Category: Cell Phone Talk
Hello to all. I'm switching from an iPhone 5 with the latest iOS on it to the lg mach on sprint. I'm a person that loves physical keyboards and the only phones that sprint has that offered this were the motorola photon q lte and the lg mach. I have heard of both phones and prefer the lg's call quality. Has anyone here ever experienced lg phones and there accessibility? I plan to use wireless accessibility at my home screen. What combination of screen readers do you all use? I have contacts in outlook 2010 that I'd like on my phone. Can I sync with outlook? Also what are good sites for android apps that are similar to apple vis? the main reason I'm switching is because I'm sick of apple and their controlling of the platform. Plus I'm sick of iOS and I love how android puts apps in a start menu so to speak. Thank you guys for your help.
Let me go look at your pphone's OS and also see if its skinned. I will get back with you when I find what I need to know to answer your questions farely.
Okay, LG has skinned this phone but your in luck maybe, I would go play with this phone and see how talkback or moble accessibility "wireless accessibility" works with this device. I personally would leave CF's products alone until they ketch up with talkback, their slow to update and most of the time do not bother communicating with their customers. If the home screen is not accessible "nova launcher" or the pro counter part will do the trick. I love this home screen because its as close to stock android as you can get. Apps!, well there is a board here on the zone, check out android access but its not beeing update here lately. Access Ana from "that android show" is updating her blog would like some in put from others. It will go live in the late summer. I hope I have been of some help, just ask me if you want more help.
OK starfly. I found the board in question and it was a good read. I appreciate your help. :) Looks like I'll go for talkback and equal access in terms of accessing the phone. I'll have to see if I can get a chance to play with the phone or play with an lg phone with ice cream sandwich on it. I also plan to install the eyes free shell as well. I found these packs sprint offers with accessible apps so I'll check those out as well. Is there a way to side load talkback on to the phone or will I have to have someone enable it for me? I thought about buying the phone online but I think I'll take a trip to the local sprint store or best buy first before I do anything. How would I tell someone to enable talkback on 4.0? I also understand one of these screen readers offers an option to set a gesture that will enable and disable the screen reader.
OK. I understand in ice cream sandwich you can draw a rectangle on the screen and accessibility launches. is that true on lg phones as well? I'd buy the phone from sprint's website and power on the phone and draw the rectangle on the screen. Thanks for all the help.
yes if LG has not removed this feature for talkback's accessibility features. yes you can side load apps :), your going to be asked to turn on unnone sources when you atempt to side laod an app. I find firefox nightly to be the best browser so far out there because its got the ability to let you move by links, fourms, headings and lists. It will play flash content as well it beeing updated on a dayly bases. Keep in mind if your not ready to run nightly builds of an app then firefox beta has these gesters that the firefox team built into the browser and it can be downloaded off the play store.
OK. Thank you very much. I heard somewhere that at one point talkback had troubles with the wifi and bluetooth toggles in the notification areas. Is this still true? I have been doing a lot of research on android and I'm really liking it. I still have not tried it yet but I don't think the switch will be all that bad. I'm either trying an android phone tomorrow or I'll go to the sprint store and try the phone before I buy it. I will install wireless accessibility just so i can play with it but I think I'll be using talkback a lot. Also is there a way to move character by character or word by word in talkback? I like android because you're not just stuck to one screen reader like on iOS.
There's not a way to move by character or wird in ICS. There is however, in Jelly Bean. So, it depends what OS you get. i find Ice Cream Sandwich to be really accessible, though. If you get a phone with ICS and can figure out most of it, let me know. I have a phone with it on it and love it, but I wish I could figure out some things and can't. Maybe if you can't figure out some things and I can't figure out some things, we could both help and learn from each other. I don't know anyone who has ICS, who uses talkback.
Take Care,
Dawnielle
OK. That sounds good. :) It looks like i'll be getting ics but I hope lg releases an update to jellybean soon. I'm planning to get the lg mach on sprint. There is a phone called the Motorola photon q but i was not impressed with the call quality plus it's 549 which is too expensive for me. I'll defanatly help people once I learn how to use android as well.
I for got, that on the play store there is a few apps that let you use your hadware buttons to reject and answer calls. A few are on the android board and can run under ICS and above.
Under accessibility, in ICS and JB, you can set options for rejecting or accepting calls.
I am running JB on a Sony Experia Pro because of the keyboard with arrow keys but, I do use the screen from time to time. As far as I know, and I might be wrong, LG like to exclude arrow keys from their keyboards so, if you were expecting physical arrow keys, just doublecheck.
Recommended tutorial: To learn more about Explore by Touch, go to Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack > Settings > Launch “Explore by touch” tutorial.
When TalkBack and Explore by Touch are turned on, you can use simple gestures to navigate your device:
◾Drag one finger. Explore your screen and hear audible feedback for what is being touched.
◾Double-tap anywhere on the screen. Opens or activates the item that you last touched.
◾Swipe up or down using two fingers. Scroll lists and pages.
◾Swipe left or right using two fingers. Change pages and screens.
◾Swipe right (or down) using one finger. Move to the next item.
◾Swipe left (or up) using one finger. Move to the previous item.
◾Swipe down then up using a single motion. Transition to the next reading level when reading blocks of text, then swipe right to read forward or left to go back.
◾Swipe up then down using a single motion. Transition to the previous reading level when reading blocks of text, then swipe right to read forward or left to go back.
◾Swipe right then left using a single motion. Move to the next piece of information.
◾Swipe left then right using a single motion. Move to the previous piece of information.
While you’re exploring with one finger, you can use another finger to double-tap to open an app, widget, and so on.
IMPORTANT: The way these gestures are interpreted is specific to TalkBack. Other screen readers may use the same gestures for different actions.
Shortcut gestures in TalkBack
Note: These gestures work only when Explore by Touch is turned on and are only for devices running 4.2.
TalkBack has shortcut gestures to help you get to your Home screen, go back, and more. To try these shortcuts, swipe using a single motion:
◾Up then right: Open continuous reading menu
◾Up then left: Home button
◾Down then right: Open global context menu
◾Down then left: Back button
◾Right then down: Open notifications
◾Left then up: Recent apps button
You can modify your shortcut gestures and the corresponding actions in TalkBack by going to Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack > Settings > Manage shortcut gestures.
Hope this helps.
Hanif
Thanks, Hanif, i'll have to try some of those, which might work on ICS. With ICS, you just have to tap an item once to activate it. Austin, let me know if you want some help when you get your phone via Skype or something.
Take Care,
Dawnielle
the jesters that was described work in jb 4.1 and above not in ICs. ICS has a global context menu but as far as gesters found in JB no. , Dawnielle was right about single tapping in ICS and ICS has explore by touch no swiping to get around with other then a phone with a slider keyboard or BT keyboard paired.
Hello. I'm not worried about that. :) The phone I will be getting will have a physical keyboard. I messed with a nexus 7 tablet yesterday and liked what I saw. I found android really intuitive to use. I really hope lg comes out with an update to JB soon. I think they will. This phone was released in November of last year so I'm not worried about that for right now.
I know what you mean. I hope they come out with an update to Jelly bean for my phone, too. Mine was released around the same time. So, it's still relatively new. Starfly, thanks for the inmormation on what's accessible and what's not, with ICS. I guess I won't be trying the swiping. Then how does one navigate text messages with ICS? When I'm in my texts, I can only figure out how to read all the conversations, in no particular order. I can't figure out how to activate an individual conversation with the screen at all.
Take Care,
Dawnielle
I think do not quote me its been a bit sense I used ICS but your keyboard will allow you to navagate by word via the erow keys. I will admit that MA does have talkback beet here in ICS because it allows you to navagate via sentence, word, char, paragraph. However, in 4.1 or 4.2 jelly bean you do have a way with talkback to navagate with char, paragraph word.
Hello starfly. You are right on that. that is why I will be using a combination of talkback and wireless accessibility. Just to let you guys know wireless accessibility is free on at&t, sprint and verizon. But at&t is wireless accessibility lite so you only get the home screen portion of MA and the 12 or so apps it comes with. You do not get the screen reader portion of it. I'm glad I switched away from at&t to be honest but that's just me. Anyway I will have my phone in a matter of hours and I'll keep you all posted. If you guys want to follow my twitter page it's austingrace. I'm thinking of posting an audio unboxing of my phone and me enabling accessibility on the phone. I'll also update this board as much as I can about my android journey. :) I appreciate all of your help and I hope I can help others like me that are switching as well. If the audio of the unboxing is posted I'll post the link here so non twitter people can hear it as well.
Hello to all. I got my phone yesterday. I had to have someone set up talkback for me when I got the phone. I had wireless accessibility but was not a fan of it. It felt slower than talkback and spiel and it actually got me in a tight situation where it was not reading the settings on the device or any other apps besides what was in the sweet of mobile accessibility applications. So I said I can't deal with this and removed wireless accessibility. I like the idea but wireless accessibility still needs work. I have not found a good facebook app yet. I have not tried the twitter app. I could not answer calls until I installed shake to answer. Do you guys have any good ideas for facebook, radio and phone dialer apps I can try? I installed tunein but some buttons are unlabeled with spiel, talkback and wireless accessibility. I will try IBlink radio because I'm a serotek subscriber. Overall I'm enjoying android. I really love how you can have different home screens and choice of browser and stuff like that. so far it seems worth the switch. Another question how do you use the where am i function in walky talky gps? Or should I get another app for that? Thanks a lot guys. :)
facebook works under ICS but keep in mind your going to need to enable web scripts under accessibility. OH, make sure you update your talkback if its not done yet. Twitter works out of the box and skype works as well. Its been a few months sense I used ICS so if I am wrong about FB my bad. Pandora radio has its play, next and buttons labeled so its accessible. Jango is a bit tricky to work with but again, its accessible as well.
I don't know how Wireless Accessibility works when it's downloaded free through the carriers. With Mobile Accessibility, if you went into Accessibility and set it as the screen reader, it would then read things outside the suite of apps. The best way to do this is to enable it, then go back in and disable Talkback. But I tend to agree that it isn't the best option; I primarily used Talkback.
There's also a paid app called EZButton, and it should let you use the volume buttons to answer or reject calls.
Does enabling scripts work on the facebook app or is that the website? Also what browser did you use? Was it chrome? I defanatly only use talkback and not wireless accessibility.
I used the FB app and yes the web scripts are needed to read some web views. The web scripts are not dependent on a particular browser, there useful for web views all through out the OS. If you want give firefox beta on the play store, it has now reading nvagation commands independent of talkback.
OK. Thank you very much. :) Do any of you guys have task managing apps installed? Also do you guys have any good recommendation for phone replacement apps? I had to get something so I can shake the phone to answer it because I had no other way to answer my phone.
Also are there ways to remove widgets from the phone? I'm using the eyes free shell as the home screen.
Well guys. The new beta of talkback finally has the talking caller id that works on this phone. I had the latest non beta version and I could not get the caller id to work. I can use the answer and reject buttons with the keyboard.
:) so do not shoot me here Austin because you have the OS "ICS" "4.0" the eyes free shell is not needed. Hold on before you point out your Icons can not be read on the home screen :). Nova launcher and nova launcher pro will do the trick. If you can and if the skinned android allows you to do this with the widgets on your home screen not eyes free shell. Tap once and hold for a few seconds, move to where your ear peace is and do a tossing gester.
OK i'll try nova launcher.
I found I can answer calls by having my mom put a dot on my screen where I need to tap. Then, it's just a matter of sliding my finger to the right. This works nicely. I just put my finger on the dot and slide. If it doesn't work, I do it again.
Take Care,
Dawnielle
Hello. I got the answering calls thing to work very well for me. I now know where the button is and I just tap it or I open the keyboard and arrow to the button. I use the power button to end calls. I'm not a huge believer in putting dots on my phone screen. I like to keep the phone as original as possible but whatever works for you. :) I'm not going to hate on people for what they do. I'm just saying that is my way of doing things.
Hello to all. I copied some mp3 ringtones on to my phone but my phone did not see them. I did not restart the phone or anything. I copied them to a folder that is called ringtones on my phone. Any ideas? Do I have to restart the phone for it to see the ringtones?
no, some manufactures allow you to use the music files on your phone even if there in your music folder, if your manufacture does not allow this third party apps will let you get around this issue.
This board just proves how superior IOS is over android with regards to accessibility. say what yu will, but with IOS, at least you know what works and what doesn't across the platform. I like Apple's quality control, and frankly am very weary of Androids open-source style OS'. But good luck. Switching from IOS to android, in my view is a major downgrade in accessibility, as someone who's had the chance to use both. But what do I know, right?
I'm not sure this will work for you, but it's worth a try; it's the only way I got my Xperia Pro to use MP3 ringtones I copied from my computer.
On the root of your SD card, create a folder called Media. Inside the Media folder, create a folder called Audio. Inside the Audio folder, you can create a folder for Ringtones, Notifications if you have specific notifications you want to coppy, and Alarms. Then copy your tones into that Ringtones folder, unplug the phone from your computer, and see if it will let you assign the tones.
write away
, hmm loves to troll, keep on trolling. No matter what you say some of us will use android because quite frankly we love the flexibility the OS brings to the table nulike IOS. Sise, I am done feeding the apple trolls around here. Until you apple trolls can prove to me that there is something I can not do with my android jelly bean phone then fine I will go to my corner and leave this topic alone. Until then, I am here to help people with android, for now on not to feed apple trolls.
Hello to all. I'm having second thoughts about this lg mach. I wanted to get jellybean for it but there are no custom roms. Plus everyone is sooo quiet on updates to JB for it. I'm really feeling like LG will not release an update to this thing. This phone is sooooo locked by lg and sprint it's not funny. I heard you can't even re-install factory roms if you root. So I'm thinking of going with the galaxy s4. How are the galaxy devices with talkback? I'd prob keep this s4 for years. It just sounds soooo awesome. I don't want to be stuck on ICS.
there was a list of things you can't easily do with android on another board. More than one in fact. You only covered about 40 percent of stuff on the list, and even what you covered well, was something like get a workaround for this, and a workaround for that, and work around this, and work around that etc. Don't even start implying you have addressed all issues, because you haven't. I'm glad people like you are ok with finding workarounds for workarounds, and doing all the extra maintenance android phones always constantly require. I've said before that both platforms have strengths and weaknesses, but the very fact you ignore every post and every comment that doesn't fit in your world view completely and nearly irrevocably annihilates your credibility. We get it, you like android, but its about time you start honestly coming to the table, like most of the IOS users who have used android have done.
As for the galaxy s 4. I'd expect it will be much like the galaxy s 3. good on some carriers, never getting updates on others. If you can get past the cheep plastic, its probably one of the best if not the best android phones on the market. touch wiz is a bloated piece of shit, and don't buy the 16 gb galaxy s 4. You'll only get 8 gb of usable space on the device. And while its true you can put music, books and videos on the SD card, you can't install apps to it with out hacks, rooting your device and voiding the warranty.
while you can not install apps to an SD card, if the app allows for it, you can push the app to the SD via a app called move to SD. Just search the google play. Again, where do I say I replaced the texting app on my phone, where do I say I replaced the phone app and last where do I say I replaced the contacts? Storm wing your out to discredit me so have at it. I am sorry but the S4 and S3 is not a peace of crap. Just as useable as the Iphone, again, if you know any one that lives in raleigh NC, I chalenge you to send a friend to RLCB, make an appointment and show me where I am wrong. I am willing you would not storm wing. You would rather pick an arguement here then face me in person. Fine, still my belief stand, android is accessible if your willing to put the time in to it. On that note, Kinda odd that "jonnithen Mosely" parden the spelling has now taken up a nexis7 tablit and is currently working on a project, go read his article for once I love what he wrote on his blog. It was a fare and unbyist point of view.
Storm wing you would rather me say I can not use my S3 with very little modifications but if I said that I would be lying. I only canged the home screen "no rooting" to nova launcher because I like how it interacts with talkback and how I can set gesters. Point blank, that is all I have changed. Galaxy S3 with stock rom from t-mobile jeely bean 4.1.1. See no root any more.
I am not out to discredit you, I am just making the statement that you tend to ignore arguments you don't like reading. I don't hate you, you've made some valid points, but you still ignore what you don't want to read. which so happens to be most pro iOS arguments.
I never said that the galaxy s 3 and 4 are cheep, just that they're made out of cheep plastic, a material that doesn't stand up to impact well, and generally looks and feels cheep, not premium. You're more often than not getting defensive about things that don't warrant it. I'm sorry I insist on sticking to fact, not fiction.
You've forgotten I actually had a lot of good things to say about the gs3, for example.
Ok guys. So I'm thinking of getting the galaxy s4 or the htc 1 for my next phone Someone was very awesome at sprint and they reset my upgrade for me. I explained my situation to them and they were very awesome. I heard that htc sense really screws up things for talkback. I would be using a different home screen. I think I'll probably settle on the galaxy s4 because I just bought a micro sd card and I prefer phones to have a removable battery.
I would go with the S4, your right HTC sense does still screw with some of the core apps. The touch wiz however does not.
I wouldn't suggest an htc phone because not only the home screen is inaccessible but some other important things such as the dial pad etc.
I am an android user myself. I think android works for me but perhaps not for others. As others said android improoved throughout the years but i think apple put much more effort towards accessibility than google.
Apple's accessibility seams very proffessional and wel done but google's accessibility seams a beta project changing all the time.
A very reacent example is the latest update for Goggles which is not accessible apparently. This example doesn't make google to look proffessional and we can see how much they care about accessibility.
There are things that i don't like about the ifone such as having to use itunes but saying that android accessibility is equal to the ifone is not very correct. Yes it is getting there but it is still behind.
When your saying google goggles your refurring to an app not talkback. So its fare to say goggles has gotten less excessible. Keep in mind just because it says google does not mean there in the same department. I am quite aware of goggles becoming less accessible. OmObby works in that case :). Its just quite accessible. Try it and report back to see how much you like it. I will say android is now just as accessible as IOS. Does it have as many accessible apps no but when IOS first became accessible it to did not have that many apps. So with that said I have taken a task to those devs like look tell and will approach them about porting there apps to android. No, I am not taking no for a answer, :) they allready know this.
Hello to all. So I ordered the sprint version of the galaxy s4 yesterday. I also plan to order the rii 66 key mini Bluetooth keyboard as well. I should have the phone tomorrow. I'll keep you all posted on what happens.
Yes. I'd love to see looktel on android. I'd also love to see blind square and tap tap see as well. So how is the kies software with screen readers? I'd use it to update the software on the phone if need be.
I thought there was an Android equivalent to BlindSquare. Not the same app, but some sort of Explorer app for pedestrian navigation?
Austin, good luck with the GS 4. I'm looking forward to some honest observations, which are not clouded buy loyalty to one brand or another.
StarFly, I think I see how you intend to make this argument come out in your favor.
Step 1, make a broad overly vague claim.
step 2. Ignore any evidence you don't want to see which contradicts this.
step 3. Repeat until everyone else gets sick of debating this with you.
Kies works fine with NVDA and jaws, even with updating your phone.
OK. That is great. :) I want to put this bs android vs ios bullshit to rest right here and now. Both platforms have their strong points and weak points. It's like mac vs windows. I have used all of these systems. I prefer to have an android phone and windows computer. The apple systems are good so I will not bash them. So if you all want to have a never ending argument then be my guest. But not on this topic please.
Thank you.
I've said the same thing to him numerous times. I'm sorry I attempted to expunge him of his biases and untruths about the subject, on the wrong board for it. I two have used both platforms...
Well it's all good. No worries on this end. :) I have the s4 and love it so far. It is way faster than the lg mach. that is for sure.
Nice, how does the battery seem to compare to the iPhone, and the LG?
One other thing that i don't like about android is the fact that they improoved the touch screen access from version 4.0 and upwards but they also broke keyboard access for some areas that used to work for version 2.3 and below.
For example try changing the tts with a bluetooth keyboard or the arrow keys if you happen to have them and see if you can do it.
I know most phones these days come with only touch screens but keyboard access should be also available. People should be able to acomplish the same tascs no matter if they use keyboard or the touch screen.
In a few days the new version of android will come out and we will be able to see what's new in the accessibility area.
when the new android version comes out if t-mobile updates the GS3 to it, I will do a podcast and post it on blind geek zone.
Hello to all. I used google voice search to look up something and i was unable to click the links it provided me. Any ideas? I used double tapping and an enter key on a keyboard.
Its probly a obvious question but I have to ask it, do you have in hanst web access or "web scripts" turned on in settings?
Yes. I have that turned on.
Hello to all. I hear people saying the keyboard in jellybean is accessible. On the galaxy s4 i can find letters but one tap types the letter. any ideas? I only have the Samsung keyboard and swipe on here. I'm sorry but i'm not a fan of the eyes free keyboard. I can't access certain things on this phone with it. Plus when you use the volume buttons to cycle the different parts of the keyboard nothing happens. Luckily I kept my keyboard buddy case or else i would have been screwed. LOL.
the eyes free keyboard does not work on jelly bean, I would go to the play store and get a keyboard that has this name, it works well. Jelly bean 4.2, it was back ported. :) I used it every day and it works for me. Hope that helps if you need a link for it I will dig it up in the play store.
Hey starfly. That keyboard works. :) Thanks for all of your help. it's much appreciated. I found an unlabeled checkbox in the notifications area on my s4. Any ideas what that is? I still have not found a good gps app like blindsquare on ios.
Hello to all. I have had my galaxy s4 for 3 months or so. I love it. I love nearby explorer on it. I just bought an ipod touch 5 because there were some apps that IOS had that android did not have. I must say, I prefer using the facebook app on IOS over android. The facebook and messenger apps needs work on android. I love taptapsee so I had to get an ipod touch. I hope taptapsee comes to android soon.
not sure what the unlabeled check box is my guess its probly to keep your phone locked ina sertain mode like portrid when you turn the phone to its side. I have not had time to play with the galaxy S4 been working and just moved to north Raleigh.
Well guys I have to say. I honestly don't mind apple's walled garden. There is no bloatware and stupid carier or manufacturer modification. You all can keep your android. I'll stay with IOS. :) I sold my galaxy s 4 and got an iPhone 5 on t-mobile and could not be happier.
funny thing is am about to sell my Iphone if my job discription changes, my wyfi sucks on it and my GS3 rooted running a custom rom of 4.3 and with a flashed updated modem gets a better reseption.
I heard the new iPhone 5s has really improved on the reception. If the galaxy was good at anything it was reception. I just wished the galaxy phones weren't so plasticy feeling..... I just don't like how android did things. As I said I'll stick to IOS right now.
last month i got a samsung galaxy s4. before i was using iPhone 4 and i must say i love my say i really prefer my samsung over iPhone.
Gule Disgonihi
sweet!! I like samsung phone's better then Iphones but that is my choice and others will feel different.
the only thing i'd need help with, starfly, is with the finger swiping on the samsung. it is so ver different than the iPhone that even the swiping is different. if you could help me maybe with this i'd appreaciate it.
I can, keep in mind you use one finger to swipe left and right and it moves by element, "so if you have lets say 5 pages on your launcher" you would have to take two fingers and swipe left and right or up and down to scroll your list or pages If your on the launcher for example sake: you would just swipe left or right up or down to find an Icon. Explorering is bester before you begain to swipe because it gives you a lay out of how the app looks and feels. I even use this method on the Iphone5 I have.
Its best you practice the global gester "down and right" quickly so you get used to the angle gesters. The local context menu is a left and up quickly it gets you into where char, sentence, next page, word and the cursor control menu is found. The cursor control menu is where you can move to end, move to top of line and copy, cut and select by letter or copy all.
lastly, if you do not like the default gesters you can feel free to change them, tap"menu, settings, with two fingers scroll up to you reach near the bottom of your settings", then tap accessibility. Now tap talkback, tap settings and scroll to the bottom of talkback's settings to manage gesters.