[Electronics-talk] Fwd: Free Software for Sprint

Tue Jan 10 16:46:35 UTC 2012

Well, this is obviously Sprint's attempt to comply with the 21st Century
Communications and Video Accessibility Act.  From what I have read about
this product, if Sprint is indeed offering the full version of this
product, it will act as a kind of screen reader when used outside of the
accessibility suite. Unless they have made improvements, it will only
work on a phone that has a keyboard, or some type of cursor tracking
device like a trackball.  This means that it won't work on a phone that
is entirely touch screen, or on an Android tablet.  Also, you can't
install it without sighted assistance. Having said that, it would
probably meet the needs of the vast majority of blind smart phone users
who wish to go the Android route.  You just need to make sure that the
phone that you get is running at least version 2.2 of the Android OS.  I
do not know if it works with Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream
Sandwich.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of fred olver
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 3:59 AM
To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Fwd: Free Software for Sprint

Well, the software might be free, and I will work with maybe eight or
ten pieces of software, but how many other available pieces of software
will it work with, I'm betting very few.

Fred Olver

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 3:42 AM
Subject: [Electronics-talk] Fwd: Free Software for Sprint

>
>Sprint to Offer Mobile Accessibility Application, Developed by Code 
>Factory, for Free to Customers Who are Blind or Have L
>Tools
>*         <http://www.fiercetelecom.com/forward?path=node/43538>Email
>*         <http://www.fiercetelecom.com/print/node/43538>Print
>Posted January 9, 2012
>Mobile Accessibility application and new Accessibility Sprint ID packs
make 
>smartphone usage more accessible for Sprint customers
>OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(<http://www.businesswire.com>BUSINESS WIRE)--
Sprint 
>(NYSE: S) is offering customers who are blind or visually impaired, as
well 
>as elderly individuals or those who cannot read print on smartphones 
>because of physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive or learning 
>disabilities, free solutions that will provide them easier access to
their 
>Android-powered smartphone's functionality. The solutions include five
new 
>Accessibility Sprint ID packs - bundles of applications available on
select 
>Android-powered smartphones - and the Mobile Accessibility suite of 
>applications.
>Mobile Accessibility, developed by Code Factory, is a suite of
accessible 
>applications that have been specifically designed for people who are
blind 
>or visually impaired. Mobile Accessibility, which features a simplified

>user interface and textual information that is spoken aloud using voice

>synthesis to aid navigation of the device, will be offered to Sprint 
>postpaid and Boost Mobile prepaid customers through the Android Market
for 
>free starting this quarter.
>The application is available for free for postpaid Sprint customers
with 
>Android-powered smartphones activated on a monthly service plan that 
>includes data, such as the Everything Data plan starting at $79.99. The
app 
>is also free for no-contract customers with Android-powered smartphones
on 
>Boost Mobile's Monthly or Daily Unlimited plans.
>The application, which typically costs $99, will be available in
English 
>and Spanish in the Android Market under the names Sprint Mobile 
>Accessibility EN & ES and Boost Mobile Accessibility EN & ES.
>"Sprint strives to satisfy all our customers' wireless needs, and with 
>solutions such as these, we're helping our customers with disabilities 
>realize the full potential of their smartphones," said Fared Adib,
Sprint 
>vice president-Product Development. "That is why we're offering the
Mobile 
>Accessibility app and Accessibility ID packs free of charge."
>"Code Factory is delighted that one of the most important carriers in
the 
>world decided to subsidize Mobile Accessibility for their customers and
is 
>helping to assure that the product reaches as many people as possible
at no 
>cost for them," said Eduard Sanchez, Code Factory CEO. "We are proud to
be 
>a new partner with Sprint and hope this is the start of a longtime 
>relationship for accessibility for blind and visually impaired Sprint 
>customers."
>The main features of Mobile Accessibility:
>    * Touch navigation: Users can simply move their finger around the 
> screen and the voice synthesis will read the text located under their 
> finger. They can swipe up/down/right/left and tap on the screen to 
> navigate through the interface, and they can enable sound and
vibration 
> feedback.
>    * Easy to input text: In or outside the Mobile Accessibility suite 
> users can use the touch QWERTY keyboard or speech recognition to write

> text quickly and easily - making it possible to write an SMS or email 
> using their voice only.
>    * Voice synthesis: Provides customers natural sounding voice read
back.
>With Mobile Accessibility, users can do the following:
>    * Phone: Make calls, answer calls, hear the caller ID and manage
their 
> call log.
>    * Contacts: App tells user how many contacts they have and speaks
the 
> contact's name they selected.
>    * SMS: Virtual keyboard is larger and fills the entire screen. When
the 
> user clicks a letter on the keyboard, the app reads the letter to
them. 
> This makes it easier for them to compose emails or SMS messages. It
also 
> reads SMS messages to the user.
>    * Alarms: Set their alarms.
>    * Web: Full Web browser experience; also reads text from Web page
to 
> the user.
>    * Calendar: Create, edit and delete a calendar entry. View all
events 
> per day, week or month.
>    * Email: Full access to Gmail accounts; reads emails to the user.
>    * Where am I?: GPS application that gives the user an update about 
> their current location.
>    * Access to basic phone functions, such as date and time, missed
calls, 
> etc. User can click on the function and it speaks to them.
>"Having the ability to gain greater access to information on
smartphones 
>through the use of a free suite of applications is a very positive 
>development in the blind community's quest for more affordable
choices," 
>said Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind
(ACB). 
>"The American Council of the Blind commends Sprint for its willingness
to 
>take another positive step toward full product accessibility."
>Accessibility Sprint ID packs:
>Today Sprint is launching five accessibility-themed Sprint ID packs, 
>developed by Apps4Android, which are bundles of applications designed
to 
>accommodate the access needs of Sprint subscribers with print 
>disabilities - people who are unable to read standard printed material,

>including text on their smartphone, because of blindness, visual 
>disability, physical limitations, organic dysfunction or dyslexia. For
more 
>information about the Accessibility ID packs, read 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu
sinesswire.com%2Fnews%2Fhome%2F20120109006634%2Fen&esheet=50125434&lan=e
n-US&anchor=today%27s+press+release&index=1&md5=6c416915d9284f77111ef97d
7c80a47f>today's 
>press release.
>About Sprint Nextel
>Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline 
>communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, 
>businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 53
million 
>customers at the end of 3Q 2011 and is widely recognized for
developing, 
>engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first 
>wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States;
offering 
>industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including

>Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant
national 
>and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1
Internet 
>backbone. The 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index showed Sprint
is 
>the #1 most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 
>industries, over the last three years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in
its 
>2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation's greenest
companies, 
>the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and
visit 
>Sprint at 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sp
rint.com&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.sprint.com&index=2&md5=de9
659d58f17dc113e8cbff7ffa6c144>www.sprint.com 
>or 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fa
cebook.com%2Fsprint&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.facebook.com%2F
sprint&index=3&md5=843e523a31b78b8bf59c1ad4ecb258e9>www.facebook.com/spr
int 
>and 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tw
itter.com%2Fsprint&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.twitter.com%2Fsp
rint&index=4&md5=40adca48a4642e7af7b468ea6d51db86>www.twitter.com/sprint
.
>About Code Factory
>Founded in 1998 with headquarters in Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain, Code 
>Factory is the global leader committed to the development of products 
>designed to eliminate barriers to the accessibility of mobile
technology 
>for the blind and visually impaired. Today, Code Factory is the leading

>provider of accessible mobile applications such as screen readers,
screen 
>magnifiers, and Braille interfaces. Code Factory's products are
compatible 
>with the widest range of mainstream mobile devices running on Symbian, 
>Windows Mobile, BlackBerry Smartphones, and Android. Among Code
Factory's 
>customers are well-known organizations for the blind such as ONCE in
Spain, 
>and carriers Sprint, AT&T, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, TIM and Vodafone.
>
>
>
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