VerbalVictor app gives voice to disabled

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With iTunes overrun with apps that do little more than find creative
ways to promote products or otherwise suck time, it's nice to see
mobile technology doing something that's, well, not so trivial.
VerbalVictor, a $10 program, which should be available in the App
Store next week, uses iPhone and iPad touch screens to allow people
with disabilities to communicate with the outside world. Paul Pauca --
whose son suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder
that causes delays in cognitive development, motor skills, and verbal
communication -- developed the app as an affordable alternative to non-
verbal communication devices. It touts functionality similar to the
device used by Steven Hawking, but is far more accessible than the
professor's $8,200 setup. VerbalVictor allows parents and caregivers
to take pictures and record accompanying audio; the entries are then
turned into buttons, which the user presses when they want to
communicate -- sort of like a very advanced and customizable See N'
Say. The device can be used for simple expressions, like an image of a
dog that speaks "dog" when pressed, or for recording commonly used
phrases and complete sentences. It may never reach the popularity of,
say iFart, but it's sure to win some dedicated users.