Category: Cell Phone Talk
Here is the situation as you all know, mobile speak is supporting a dyeing platform, finding software that is compatible with mobile speak is a living night mere. My problem is while some of you zoners wave the Iphone perh say around and tell us to get it, the net work I am with does not have it in the US yet. So now what to do when I use text, the web browser and all of the phone. Some suggestions would bee nice, I am facing a dilemma here, by a phone that its OS is doom to the trash can and no more Support, heck if MS does not get this right no more MS in the mobile platform. So what would you all do, please constructive posting here, I am willing to take advice; I am wanting to move to a full touch screen device.
I am happy with my T-moble family plan do not plan to ever more networks.
Crap I ment "move networks"
T-Mobile is supposed to have android phones now too, they just told me today, one is either out or coming out which has a keyboard, but you have to pay for a data plan. For those of us messaging phone users that's a drag, but if you want a data plan Android may at least work.
Lots of folks using the my touch slide from T mobile. Of course the trade off there is the screen reader found in android is still a work in process, and for those who arn't patient, or technically go getters, this isn't a good option. Trust me, I'm using a droid with vzw, and really don't want to switch, but I have days where I think about jumping ship to get the iPhone. The thing is, for now we're stuck in limboe. Either we use an older windows mobile phone witha lack of support for third party applications, which by the way has been a fault of code factories since the get go, or switch to a phone such as android, which is still undergoing growing pains, or switch to an iPhone on a carrier that no one wants to touch. It's been annoying for someone like me who needs access to a phone 15 hours a day to make a living. For now, I've settled with a droid, and we have our moments where I love things it can do, and where I want to destroy it. In my opinion though, if you're stuck with t Mobile, BTW, nothing wrong with that, an outdated windows mobile phone is all you have available right now if you want a new device with complete access with as little headache as possible.
i'd say staying with windows mobile is your best bet right now, i still don't trust android much at all, i mean they aren't really compareable yet fromwhat i've heard. Ms and windows mobile may be starting to go but they still work, for the most part if you have a powerful enough phone
Thanks guys sise I guess I will stay with win moble and for now get the HD2, I am not sure what would happen if I go and by the Iphone from someone, then put it on the T-mobile network. I mean will my insurance cover it, another dilemma to ponder about here. :) Well keep on posting if you want thank you for the advice, now to go choke code factery and slap them stupid.
Rat, hear say on Android is not a safe way to parse advice. As someone who initially tried the droid when it first came out, and who now uses the same device only updated, I see the leaps the accessibility project has made. So, while I agree android just like the iPHone isn't for everyone, it's certainly now a viable option. With access to internet and email, you at least can justify paying for the data package. Also, many folks are finding great use for the built in navigation application as it pertains to pedestrian modes.
We were at a dinner sunday, and I was able to grab out my droid load up my fantasy football yahoo application and follow my team. Never had any chance at doing this with windows mobile.
OK BDD I have a couple questions, nice to see a fellow T-Mobile customer on here.
If I get a my touch slide does Google Goggles work on it? Or can I do any sort of OCR / package recognition?
To me, having a set of eyes like that would really come in handy at some opportune and rather inopportune times.
Do you still, like I've read online, have to download a special shell, use a separate email client, and not use the Browser?
What about the Facebook and Twitter apps?
I saw on a podcast where the guy could post to his FB but not read status updates. Truth be told, unlike my younger nieces / cousins I'm more a reader of Facebook content than a poster to Facebook.
Anyway since they mentioned this phone to me the other day, I'm now rather curious. Also will it use your local wi fi network if you want it to? This way one could pay for a more minimalist data plan and download apps via the wi fi network at their house, then use them wherever.
Also, at one point, you said that someone sighted oriented you to the layout of the touch screen. Any way to do that / use that part of the device by yourself? I had read the touch screen will vibrate but not talk the way the iPhone or the Windows Phones with Mobile Speak will.
Sorry to load you down with so many questions, but appreciate any response. And it's nice to be hearing from an actual user of this stuff, one reason I continue to come back to this site. In regular life I have contact with virtually noone who is blind / uses it.
leo, I'll try to answer what I can here, and I may have to get back to you on some of this, as there are a couple links, I'd love to share but don't have access to as I'm on the road. You don't have to use the eyes free shell if you don't wish to do so. However, the advantage to using it is a nice simple interface for things such as google search, location, "where am I" information time battery and signal status. I use the main home screen by default, but when I want this info, I press the letter E on my keyboard and enter on eyes free and it switches right over. Also google goggles works even though the interface isn't fully accessible. The camera turns on once the app is launched so any thing you scan over you can get a result. There is another google app out there which name I can't recall that can do the same thing with bar codes and CD's and DVD's. It's true that you use a separate app for email and browser, and while the browser app is still a work in progress, the email application is beautiful and a complete solution.
Using your wireless while at home or at a hot spot is certainly an options, you can press your settings and wireless and turn wifi on, this way when you're in range it defaults to the wireless if you wish. I'll write more on this when I have a few more minutes.
T mobile is building quite a respectable stable of android handsets, Right now my honest favorite is the G2 from everything i've seen. While it is true android is a growing solution and has flaws, that's no reason to turn it down if you're technicly inclined/can problem solve for your self.I probably will try an android device my self at some point in the future, I'm just waiting to see how things continue to develop as when I got my iPhone, android access wasn't quite what it is today. This being said its still not as far along, but its a completely different platform,so I find that doesn't bug me as much.
I've got a few questions though.
does the access friendly dialer support making inputs on menu guided calls now? Admittedly, I could probably use the regular dialer to enter numbers and such.
Thanks so much looking forward to all responses and appreciate those you all have given. I know this means I'll need to spring for a data plan / convince the better half on this as an idea but T-Mobile as a customer service operation has been really good to us in stores and on the phone, and both times I've been on the phone, I've had occasion to ask about phone readers / they automatically knew about Android. Once was when I was troubleshooting my Daughter's Samsung Behold, something none of us blind bats can use / I needed her to look and touch, so had to tell them of my being blind, the other time being they dropped support for the Chacha service, rather ChaCha dropped them.
Anyway back to Android if you could post a link at your convenience which helps newbies with where to start that'll help. I have the compounding issue of not only being blind but I'm the technical guy in my immediate and not so immediate sphere, so any way I can do / explore without eyes of any kind will help.
Your comments already are much appreciated.
sweet, it erased what I spent 15 minutes writing.
Just a few quick things here between meetings.
To answer another question from earlier, you are able to read status updates in the facebook and twitter applications though I don't use the ladder.
Also, when I mentioned earlier having someone orient me to some buttons on the phone, that's no longer necessary as you can get to those buttons now in the market, from the keyboard. Here's a link to a very well written blog, that covers numerous topics.
http://accessibleandroid.blogspot.com/
As for dialing numbers in to automated systems, I never use the talking dialer much, as I like the stock dialer, but I am able to input numbers using the stock dialer. The nice thing about android is, if you find something that doesn't work the way you want it to on your phone, there is likely a third party option that would enable the access you're seeking.
Thanks a lot. It sure seems like it is flexible. I guess the eBooks market is possibly one area they don't have but might have soon. Android 2.2 with faster processors plus the use of a keyboard could be quite a screaming machine for professional data input / messaging and the like, judging purely from a hardware perspective. Nice to see how it's working for real users though.
It's deffinitly fast and responsive. If you're talking a device that you can text, and email from, then the droid is a perfect device.
If you told me today, that VZE had the iPhone and I could pick either one to use, I'd probably jump ship without a second thought, but because they don't, it's the perfect solution, that allows us as users to buy a device and fork out no less money to use our phones. In fact, I bought my droid used off ebay the second go around for $100.
Yeah i agree android is probably your best bet, However if you are on T Mobile, with a little shopping around unlocked and jailbroken iPhones can be had for relatively less than the jailbroken and unlocked 4 at the moment. But yeah you are right i don't think u get insurance, but t mobile is very ehlpful about getting such phones on their network unlike at&t.
I thought a jailbroken iPhone was at least several hundred dollars? With an iPod Touch 8GB at just over $200 ... I'll probably stick with my old phone and hope to be able to get the Touch.
I've seen them used on craigslist for in the $200 range. On my local cl someone has a 16g 3gs jail broken and unlocked for $150. I'm really thinking about picking it up!
I saw on Twitter a while agoa that Code Factory will be working on something for Android. Something to watch in the next year.
I suppose, though who wants to pay for a screen reader if one can be had for free.
Does the 3GS model of iPhone have a camera in it? If I get one of these, I really want the camera so I can use it for objects recognition / OCR. I don't remember anyone talking about the camera in the 3GS phones but maybe I just forgot.
3gs doesn't have as accurate of a camera if i remember, OCR and barcode scanning wasn't that reliable
3GS has a 3.2 MP camera as opposed to the 5MP with better optics and flash in the iPhone 4. That being said people have had respectable success using their 3GS for such task.
How does that differ from the Touch? In terms of the camera, I mean.
Sorry to pepper you with questions, but just asking.
Thanks
the camera on the new touch while is believe digit eyes tested and and updated their app to work wtih it the camera on the touch sin't as good as the the one a on the 3GS. however it does supposedly shoot 720p video appreatnly not sure how they are pulling that one off.
you'd need to get the touch 4g though, the 3g does not have camera ability
the touch 4 only has a .75 mp camera so getting good identifications/scans will be much harder.
despite the low MP count of the 4G's camera it stilldoes shoot 720p video so there are some good optics in there i imagine and the prizmo folks have tested it and updated their app to work with it