[real-eyes] FW: Accessible Instant Messaging iPhone App Hits the iTunesStore

From: "Reginald George" <sgeorge@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:46:53 -0500
This came from Denny to another list, so hope he won't mind if I pass it 
on.'


A highly-anticipated update to Shape Services’ popular IM+ iPhone app 
featuring comprehensive VoiceOver accessibility hit the iTunes Store 
Thursday.
http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/details.php?product=im&platform=iphone
According to its iTunes Store entry, the new version 4.30 of this app, 
renamed IM+ Pro, features “New themes and wallpapers, hi-res graphics for 
iPhone 4, full VoiceOver support, setting own display picture from iPhone 4 
front camera, improved contact search and bug fixes.”
Blind high school senior Michael Hansen said he was delighted to learn of 
the accessible instant messaging option for his new iPhone.
“I use my iPhone mainly for various applications, messaging, and phone 
calls,” Hansen said. “I just found out about it this morning and I 
immediately purchased the app and tweeted to @implus to thank them for their 
work.”
He said IM+ Pro works better for him than other apps he has tried.
“I started out last week using Palringo, and I found that to be 
unsatisfactory because I could not log into Facebook and I could not read 
messages that were sent to me from AOL Instant Messenger,” Hansen said. 
“There went $4. I think that Apple should refund VoiceOver users if an app 
they purchased is not accessible. ”
He said IM+ works just fine with AIM, but he is having an accessibility 
problem connecting with Facebook.
“I have tried to connect to AOL Instant Messenger and Facebook; AIM worked 
fine, but Facebook did not,” Hansen said. “When I tried to add Facebook as a 
service, I got a message saying that I would have to tap the ‘Connect’ 
button to validate my information. However, I could not, for the life of me, 
find the ‘Connect’ button.”
He said he is confident the Facebook issue will be fixed quickly.
“I think that Shape Services has done the VoiceOver community a big service, 
and the Facebook connect button issue is a small bump in the road which I 
would imagine they could fix quickly,” Hansen said. “I just wish more app 
developers cared about accessibility—that’s the biggest problem with using 
an iPhone right now.”
Shape Services’ business development team official Natalia Kasyanova said 
the company has another nice surprise in store for blind users in the coming 
weeks.
“I would like to confirm that we are planning to release an IM+ Lite version 
with VoiceOver support by the end of August. It is a free adware version of 
IM+ which has the same functionality as IM+ Pro,” Kasyanova said. “We hope 
that it will make instant messaging even more available for blind users of 
iPhones and iPads.”


View article...
http://blindaccessjournal.com/?p=945 

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[real-eyes] FW: Accessible Instant Messaging iPhone App Hits the iTunesStore

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