[real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not

  • From: "Andrea Breier" <andreabreier@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 21:58:09 -0500

There is an app for that!!! LOL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mitchell Lynn" <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 6:52 PM
Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good 
About the iPhone and What Is Not


> I've got some things going on next week that will make it difficult to
> work around. But after that, I should be a bit more free.
>
> As for the iPhone, will it create an encrypted topographical map showing
> me where my Mason jars are buried? Will it do my laundry for me? Will it
> brew my coffee and keep it at a perfect and constant temperature? Will I
> get an electro shock if I touch it? Will it be covertly sending my
> fingerprints to the NSA if I do touch it?
>
>
>
> On 06/06/14 5:14 PM, Patrick & Jennifer wrote:
>> Don't knock it tell you check it out and when are we goinhg to have that
>> Beer and I'll let you test drive an IPhone!
>>
>> Later
>> Patrick
>> !
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
>> [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>> On Behalf Of Mitchell Lynn
>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 2:31 PM
>> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good
>> About the iPhone and What Is Not
>>
>> No issue with it being second behind a guide dog. I think it is peculiar 
>> to
>> put the iPhone ahead of a cane. I'd still put braille in front of any
>> electronic device and I would put a computer in front of an iPhone. I am 
>> not
>> even a good braille reader: I can write with a slate almost as fast as I 
>> can
>> read it. Nor am I likely to read or write anything in braille that won't 
>> fit
>> on a 4x6 index card. Still, it would be ahead of the iPhone. I will 
>> concede
>> that it is possible the iPhone could slide ahead of a full-blown 
>> computer,
>> but I don't think it is likely.
>>
>>
>> On 06/06/14 2:08 PM, Sheila Styron wrote:
>>> The best part of being blind for me is my guy dog. And a close second is
>> my iPhone!
>>>
>>> Best, Sheila
>>> 816-896-6552
>>>
>>> On Jun 6, 2014, at 11:31 AM, Mitchell Lynn <mlynn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>> I don't have one, but maybe he is  trying to limit discussion to a
>>> known set of apps--perhaps those that are native to the iPhone.
>>> there's no way he could cover them all. there is, for example, a Sonos
>>> app for iDevices, and if I knew it worked with VO, I might well give it 
>>> a
>> shot.
>>> Once upon a time, it did work, but the Sonos UI has changed
>>> dramatically since then. A workable Sonos app and the paper money ID
>>> would be very very useful. Having to pay for a data plan sucks.
>>>
>>> Pretty high praise--first or second piece of independence technology.
>>> Couldn't get any higher than 4th on my list no matter what it could do.
>>> It won't replace my cane, braille or my desktop. Funny how those with
>>> dogs place the dog higher, and those who use a cane place the iPhone
>>> higher. There is something screwy with that line of thinking.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> On 06/06/14 11:05 AM, William Stephan wrote:
>>>> Andrea:
>>>> Most blind people I talk to say their iPhone is the best or second
>>>> best piece of independence technology, depending on whether or not
>>>> they work a dog.
>>>> This article fails to mention many things that make the iPhone a
>>>> great tool, e.g. apps like TapTap See and Camfind.
>>>> I totally didn't get the part about GPS, why would you only use that
>>>> if you had a driver?  Has he never heard of apps like BlindSquare?
>>>> And, if you just wanted to be a cheapo blind person, you could just
>>>> direct your driver with the native Maps application anyway.
>>>> Also, I don't buy the typing speeds he mentions.  I'm not a speedy
>>>> typist, but I surely type far faster than three words a minute using
>>>> the touch screen, and though I haven't timed myself in a while, I
>>>> probably type at least forty words a minute using Fleksy.
>>>> And, with IOS 8, the Fleksy option will be available in many more Apps.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
>>>> On Behalf Of Andrea Breier
>>>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 7:41 AM
>>>> To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Subject: [real-eyes] Braille monitor artical , Knowing What Is Good
>>>> About the iPhone and What Is Not
>>>>
>>>> I thought this might be good to toss out there for discussion.  This
>>>> artical was printed in the June addition. I agree that there is a
>>>> learning curve that naturally goes along with any smart phone, but
>>>> because of the wide veriaty of abilities of the many people I have
>>>> personally instructed with the iPhone, do not feel that there is a
>>>> better accessibility option in the smart phone arina.  there are
>>>> several other options or salutions that could have been implamented
>>>> in some of the examples he gave.  Fleksy as an input option for his 
>>>> touch
>> typing example for one, or using the split tap or
>>>> adjusting the speed of the tap under accessibility options.
>>>> Okay enough said for now.  Here goes the artical.
>>>>>                                ---------- [PHOTO CAPTION: Curtis
>>>>> Chong]
>>>>>           Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not
>>>>>                              by Curtis Chong
>>>>>
>>>>>     From the Editor: The iPhone is unquestionably the most popular
>>>>> cell phone used by the blind. Apple's revolutionary breakthrough in
>>>>> providing a roadmap for making the touchscreen usable by the blind
>>>>> has earned it significant praise from the blind, and their money has
>>>>> followed their words. But even with its impressive list of features
>>>>> and its accessibility, the iPhone is not for everyone, including
>>>>> some blind people. In this article Curtis Chong, who is a technology
>>>>> expert now living in New Mexico, explains the benefits of
>>>>> cutting-edge technology, but he also knows that the complexity of
>>>>> the iPhone and the needs of many cell phone users do not make it a
>>>>> good match. Here is what he has to say:
>>>>>
>>>>>     Many people have hailed the Apple iPhone as one of the first
>>>>> touchscreen technologies that can be used by the blind without
>>>>> sighted assistance. When Apple released the iPhone with VoiceOver
>>>>> back in 2009, even the most skeptical among us recognized that Apple
>>>>> had accomplished a truly phenomenal feat of design and engineering;
>>>>> for the first time in history a person who could not see the screen
>>>>> was able to operate all of the controls of a device, even though
>>>>> those controls were nothing more than icons on a flat screen.
>>>>>     Today the iPhone's reputation as an accessible technology for
>>>>> the blind is widespread. People who have never used an accessible
>>>>> cell phone have heard about the iPhone and dream about taking
>>>>> advantage of its accessibility for themselves. Well-meaning sons and
>>>>> daughters, hearing about the legendary accessibility of the iPhone,
>>>>> act to purchase this marvelous piece of technology for their aging
>>>>> mother or father. Parents who want an accessible cell phone for
>>>>> their blind youngsters believe that the iPhone is the perfect 
>>>>> solution.
>>>>>     Accessible as the iPhone is, it is important to understand both
>>>>> its strengths and weaknesses before deciding to spend the money to
>>>>> get it. For some people it will be the perfect solution. For others
>>>>> it could turn out to be a very expensive paperweight.
>>>>>     The good and bad points about the iPhone that are listed below
>>>>> are based solely on my personal experience. In judging the accuracy
>>>>> of this information for yourself, you should know that I was a
>>>>> relative latecomer to the iPhone; I waited nearly two years before I
>>>>> decided to abandon my accessible Nokia cell phone for it, and,
>>>>> because I had talked with a lot of blind people before I decided to
>>>>> make the purchase, I was not disappointed in my decision.
>>>>>
>>>>>                     The Good Things About the iPhone
>>>>>
>>>>>     1. The iPhone enables you to take advantage of online services-
>>>>> particularly if they are supported by an iPhone app-for example,
>>>>> banking, news, music, searching for information, reading books
>>>>> online, email, weather, etc.
>>>>>     2. The iPhone gives you the same technology as many of your
>>>>> blind friends who have already embraced the iPhone as their
>>>>> technological Swiss Army Knife of choice. This means that, if you
>>>>> run into trouble, you will probably be able to find a blind person
>>>>> with the knowledge and experience to help you.
>>>>>     3. The iPhone demonstrates conclusively that the blind can
>>>>> operate a touchscreen device that has been properly designed for
>>>>> nonvisual use. In this regard I take great delight in using my
>>>>> iPhone with the screen completely blank-just to show my sighted
>>>>> colleagues that
>>>> it can be done.
>>>>>     4. The iPhone can tell you who is calling before you answer the
>> call.
>>>>>     5. The iPhone can help you keep track of recent calls made
>>>>> and/or received, and you can easily return a missed call.
>>>>>     6. The iPhone offers a dictation system that enables you to make
>>>>> calls to people in your contact list, call specific phone numbers
>>>>> that you already know, dictate emails and text messages, and ask
>>>>> questions that may or may not result in useful answers.
>>>>>     7. The iPhone can run a GPS system that you can use to direct
>>>>> drivers to where you want to go if you pay for a good GPS app.
>>>>>     8. The iPhone has a free built-in compass which is quite useful
>>>>> in places where there are no good landmarks.
>>>>>     9. With a ten-dollar app, the iPhone can read paper currency;
>>>>> this app can even read foreign paper currency.
>>>>>     10. The iPhone is a great music player and also good for
>>>>> streaming radio.
>>>>>     11. With the iPhone you can read digital talking books and
>>>>> electronic Braille books from the National Library Service of the
>>>>> Library of Congress.
>>>>>     12. The iPhone can be used to read books from Audible.com and
>>>>> Kindle books from Amazon. It can also read books from a variety of
>>>>> other sources- including Learning Ally and Bookshare.
>>>>>     13. The iPhone offers access to NFB-NEWSLINER through a free app.
>>>>>     14. You can take pictures with the iPhone. Autofocus gives you a
>>>>> verbal indication whether there is a face in the picture. Also the
>>>>> camera can, to some extent, be used with optical character
>>>>> recognition software to read printed material if you can focus the
>> camera.
>>>>>     15. The iPhone has built-in voice output and screen enlargement
>>>>> available free. Activating these technologies is fairly 
>>>>> straightforward.
>>>>> Moreover, you will find that a growing number of books and people
>>>>> are available to offer help and support for new iPhone users.
>>>>>
>>>>>                     What Is Not Good About The iPhone
>>>>>
>>>>>     1. If you don't want to pay for a data plan, the iPhone has no
>>>>> option for that. A data plan will cost you about twenty dollars a
>>>>> month. You need a data plan for the iPhone to be able to communicate
>>>>> over
>>>> the Internet.
>>>>>     2. It is very inefficient to make a simple phone call with the
>>>>> iPhone, particularly if you don't have a person in your contacts list.
>>>>> You can dial a phone number that you know much more quickly with a
>>>>> keypad that has real, physical buttons.
>>>>>     3. On the iPhone touch typing for texting and email is very slow
>>>>> as compared to a regular keyboard; this has been somewhat mitigated
>>>>> by Braille apps, of which there are now two. However, you should
>>>>> know that research has shown that, on average, a blind person
>>>>> entering data using the touch- screen QWERTY keyboard is writing at
>>>>> about three words per minute. By contrast, users of the built-in
>>>>> Braille apps have been clocked at around
>>>>> 23
>>>>> words per minute.
>>>>>     4. The iPhone is very much a technology requiring good hand-ear
>>>>> coordination. People who want real buttons that they can operate
>>>>> silently by touch will be very disappointed in the iPhone.
>>>>>     5. Battery life for the iPhone is still an issue. You have to
>>>>> charge it at least once a day-a lot more if you use GPS.
>>>>>     6. The iPhone is not small. It is bigger than a lot of flip 
>>>>> phones.
>>>>>     7. For a lot of people the iPhone is a lot more technology than
>>>>> they want. It is not for someone who just wants a phone to make and
>>>>> receive calls.
>>>>>     8. The iPhone is not cheap. Even with a two-year contract, the
>>>>> basic unit can cost $200. The full retail price of the iPhone is
>>>>> approximately $650.
>>>>>     9. First-time users of the iPhone have reported initial
>>>>> frustration with this powerful technology. It is not uncommon for
>>>>> these people to feel as if they want to throw the phone away during
>>>>> the first month. Answering calls and hanging up calls seem to be two
>>>>> particularly difficult problems for beginning iPhone users.
>>>>>     10. The iPhone requires a fair amount of dexterity and the
>>>>> ability to tap quickly. People who have motor issues or poor
>>>>> dexterity will likely not benefit from this technology.
>>>>>
>>>>>                                Conclusion
>>>>>
>>>>>     The iPhone is simply not for everyone-despite its built-in
>>>>> nonvisual accessibility. Before you decide to get one, do the
>>>>> research, talk to your colleagues in the blind community, and decide
>>>>> whether or not you really need or want the power that the iPhone has
>>>>> to offer. Before you buy, be prepared to experience some
>>>>> frustration, have a few second thoughts, and expect initially to
>>>>> find some simple phone functions harder than you think they should be.
>>>>>                                ----------
>>>>
>>>> Hugs, AJ
>>>>
>>>> Recipe for happiness:
>>>> Live with enthusiasm, smile for no reason, love without conditions,
>>>> act with purpose, listen with your heart, and laugh often.
>>>>
>>>> Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
>>>> When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
>>>> Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
>>>> Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be
>>>> pure Ecstasy.
>>>> Take naps.
>>>> Stretch before rising.
>>>> Run, romp, and play daily.
>>>> Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
>>>> Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
>>>> On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
>>>> On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
>>>> When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
>>>> Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
>>>> Be loyal.
>>>> Never pretend to be something you're not.
>>>> If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
>>>> When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle
>>>> them gently.
>>>> ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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