Blackberry for the Blind

I think that it is about time someone came out with a cell phone for the blind. Blackberry has decided to be the one. RIM recently applied for a patent to support a Blackberry for the blind. You're probably thinking "how can a blind person use a cell phone, when they can't see the keyboard?" I thought this too, and when I went to http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/05/13/rim-working-on-a-blackberry-for-the-blind/
I found out how. Apparently, they have developed technology to allow the user to hear what button they have just pressed, using audio to communicate. So, instead of seeing the keys they press, the blind can now hear them. The following is a claim from the patent application. "A method for dialing a destination comprising the steps of:associate groups of more than one input key and buttons of a mobile device to define at least one input region whereby a keying from any key of a same input region defines a same input;associate auditory responses and actions for operating the mobile device to respective inputs received from input keys and buttons of the mobile device comprising the keys of the at least one input region, at least one of the input regions associated with actions to input a character from a respective set of characters for composing a destination for inputting into the device such that repeating an input from a same input region selects a different character from the respective set; andfor each input received from said input keys and buttons, performing the respective action and outputting the respective auditory response associated with each input thereby to dial a destination. " There is a program that allows blind people to read their e-mail, and it is called "shoutmail". You can adjust the voice so it doesn't actually "shout", it just transfers your e-mail to audio form.