[Electronics-talk] Reasons for an iPhone

[Sarah Clark]

I agree with some people that an iPhone may not be right for them. If they are only using the phone like 10 times a month, then why spend the money over a basic phone. Even $50 a month, which is what my friend pays from TMobile for an unlimited data plan, is a little steep if you don't use it.

But I find the conveniences of the iPhone worth the cost. Yes, it can be a bit expensive, but most blind people are used to paying a lot for technology we use to survive. Jaws, OpenBook, Kurzweil, the ID Mate, etc etc are all upwards of $1,000 each. By comparison, an iPhone is not very expensive.

I personally find my iPhone invaluable. FaceTime alone makes it worth it to me. Any time I am stuck needing sighted help with no one around, I can normally FaceTime someone to get the help. For instance, one time I needed to take an injectable medication that had to be measured out into a syringe. I had just received the med and supplies, and it was crucial that I start it that night, and no one was around to help. It was already after closing time for the pharmacies around me, so I was preparing to have to go to the ER to get help with it because I had no other choice. But then I called someone on FaceTime and she was able to watch what I was doing filling the syringe, and tell me when the med reached the line I needed so that I knew when I had the correct dose. After this first time I was able to make other arrangements so I did not have to rely on this, but the first time was kind of unexpected and I had not had a chance to get things in line, and I was truely stuck. And Skype would not have worked because the image is not high quality enough to read something. The only way it was possible was because I had the iPhone and was able to use the high quality back facing camera.
This was just one example. I also use FaceTime to have people read error messages on the computer when Jaws stops talking, read expiration dates on foods if I need to use something and am unsure, etc etc.

Besides FaceTime, I have fully accessible GPS, an OCR scanning program, bar code scanner, money identifyer, etc etc. I pay more for my phone than is necessary because I am with Verizon, but as has been mentioned there are a lot of cheaper options, and with the competition, the phones can be found for low cost if not free.

Sarah