[Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility - Echo & Mobile devices

Mon Feb 15 15:07:04 UTC 2016

No, mobile devices do not offer an acceptable means of making appliances 
more accessible because the overwhelming, I repeat, overwhelming majority of 
blind consumers do not own such devices.  Accessibility must be built into 
the appliance itself.  No blind consumer should be required to spend 
hundreds of dollars for a mobile device that requires cockamamie hand 
gestures to navigate a touchscreen just to gain the ability to access the 
various features on a particular kitchen appliance.  This is ridiculous. 
Indeed, many blind consumers, especially seniors, lack the manual desterity 
to use such devices in the first place. Should they be denied the ability to 
operate their appliances because of their age, physical limitations  or lack 
of technical savvy?  I think not.

erald

-----Original Message----- 
From: Annette Carr via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 9:40 AM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Cc: Annette Carr
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility - Echo & Mobile 
devices

So I did a limited info search on the Amazon Echo, also known as Alexa.
While it holds promise, my personal opinion is that mobile devices offer a
more versatile solution.  My thought is that since most of us carry our cell
phone/mobile devices with us, if all appliances were equipped with a cell
phone interface, we could go to anyone else's house and have access to their
appliances.  There are 2 homes where I frequently visit where I cannot get
water nor ice out of their refrigerator.  The refrigerator has a totally
glass touch sensitive panel where you choose what you want, including the
ability to make a K-cup of coffee.  I'm to the point where I'm afraid to go
near the refrigerator because sometimes when looking for the handle to open
one of the 4 doors, I've unknowingly bumped the panel and sent the thing
into orbit.  Yes, I did say four doors and that it makes coffee, but let's
save that for a different discussion thread so that I can get back to the
point of this message.

Here are some statements from the article I read about Alexa that has led me
to my personal opinion that I'd rather use a mobile device interface for
appliances.  Of course in a perfect world, both options would be available.
If you want to read the article in its entirety, the URL is:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/amazons-echo-what-it-can-and-cant-do-fo
r-you.html/?a=viewall

Here are some highlights from that article that was written in June of 2015.

.         Echo is about the height of a toaster and can be placed anywhere
with Wi-Fi access. After you set it up with your smartphone, you can control
almost everything that Echo does with your voice - which is its major
appeal. However, so far, the uses for Echo are limited. You can ask Alexa to
tell you the weather, add items to your shopping list, reorder items you buy
frequently on Amazon, offer reminders about upcoming calendar appointments,
set a timer, or answer basic search queries.

.         Alexa can play music, though her primary source is Amazon Prime
Music, which has a very limited selection. But Alexa can connect to your
phone, like any other Bluetooth speaker, to enable you to play music from
apps like Spotify.

.         it's Alexa's smart home abilities that make the case for a
voice-powered home - even though those capabilities are fairly limited so
far. Out of the box, Echo lets you control WeMo-enabled smart switches and
Philips Hue lights.

.         You can complete all of these tasks on your smartphone, and often
with fewer errors.

.         you could complete a voice search on your phone, Alexa is always
on and always listening for a query. That makes her assistance a lot easier
to access, especially when your hands are full or when your smartphone isn't
close at hand. Alexa is also quicker to spring to action than Apple's Siri

.         Just two days after making the Echo available to the masses,
Amazon reported that it was releasing a free set of APIs that enable
developers to add Alexa to any device with a speaker, a microphone, and an
Internet connection with only a few lines of code. The press release notes,
"When a developer uses the Alexa Voice Service to integrate Alexa into their
device, their product also gets the benefit of updated capabilities that are
added to Alexa, thus constantly improving the device over time."

.         Amazon also released the Alexa Skills Kit, a collection of APIs
and tools that enable developers to create new voice-driven skills and
capabilities for Alexa on Echo and on future Alexa-enabled devices.

.         Amazon's press release suggests examples of what developers could
create with the Alexa Voice Service, including a "Wi-Fi alarm clock that
lets a customer talk to Alexa," a "movie ticket machine that lets a
moviegoer say 'Buy six tickets for the next showing of Jurassic World,'" or
a "TV that makes finding tonight's game simple."

.         Opam reports that to get manufacturers to begin building Alexa
into their products, Amazon has also established what it calls the Alexa
Fund, which will aim $100 million in investments at startups and designers
planning on incorporating Alexa. The company has invested in seven startups
so far. One, called Mojio, is a connected car company that will use Alexa to
enable drivers to ask how much gas they need before their next trip. Another
one, called Scout Alarm, enables homeowners to arm and disarm a home
security system with a voice command.

So while a voice controlled home and the appliances within, are still in the
future, we are getting close.  Yes, I hope that it becomes available in my
lifetime, but there are many hurdles to overcome before that can become a
reality.  Like many of you I am frustrated by the lack of accessibility
appliances, but complaining about it here, pointing fingers, and stamping
our feet is not going to solve anything.  This technology is in its infancy
and we need to figure out how to get developers to incorporate accessibility
for all.

While above I stated that I'd rather use my Smart phone to access
appliances, or even my home, promoting Amazon's Echo might not be a
reasonable path to go.  Amazon has set up a fund to support developers in
developing appliances and devices that interface with the Echo.  As of
October 2015 10 grants have been issued.  To learn more about the Alexa
Fund, visit URL:

https://developer.amazon.com/public/community/post/Tx2BKOPLCDGUETS/Amazon-An
nounces-the-Next-Alexa-Fund-Recipient-Invoxia

So the question is, how do we catch this wave to ensure that accessibility
becomes an integral part of Alexa's development.  Don't dwell on the reasons
why this cannot work, look where we are with curb cuts and Apple's Voice
Over.

Annette

-----Original Message-----
From: Annette Carr [mailto:amcarr1 at verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 1:16 PM
To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
Subject: RE: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility

I wonder if Alexa could be used for this.  Isn't Alexa already being used
for home environmental control?  I'll have to do some research on this.

Annette

-----Original Message-----

From: Electronics-Talk [ <mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org>
mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of cheez via
Electronics-Talk

Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 12:07 PM

To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances

Cc: cheez

Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility

Why not bypass Bluetooth and make appliances accessible via the Internet.

If one can communicate with a fridge using a computer or smartphone, then
why not make it possible for one to set appliances the same way?

Now it may sound crazy, but if one doesn't have a computer or smartphone,
then they could use a landline like one can do to reset cable boxes and the
like.

Vince

----- Original Message -----

From: "Tracy Carcione via Electronics-Talk" <
<mailto:electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>

To: "'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'"

< <mailto:electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>

Cc: "Tracy Carcione" < <mailto:carcione at access.net> carcione at access.net>

Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 8:35 AM

Subject: [Electronics-Talk] Appliance accessibility

> Many years ago now, the brilliant engineer Tim Cranmer had an idea of

> how to make appliances accessible.  We would get a law passed

> requiring manufacturers to include a chip which would broadcast menu

> info to a blind person's device of choice.  Those days, it was

> something like a Braille 'n Speak.  These days, it would probably be a

> smart phone, with the signal via Bluetooth.

>

> Could some version of this idea be workable today?  It wouldn't solve

> the problem of a touch screen control, as someone described for some

> dishwashers, but it would help with the problem of one button

> controlling different menus and submenus, like some washers I've seen.

>

> I'm not keen on my appliances being connected to the internet, but I'm

> also not happy with the struggle it can be these days to find

> something I can easily use.

>

> Tracy

>

>

>

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