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

Mon Feb 15 18:30:24 UTC 2016

I agree consumers should not have to have a smart phone to access their 
appliances, but that doesn't mean smart phone users wouldn't benefit 
from such an interface. Smart phone interfaces would provide additional 
benefits than just accessibility by the blind.

BTW, the gestures used on smart phones by the blind and sighted are not 
that bad. IMHO, your points would be more affective without your over 
the top negativity.

On 15/02/16 09:07, Gerald Levy via Electronics-Talk wrote:
>
> 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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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail