Category: Cell Phone Talk
So, In november, I'm going to be getting a new phone, I'm deciding between an android, or an iPhone 5.
I know everything about iPhones, but know nothing about androids, if you could offer any reviews and or suggestions based on you guys own experiences, this would be helpful. thank you.
i'm both iphone and androy user. From the view point of accessibility, i would suggest you go for iphone. Of course, some user may not agree with me, however, as user for both phones, i think productivity wise, iphone is still the way to go. Unless you are some sort of an explorer, adventurer, and keen on frustration and have lots of patient, then, Androy might be the way to go for you.
I have to ask when are you to get a new phone? LG is about to release a new nexis phone with jelly bean 4.2. According to steve nut and a few who have this phone jelly bean 4.2 has fixed a lot of the bugs seen in the current OS IceCream sandwige. I still run ICS "IceCream sandwige on my s3. Second question, what will this phone be used for and do you have a decent processor on your computer? Some tend to for get that Itunes runs like crap on a netbook when running jaws. If any one wants to challenge me I will prove it. I have learned to look at all of the picture not the phone side of it, you have Itunes to think fore that. Any way, some would say go get an Iphone, I say try both platforms then make your decition. Some say talkback is not on the phone and the rep needs to download it to the phone for you to play with it at the store. I know better and after 4.0 this is simplely a ly. If it were me and your asking me directly, give samsung's new phones a try after 4.0 no earlier and then try an Iphone. contrary to what some think, I use my phone for OCR, music and streeming, taking notes and transfering to the cloud "see my app board for android" and more. Do I run in to bugs? yes but no OS is perfect that is the beauty of android most of us know its not perffect and know some bugs are beeing worked out. Lastly, keep this in mind and do not for get it, android's accessibility changes over night: talkback can change, spiel is beeing worked on as speak now and lastly code factery's moble accesssibility is in beta as I just found out via CF's list. So if you want an Iphone that works out of the box but its Itunes bogs down your computer if its a low end computer or a net book go for it. If your wanting to try a different OS then give android a try. Lastly there are no manuals on android access because of the 3 screen readers out there, the closest manual out there would be found at code factery's moble accessibility sight. If you have question just ask one of us who use it as our main phone with no back up to turn too. I personally will answer you straightly with no BS answer. If I do not know something I will tell you nicely :). Well good luck and I am not going to push you to android or IOS. I say give both a try in your nearest carier your with.
Both os's have ups and downs.
Honestly, iOs is the more polished smoother all around most access friendly solution out of the box. As you know, you can just buy a new iPhone, and it just works.
Where as android is a semi buggy, less polished though still functional experience. There is absolutely no "It just works" about android, and making the most of android comes with caveats, program installations, configurations, constant management etc. Do you have a little more freedom using android, yes. does this freedom come at the cost of productivity, time and effort you don't need to spend elsewhere, yes.
I had a galaxy s 3 for a while. I liked some aspects of the device, but in the end, it just wasn't capable of meeting all my needs/requirements in a smooth reliable functional way. Do I think android will never get better? Nope. But do I think it has a lot of growing room? Yes.
for more details and honest impressions, look at the nexus 7 accessibility board.
I've a friend working very closely with Samsung and LG and the whole Androy and Google platform. He's also, dare i say, someone with vision impairment. His advice is, "do not go for the LG Nexus".
He's using a couple of Androy phone for different reason, mainly as a tester. But, boy oh boy, he's using his Nokia N8, the very last simbian phone that Nokia produced as his primary phone with Talks.
That said something when come to accessibility with the Droy platform i think.
Just in case some Androy lover wants to bash me over, he's a professional IT guy, he has been working with the phone industry for the last 10 years, and the IT industry for the last 20 years or so. He has been working with all sorts of different screen readers, phones, platforms, and that.
Thanks for your advice, I'll be getting the new phone in november, as I said, its the earliest I'm able to get one, and I need one, I pretty much do everything on it.
I may just lean to buying the new iPhone, as I don't know anyone I can even test the droid with, but thanks for everyone advice.
I was not bashing any one, I speak from a person who uses the android OS every day, no IOS or Iphone to run too at all. So if it does not work I am screwed, nothing else to run to if a call needs to be made. So that should say someting to those who do not go that rout. I have also said time, and time again android is not purfect but its a viable platform to IOS starting at android 4.0 and up. Like it or not there is two platforms now in the arina for accessible phones. One is polished, super controled, has some bugs but no one wants to tell you about it. The other has some bugs, needs work, is beeing worked on and has 3 screenreaders that are beeing currently worked on. Spiel has a nightly blog, talkback is still in beta because of some bugs their working out and code factery just came out on their list and said "moble accessibility" is beeing worked on. Good luck in what ever you find, some people just do not like changes or it just must work like apple. News flash, its not going to when your talking about android because of the 3 screenreders out on the market for that OS. Every time I see post that say android does not work well, hmm.. so what your saying its not working well fore me, I am full of it and I am just saying to go try android because I want to watch someone fall on their face. Any way rant over lord knows what you were trying to do butter cup with the s3 or what you want it to do for you. Knda odd you have yet said why the s3 did not work. With that said before I go: It does this for me: allow me to streem radeo with 5 apps, take notes with drop boxes editer, if I want 3 other apps, take recordings if needed with the built in recorder or HI-Q mp3 recorder and surf the web with 4 browsers if I want. Fire fox is my choice for now :). I can text with this phone, attach videos, pictures to text and more. So makes me wonder what others were doing with this phone that they did not see results. Lets not for get netflix, its accessible on the s3 as well or 4.0. Any way again good luck with what ever you go with my stands on android still hold's true to day, its the other alturnitive to IOS. Not as polished but more then useable for every day use.
Wait. U need 3 screen readers to use an android phone?
no, you have a choice to what screen reader works best for you, its open source OS so that gives the 3 screen reader devs freedom to create their own screen reader.
Also that means if one screan reader has a lot of bugs you can ditch it and move to spiel or the up coming updated moble accessibility. The current one works with ICS but has some issues but acording to the Moble accessibility list their working on MA at this time. If you were to consiter an android phone and wanted a slider depending carier, VZ has the droid 4 running 4.4 now. T-mobile has the samsung relay that is running android 4.0 out of the box. With an android phone running 4.0 there is no downloading talkback and other accessible apps to use it. It comes with the phone, samsung has gotten a lot better with this then they were in the past. You can use the home screen, browser, stock phone app, contacts and messeging with out changing out any app. Kay done good luck in what you choose. My educating for android is done for now. Feel free to private quick note me if any more questions are needed to be ansered. Refurr back to my post about the eyes-free mailing list, some people on there have been using android a lot longer then me so would be able to answer rooting and changing roms if any one is intrested in doing that to a tablet or phone.