Bones launches Milestone 312, the Next Generation Audio Engine for Blind People

Bones is proud to announce the release of Milestone 312, an enhanced version of the successful Milestone 311. Milestone 312 offers the unparalleled benefits of portability, usability and reliability that the Visually Impaired relies on. Milestone 312 has a multitude of new functions, including variable playbackspeed, Text-To-Speech, Audible.com playback, Daisy 3.0, integrated RFID reader, integrated FM tuner and direct connection of stereo microphones. The hardware includes 1GB internalFlash memory, USB 2.0 OTG High Speed connectivity, a clock and the proven strong, crystal clear speaker. What has not changed is the ease of operation: Milestone 312 comes in the well known case of its predecessor, at the size of a credit card with 5 front buttons. A worldwide novelty, however, is the degree Milestone 312 can be configured. Everything is possible between being fully fledged, packed with functions and being reduced to one simple function. Customers pay only for those functions they want to enable. This ensures the individual user won't get lost in a sea of options.

"While Milestone 312 combines a very rich set of possibilities, it reflects the diversity of the Visually Impaired, since people only pay for what they intend to use", says Stephan Knecht, Managing Director of Bones, Inc., "Milestone 312 combines the best of profound knowledge about customer requirements, skilled engineering and production. Milestone products are manufactured in Switzerland and each unit undergoes rigid quality checks".

See Milestone 312 in action at the SightCity trade fair in Frankfurt, between 7th and 9th May 2008. Mass production is currently being ramped up. Be prepared to get your Milestone 312 as of July 2008.

Main applications include:

• Universal Audio Playback and Recording: No hassle with file formats anymore. Milestone 312 plays back Daisy 2.02, Daisy 3.0, MP3, AAC, WAV, OGG, WMA and Audible.com. Recording is possible in MP3 or WAV, either to an SD memory card or to the internal Flash memory. Playback in variable speed is possible in any of the mentioned formats.
• Universal Text Playback: Milestone 312 reads TXT, DOC and HTML files, in 19 available languages. 5 of them can be stored simultaneously inside the internal memory. The TTS Engine is from Acapela.
• Integrated FM tuner.
• Integrated RFID Speakout functionality to identify tags and associate messages with them. Milestone 312 works with the proven technology from Texas Instruments, a global leader for RFID solutions.
• The integrated clock allows time stamping of messages as well as alarm functions. For instance, time controlled recording from FM tuner is possible.
• Optionally, Milestone 312 is available with Bones PAVIP technology: The solution to interact with Public Transportation vehicles.

Available Options

• As of autumn 2008, there will be hardware options, so called Add-Ons, available. An Add-On can be put on top of Milestone 312. The first two Add-Ons will be a Color Detector and a High-End Stereo Microphone.
• Also of autumn 2008, an agenda will be available as software option.

About Bones

Bones Inc. is a Swiss company that designs and manufactures innovative technology for people who are visually impaired. Founded in 2003, Bones Inc. exports about 90% of its products to more than 20 countries worldwide.

More information at www.bones.ch