[Blindtlk] New iPhone Model Now Accessible to the Blind

Tue Jun 9 17:18:33 UTC 2009

Jeff,

They've been looking into it at least since I filed a radar in 
September 2007 describing how VoiceOver could be operated on the 
iPhone.  Not to suggest that they began developing it right then and 
there, but the radar was never closed as rejected or won't-fix.

I'm not surprised it would take a lawsuit to get the company to 
actually go to work in earnest on it.  ROI governs decisions about 
what software gets written more often than morality.

Joseph

On Tue, Jun 09, 2009 at 09:02:11AM -0400, Jeff Schwartz wrote:
>This comes as no surprise and it is not due to Apple's concern for the
>blind.  They lost a very costly suit filed by the state of Massachusetts for
>not making the I pod accessible.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Anjelina
>Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 12:56 AM
>To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] New iPhone Model Now Accessible to the Blind
>
>This will be an interesting phone.
>I've seen the IPhone and it's so sensitive to the slightest touch.
>Even though the Apple phone will talk out of the box and is probably much
>cheaper than a phone with Mobile Speak or Talks, I don't think I'd make the
>plunge.
>Yay to Apple for making a phone accessible! Hopefully others will follow.
>I wonder if the tech team at the National Center will review the phone?
>Next we should have talking TV menus!
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of David Andrews
>Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 9:58 PM
>To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [Blindtlk] New iPhone Model Now Accessible to the Blind
>
>
>
>Vision
>
>The revolutionary iPhone also includes an equally revolutionary screen
>reader, and other innovative accessibility features that make it easier to
>use for those with impaired vision.
>
>
>VoiceOver
>
>iPhone 3G S displaying VoiceOver settings. The VoiceOver and Sp
>
>
>
>The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on the Mac is now a standard
>feature on the iPhone 3G S. It's the world's first gesture-based screen
>reader, enabling you to enjoy the fun and simplicity of the iPhone even if
>you can't see the screen.
>
>What makes VoiceOver on iPhone truly remarkable is that you control it using
>simple gestures that let you physically interact with items on screen. 
>It's easy to learn and fun to use. Instead of memorizing hundreds of
>keyboard commands, or endlessly pressing tiny arrow keys to find what you're
>looking for, with VoiceOver, you simply touch the screen to hear a
>description of the item under your finger, then gesture with a double-tap,
>drag, or flick to control the phone.
>
>VoiceOver delivers an experience unlike any screen reader you've ever used
>before. 
>Traditional screen readers describe individual elements on the screen, but
>struggle to communicate where each element is located or provide information
>about adjoining objects. This contextual information is very important but
>typically filtered out by other screen readers. 
>For example, "off-screen" models used by traditional screen readers to
>represent applications and web pages intentionally strip away contextual
>information and describe web pages as a list or menu of items. But with
>VoiceOver on iPhone 3G S, you'll experience something entirely new.
>
>Because VoiceOver works with iPhone's
>touchscreen, you interact directly with objects on the screen and can
>naturally understand their location and context. So, when you touch the
>upper-left corner of the screen, you'll hear what's in the upper left corner
>of a web page, and as you drag your finger around the screen, you'll learn
>what's nearby, providing an amazing new sense of context and relationship
>between the items you hear. For many, VoiceOver on iPhone will provide,
>perhaps for the first time, a true sense of how things appear on screen, not
>just descriptions of what they are.
>
>You'll hear descriptions of every item on the screen, including status
>information such as battery level, Wi-Fi and cellular network signal levels,
>the cellular network provider, and time of day. It even lets you know when
>the display changes to landscape or portrait orientation, and when the
>screen is locked or unlocked.
>
>The speaking rate is adjustable so you can set it to a speed that best suits
>your listening ability. VoiceOver uses distinctive sound effects to alert
>you when an application opens, when the screen is updated, when a message
>dialog appears, and more. And, when Voiceover is talking, the volume of
>background sounds and music are automatically lowered, "ducking" under the
>voice, so you can clearly hear what VoiceOver is telling you.
>
>
>It speaks your language
>
>VoiceOver includes built-in voices that speak 21 languages including Chinese
>(Cantonese), Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (US), English
>(UK), Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese,
>Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal),
>Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), and Swedish.
>
>
>Getting started
>
>VoiceOver is built right into the iPhone 3G S. 
>There's nothing extra to purchase or install. All you need is the iPhone 3G
>S, iTunes 8.2 or later, and a Mac or PC. You can activate your iPhone and
>enable VoiceOver without sighted assistance using iTunes with a compatible
>screen reader like VoiceOver included in Mac OS X and GW-Micro Window-EyesR
>for Windows XP and Windows Vista (sold separately). When you activate iPhone
>using iTunes, you can enable VoiceOver on the iPhone to start using it right
>away. Sighted users can also enable VoiceOver for you directly on iPhone
>using the Accessibility menu in the Settings application.
>
>
>How it works
>
>With VoiceOver enabled, you'll use a different, but simple set of gestures
>to control the iPhone. 
>For example, instead of tapping to click a button or select an item, you tap
>to hear a description of the item you touch and double-tap to click or
>select it.
>
>When an item on the screen is selected, a black rectangle called the
>VoiceOver cursor appears around it. The VoiceOver cursor is displayed for
>the benefit of sighted users with whom you may be sharing your phone. When
>you prefer privacy, VoiceOver includes a screen curtain that turns off the
>display so no one can read it without your knowledge.
>
>In addition to touching and dragging around the screen, you can also flick
>left and right to move the VoiceOver cursor precisely to the next or
>previous item on the screen-no matter how big or small it is. By flicking,
>you have precise control of what you hear even when it might otherwise be
>difficult to place your finger on it.
>Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background shows the home screen
>
>
>Entering Text
>
>When you're typing text, such as an email message or a note, VoiceOver
>echoes each character on the keyboard as you touch it, and again to confirm
>when you enter it. You can also have VoiceOver speak each completed word
>instead of and in addition to individual characters as you type them. A
>flick up or down while typing moves the insertion point cursor left and
>right within the text so you can edit a word just as easily and precisely as
>typing a new word.
>Two images side by side. The first shows a text-suggestion bubb
>
>
>To help you type more quickly and accurately, iPhone features word
>prediction and suggests the correct spelling when you type a word
>incorrectly. With Speak Auto-text enabled, you'll hear a sound effect and
>the suggested word spoken automatically. You can just keep typing to ignore
>it, or press the space key to have iPhone type it for you.
>
>
>The Rotor
>
>Two fingers touching a iPhone display and a counter-clockwise a
>
>
>
>VoiceOver features an innovate new virtual control called a "rotor." Turning
>the rotor- by rotating two fingers on the screen as if you were turning an
>actual dial - changes the way VoiceOver moves through a document based on a
>setting you choose. For example, a flick up or down might move through text
>word by word. But when you choose the "character" setting, each time you
>flick up or down VoiceOver will move through the text character by character
>- perfect when you're proofreading or editing text.
>
>You can also use the rotor to navigate web pages. 
>When you're on a web page, the rotor contains the names of common items,
>such as headers, links, tables, images, and more. You select a setting, then
>flick up and down to move to the previous or next occurrence of that item on
>the page, skipping over items in between.
>
>
>Applications
>
>VoiceOver works with all of the built-in applications that come with iPhone
>3G S, such as Phone, iPod, iTunes, Mail, Safari, and Maps. So, you can place
>and receive calls, surf the web, text and email your friends, check your
>stocks and the weather, and much, much more. Apple is also working with
>iPhone software developers so they can make their applications VoiceOver
>compatible. 
><http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//iphone/iphone-3g-s/>Learn more
>Two iPhones. The iPhone in the foreground is displaying the Voi
>
>
>Voice Control
>
>In addition to gestures, you can use your voice to play music and make a
>phone call. Just press and hold the home button, listen for the audio
>prompt, and speak the name of the artist, album, or playlist you want to
>hear. You can pause, play, change tracks, even shuffle your music.
>
>When you want to make a call, speak the name or telephone number of the
>person you want to call. 
>iPhone 3G S understands 21 different languages. 
><http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//iphone/iphone-3g-s/voice-control
>.html>Learn
>more
>
>
>Zoom
>
>Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background is displaying the wea
>
>
>
>While many iPhone applications let you zoom in and out specific elements
>such as images in Mail, or webpage columns in Safari, Zoom lets you magnify
>the entire screen of any application you're using to help you see what's on
>the display. Zoom can be enabled on iPhone 3G S using iTunes when you're
>setting up the iPhone, for yourself or someone else, or later, using the
>Accessibility menu in the Settings application on the iPhone.
>
>Zoom works everywhere, including the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight
>screens-even with applications you purchase from the App store.
>Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background is displaying the Acc
>
>
>A simple double-tap with three fingers instantly zooms in and out 200% and
>you can double-tap and drag three fingers to dynamically adjust the
>magnification between 100% and 500%. Even when zoomed, you can continue
>using all of the familiar flick, pinch, tap and other iPhone gestures to run
>your favorite applications. Zoom can also be used with white-on-black
>(reverse video) and speak auto-text.
>
>
>White On Black
>
>For those who need or prefer higher contrast, iPhone 3G S provides an option
>to change the display to White On Black. This reverse video affect works in
>all applications including the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens and can
>be used with Zoom and VoiceOver.
>
>
>Speak Auto-text
>
>When typing, iPhone suggests a word before you finish typing it or a
>correction when a word is misspelled. Speak Auto-text speaks these
>suggestions so you can hear them when they're presented. When zoomed, for
>example, the suggestion might not be visible on screen, but you can hear and
>accept it without seeing it. If you're using VoiceOver, you won't have to
>interrupt your typing and touch the suggestion to hear it. Speak Auto-text
>can be enabled even when you're not using VoiceOver or Zoom.
>Callouts indicate the name and location of the physical buttons
>
>
>Tactile Buttons
>
>iPhone includes a few, easily discernible physical buttons used to control
>the phone: the Sleep/Wake button, located on the top edge; the Ring/Silent
>switch and volume-control buttons, located on the upper-left edge; and the
>Home button, centered below the display.
>
>
>Giant Fonts For Mail Messages
>
>For improved email readability, you can increase the default font size of
>email text from Medium (the default) to Large, Extra-large, or Giant.
>iPhone earbuds with clickable microphone built into the cable
>
>
>iPhone Stereo Headset
>
>iPhone comes with a stereo headset with a high-performance microphone built
>into the cable. 
>Plug it into the standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack and the headset lets
>you control music playback and answer and end calls by clicking the built-in
>remote control button.
>
>Several add-on products are also available to work with iPhone that can help
>those with hearing disabilities, including a hearing aid-compatible
>induction ear loop from <http://www.tecear.com/Music_Link.htm>TecEar,
>wireless remote headset from <http://oticon.com/>Oticon, and others.
>
>
>Hands-Free Speakerphone
>
>Enjoy hands-free communication using the built-in speakerphone, which you
>can also use to listen to Visual Voicemail, music, podcasts, and video.
>
>
>Audible, Visible, And Vibrating Alerts
>
>Turn the ringer on, and iPhone delivers both audible and visual alerts. You
>can activate alerts for phone calls, text messages, incoming and sent mail,
>and calendar events. iPhone also offers an audio option confirming keyboard
>clicks. You can even set incoming calls to display a full-screen image or
>photo of the caller.
>
>In silent mode, iPhone vibrates instead of playing a tone. To ensure that
>you never miss a notification, you can also have iPhone vibrate and play an
>audio alert.
>
>
>Downloadable, Assignable Ringtones
>
>You can assign distinctive ringtones to individuals in your contacts list,
>using the ringtone as an audible caller ID. Visit the iTunes Store to
>create, purchase, and download additional ringtones of your favorite songs
>(sold separately).
>A visual representation of a ringtone sound wave as it might ap
>
>
>User Guide In Accessible HTML
>
>The iPhone User Guide is provided online in HTML format designed with
>accessibility in mind. You can read the guide using your favorite screen
>reader and web browser on your Mac and PC, and using Safari on the iPhone
>with VoiceOver.
><http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//accessibility/iphone/hearing.htm
>l>Hearing 
>
>
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