The world around us continues to develop and move forward. Technology sometimes changes faster than we are able to adapt to it. This includes tour guide systems technologies. The manufacturers are trying to take into account diverse needs of the users.
Many tourguide systems are used by travel agencies that do not limit themselves to trips across just a single country or even a single continent. However, this is not as easy as it seems. Many systems are still very much limited by the frequency, and may be used on just one continent (more about this here). Presently, there exists only one system, the Okayo OTG-102, which can be used both in Europe and the United States just thanks to changing the transmitter.
Tourguide system manufacturers try to consider ever broader user groups. The take care of display legibility, so that it does not cause difficulties for people who have eyesight problems. More and more systems are also becoming Hearing Aid Compatible so that people with hearing aids could use them without difficulty.
Nobody wants to interrupt a tour halfway to change channels if any interference arises. Presently, systems such as the mGuide Pellegrino 2, Okayo WaveTalk or Okayo OTG-102 can choose and change channels themselves to find one without interference.
Group organisation and management can be a challenge. In order to simplify group guide work, the Okayo OTG-102 offers several useful functions. The Roll-Call function allows one to check the presence of group members and count them. The Calling Alarm option allows one to call the tourists e. g. after a break or stop that was previously arranged. The Out-Of-Range Alarm will signal that a user lost the connection or has wandered off.
During tours, easy handling and a small weight of the equipment used can be important; in this area, the Okayo WaveTalk, weighing just 55 g, stands out. An interesting solution is also the Okayo OTG-102, with devices able to operate using just one or two AA batteries, depending on whether you want a lower unit weight or longer performance.
The mGuide DLR-01 and Okayo OTG-102 may use an external sound source, e. g. a smart phone or mp3 player with music or a pre-recorded audio guide to make the tour more interesting or fill pauses between transmissions.
Manufacturers continue to implement solutions to suit the dynamically-developing market. Modern solutions continue to evolve to do justice to increasing user demands and to handle the need for greater availability. It is worth it to look at the new options, because many may yet surprise us.
