Press Release -- July 1, 2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jerry Wagstrom
GREYSTONE DIGITAL INC.
GREYSTONE DIGITAL ANNOUNCES ITS NEWEST BIGKEYS KEYBOARD
GREYSTONE DIGITAL ANNOUNCES ITS NEWEST BIGKEYS KEYBOARD
CHARLOTTE, NC--July 1, 2000--Greystone Digital announces BigKeys LX, the latest in its very popular BigKeys keyboard product line. BigKeys LX is designed especially for adult computer users with advanced keyboard needs who require very large keys in order to locate and operate keys on a keyboard. BigKeys LX is a standard-sized desktop keyboard with 60 oversized keys with easy to read labels. All of the bright white, high contrast keys on BigKeys LX are 1-inch square -- almost 4 times bigger than the keys on a standard keyboard.
BigKeys LX resembles Greystone's earlier BigKeys Plus keyboard but includes a 97-character keyset -- all the characters that are available on a standard (small key) keyboard. The unique LX design also eliminates the confusing numeric keypad, and the seldom-used F11 and F12 function keys found on the standard small-key keyboard.
"We're really excited about BigKeys LX," said Greystone Digital's president Jerry Wagstrom. "We want everyone to know that computer access -- and access to the internet -- does not require use of the cluttered, hard to read and use, standard computer keyboard. BigKeys LX is especially suited for Senior Citizen computer users, one of the industry's fastest growing markets. As libraries and other public facilities make Internet access available, BigKeys will accommodate and include those with limited vision or loss of fine motor skills."
Greystone has even accommodated users who cannot depress two keys simultaneously, by adding a patented KeyStar Technology "Assist Mode" to BigKeys LX. Assist Mode works with, and extends, the Windows 95/98 "Sticky Key" Accessibility Option. Once Assist Mode is turned on, functions that would normally require simultaneous key presses can be accomplished by users who might find it difficult to press multiple keys at the same time.
Dr. Frank Cartwright, Greystone Digital's vice president, noted that as Greystone developed BigKeys LX, they kept in mind the 48 million people with disabilities. "We recognize that under last year's passage of the Work Incentives Improvement Act, many more people with disabilities are entering the workforce. The ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities; and BigKeys LX does indeed offer a reasonable accommodation when assisted computer accessibility is appropriate," Dr. Cartwright said.
BigKeys LX models are available with the keys laid out in either standard keyboard "QWERTY" order or in easy-to-use ABC order. Greystone Digital recommends the QWERTY layout for users who are familiar with the key order on standard keyboards; the ABC layout is appropriate for users unaccustomed to standard QWERTY key layout. However, BigKeys LX can be easily reconfigured by the user into either ABC or QWERTY layouts.
Mr. Wagstrom confirmed that Greystone will continue to produce and market their BigKeys Plus keyboard, along with the new BigKeys LX keyboard. "BigKeys Plus is the right model for young children and users with less advanced keyboard needs," he explained. "The Plus model offers a keyset appropriate to basic word processing, spreadsheet work, and e-mail, in a simple keyboard layout of 48 large keys that minimizes distracting or confusing keys. The BigKeys LX model targets adult users with more advanced needs, who want the full keyboarding functionality offered by the LX's 97-character, 60-key layout."
Greystone's BigKeys keyboards are compatible with all major software packages. No special software is required: the keyboard is just plugged into the computer in place of the regular keyboard. Big Keys LX has a suggested retail price of $185; BigKeys Plus retails at $169.
Greystone Digital Inc. is based in Huntersville, NC, near Charlotte. Detailed keyboard descriptions and pictures can found on the Internet at www.bigkeys.com.
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