[gps-talkusers] Re: Preview of Sendero GPS LookAround 1.1
- From: Mike Arrigo <n0oxy@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:10:06 -0500
I can type decently on my iphone, but I am faster on a keypad, no doubt about
that. I actually got an unlocked iphone and I use it with t-mobile. Apple knows
how to put out some unique products, but I have no idea what they were thinking
when they got in to this exclusive at&t deal, I mean, if a carrier is going to
subsidize a phone, that's fine, but to refuse to sell the phone unlocked in
this country makes no sense whatsoever. Fortunately, they are available
unlocked via import. I've been testing some GPS apps, so far, the best one
seems to be the navigon app. The kapten GPS app is also good. I'm pretty sure
that a combination of the sendero look around app and the navigon app will give
me the features I use with mobile geo on my windows mobile phone. Of course,
you can't virtually explore the map with this combination, but I never use that
anyway. Another accessible app is called motion GPS drive, it's accessible, but
the voice directions don't say the street names. There's another one called
copilot, but it's completely inaccessible with voiceover. I've also heard that
the tomtom and magellan apps are also inaccessible, does ayone know if this is
true?
On Oct 11, 2010, at 10:05 PM, Michael May wrote:
> This is a very relevant topic for everyone.
> The writing aspect of the iPhone is its weakest link. Every piece of
> technology has its trade offs and this is the issue with the iPhone.
> Like all trade offs, there are some work arounds. You will get better at
> writing with practice, not without some frustration. How good you get really
> depends. Some people are quite fast with the touch screen keyboard. Others
> hate it. I personally fall somewhere in between. I am still way faster
> texting on a keypad on the N86 than I am writing a text message on the
> iPhone. Forget about writing any long emails.
>
> You can also acquire an external wireless keyboard to use for writing. You
> can also interface with the Apex and other Braille devices. I find this the
> most exciting combination. It is very cool to be able to read everything that
> the iPhone speaks on the Apex Braille display and then to be able to respond
> to emails using the Apex keyboard.
>
> I consider the iPhone my media center and my N86 my phone for calls and text
> messages. It is kind of expensive to have two phone lines so I will
> eventually bite the bullet and probably use the iPhone. Just don't expect
> prompt text messages from me if you write.
>
> Mike
>
>
> From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of GianniP46
> Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2010 2:33 PM
> To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [gps-talkusers] Re: Preview of Sendero GPS LookAround 1.1
>
> Hey Guys,
> I know this is off topic, but can someone who is using the IPhone email me
> off list?. I am contemplating getting one, but I am nervous about the touch
> screen interface. Is texting and dialing really that efficient with out
> buttons? Or am I better off with a nokia n82 or E 73?
> My email address is
> giannip46@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thanks!
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Michael May
> To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 7:40 PM
> Subject: [gps-talkusers] Preview of Sendero GPS LookAround 1.1
>
> We sent this updated version to Apple today. I hope it is posted within 3 or
> 4 days. Not sure if the weekend impacts these things.
>
> As you will soon see, we fixed the bugs having to do with the saving of
> settings and the country selection.
> We added the ability to select a POI category and to dial the POI phone
> number.
>
> We will have another round of small improvements after this version gets the
> real world test.
> Mike
>
> Sendero GPS LookAround, Version 1.1 Documentation
>
> Sendero GPS LookAround for the iPhone is available in the app store. It
> works with the iPhone 3GS and higher. It will not function with the iPod. No
> telephone support is available from Sendero Group. There is no turn-by-turn
> navigation information in Sendero LookAround for the iPhone. There are 5
> applications powered by Sendero GPS on other platforms, which have
> comprehensive navigation features. For information on these products, visit
> http://www.AccessibleGPS.com
>
> To use Sendero GPS LookAround:
>
> Touch the Sendero GPS icon to launch the application. You will be presented
> with a disclaimer. Touch the OK Button to accept the disclaimer. Also, touch
> the OK Button when asked if it is ok to use your current location. If there
> is compass interference, you may find that touching the OK button does not
> work at first. Read the screen to see if there is an error message. Wave the
> phone in a figure eight motion to clear the compass message if necessary.
>
> To receive the LookAround information, shake the iPhone until you feel a
> vibration and hear a swishing sound. It may take from 5 to 30 seconds
> depending on the point of interest data location. The swish will give you a
> progress indication every 3 seconds. Once you move positions and want to
> "Look around" again, shake the iPhone to receive new information. Remember
> when you press Home and leave the application and then launch it again, the
> previous information may still be on the screen. Shake again to get new
> information.
>
> If you don't hear anything several seconds after shaking the phone, touch
> the top of the screen to hear what is being displayed. Perhaps the
> information wasn't spoken, the request timed out or there is no GPS
> position, in which case you may hear, "Limited position data. Change
> location and try again."
>
> Once you have launched Sendero GPS LookAround, a shake of the iPhone will
> cause LookAround to display the current Heading, street, city, cross street
> and nearest point of interest based on the POI category you have chosen
> under settings. It defaults to the Restaurant category. Note the Variety
> category is a combination of 8 categories containing the letter E such as
> restaurant and hotel. Searching 8 categories at once may cause the app to
> time-out more frequently.
>
> The main screen is laid out with output text displayed toward the top of the
> screen with 3 long buttons in the lower half of the screen, one above the
> other. There are 5 small buttons evenly spaced across the bottom of the
> screen. Don't tap too hard when activating these buttons as you may trigger
> the iPhone shake feature.
>
> The 3 main buttons are:
> 1. Where Am I button:
> The first long button is the Where Am I button, which announces heading,
> nearest address and city. You receive a vibration and beep after activating
> it.
>
> The LookAround software makes its best guess as to which street you are on
> and which is the cross street. Many positioning factors go into whether this
> information is correct. This may be particularly problematic if you are
> inside or among tall buildings. This is because of your distance away from
> the street and because the positioning indoors is worse than it is outdoors
> and out in the open.
>
> 2. Nearest Cross Street Button:
> This is the second of the 3 long buttons. It announces the nearest street
> and cross street. Again, this refers to the nearest street and not
> necessarily the one ahead in your direction of travel. If you are at an
> intersection, it is common for GPS systems to get confused as to which
> street you are on versus which one is the cross street. A vibration and beep
> will confirm that you activated this button.
>
> 3. Nearest 5 Points of Interest button:
> Whereas the Shake gives you the nearest single point of interest, this POI
> button displays up to 5 nearby points of interest in the category you choose
> under Settings. The search goes out to 2 kilometers, 1.24 miles. These
> points are based on proximity, 360 degrees around you. A vibration and beep
> will confirm that you activated this button. A swish every 3 seconds will
> indicate that a search is in progress.
> Note: You can hear the distance to these various items in feet, yards or
> meters. The default is Yards. This can be changed under the Settings menu.
>
> Once POIs are found, a list will be shown in a separate screen with the name
> of the POI followed by the distance and compass direction to that POI. These
> are buttons you can click on to receive more details like the address and
> phone number. Click on the phone number to call that business. A Call or
> Cancel button will then be presented. The Back button will take you to the
> POI list. If you do call the business, you will be taken to the phone
> application and will need to launch LookAround again. It will of course be
> in the task switching list.
>
> The 5 buttons across the bottom of the iPhone main LookAround screen from
> left to right are as follows: There is a beep after the touch of each
> button. There is no vibration.
> 1. The Map button takes you to Google maps and a push-pin is displayed
> on the screen to indicate your position. Voice Over will not announce any of
> the map information. Press the Back Button to exit the Map and return to the
> main screen.
> 2. The Compass button will indicate which direction the iPhone is
> facing if there is no compass interference, which may come from nearby
> electronics or magnetic forces. Once you have changed direction with the
> phone, touch the Compass button. Once you receive the confirming beep, the
> new compass direction should be spoken. If not, touch the top of the screen
> to hear the text output. If you are told there is compass interference,
> slowly move the phone in a figure eight shape while it is laying flat. When
> the interference goes away, the error will disappear from the screen.
> 3. Shake on/off toggle button. If you hear Shake On button, this means
> the Shake feature is enabled as described above. The purpose of this toggle
> is so you can turn the shake feature off when you place the phone in your
> pocket or bag without closing the LookAround application. Normal walking
> will tend to make the phone shake inadvertently and keep talking unless you
> switch off the Shake feature. Alternatively, press the power button on the
> top of the phone briefly to lock the screen temporarily. You will need to
> unlock the screen before LookAround will function again.
> 4. The Setting button will open another screen with a list of options
> such as Shake on and off, Country, Metric/Imperial distance units and Help.
> The item which is enabled will say "selected."
> The POI Category Button, which has a flag icon, takes you to a list of
> categories. There is a Picker list. Voice Over users can swipe up and down
> to change the category. Press the Back Button to return to the main screen
> and your new POI category will be used when you shake the phone or press the
> 5 POI button. This category list is in alphabetical order.
>
> Note: When you touch any of the 3 primary buttons on the main screen, the
> focus is moved to the text portion of the screen and you will hear the text
> spoken. If you want to activate one of those buttons again, you need to move
> focus back to the button before activating it.
>
> Secondary Sendero LookAround Screens:
>
> Settings Screen:
>
> There are 4 items on the Settings screen, one above the other and a Back
> button in the top left of the screen, which takes you out of Settings and
> Back to the Main screen. These settings will be saved until you install a
> new version of LookAround.
>
> The first item is Shake Gesture. To its right is its on/off status. You will
> hear Selected for the active status.
> If you select the Off status, the Shake button will be removed from the main
> screen. This is different than the function of the Shake button on the main
> screen, which turns it off temporarily.
>
> The second button allows you to select the map region and you will hear
> which one is selected to its right. The current options are North America
> for the US and Canada and the other is Europe, which contains most but not
> all maps for the region. We hope to add other countries in future versions.
>
> The third button is Distance unit, Feet, Meters or Yards. The active unit
> will say selected. The default is yards.
>
> The fourth button will take you to the Help screen.
> This screen has hints and tips for using the iPhone. There is a link at the
> bottom to the Sendero iPhone page, which has more details. The Back button
> is in the top left corner. The disclaimer button is in the bottom right
> corner.
>
> POI Category Screen
>
> This screen starts with a Back button in the upper left corner followed by
> the title text, Select POI Category.
>
> Below that is the currently selected item. Touch this item and then move up
> and down through the list of categories. Whichever category is highlighted
> is the one that will be used once you return to the main screen. There is no
> Save or Done button. Just press Back to return to the main screen.
>
> Known Issues:
>
> There may be locations where you hear a POI label spoken but no data
> reported. Please email us with the city and state or lat/lon to
> GPS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx if you come across this.
>
> There may also be situations where the POIs are far away or for some other
> reason the swishing goes for a long time. It should time out after 2
> minutes.
>
>
> Operational items to be aware of:
>
> Map data for most countries is from Tele Atlas with POI content from Info
> USA. The data resides on a server so if phone connectivity is lost, the data
> cannot be accessed. There is no data resident on the phone.
>
> The iPhone performs its positioning based on triangulation of the nearest
> cell towers as well as with GPS. This means that if you are indoors, you can
> still receive rough location information even without GPS reception. It
> depends how far away these cell towers are as to the accuracy you will
> receive.
>
> When you are outside, the built-in GPS receiver and antenna can improve
> accuracy to the typical 30 to 50 feet range. For maximum accuracy, give the
> phone some time to acquire a GPS fix outside and away from tall buildings if
> possible. See the Sendero "GPS Accuracy" document for a comprehensive
> explanation.
>
> The iPhone compass direction within Sendero LookAround helps to indicate
> which way you are oriented but it does not synch up with the direction of
> the street it says you are on. It may be that it says you are heading West
> and announces a street that only goes North and South. There is currently no
> way to corroborate this information. Magnetic fields in the environment such
> as electronics, elevators and large masses of metal can influence the
> compass.
>
> It almost goes without saying that map and POI data can be out of date as
> soon as published. We encourage users not to take it personally if their
> street or favorite business is not in the database. Amazingly, most are.
>
> When you press Home and leave the Sendero LookAround app, it remains running
> in the background but the GPS position is not active. When you open it
> again, the last function you performed will display its information on the
> screen.
>
> The Sendero LookAround app works with the iPhone 4 and 3GS but does not work
> with the iPod Touch or the iPhone 3G.
>
> If you encounter a problem not listed here, please let us know as well as
> feature requests. Send to iPhone @SenderoGroup.com or join our Email
> Lists (http://senderogroup.com/social_media/email.htm)
>
> Copyright 2010 Sendero Group, LLC.
>
> Michael May, CEO Sendero Group
> Developers of accessible GPS and distributors of technology for the blind
>
> Voice, 530-757-6800
> MikeMay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.senderogroup.com
> http://www.AccessibleGPS.com
> http://www.CrashingThrough.com
>
> 429 F Street, Suite 4
> Davis, CA 95616
>
>
> Michael May, CEO Sendero Group
> Developers of accessible GPS and distributors of technology for the blind
>
> Voice, 530-757-6800
> MikeMay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.senderogroup.com
> http://www.AccessibleGPS.com
> http://www.CrashingThrough.com
>
> 429 F Street, Suite 4
> Davis, CA 95616
>
>
>
>
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