BTexact has come up with technology that allows users to send text messages to a handheld computer which in turn reads the message to them.

The natural-sounding voice can recognise text messaging shortcuts. If it does not recognise a word, it will read it out phonetically.

The idea came about after a group of partially-sighted youngsters visited a BT technology project last year.

Social exclusion

Teenager Mesad Hameed told BT Manager Adam Oliver that not being able to receive text messages left him feeling socially excluded.

Text messaging has become a necessary feature of most people's social life

Steve Tyler, RNIB

Enquiries to the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) revealed no technological solution had been devised and so researchers at BTexact set to work on finding one.

Less than a year later, Mesad and his fellow pupils have been given a full demonstration of the new device at the West of England School and College in Exeter, UK.

"It's a great idea," said Mesad.

"You do feel left out not being able to send messages and at the moment you have to get someone else to read it out to you, which you might not want if it's personal," he said.

Shrinking technology

BT worked closely with the Royal National Institute for the Blind on the project.

"Text messaging has become a necessary feature of most people's social, as well as business life," said Steve Tyler, Manager for digital technology at the RNIB.

"The RNIB is delighted that a reliable and practical method for reading text messages has been developed for people who are visually impaired."

The system was based on a speech engine developed for computers. The challenge for the developers was shrinking this down to work on the Pocket PC platform.

In the future, the technology could be put inside mobile phones themselves.

BTexact is currently looking for partners to develop the idea into a commercial product.