Category: Cell Phone Talk
I just upgraded my phone which is an AT and T basic phone, which I think they call the breeze. It used to make a noise for turning it on and off but doesn't do that now. Does have buttons. Any easy way to turn it on and off? the sales person said hold the button down for 15 seconds let up on it so the start screen can come on then hold the end button down for another minute. Anybody else have any other ideas? A sdmart phone would have cost me too much. Not interested when I heard I would add thirty dollars to what I pay already between the land line and cell phone. Not quite sold on turning everything over to a cell phone. There was a bad electrical storm here and nobody could get through on cell phones; something happened to towers around here evidently. So may be duplicating services but for now will do that. Just wondered about turning the phone on and off.
Take it in and have them turn that sound on. It should still be there.
I think all phones have some indication and these should as well.
Yeah, I'll bet tat option is in the setting perhaps. If not, does it have vibration? That could be an alternative.
I have the phone you're talking about. As far as I know, there is no way to turn that particular sound on when you have speech enabled. What I do is hold the end button down for about 10 seconds. I have some very limited vision, light perception, so I'm not sure if this will help you at all, but in my case, I hold the end button down on my phone until I see my screen turn bright. Actually, before that happens there is what appears to be a small line of text on an otherwise dark screen. Probably an AT&T logo or something. Continue to hold the button until you get the bright screen, then release it. It will take an additional few seconds for the phone to be ready for use after that.
I have no vision. AT and T let me talk to the manufacturer. He said the same thing about holding the button down for 10 seconds, and then I have the trick of hitting a number on the key pad to hear a sound. I want to practice a little more to do a little better in timing. I like the phone, and found myself asking the question how do you folks do the smart phone thing without lots of practice? From what I have read on here, it definitely can be done.
It can, but the important thing to remember is that it's not for everybody. People give me crap about having a basic phone, when I could have a smart phone. I'm not disputing the fact that not having a smart phone probably limits me in some ways, but not any ways that are truly destructive. Perhaps that's too strong a word, but what I'm trying to say is that I have a phone to make calls and text, I have a computer to do everything else I need to do that's technological. Granted, I do see the merit in having a barcode scanner that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, but that's the only reason I could honestly see myself wanting an IPhone. I went down that road before, wanting an IPhone for that purpose alone. I quickly got frustrated with it and took it back, and have had my Breeze ever since. yeah, it's sorely lacking in accessibility. But it works for me. I can make and receive calls, and send and receive texts, and considering that all the other phones I had before that point couldn't even offer me that small bit of accessibility, as far as the texting goes anyway, I can't legitimately complain. I've said this a lot of times before, and I'll say it again. One size does not fit all, and what works for the majority might not be the solution for every single person walking this earth. While it's safe to say that touch screen devices are more than a trend at this point, I don't think it's going to actually become 100% impossible to find phones with buttons for a long time. And if it does, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. There's no sense worrying about something that might not ever happen.
Well I agree with the last poster.
Now I have an iPhone and its just lovely.
How we do the smart phone things, is simple. The phone is well smart. Lol
I had a pretty basic phone until last Christmas when I lost it, so I needed a new one, didn't have a contract, and so tried another upgrade of what I had and didn't like it, so got the iPhone.
Now I want to make it breakfast in the morning.
On my basic phone it was an LG inV2 and I could text, make and receive calls and adjust about 80% of its functions, so I kept it for over 3 years. I still like buttons, but my iPhone is just slick is all.
The price plans have come down to a lots, so it works, but they are not for everyone, not even seeing people.
Bea,
My parents-in-law have an iPhone now. They have no apps, because they don't want to worry about apps. You as a blind person could benefit from some aps, certainly, but don't have to have them.
The kids will think I'm patronizing here, but honestly, it would be good for a young person to sit with you and show you. I mean, you would get the help, but it's for their benefit as well. They are so used to flickety tap slide interrupt everything all the time, they don't know how to stay on track and focus on the person they're talking to. This is I guess what some on here would label a skill, but it is something that gets them into trouble at work if they can't learn this. So if you have a niece or a nephew, or even if there is a young blind person in your area that you know, they all do this stuff naturally. But they would benefit as well as you, for them to sit down with you, learn to be patient, and go at your pace and help you learn it. I had my daughter help her grandma with her phone, starting with phone calls, moving to texts, very basic things. We had the nieces doing some of this stuff too. When they get frustrated and impatient or going too fast, don't be afraid to slow them down.
In the end of it all, they actually enjoyed it. What young person doesn't like to show off what it is they do really well? And once they learn to be patient a little bit, they get into the rhythm of it and start to really enjoy the experience.
Just remember, what they're really good at is using the things. Technical help? Not so much. But you'll have your Apple store for that, plus maybe friends or relatives of working age who have exposure to that stuff. But it's definitely possible for a senior citizen to get on the iPhone train if they want it, and in my opinion anyway, it's good for the kids to learn how to communicate what it is they do so reflexively in a way that other people can understand. It's sort of like the toddler biting topic on the other parenting board, or when they were real little and the wife would say things to 'em like 'use your words', to be honest. Sounds like a odd thing to say, but it's true. So if you do decide on getting an iPhone, consider giving a teenage relative an education in communicating and not getting frustrated, at the same time.
You have to hold the button down for 10 seconds, and there's no on/off tone? That's ridiculous. I've never heard of a phone like that. I use a Samsung flip phone. The most I have to hold the power button down for is five seconds.
I thought of an idea.
Most phones if set to the vibrate ring mode will vibrate when turned on or off. I wonder if this phone would do the same even though it doesn't make a sound?
Not that I have had a Iphone but I have owned 2 Idevices and trust me the tone is not needed if you just wait to hear voice over start talking. If your using a braille display the dots moving just my two sense.