evidoria

← Back to browse

Good practice Imported

BlindShell Classic — EU-Backed Tactile-Button Phone Alternative for Blind and Low-Vision Users

Czechia · Prague · See the Czechia profile · See the Prague profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 24% 92/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

BlindShell Classic is a tactile-button feature phone developed by Prague-based Matapo with EU Horizon 2020 funding, offering voice menus, OCR and digital-library access for blind and low-vision users; it now sells in 40 countries in 13 languages.

71,429 EUR
EU Horizon 2020 project total cost (Jul-Dec 2015)
50,000 EUR
EU contribution (Jul-Dec 2015)
12 partners
New business partners signed (during funded period, 2015)
300,000+ English-language titles
Bookshare library titles accessible (current)
10,000+ titles
Czech KDD library titles accessible (current)
~40 countries
Countries sold in (current)
13 languages
Languages supported (current)
349-399 USD
US launch price (November 2019)

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
BlindShell (Matapo s.r.o.)
Period
2015–present
Keywords
assistive technology, telecommunications, hardware, accessibility

Context

BlindShell Classic is a non-touchscreen mobile phone designed in Prague by Matapo s.r.o. specifically for blind and low-vision users, co-funded by an EU Horizon 2020 project (EUR 71,429 total, EUR 50,000 EU contribution) running July-December 2015.

Objectives

The phone aims to replace touchscreen interfaces with tactile buttons and spoken menus, giving blind and low-vision users OCR, text-to-speech and access to accessible digital libraries.

Activities

Features include real, widely spaced tactile buttons, a choice of seven voices, adjustable speech rate, a 2-megapixel camera with object tagging, and integration with Bookshare (300,000+ titles) and the Czech KDD library (10,000+ titles). During the EU-funded period the company signed 12 new business partners and began hardware sourcing through Foxconn aimed at a sub-$150 price point for developing markets.

Results

The phone launched in the US in November 2019 at $349-399 after several years of European sales (14 partners in 9 countries); an independent AccessWorld reviewer for the American Foundation for the Blind found 'nearly 100-percent accuracy' in voice dictation and rated overall accessibility 'excellent', while noting the low-resolution camera and limited text-magnification as weaknesses. BlindShell now reports sales in roughly 40 countries in 13 languages.

Conclusions

The reported 50%-per-year sales growth and 40-country distribution figure are company statements rather than independently audited sales data, and no controlled comparative study of user outcomes versus smartphone accessibility software has been published.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — EU Horizon 2020 project total EUR 71,429 (EUR 50,000 EU contribution), July-December 2015; ongoing commercial production/distribution costs not disclosed.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — EU-funded development phase July-December 2015; commercial sales continuous from pre-2015 in Europe through US launch (Nov 2019) to present (~40 countries).
Staffing & skills
Matapo s.r.o. (Prague) -- project coordination and product development, Foxconn -- hardware sourcing/manufacturing partner (from the funded period), 12 new business partners signed during the EU-funded project period

Conditions for success

  • EU Horizon 2020 co-funding (EUR 50,000 of a EUR 71,429 project) to support initial development
  • Hardware sourcing partnership (Foxconn) aimed at reaching a sub-$150 price point for developing markets
  • Integration with existing accessible digital libraries (Bookshare, Czech KDD) rather than building content from scratch
  • Building a distribution partner network (14 partners in 9 countries) ahead of wider market launches

Common failure modes

  • No controlled comparative study of user outcomes versus smartphone accessibility software has been published
  • Reported sales growth and country-distribution figures are company-reported, not independently audited

Where it fits

Governance type
private company (EU Horizon 2020 co-funded pilot)
Scale
product sold internationally (~40 countries)
Income level
high-income (originating company, Czechia)

Commonly funded by

Horizon Europe

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Similar practices you may find useful