[vi-android] Re: A Review of BIG Launcher, the Android App with Seniors in Mind - AccessWorld? - November 2013

  • From: Aaron <blindgeek1989@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: vi-android@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:58:06 -0500

I use nova launcher on my S4, I find that I use talkback a lot for everything 
and like the customizability of it. I’m waiting for the update. I might give 
big launcher a try, still not sure though. 
Thanks,
Aaron Linson
Producer of The Cast Podcast

On Nov 18, 2013, at 5:34 PM, Quentin Christensen 
<Quentin.Christensen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Aaron / all,
>  
> Marketing something for low vision and / or seniors is tricky, on the one 
> hand there is a lot of overlap between the two markets, but on the other 
> hand, for someone who fits in only one of those two, they can have completely 
> different needs.
>  
> In the case of Big Launcher, I too would strongly vouch for its usefulness 
> for many low vision users.  Aside from the various reviews around (including 
> one I did myself on my blog), as a power user myself some of the restrictions 
> I would note about Big Launcher are:
> -          Big Launcher gives you two columns of four icons (8 per page).  On 
> my Galaxy Note II, I find I could see slightly smaller icons than this (say 
> three columns of four icons), but you can’t change that with Big Launcher.
> -          You can use widgets, but only 1x1 (you can put bigger widgets but 
> they’ll squish down into a 1x1 space).
> -          The font size is adjustable and works really well in the app list, 
> SMS, call history etc, settings etc.
> -          You can have multiple pages and swipe between them.  The dev warns 
> you about making too many pages.  I’ve had ten pages on a Galaxy Nexus phone 
> and it was starting to get slow changing and loading pages by then.
> -          As a power user I find the settings a little cumbersome, 
> particularly around setting up pages and moving icons around.
>  
> One the positive side, I would also say:
> -          Customising icons for apps is really easy and there are lots of 
> built in ones.
> -          The themes and backgrounds work well, though personally I tend to 
> revert back to the standard black theme.
> -          You can customise things like using a different dialer or text 
> messaging if you prefer (I was using Big Dialer).
> -          Although it gets quite memory intensive, particularly if you use a 
> number of screens, it is quite smooth if you have a powerful phone.
> -          It does give you easy access to all your apps, you can easily 
> customise any of the icons and home screens (eg, you can move the SOS button 
> or not use it at all if you prefer) and everything about the launcher is 
> large print.
>  
> For myself, on my Note II, I am currently using Lightning Launcher, because 
> you can zoom in on the desktop.  It has many options and takes more setting 
> up than Big Launcher, so is more suited to a power user, but I have it setup 
> with three columns of four icons, and I can have ten pages without lag and 
> bigger widgets.  On the downside, while I can make the app list large print 
> in Lightning, it’s tricky to make it quite as neat as in Big Launcher.  Also 
> its pop-up menus are not large print.  With using Talkback, it works with 
> Talkback, although Talkback sees the home screens unzoomed – so mine for 
> instance,  you can explore through the icons on a home screen but they are 
> all in the top left corner of the screen.
>  
> Regards
>  
> Quentin.
>  
> From: vi-android-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:vi-android-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Aaron
> Sent: Tuesday, 19 November 2013 8:04 AM
> To: vi-android@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [vi-android] Re: A Review of BIG Launcher, the Android App with 
> Seniors in Mind - AccessWorld? - November 2013
>  
> The app is based around seniors though, how do you find it helpful? I’ve 
> contemplated things like this and the other app equal eyes but I’m not sure 
> they are good for a power user like myself who uses more than the standard 
> apps listed by the review.
> Thanks,
> Aaron Linson
> Producer of The Cast Podcast
>  
> On Nov 18, 2013, at 4:00 PM, Dane Trethowan <grtdane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> The review linked to here comes from the November 2013 issue of Access World, 
> the publication of the american Foundation For The Blind.
> 
> 
> I can't speak highly enough of this App and it was the first I installed on 
> my Samsung Galaxy S3 and now the S4 phone, I can assure you this App will 
> make a world of difference to most Android users and is worth every penny of 
> the $10.0
> 0 purchase price for the Professional 
> edition.http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw141104
>  
> 
> **********
>  
> Dane Trethowan
> Skype: grtdane12
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> Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598
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>  
>  
> 
> 
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