Talks Is Going Quiet

I’m still subscribed to the Talks users list, although I don’t know why. I’m terrible. I get on a list, and even though I don’t use it much anymore, I never seem to want to unsubscribe. I guess I’m lazy.

For a while, I stayed on the Talks users list because I was watching how they were going to evolve once Symbian was dying and touchscreens were even invading Nokia. They seemed to be sort of staying afloat…

…

But the other day I saw some sad news embedded in the release notes that came with the latest Talks update.

1.1. Status
As you all know, TALKS&ZOOMS is an application that operates on the Nokia/Symbian platform. In October 2012, the Nokia Belle Feature Pack 2, widely considered the last major update for Symbian, was released and the Symbian Signed program closed on January 1st 2014. Without further Symbian updates and the vital signing process, Nuance Communications regrettably cannot create further releases of the TALKS&ZOOMS application. Nuance Communications will however continue to support and champion TALKS&ZOOMS while it is still viable to do so and within the available technical options.
Nuance TALKS&ZOOMS has been a pioneering application in the area of Mobile phone accessibility and was an innovative tool in providing access to handset content. We would like to extend our gratitude for your support of the TALKS&ZOOMS solution since its inception near the turn of the century. You helped make Nuance TALKS&ZOOMS the first choice for mobile screen access during more than 10 years!
Thank you!

I read that, and read that again…and even though I knew it was coming, it’s kind of like someone dying…it’s still sad even if it’s expected.

Talks was what got me into cell phones more than anything else could. Before Talks, I was limited to dialing numbers, and even that was getting impossible since smartphones have so many screens that can appear and block you from dialing a number if you don’t know they’re there. Before Talks, I didn’t care about the features of the phone…I just wanted to know how long a battery would last, whether I could audibly tell if it was charging, and whether it has a discernable keypad…hahaha a keypad! Imagine! Buttons on a phone! I think all phone sales folks hated me.

But then Rogers bundled Talks with a Nokia phone, and I fell in love with it, and the world it opened up to me. I may have been late to the party, but I had fun once I got there.

So, I’m sad that Nuance couldn’t figure out how to broaden their horizons and build something else for another platform, but it was the mobile screen reader that got me started down the path to loving snartphones. Goodbye, and thank you.