Telecoms giant AT&T Inc. partnered with Code Factory, a developer of mobile software for the hearing and visually impaired, to offer the Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier options both for the Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 operating system devices.

Mobile Speak is a full-fledged screen reader, while Mobile Magnifier is a flexible, full-screen magnification application. The new offerings will increase usability for AT&T mobile customers who are blind or have low vision.

The solution works best for people who "are blind or have a vision impairment that prevents you from reading the screen of a mobile phone or PDA," said Caroline Ragot, marketing director for Code Factory, Barcelona, Spain.

"If you are deaf, blind or prefer using Braille with or without speech to access a mobile device, or if you find yourself in situations where you wish you could read the screen of your cell phone but cannot or prefer not toâ?¦ [Mobile Speak readers] can be the solution you need," she said.

AT&T phones with the Code Factory tools include Nokia N75, Nokia E62, Cingular 3125, Samsung BlackJack Windows Mobile version 5 and Pantech Duo Windows Mobile version 6.

Mobile Speak supports a voice recorder and media player, voice speed dial and voice command, device settings, profiles, alarms and ringtones. It is offered with a choice of three text-to-speech engines -- Fonix, Acapela or Loquendo -- allowing the phone to speak English, Spanish or both.

The companion offering, Mobile Magnifier, is a magnification application that supports low- and high-resolution screens and can be used with or without speech feedback. Magnification software is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices.

Mobile Magnifier is a solution for those who are partially sighted but have difficulty seeing the contents of the small screen of a mobile phone or PDA, Ms. Ragot said.

Unique Mobile Magnifier features include magnification levels from 1.25x to 16x, font-smoothing for easier readability, automatic panning and cursor-tracking and an automatic zoom function that detects areas of interest on the screen.

"Our products are designed for the blind and visually impaired but they also can be used by deaf-blind persons using a refreshable Braille device that they can connect by Bluetooth to their mobile phone," Ms. Ragot said.

AT&T said that it is committed to serving seniors and people with disabilities. It hopes the new offering will make it easier for all individuals to enjoy a digital lifestyle when they are on the go.

Code Factory is a provider of screen readers, screen magnifiers and Braille interfaces for the widest range of mainstream mobile devices including Symbian-based and Windows Mobile-powered smartphones as well as PocketPC phones and PDAs.

Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier are also available via the National Center for Customers with Disabilities.

"For the blind and visually impaired, being able to use a mobile phone means much more than communications -- it means independence," Ms. Ragot said. "That's why it's so important to make mobile technologies accessible and give them the same opportunities to enjoy as much as their sight peers the use of their mobile phone."