Category: Cell Phone Talk
Okay, here is a video that I have to agree with on most accounts seeings like the poster I have used both IOS "5.1" and android 2.21 to 4.4." I will let you be judge if this was a fair judgement or not, this is from a sighted users point of view. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMiY1kSTHZw
Couple of issues I have with this end users comments. He went very overboard on the customization factor. Let's be honest, how many users really wish to customize every feature of their phone. As someone who works daily in a technology position, the vast majority of folks I work with simpley want to know how to do "what they need to know how to do" to get their job done! This isn't an argument against the fact that apple is not as customizeable as android, but it is an argument to the point that to many, it's a non issue. If he really has an iPad and uses it as he said he does, I'm a little put off by his "surprise as to how the iPhone i``nitially responded for him. On my iPad and iPhone I have many of the same applications, and I rarely "crash" an application.
Here are some serious questions I have for you starfly, take this the right, way as I'm not challengeing IOS verses Droid, I used android 2.2 for 9 months prior to the iPhone coming to Verizon, an admitedly my current knowledge is not up to date with the current droid offerings.
Here are some things I use the iPhone to do daily, can you give me ways to accomplish similar tasks in android with the current accessibility features.
1. I often take a page or two of notes with a user during our first meeting. My notes are usually taken in plaintext, and often, I'll edit these notes, and make additional notes in the car on the way home. Because this is all syncronized with dropbox, when I get home my notes are ready for me to refference to be used in my report.
2. I travel by car nearly 15 hours weekly during the course of my day, I actively use applications such as spotify, pandora, and Tune in radio to pass the drive time. How does android work with these applications.
3. iBooks has become a hugely important application in my day to day life. It is not uncommon for me to connect a bluetooth braille display and go out and read a book on the back deck in the morning time, while my home is still quiet!
4 Because drop box gives me access to all my documents on the go, I often refer back to reports and documentation while with consumers.
When I was with android there was no reliable way to read by chunks. I realize this has gotten better, but is it good enough to read say a 8 or 9 page document without slowing down.
Some of the applications i Use every single day without fail include twitter facebook, AP mobile Fox news, audible, dropbox, email, safari, caledar guitar tuner, gig daddy multi track recorder, four track multi track recorder. Are there comprable solutions available to a speech user in current android offerings.
As I say, this is not an argument, it is a way for me to educate myself, and assist consumers that I work with. I often don't feel comfortable recommending or supporting android at this point as I feel it still lacks considerable accessibility emplementation!
Help me out if I'm wrong please!
Thank you!
Okay for braille, lets clear this up, jelly bean has braille support from google, spiel developer is working on for ICS and jelly bean and code factery is kicking butt in this field. Codefactery supports contract and uncontracted braille for gingerbred and ICS. Next music, radeo apps, lets see, jango, slacker, pandora, 8 tracks google music code factery's music app and winamp. On ICS devices that are samsung the music app is accessible too. News apps, under ICS, CNN, a few technology news sources are accessible too. Facebook is accessible, plume for twitter, tweet caster and hootsweet. As for tuning musical instraments someone with an android device running gingerbred and up will have to answer that, I do not play any instrament. Note taking and sink with drop box, episal a text editer that sinks directly to drop box will do that trick. As for taking notes via recording, Hi-Q MP3, and the built in app on some phones. So to close my posting, ICS for any new user or jelly bean no lower then that or be aware of some apps that are not properly coded because of the web views. Google is cracking down on that things are changing some times nightly. What you saw in 2.2 was okay but ICS and Jelly bean is totally diffrent. I suggest you get a nexis 7 tablit and try it out. Then your mind will change for the better.
Take it from a user who had a 2.2, 2.3 and now a 4.4 android device, ICS explore by touch, has changed the accessibility in ICS. When I get jelly bean I will post here.
I appriciate that view, however, Android still has no main source to call if you have questions on how to operate it.
Most users don't have the patients to fool around to learn something. They want to call a support agent or read a manual. Braille is important to many, and working on it doesn't cut it.
The voce on an Android phone isn't par to Apples yet as well. That is important.
Last, you still can't go to the store, get your Android device and turn on the accessibility features apon delivery. That is supper important for the person that receives the device in the mail and doesn't have help.
Maybe with 4.1 much of this will be resolved.
Two points, Wayne, as of 4.0 you could, while difficult, very doable. Also, have you heard the voices on ICS, Jelly Bean, or the voice used with Mobile Accessibility. The thing you don't know is Samantha is the us voice for both voiceover and Mobile Accessibility. There is one advantage IOS6 might have over Andriod Jelly Bean and that is the new maps. While I love Google maps for Android, the thought of tom tom supporting the new maps and maybe not data driven but offline map driven is appealing in so many ways. This part is available on android phones but I still prefer the routing that Tom Tom, Magellan and Garmin gives us.
It is good. I helped a friend set up an S3, but not like Apple yet. Maybe 4.1 will fix many things.
Google is working on offline maps as we speak and in door maps as well. Also we are now getting the voices that code factery used for Ocapela, there currently in beta and beeing worked on. For Support eyes-free list, go see that android show and some of us are willing to help as well with android. Your right about not beeing able to call someone but the more android is supported that may change soon. Also, keep in mind there is 3 not one screenreaders that support android because of its openness, so full support may not happen. As for jumping through web pages with links, headings, tables, firefox currently support this and explore by touch. This video was showing the features between IOS and Android but accessibility can be thrown in to here as well. I wil say 4.1 has really added extra gesters and when I get it on my sIII, I will post a review on the boards.
Oh, I will say android does have a learning curve, no doubt, its a little steeper then IOS but doable.
i've got Ios6. on my Iphone. and i'm enjoying it. i normaly use the apps for the fallowing. Facebook. twitter. music. messages. notes. the voice recorder. and i've found the Getting help from disibility services. is great. yay. That's it.
Don't need the Facebook App anymore. Its built in there.
I really wish Android could be as accessible as iOS, because the Galaxy is really a beautiful device. Openness is fine, but not where we're concerned.
I am going to shoot myself in the foot here, probly get flamed for it. Here goes, to be fare I am starting with android 4.0 and up when comparing accessibility on both platforms IOS and android. Because as we all know gingerbred does not hold a candle to IOS' accessibility, so no need to throw that into the pile. 1. basic phone functions, can I make and receive a phone call easily on an android 4.0 and up device? yes, the phone app is accessible via talkback, spiel and moble accessibility. Texting: can I use the texting app on a 4.0 android app yes, I can send and receive text messeges, add attachments and send them and view attachments as well. Adding contacts to my phone: Yes this can be done with talkback both with speach and braille depending what screenreader your using.
Browsing, I can use the internal browser as long as the phone's manufactures and carier do not screw with the core apps and home screen. This covers all core apps including browsing the web. Can I use third party apps on the google play store: yes see http://www.androidaccess.net. Lastly certainly not a miner point, can I turn on talkback right out of the box: yes, this goes back to if the manufacture and carier, does not remove the gester to turn on talkback and explore by touch. Now before I go, one thing IOS voiceover does have over us, is the ability to turn it off and on no matter where you are in the OS. Lets be fare, in android 4.0 the need to have a sighted person turn off our screen reader to use our phone is not needed. The gesters we have are simular to a sighted person's gesters. Now to let a IOS user post here with IOS accessibility features, I would but figured it would be fare to let a current user post here instead of me.
Maybe 4.1 will address some of these. iOS is starting to allow 3RD party developers and so Apple doesn't indorse them to always work. Android can't exactly do this, because there is not set platform.
That is what gives Apple the edge a set platform.
I listen to the female voice on Androy 4.1 i must say, i'm not impress with it. She sound better on ICS though compare to the JB
You do need facebook and twitter installed and signed in to use them threw out iOS 6. Just a small correction that needed to be made before false information got believed by too many people.
I plan on buying a nexus 7 just to compare and contrast the two platforms, but from what I understand (note, this is just based on reading reviews and talking to users, I can't verify all of this information 100 percent, but will when I get a nexus...
1. the OS is technically access friendly when using stock apps home screens etc.
2. android does not give the user as much context aware information,and navigation options provided to the blind user are not as fluid/usable out of the gate.
3. On the hole, android access is not as feature heavy as iOS. Also, there is not as much polish to the interface commands etc.
4. you don't have nearly as many navigation options as you do under iOS, such as all those the rotor provide.
4. Braille support is not as fluid or feature complete.
5. Not as many bluetooth keyboard commands exist on android.
6. Android supports more speech engines and voices.
7. most android devices have expansion options like SD or micro SD card slots.
8. many android devices use micro USB for charging and connectivity.
9. you can get android devices in more form factors
10. both have voice search with each having strengths and weaknesses
11. android makes dismissing notifications somewhat simpler. As well as acting on them from with in what ever app your in. Not sure how access friendly this is though.
12. Both have app stores, though most agree better quality content is found on iOS.
13. Android handsets are not supported nearly as long as iOS devices are. When you buy an iPhone you're generally guarantied updates from the company for at least 3 years.
14. Apple does provide more ways to get in most cases better quality customer service and support.
15. most android handsets have replaceable batteries.
I'll think of more later, and do some more fact checking.
You and actually replace the battery on your iOS device, but it is better to have it done. How offten does a person really replace them though? Most of us change devices before we need a battery.
Nope, you can't replace your battory on I devices. It can be one of the draw cards for some to go with the droy rather than the IDevices. Nexus7 is quite a slick little thing, as some of the review said, it is rather the close to perfect thing in the androw world, compare to IPod and Ipad, which,one could be too small, and another could be too big to carry around. However, Nexus7 doesn't come with extra storage and that. But if you purely wanting to use it for testing and that, it is one of the best Androy around. I'm pretty tempting to get one too, if my Galaxy Nexus plan doesn't come true. James, since you have some sight, you'll appreciate the screen rev, granted, not as chrispy as the IPad3, but it looks great for that tab size. In fact it is one of the thing that attracts me to that thing.
Ah yes they can be replaced
Sorry, me wrong. you can replace it but you can't do it by your own quite easily. Cheers
actually dismissing notifications is quite easy in 4.0. Also keep in mind you can change the launcher "for IOS users" home screen completely. also, no we do not have the roter, but some level of granularity can be changed with inspeicific apps with a to finger swipe. As far as tird party apps are consurned, they have full prilidges if the user allows or the developer allows that app such control. Go look at the google play store and see what the apps can do, heck some can even replace the stock dialer. So, yes android is a bit more flexible then IOs, sometimes to flexible in some peoples mind. I quite like it :), because I can changed the texting app, dialer, browser, contacts and even calendar.
A Few fellows in my department have nexus 7 tablets and it really is the best most reasonably priced way to learn about Android. That's why we got them. Overall we feel that accessibility has definitely come along but has much work to do. Now, with great care I must throw in that it really can depend on how much work you want to put in to getting things done. Firsst, Internet browsing is not a pretty thing. Some sites work well and sometimes I'll get "web content" and that's all it will say. The check box that says use accessibility for the browser is checked. As far as navigation options I am finding that the ones I need don't exist yet primarily headings. Although apps may be accessible there are many with unlabeled buttons. Also, in my opinion google should not be exempt from developing there screen reader to its fullist potential just because others are out there. Talkback should be the best that it can and perhaps the standard that others use. Also, when buying an android device I'd recommend buying it from google so that updates come when they are released and not limited to the whims of the carrier or manufacturer. I've enjoyed using my android device and look forward to watching the changes which is why I bought the thing. It could be good and I look forward to seeing them get to a place where apple has some stif competition in the accessibility market. Go Android!
install firefox beta on your tablit from the google play store and you have headings, links, tables formfields and check boxes etc. Jelly bean does not support flash but flash can be installed on the tablet, firefox does use flash very well. So any one with a nexis7 tablet have fun with firefox, its my main browser.
yes, I did ask for a way to label buttons but google promtly informed me its up to the dev for each app to lable buttons and etc. so any one who is using an android device email the devs of an app, most do respond promptly.