today – an elegant “eyes-free” controller for communications, apps and music, connecting via Bluetooth to any iPhone. The free O6 App, which consists of channels such as emails, notifications, Twitter, news and more, works in conjunction with O6 to narrate content. Together, they make staying connected as simple as listening to the radio, whether driving, walking or at home.
O6 technology uses AI to convert content users would typically read in apps into radio stations. Users can scroll to hear their social feeds, text messages and emails without ever speaking a word or looking at phones. They can also respond to messages, get directions, call phone numbers; or control music, podcasts and audiobooks without touching the screen (O6 supports Spotify, Audible, Apple Music, Podcasts, Netflix, YouTube etc).
“The inception for O6 began in a school for the blind in India, where we saw children hindered by their lack of sight, unable to access modern mobile devices which are designed for visual interaction. When we returned to the U.S., we observed the problem of visual interactions is not limited to the visually impaired – dependence on smartphones is utterly ubiquitous!” says Fingertips Lab Co-Founder PK Mishra. “What morphed from an initial desire to create a device that bridges connectivity between the visually impaired and mobile devices, has now expanded to the mission of creating a device that allows for a new concept – eyes-free browsing.”
Eyes-Free Browsing
Browsing is the most common way phones are used on any given day from checking email to social media. Unlike traditional voice command systems like Siri and Google Voice that require users to zero in on a specific question or command, O6 is designed to perform the complex interactions and browsing tasks we normally perform with our hands.
Staying abreast of incoming communications and notifications becomes seamless as messages are read aloud, allowing users to curate content that interests them, similar to toggling between radio stations.
Distracted Drivers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at any given daylight moment, 542,000 drivers handle smartphones and manipulate electronic devices (NHTS.dot.gov, 2015). Leading tech and auto companies have sought to address this epidemic through the creation of audio-only technology (i.e. voice command systems) as well as visual technologies (i.e. heads-up Displays, Apple CarPlay), but it’s not working.
O6 on the other hand acknowledges people’s dependence on cell phones and allows them to access them without taking their eyes off the road. By requiring touch as an input, and audio as an output, O6 furnishes a user flow that has been demonstrated to lead to minimal performance declines in dual-task experiment studies (read more on the O6 blog).
Visually Impaired Audiences
O6’s powerful advanced mode leverages iOS VoiceOver to remotely browse, control and toggle between virtually any app (not native to the O6 app) without touching the screen. Adjustable settings, such as speech rate, pitch or navigation by alphabets/characters/words, were designed specifically to cater to the visually impaired community.
Availability
O6 is available in Cool Gray and Tangerine Orange beginning today on www.o6app.com for an MSRP of $99. Both accessories – the Pocket Clip and Steering Wheel Mount – are available for $19 each.
O6 currently only supports iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch); Android support is in the works. O6 supports 27 international languages and its rechargeable battery has a lifespan of 5-7 days.
About Fingertips Lab
Fingertips Lab’s mission is to create intelligent devices that take full advantage of the human potential to receive and respond to information through a wide range of sensorimotor modalities – including touch, vibration and gesture; hearing and voice. Fingertips Lab’s flagship product O6, is a portable controller that lets you browse your favorite websites and apps just as you would if you were holding your phone in your hand, equipped with the safety and ease of an eyes-free experience. O6 has been recognized as a Red Dot Design Award winner (2017) and CES Innovations Honoree (2017). Based in San Francisco, CA, Fingertips Lab aims to make technology more usable to more people in more contexts. For more information, please visit www.o6app.com.
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Public Relations Contact
Jennifer Reiss
jennifer@illumepr.com
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Jennifer Reiss
Illume Public Relations Los Angeles | New York www.illumepr.com
O: 310.452.4446