Eye on AudioEye

AudioEye is a great example of the promise and perils in accessibility technolgoy.

Simply put, AudioEye reads you the text on a Web page and gives you audio prompts for navigation. It defines its potential market broadly, including dyslexics, foreigners, and baby boomers (76 million of 'em) in its target market.

The problem is that the software must be implemented on both the server and client ends. And the client requires both MS Windows and IE 5.0 -- no Mac or open source for you. The result is a highly-proprietary solution used by very few sites, and useful to only a very small number of people. Yet this claims to be a mass market audio solution.

It's not. In the end a proprietary solution is just that, proprietary. AudioEye, like many other companies in this market, is mere Microsoft Astroturf, hoping for force governments to support its proprietary Windows standard and ignore the emerging world of open source.

And that is how it is being treated. Take this press release as an example, its presentation to the U.S. Government as part of an "assistive technology day." Any sales going to come out of it? Not really. But a lot of talk about how proprietary standards must be supported, in the name of the "handicapped."

The fact that there really isn't any money in AudioEye is proven by the fact that Modavox, an Internet broadcasting company, is now handling all its distribution and revenue generation efforts.  AudioEye is not where Modavox will make its money. It's a foot in the door whose PR value can be used to get production contracts in areas like e-learning and advertising.

This is a joke, really. People who need assistance are being used to sell proprietary standards and Internet video. But it's typical, because the distribution channels in this area are so diffuse, and pocketbook control is so often in the hands of third parties, rather than users.

Comments

[NFL Wholesale]

here will probably be some butterflies as well, with three rookies in the Orange & Black lineup (Sean Couturier, Matt Read, and Zac Rinaldo). We expect to see a top line of Claude Giroux centering JVR and Jaromir Jagr. Hoooooo yeah. Danny Briere will likely start by centering Jakub Voracek and either Wayne Simmonds or Scott Hartnell. We think that could be a pretty fluid situation until they find a group with great chemistry.