texting

Category: Geeks r Us

Post 1 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 10:32:10

So I have a talking flip phone that I can text with. Looks to me like you don't have punctuation marks with texting. You can space with the zero on this phone. Am I right on no punctuation marks? Ah yes. older folks and technology.

Post 2 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 10:40:11

I haven't had this kind of phone since 2009 or so. But I think you can find punctuation by pressing the 1 key, just like you find the different letters by pressing the other keys multiple times. I think pressing 1 will cycle you through the most common punctuation. Don't quote me on that, because I may be remembering wrong, but it's worth a try.

Post 3 by Click_Clash (No Average Angel) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 10:41:11

It will be different with every type of phone, I imagine. Mine has a function key that allows me to input punctuation and numbers. You'll probably have to ask for sighted help.

Becky

Post 4 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 11:44:57

Right, you'll need sighted help to tell you the key that makes it work.
I like to use it because it makes a text with a screen reader more legable, but I'm here to tell you, it isn't popular.
So, don't worry if you are like, huh?
Laughing.
People text badly.

Post 5 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 16:09:33

They do, but there's really no excuse for texting badly.

Post 6 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 29-Sep-2016 19:35:27

Bite your fingers girl.
OMG and BTW and well you understand.
What else would we do without them?
We'd have to learn to spell.
Laughing.

Post 7 by chelslicious (like it or not, I'm gonna say what I mean. all the time.) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 3:51:09

I'm probably the only one in the world who doesn't text badly. I spell everything out, rather than writing in short-hand or whatever you call it. Personally, it takes more of an effort to make myself write in short-hand, than it does to write the correct way.
To get back to the topic at hand though: as others have said, how you use punctuation will probably vary on every phone. Hope you can figure it out.

Post 8 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 9:43:50

Nope, hate to steel your thunder but I too spell everything out. lol It drives me nuts when people write stuff like ur for you are, etc. I'm fairly certain it would bug me just as much, if not more so, if I were reading with abraille display rather than listening to speech. lol

I had an HTC Star Treck phone back in the day and if I'm remembering correctly, it was the 0 that did the space and each number did different punctuations.

My wifi password here at the house has some punctuation marks and it's a complete PITA every time I have to have someone reconnect the Direct TV receiver because the star and pound scroll through the punctuation.

All this to say, I agree with others in that you'll have the best luck with texting with your phone once you get some sighted help knowing what the punctuation keystrokes are. Good luck.

Post 9 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 11:53:03

Here are the instructions for using punctuation in your texts. step one, get
your cell pone. Step two, call a cab or ride of some kind. step three, take said
ride to the cellular telephone provider of your choice, AT&T Varizon Sprint, all
good choices. Step four, sign up for a data plan. Step five, buy phone that isn't
from the early 2000s, iphone or android will do great. Step six, set up said
actual phone that is from this decade and thus not a shitty flip phone. step
seven, text with new phone with ease because the punctuation is laid out for
you right there and you don't have to master antiquated skills that no one has
to worry about anymore. step eight, profit.

Clearly you have a crappy phone. Fix that. Get a better phone. There is no
reason to still be using flip phones in the world today. Get on board with modern
technology, or the ride will leave you behind, which it is clearly threatening to
do already if you are struggling to write a simple period.

Post 10 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 13:20:15

8. Wheres the money. You providing?
9. She'd need to exchange that "shitty" phone and buy a "newer technology one."
OMG.
Laughing.

Post 11 by starfly (99956) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 14:15:18

10 any one have a phone to donate to her and time to teach as well? lol :)

Post 12 by starfly (99956) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 14:18:54

We laugh but for some reason certain people just can not wrap their minds around a touch screen, I personally saw it happen when I was teach at world services for the blind. 11. If the poster can, Crack barey smile lol or black bary has currently come to grips and now does make very accessible physical slide out keyboar phones running android with timely updates. Just a suggestion when your budget allows for splurging on a phone.

Post 13 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 15:12:34

I always suggest a small Bluetooth keyboard.
I believe the cruch helps them graduate to the screen, because sooner or later, they'll try it.

Post 14 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 15:36:16

Believe it or not, there were and probably still are, many sighted people dragging their feet going into touch screens. There have even been articles written on it.

Post 15 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 18:08:22

I'm like you Chelsea, I can't stand the short-hand that gets used in texting. I write things out as I do when typing a post on here. I might cut some of my grammar short, if I can get awayw ith not using certain pronouns, but only if I know I'm texting someone where my message will get divided up into 160 character chunks. No ur for your, or l8r for later.

Post 16 by forereel (Just posting.) on Friday, 30-Sep-2016 18:19:25

True enough Leo.
I know my daughter hated them.
She wanted one of these mega boxes, so had no choice but to change.
She started I believe with iPhone, went to android because of screen size.
Now she's a champ.

Post 17 by chelslicious (like it or not, I'm gonna say what I mean. all the time.) on Saturday, 01-Oct-2016 9:16:09

Glad to see there are others who actually type things out.
Alicia, when you say you cut things short by not using pronouns, do you mean like saying "Going to the store," like that? If so, that's understandable.

Post 18 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 01-Oct-2016 10:59:42

So I should tell the bad experience I had in the Verizon store. Was all set for an I phone but the girl said I'll put speech on my phone to see if you can use the phone. I had made an appointment to have a separate phone set up for me. Couldn't hardly hear the speech at all. Every time I touched the screen to try to find icons the phone stopped talking. Some young people on another list I'm on said the signal in the store might have been bad. The lack of hearing the speech itself turned me away from the phone for now. Moral of the story though: Next time I'll go to an apple store. I think the day will come when an I phone will be the only phone out there. Yet, I have to say, my girlfriend had a great experience at a Verizon store. Right now, I did make an appointment at the AT and T store to get further instructions on the voice prompts; certainly can hear the flip phone speech really well.

Post 19 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 01-Oct-2016 11:10:26

The only real shortening I do on text messages is that I sometimes leave out
apostrphes. Like, I'll use your instead of you're, even when its not gramatically
correct, or I'll use im instead of I'm. But other than that I write things out.

Post 20 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 01-Oct-2016 11:57:49

I just write out.
If I start not doing it the people I text will send it right back at me, so I'm forced to figure.
Seems if I set the example, I get back what I send mostly.
Yea on your flip phone.
I guess it comes down to what works when you're in the situation of having to choose and one products hasn't been properly setup for you.
I'm sure that iPhone just wasn't done correctly from what you are describing, or the sales rep didn't know how to tell you what the problems were.

Post 21 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Sunday, 02-Oct-2016 9:42:07

I was told to report the issue to the apple store, but the girl was trying so hard to do this right I didn't have the heart to get her into trouble. But I learned from the experience. Things weren't set up right that's definite.

Post 22 by starfly (99956) on Sunday, 02-Oct-2016 23:54:32

smile, no IPhone lol wont be the only phone around adventually. Wishful thinking though.

Post 23 by chelslicious (like it or not, I'm gonna say what I mean. all the time.) on Monday, 03-Oct-2016 13:28:31

It may be the only accessible phone around someday, given the fact it seems to be far more accessible to us than anything else out there now.
Back to the topic at hand though, I think the experience the OP had at an AT&T store was unfortunate, but common--that's why it's best to go to an Apple store. However, even then, a blind user who uses the iPhone all the time, will likely know more than an Apple store techie does.

Post 24 by Imprecator (The Zone's Spelling Nazi) on Thursday, 06-Oct-2016 17:17:14

It's been two years since I got my first iPhone and I still suck at touch-typing. So, Braille Sense it is.

Post 25 by starfly (99956) on Friday, 14-Oct-2016 15:39:45

chelslicious
says IPhone: It may be the only accessible phone around someday, given the fact it seems to be far more accessible to us than anything else out there now.
". Far from fact but if you choose to live in a bubble live on. Ignoring googles current efferts to accessibility is just that "living in a bubble." Last, "living in a cup of apple juice" note the pun here.

Post 26 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Wednesday, 19-Oct-2016 10:30:47

Thos of us who learned braille at an early age are trained to contract; how is doing so in text messages different? As I see it, it's a sort of "grade 2 print"; LOL.

Post 27 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 19-Oct-2016 13:36:58

Because screen readers don't understand them.
You have to spend time reading letter by letter and well.
Write plain please.
Laughing.

Post 28 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Wednesday, 19-Oct-2016 17:26:31

Hello,

Do you have a hearing loss? If so, I do too,but have found the speech on any phone quite intelligible. If you do in fact wear hearing aids, you usually can get an accessory to allow Bluetooth streaming. Just an idea.

Post 29 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 19-Oct-2016 20:15:13

You know, I've noticed that in the texting apps, they are starting to translate the more popular shortcuts.
Lol, TBW and some others.
In the newest iOS10 if I write laughing as I do often, it will give the imergy for it now in the options or suggestions section.
Maybe we are becoming a shortcut texting world.
But still if shomeone rights ibrt, well.
I'll be right there is what is means.
Laughing.

Post 30 by Liquid tension experiment (move over school!) on Thursday, 20-Oct-2016 16:17:54

a few things to say here.
wayne, when you text,
do you write your messages like this?
I hope not
lol
anyway, no, the iPhone is not, and will not be the only phone out that has a worth while screen reader on it. Google has been improving by leeps and bounds lately, and other companies like facebook are comeing out with tools that can assist app devs in making applications work better with talk back. Why a company outside google has to help its devs out with accessibility coding is beyond me, but that falls outside the scope of this post. I used a flip phone all the way up to 2009, even though the iphone was on its fourth version, though mine had a full keyboard on it. LGNV3 anyone? I would love to see the people spoiled by smart phones try to type in t9, would be amusing. I agree though, flip phones are not going to be around for ever, and getting into newer tech is a thing to better do sooner rather than later, as that is where everyone and everything is going.

Post 31 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 1:42:28

When I use my Samsung Gusto 3, I find t9 word very useful; btw, it's a recent discovery for me. I had been doing abc...

Post 32 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 10:32:02

I found that word deal too confusing. that was set up for me when I first got my phone, but I had it put back to ABC. BTW I have a voice recorder in tools, how do you activate that?

Post 33 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 11:42:49

If you're talking about the Gusto 3, I don't see a voice recorder in Tools. Closest thing to it would be the Record Sound item in Media; this is used fror recording very short clips for use as ring tones or notification sounds.

Post 34 by bea (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 18:43:55

No, its the AT and T LGV470 flip phone.

Post 35 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 22-Oct-2016 22:19:21

Ask your cellular provider.

Post 36 by Ebony Flames (Zone BBS Addict) on Tuesday, 25-Oct-2016 11:09:29

I used a sliding phone from 2011 when I got my first phone until about a month ago.
Now I use my iPhone. I used to write shorthand a lot, because the keyboard was so
small and didn't have any punctuation. Now, I don't use shorthand. Ever. I may say lol
occasionally, and if I am texting with specific people who know what I mean I may
abbreviate, but other than that, I use my braille sense and write things that way. The
Intensity I used had only a keyboard and the numpad, along with the menu navigator.
The speech was intelligible, but didn't talk me through about half the prompts on the
phone. I was left using a sighted person to turn things on and off when I wanted to.
Glas those days are gone.

Post 37 by Click_Clash (No Average Angel) on Sunday, 30-Oct-2016 20:30:36

That's about where I am with my LG Lotus. I've had it for five years, and most of the stuff I use on it is accessible, but there will definitely be some advantages to switching to the iPhone and Focus 14.

Becky