[Electronics-talk] [EXTERNAL] Re: thinking of switching to an Android

Fri Dec 19 03:13:18 UTC 2014

I have both an iPhone and a Nexis 7. I think there are a few subtle mis 
perceptions here.

First, don't confuse the ability to do some customization with the need 
to do some customization. People may like the Android phone because they 
can tinker with it and swap out the default keyboard or synthesizer or 
browser and so on. You don't have to do this to make the Android phone 
or tablet a work horse. On my Nexis 7, I use the stock keyboard, the 
stock synthesizer, the stock launcher, Google Chrome and so on. I have a 
lot of other apps and options loaded up, but I didn't need to do any of 
that to have a perfectly workable tablet.

Also, if your iPhone is your main mobile device then an Android phone is 
always going to feel like a toy. Just as it was when you first got your 
iPhone, you need to be committed and spend some time with your Android 
device before you're comfortable with it and it feels less like a toy. 
If you're using an Android phone as your primary device and just pick up 
an iPhone from time to time then the iPhone would also feel like a toy 
in comparison.

Someone mentioned that the Google TTS was slower. I find that it's 
faster and more responsive than my Apple TTS. It is true that it isn't 
as responsive as Eloquence, but as I said above, you don't need to 
install Eloquence if you don't want to and you still get a TTS that's 
faster and more responsive than you get on the iPhone. Obviously, speech 
synthesizers are highly personal choices, so I wouldn't expect everyone 
to agree with me. The fact that you have Eloquence as an option on 
Android should be considered a plus and not a detraction.

Another factor to consider is that there are apps you can only get on 
one device over the other. I won't give up my iPhone until there's a 
BARD Mobile App for Android. KNFB Reader is also another fantastic app 
that you don't have on Android yet.

There are definitely some things I prefer doing on my Nexis 7 over my 
iPhone. Some of this is because the Android apps are just more 
accessible, such as Netflix. Others are because there are just better 
apps, such as Blue Mail, Aqua Mail or Mail Wise as your mail client. 
There are other things I prefer just because it's a tablet with a larger 
screen, such as streaming apps like Netflix, Pandora and the NFL Mobile App.

The iPhone with VoiceOver is definitely a more polished experience, 
especially with more advanced features, such as braille input, 
hierarchical navigation and bluetooth keyboard integration. This doesn't 
mean that an Android device isn't usable though or is just a toy.

On 12/18/2014 02:08 PM, Baracco, Andrew W via Electronics-talk wrote:
> I think that what that person said describes the situation well. There
> are some advantages for Android, like being able to copy things directly
> from a computer to the device without having to use a piece of software
> like iTunes, but my friends who use Android seem to enjoy the challenge
> of getting things to work, as opposed to actually getting things done. I
> have one friend who switched from an iPhone to Android because she felt
> that the iPhone was too easy.
>
> Andy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Linda Bloodsaw via Electronics-talk
> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:45 AM
> To: Jim Barbour; Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [Electronics-talk] thinking of switching to an
> Android
>
> I just entered the smartphone market this year with an Android. Too many
> unlabeled buttons for my taste. I have been using an iPhone for a month,
> and I like it much better. It is easier to use for me.  I cannot
> remember which podcast I was listening to, but the person said if you
> are the kind of person who likes figuring things out, or finding a work
> around, a geeky type of person, then Android is for you.  If you want
> something that just works, then an iPhone would be better for you.
>
>
>
>> On Dec 18, 2014, at 11:03 AM, Jim Barbour via Electronics-talk
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> I would make sure you know what you're getting before you get it.
>>
>> I keep hoping that Android/Talkback will improve to rival the user
> experience I get on the iPhone, but it hasn't happened yet.  Every time
> a new Android version is released, I find a Nexus device and try it out.
> Even with Lollypop, it's not that great yet.
>>
>> There are some reasons to go with Android.  Cost and employer lock in
> being at the top of the list, along with the ability to find phones with
> physical buttons.
>>
>> I'm trying to provide a balanced viewpoint here, while still making my
> own personal preferences known.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 18, 2014 at 09:20:31AM -0500, Star Gazer via
> Electronics-talk wrote:
>>> Hi folks,
>>>
>>> I've been a longtime Iphone user. My husband recently got a Galaxy 5s
>
>>> phone and I discovered that it talks. I'm thinking of switching to an
>
>>> Android phone and want to know what others think. Does it read apps
> well?
>>>
>>> So far, it seems to read texts and the home screen. I had some
>>> trouble using Facebook but don't know if that was due to a poorly
>>> designed app, or me not knowing what I was doing.
>>>
>>> I'd be curious to know if others on the list have had experiences
>>> with the speech output feature of the Galaxy 5s and what those
> experiences have been.
>>>
>>> Thanks much
>>>
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>>
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail