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Torsten Brand, co-inventor of the very first talking mobile phone software, has died at the age of 45.

To realise what an impact Torsten had on the lives of blind and visually impaired people the world over, one only has to read what's been said about him on the web.

appear to have been the first to break the sad news. As well as pointing out Torsten's many achievements, particularly his involvement in the development of Talks, their news story also includes interviews with him from around the web.

One of assistive technology's other most prominent names is Jonathan Mosen. In He writes about the man from a very personal perspective. Jonathan's post includes details on how life-changing the addition of a screenreader to his mobile phone was and also comments on his and Torsten's personal relationship.

Apparently Torsten Brand was very involved in ensuring that Talks would work with the new generation of flat surfaced, buttons free, touchscreen phones. As these become more and more commen and keypads start to disappear, I for one hope that his work will live on and that we blind people will be able to remain on a par with our sighted peers when it comes to mobile communication.