[Electronics-talk] FYI, ATTENTION ANDROID CELL PHONE USERS.....

Wed Apr 18 04:45:21 UTC 2012

Jenny, if it's the code factory mailing lists you are looking for , go to
codefactory.es and i think the lists are under products or android and 
support, i can't remember haven;'t been there in a while, i might just 
go to the site and search for android and they should come up.
Original message:
> Jenny, I looked at Beverley's message and only found an email address for
> code factory sales. I'm betting, though, if you go to their website it would
> be listed there. Here is the email I found at the bottom of her message.

> sales at codefactory.es

> Their web address is:

> http://codefactory.es/en/

> Fred Olver
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jennifer Perdue" <jlperdue3 at gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 11:06 AM
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] FYI, ATTENTION ANDROID CELL PHONE USERS.....


> Hi,

> Could you send me a link with the code factory android list please?

> Also, do all Android phones just have qwerty keypads on them or can you find
> ones with standard number pads?

> Thanks for your help.

> Jenny
> On Apr 17, 2012, at 10:08 AM, Beverly Hunter wrote:

>> Product Evaluations
>> An Evaluation of Code Factory's Mobile Accessibility for Android
>> J.J. Meddaugh

>> Just a few short months ago, the accessibility of Android phones was shaky
>> at best. While Google and others had developed some methods for basic
>> access to the Android operating system, these options were really only
>> suitable for advanced users who didn't mind tinkering to make everything
>> work. In addition, some common features, such as Android's built-in Web
>> browser and calendar, remained completely inaccessible to a blind or
>> visually impaired user.

>> Perhaps one of the biggest recent advancements for Android accessibility
>> is the introduction of Mobile Accessibility for Android from Code Factory,
>> the producers of the popular Mobile Speak software for Symbian and
>> Windows-based cell phones.

>> Mobile Accessibility provides a two-pronged accessibility solution: a
>> homegrown suite of applications, and a screen reader for the phone. This
>> review looks at version 1.2 of Mobile Accessibility, and evaluates how the
>> software performs a variety of tasks. (In the interest of full disclosure
>> I'll mention that I was a beta tester for this product.)

>> Compatible Phones
>> Mobile Accessibility works with any phone running version 2.1 or later of
>> Google's Android operating system; phones running Android 2.2 will have
>> access to Google's speech recognition services. Most new Android phones
>> available from the major U.S. wireless carriers run at least version 2.1,
>> but it's a good idea to double check before buying the software. For
>> reasons I'll explain below, it's essential to have a phone that includes
>> either a D-pad (an optical button that allows you to arrow around the
>> screen) or some other form of arrow keys. A physical QWERTY keyboard is
>> also highly recommended for optimal use. Unfortunately, these two
>> requirements greatly limit the number of functional phone choices, though
>> there is at least one compatible option from each of the four major
>> carriers. It's probably best to visit a cellular phone store to try out
>> the various options hands-on, as some models include more tactile features
>> than others.

>> Installation and Initial Set Up
>> Like most Android applications, Mobile Accessibility is installed through
>> the Android Market, available from virtually any Android phone. The app
>> can be installed using the phone itself or by visiting the Android Market
>> website. Unfortunately, it's still generally not possible to enable the
>> phone's accessibility features without sighted assistance. In my case, I
>> talked a store employee through the necessary steps to enable speech, but
>> this remains one of the biggest disadvantages of Android versus the
>> iPhone. Once this initial hurdle is overcome, sighted assistance should
>> not be needed again.

>> Getting Help
>> Code Factory offers several methods for obtaining help with using Mobile
>> Accessibility. The software manual is available on its website, and
>> through a direct link in the software. Code Factory also offers a mailing
>> list where questions and suggestions can be posted.

>> The Suite
>> Mobile Accessibility essentially replaces your phone's default screen with
>> a launch pad for a suite of 10 homegrown and completely accessible apps,
>> including a phone dialer, contacts manager, alarms, Web browser, mail
>> client, calendar, and a simple GPS app. Other applications on the phone
>> can be launched from the program as well.

>> Mobile Accessibility uses Nuance Vocalizer as its speech engine.
>> Currently, there are only two voice options—male voices for U.S. and U.K.
>> English—and you must choose your desired voice upon purchase; there is no
>> way to switch between voices. Code Factory has stated that versions of the
>> software for other languages are planned for the near future. Overall, the
>> speech was very responsive when pressing keys or navigating among menus.
>> The pitch, speed, volume, punctuation level, and other voice settings can
>> be adjusted from within the app.

>> The suite provides access to the majority of day-to-day mobile device
>> functions and is designed so the same gestures and commands work across
>> all apps.

>> Navigation
>> You navigate using the phone's touchscreen or by using the d-pad or arrow
>> keys, and you explore the current screen by simply sliding a finger around
>> it; Mobile Accessibility announces the item under your finger as you move.
>> Tap the screen twice to select an item. A variety of gestures (specific
>> movements by a finger or fingers) on the touchscreen can be used to
>> navigate around the screen, and for tasks such as moving between menus and
>> lists, jumping to the top or bottom of a list, or selecting items. A
>> triple-tap gesture (tapping the screen three times in rapid succession),
>> opens a special pop-up menu of commands. These include options pertinent
>> to the current screen as well as global commands like adjusting settings
>> or viewing system notifications. This is also where you can check the
>> phone's status, including battery and signal strength and the current date
>> and time. If you ever get stuck, the Home button can be pressed to return
>> to the Mobile Accessibility main screen.

>> Making and Receiving Calls
>> With all of the advancements in smartphones in recent years, we often
>> forget about the original purpose for the phone: to make calls. The Mobile
>> Accessibility phone dialer allows you to input numbers by using either the
>> touchscreen or a physical keyboard. If the touchscreen is used, you simply
>> slide to the desired digit and then lift up your finger to select. Slide
>> to the "Dial" button and then double tap to place the call. Alternatively,
>> the phone's list of contacts can be browsed in order to find a person to
>> call. While on a call, the phone's touchscreen can't be accessed, so it's
>> recommended that you buy an Android phone with a hardware keyboard in
>> order to work around this limitation.

>> When receiving calls, you can double tap anywhere on the screen to hear
>> the name or number of the person who is calling. Then, slide your finger
>> from the bottom of the screen to the top to answer the call, or do the
>> reverse to ignore it. Mobile Accessibility also presents an accessible log
>> of recently received, missed, and placed calls.

>> The Contacts Manager includes a basic array of options for creating,
>> editing, and viewing contacts. Android contacts also sync with your Google
>> account, so you can enter contacts through the phone or Google's website.
>> Navigation between contacts is straightforward, and a physical keyboard
>> can be used to type a few letters of a name you are looking for to quickly
>> retrieve contact information.

>> Web and E-mail
>> One of the places where Mobile Accessibility for Android shines is its
>> built-in Web browser. The app presents webpages using a virtual buffer,
>> similar to the technique employed by Windows-based screen readers. You use
>> a variety of commands to navigate pages and it's possible to move forward
>> and backward through a webpage by headings, links, tables, or other common
>> elements. Forms can be filled in by selecting the appropriate fields and
>> choosing Enter to type in the required information. Overall, the Mobile
>> Accessibility browser experience is polished, and most of the sites
>> visited for this evaluation were navigable. There was some difficulty when
>> handling downloadable content such as MP3 files or streaming video;
>> hopefully, this will be addressed in a future update.

>> Mobile Accessibility also includes a built-in e-mail client that allows
>> you to browse through your inbox, send mail, and navigate folders. While
>> this works well for those using a Google-hosted e-mail account such as
>> Gmail, it is currently incompatible with other mail providers. For those
>> affected by this limitation, an accessible and free third-party
>> alternative e-mail client called K-9 Mail is available from the Android
>> Market.

>> Other Apps
>> The Mobile Accessibility Calendar can sync to Google Calendar and allows
>> for adding, removing, and viewing events. This is an important addition as
>> the default calendar included with Android is largely inaccessible for
>> most users with visual impairment or blindness. The SMS app allows for
>> sending and receiving text messages while the alarm app allows for setting
>> one-time or repeating alarms.

>> A basic GPS app called Where Am I offers a simple way to determine your
>> current location. Once the app is launched, the current address (or
>> approximation), is spoken. By default, the app will speak every time your
>> location changes, providing a method for knowing when it is time to get
>> off the bus, for example.

>> The Screen Reader
>> The second part of Mobile Accessibility for Android is a screen reader for
>> the phone. The screen reader provides access to hundreds of apps available
>> on the Android Market, offering advanced users numerous possibilities for
>> exploration. Due to Google's accessibility implementation, however, the
>> screen reader is not able to overcome some limitations in accessing the
>> touchscreen. While this lack of access is unfortunate and certainly needs
>> to be addressed, many Android applications also allow for navigation and
>> input using the keyboard or arrow keys, which is largely why we recommend
>> a phone that includes these features.

>> Mobile Accessibility's screen reader offers a few advantages over free
>> alternatives such as Talkback or Spiel. First, some may prefer the Nuance
>> voices over the options available with other screen readers. These voices
>> only work from within Mobile Accessibility and can't be used with another
>> screen reader. Mobile Accessibility also includes a virtual keyboard for
>> entering text using the touchscreen and direct access to Google's speech
>> recognition service. These features can be utilized from third-party apps
>> for quickly entering information.

>> Suggestions
>> Though Code Factory should be commended for the number of features
>> included in this version of Mobile Accessibility for Android, there is
>> certainly some room for improvement. Third-party applications frequently
>> launch a Web browser for presenting information and it's not possible to
>> set the Mobile Accessibility browser as the default for those pages; you
>> can only use Mobile Accessibility's browser within the app suite itself.
>> It would also be nice if a user dictionary could be included to correct
>> mispronounced words, and a way to label unlabeled graphics and buttons in
>> third-party applications would be helpful. Also as stated above, the
>> e-mail program would be more useful if it supported a wider array of
>> e-mail providers.

>> The Bottom Line
>> It's quite evident that Code Factory put a lot of thought into developing
>> a product for the Android operating system, and many of the innovative
>> approaches they've taken are useful and well-designed. For those looking
>> for a simple Android accessibility solution with a consistent interface,
>> the Mobile Accessibility suite is a good solution.

>> With the use of Mobile Accessibility, it's possible for blind and visually
>> impaired users to independently use an Android phone, though it's not
>> possible to set up the phone independently. While Google has certainly
>> made strides toward improving access to the Android platform, there is
>> still progress that needs to be made, including a way for screen reader
>> users to access the touchscreen and review on-screen content. Without
>> these improvements, features like braille support or a review cursor will
>> not be possible for Mobile Accessibility or any screen reader.

>> Given the tools available to them, Code Factory has done an admirable job
>> in this first version of the product, and since they have a history of
>> frequent free upgrades, it's reasonable to expect that they will continue
>> to improve on Mobile Accessibility for Android. Future improvements from
>> both Code Factory and Google would serve to make Android a robust and
>> complete accessibility solution. While Android does not include the
>> out-of-the-box accessibility found in the iPhone, it may be worth a look,
>> especially for users who prefer a physical keyboard or don't want to
>> switch to a carrier offering the iPhone. In other words, Android's far
>> from perfect, but with Mobile Accessibility, the proper tools, and a bit
>> of patience, it's now a viable mobile device platform for users who
>> require accessibility functionality.

>> Product Information
>> Product: Mobile Accessibility 1.2.

>> Price: 69 Euros, about $99 U.S.; available from the Android Market on your
>> Android device, or through the Android Market website.

>> Manufacturer: Code Factory S.L.

>> Address: Rambla Egara, 148, 2-2
>> 08221 — Terrassa (Barcelona)
>> SPAIN
>> sales at codefactory.es.


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