[BlindTlk] Cell phone

Mon Jun 3 19:46:54 UTC 2019

You are right in all of that.  A lot of connectivity depends on your
carrier.

I have heard of people who love TMobile, and those who hate it because they
can't even get good reception in town.

But you're right, no one phone is the total answer for every person, and I
didn't like that Raz Mobile did not publish any of the specs or do any
comparisons.

Judy
"Embrace the day with its mercies and blessings."

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Steve
Jacobson via BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 12:37 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Cc: Steve Jacobson
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Judy,

Okay, perhaps my experience regarding GSM is not typical, sorry.  Still,
people need to understand that GSM won't work on every carrier and need to
be aware of that if they are looking for a new phone and they are on , for
example, a Sprint family plan.  However, I agree regarding the concerns
raised about the Blind Shell Lucia phone, and even the Odin phones which
were pretty good had some drawbacks.  We had an Alcatel phone for a time
which was a flip phone with built-in speech but was not an Android phone,
and it's operation turned out to be too inconsistent for the person using it
to ever feel comfortable with it.  I think there is probably a market for a
"no nonsense" talking phone that might be somewhat higher priced if it works
well and behaves consistently.  However, to have such a phone be higher
priced and risk having limited support because of its age is questionable in
my mind.  My intent was to try to clarify because there are those who think
a phone with buttons will solve all of their problems, and there is more to
it.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Judy Jones via
BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 12:56 PM
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Very true,  this is like asking what type of drinking glasses do blind
people prefer, or what brand of coffee.

The Android flip like the Galaxy Folder 2 is a good phone, but you can get
just a talk/text phone for cheaper.  That was my concern in jumping on the
bandwagon with the Blind Shell Lucia mobile phone.  For those who want
talk/text only, and my husband is one, there are cheaper options out there.

On the Folder 2, if you just wanted to talk and text, and that goes for any
Android device, you have the option of disabling any apps, including
bloatware, and going into the play store and disabling automatic app
updates.

I've been with a GSM  network for 14 years now, and can truly say I have
never had coverage problems, indoors or out, or in the sticks either.  This
may depend on the carrier.

Judy
"Embrace the day with its mercies and blessings."

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Steve
Jacobson via BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 10:33 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Cc: Steve Jacobson
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Judy,

What I see happening too often is that there are multiple options for
cellphones but there isn't a good way to categorize the options.  For
example, there are people who just can't get comfortable with touch screens
and there are people who don't want a smart phone.  Some of the Android
phones, as you have described, are really very powerful smart phones even
though they have physical buttons.  However, for the person who simply wants
a phone, without needing to deal with downloading apps or agreeing to a
software update, having physical buttons is only part of the answer.  They
may well find the Android phones with physical buttons almost as frustrating
as using an iPhone.  Someone who wants a phone really has to try to
understand the differences, or at least figure out what they are truly
wanting or willing to learn.

This issue of GSM versus CDMA is also pretty important here in the United
States.  In many areas, CDMA phones do have better coverage, and it has been
my observation that there is more likely to be CDMA repeaters inside
buildings where service is otherwise poor.  One can find oneself with no
coverage in a building where others have reasonably good coverage.  

This is not an easy area to quickly understand if someone is just asking
which phone is the best for a blind person.  It is really pretty complex.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Judy Jones via
BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 10:33 AM
To: gwunder at earthlink.net; 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

There are just lots of choices that aren't necessarily advertised.

What would be interesting is if there were a way to do a survey of blind
people using phones with physical buttons, what daily activities they
perform with them, what they like best about their phones, and what they
wish their phones could do.

A great phone list that is primarily Android, but not limited to, is the
Antad group.
Antad+subscribe at googlegroups.com.

Then, of course there is the blindphones list.
Blindphones+subscribe at groups.io

The dangerous thing about technology for the blind is that, although one or
two things get popular, the rest is shoved to the side, not unlike what
happened to the Optacon when OCR technology came into being.

Judy
"Embrace the day with its mercies and blessings."

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Gary Wunder
via BlindTlk
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2019 5:18 AM
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Cc: Gary Wunder
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

I appreciate this, Judy. Perhaps it is better not to run.

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Judy Jones via
BlindTlk
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2019 11:04 PM
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List' <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Judy Jones <sonshines59 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Your kidding, I watch for the Monitor in my e-mail.

You may or may not have seen my comments, but I have concerns about this
phone, the biggest one being that the company did not post the phone specs,
but were going on the premise that the blind need this phone, with no links
to comparisons of other models out there.

When I first found out about this phone, I watched the video that only
showed the features, but no specs, so I wrote in with my questions.

I got a call back from customer service, and here is what I found out.

* This phone operates on 3G, not 4G.  They hope to get a 4G device out, but
isn't happening yet, and no time frame available.  If you buy this phone for
$299, you are on borrowed time.

* The phone works on GSM, not CDMA, so check with your carrier with a list
of this phone's specs in hand before you go shelling out the bucks.

* This phone runs on a custom Linux OS,, and when they mean text and talk
only, that's what it is.  This phone uses no data.

It runs on an ARM9 processor, and has an internal memory capacity of 8GB,
with expandable memory up to 64 GB.  

This phone, however, is not the only game in town when it comes to
accessible phones with physical buttons, and some of you may be able to add
to information on other similar phones.

Take a look at the Kyocera DuraXE, a flip phone with physical buttons.  It
runs on GSM 4G LTE.  

PROS: 4G LTE and dual-band Wi-Fi support. Good call quality, earpiece
volume, and speaker volume. Rugged build. Long battery life. CONS No
built-in app store. Noise cancellation could be better. BOTTOM LINE The
Kyocera DuraXE is an ultra-rugged waterproof and dustproof feature phone
that runs Android, but you definitely won't confuse it with a smartphone.

The OS is a custom Android, and apps cannot be downloaded maybeside loaded,
although the phone is equipped for e-mail and internet use.

My husband has this phone, and it is a solid, water-resistent phone with a
leather texture exterior and external battery.

>From what I could find on Amazon, the phone generally runs cheaper than the
Lucia mobile phone, and offers more features.  It is also possible that ones
can be found on Ebay for less, new and unlocked, and with 4G LTE support, it
will be supported for quite a while.

The next phone is an Android smart flip, the Galaxy Folder 2 from Samsung,
which I have as a backup phone and love it.  It runs on Ebay new and
unlocked today at $234.00.  This is a fully functional Android phone, and I
have my one hundred plus apps all nicely organized on it.  The drawbacks to
it is that I needed sighted assistance to install Talkback on it for me, but
only took five minutes.  I proceeded to turn on the Direct Access option
within the accessibility settings, and check the box for Talkback so I can
wake it up at any time from anywhere.  The camera is not the flagship
example, but I installed the Open Camera one can voice activate.  It runs on
Android 6.1, and although not the latest in Android versions, is still
supported.  It has a 16 GB internal memory and holds my 128 GB SD card very
nicely.  It also has several programmable features and buttons you can
dedicate to your programs of choice, plus a console that comes up by
long-pressing the asterisk key with 9 spaces for your favorite apps.

It does not have a physical headphone jack, but is a dream with bluethooth
connectivity.

These are the phones I know about, and if I come up with more, will forward
the information to you.

Thanks for sharing this.

Judy
"Embrace the day with its mercies and blessings."

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of gwunder---
via BlindTlk
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2019 8:13 PM
To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Cc: gwunder at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Okay, as long as you don't give up reading the Monitor, I'll share this on
list:

New Accessible Basic Cell Phone Available:
		A new basic mobile phone is now being offered by a company
called RAZ Mobility.  RAZ Mobility claims that the phone, called Lucia,
allows people who are blind to use a basic mobile phone just as effectively
as people who are sighted.      
	Lucia achieves accessibility in two ways: first, it has a tactile
keypad with big buttons in different colors and shapes.  Second, Lucia has a
voice guide that informs the user of what is on the screen and what buttons
have been pressed.  RAZ Mobility claims that the combination of these two
features allows people with vision loss to "access every feature of the
phone with unparalleled ease."  The user does not need to learn how to use
gestures to navigate a touchscreen.
	Importantly, this phone focuses on the basics: talk and text.  So if
you are looking for internet access and other advanced features this phone
is not for you.  But if you want a phone with basic features, such as one
that has speaking caller ID, speaks your contacts, allows you to enter
contacts, speaks your text messages, announces your battery strength and
signal strength, reads your text messages, and more, Lucia sounds like a
great option.  
	The Lucia cell phone for people who are blind costs $299 and is
available on RAZ Mobility's website.       

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindTlk <blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Robert Feinstein
via BlindTlk
Sent: Saturday, June 1, 2019 4:17 AM
To: Gary Wunder via BlindTlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Robert Feinstein <harlynn at panix.com>
Subject: [BlindTlk] Cell phone

Gary, I am, believe it or not, a dos user.  I have a simple flip phone from
Sprint.  It probably won't work all that much longer.  I'd like to get a
phone with buttons that I can text on, but I'm not interested in an iphone.
Can you tell me about what you have, and its ease of operation?
I am not good with technology.

Thank you so much.

Bob in NY

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