[Electronics-talk] iPhone versus Android

Jim Barbour jbar at barcore.com
Tue Dec 25 17:50:23 UTC 2012


The iPhone v. android debate rages wildly, both in and out of the blindness community.

I've used the galaxy nexus and the galaxy s3, both fairly close to the galaxy note 2.  My understanding is that the note series of phones is nice for sighted folks because of a much larger screen.

I'd suggest asking your phone rep what it is about the note 2 that blows the iPhone away, and make sure that those features are ones that interest you.

As to accessibility, I will say two things.

First, with the latest version of Android - called Jelly Bean - the talk-balk feature has improved significantly.  I would say that with Jelly Bean the android phones are now usable. You'll find some features harder to discover, some features are missing, and some gestures are very different; but you should be able to make the phone do much of what you want.  Google has published an accessibility page that talks about how to use android with talk-back. You can get started here...  http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/index.html

Second, I would still say that the iPhone is still a much better accessibility experience.  I should add caveats here around the fact that it somewhat depends on what you want.  If you don't like, or can't get, apple products; of if you have your heart set on a particular android app such as Google Now; or if you want to buy a droid phone so you can have a physical keyboard; in all of these cases you might give android a look.  But, for most blind folks looking for a smart phone or tablet to use, I strongly believe that the iPhone or iPad will give you the best blind friendly experience.

I hope this helps, feel free to write with questions.

Take Care,

Jim

On Tue, Dec 25, 2012 at 10:00:54AM -0500, A Kelly wrote:
> Happy holidays everyone!  
> Got a question; does anyone have the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and using the Talk-Back feature?   The phone rep said the android phone, Galaxy Note 2, blows the iPhone away, but when trying it, I find the Android's accessibility features difficult and frustrating to use.  Perhaps I am doing something wrong.  Perhaps I am too familiar with the iphon's VoiceOver features to give the Android a fair shot?  Does anyone use the Galaxy Note 2 and is it blind friendly like the iPhone?  Any user tips are welcomed along with feedback.  Please feel free to email me off list.  Thanks.
> 
> Anita
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