[Electronics-Talk] Android Cellphones: Are They Worth It

Fri Mar 25 17:45:42 UTC 2016

You can cut and paste in talk back and many gestures are very similar. 
I'm a current user, use it daily and even use google docs on it which 
is very usable too.
Original message:
> Like I said, some will want to debate this :-)

> I agree totally that it may be worth putting up with a degraded excess 
> ability experience in order to get some features of an android phone, 
> whether they be  an sd card reader, keyboard, cheaper price, etc.

> It is also true that many of the gestures in talkback are different 
> than those in IOS.  Having said all that, I still believe that 
> voiceover has a level of polish, consistency, and hardware integration 
> that make it a superior user experience over an android phone.

> Jim

> Written While on the Move

>> On Mar 25, 2016, at 7:34 AM, Christopher Chaltain via Electronics-Talk 
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

>> IMHO, the Android phones are very accessible, but whether you'll 
>> consider it just as accessible as an iPhone depends on two things. 
>> First, each phone has their strengths and weaknesses. Talk Back doesn't 
>> have some of the more advanced features that you'll get with VoiceOver. 
>> By more advanced, I'm talking about things like hierarchical 
>> navigation, cutting and pasting text and so on. The roter in VoiceOver 
>> also gives you pretty direct access to quite a few special features and 
>> quick configurations in VoiceOver. I should also say that Talk Back is 
>> always changing and getting better, so my experience with Talk Back 
>> from even a few months ago may not still be true today. If these 
>> features aren't important to you and how you use your phone then you 
>> might find an Android phone perfectly acceptable.

>> Second, Android and Talk Back will just flat work differently from IOS 
>> and VoiceOver. Even though you may be able to do the same thing in both 
>> you may not find it just as accessible because you prefer or are used 
>> to the way the iPhone does things.

>> One more point, there are things you can do in Android that you can't 
>> do in IOS which have nothing to do with accessibility, and these may be 
>> important enough to you to put up with some accessibility short 
>> comings. I'm thinking of things like you can choose your own default 
>> launcher, email client, web browser and so on in Android. In IOS you 
>> can't change these defaults from the Apple products. You have widgets 
>> in Android, so you can get to more information by just exploring the 
>> screen without having to open up an app. You can also get Android 
>> phones in form factors which include things like an SD card slot and a 
>> removable battery.

>> Specifically regarding a high end Samsung phone, that's what I'd go 
>> after if I were to get an Android phone and I wasn't worried about the 
>> cost. Some people call it bloatware, but Samsung phones come with some 
>> additional software that may improve the experience for a blind user 
>> such as it's own OCR software and it's own screen reader. Samsung's 
>> screen reader is based on Talk Back but Samsung has added some features 
>> to it, some making it more like VoiceOver, such as the triple click of 
>> the home button. You can always install Talk Back from the Play Store, 
>> so you're not missing out on anything and just have another screen 
>> reading option.

>> I'd suggest looking around for some reviews of the Android phones. I 
>> think AFB had one not too long ago of the S6 and Samsung's screen 
>> reader. You could also check out the return policy when you grab an S7, 
>> and if it doesn't work out, you could always return it and end up with 
>> an iPhone. You may need to pay a restocking fee though, which is why 
>> you should check out the return policy before going down that route.

>>> On 25/03/16 07:43, Matthew Chao via Electronics-Talk wrote:
>>> I want a genuinely different but very accessible phone.  I have two
>>> iPhones on my family account, and need a different phone for myself, as
>>> my older Nokia phones won't be usable on AT&T's network as of May 13.  I
>>> just want to make sure that the S7 is as accessible as the iPhone.  If
>>> not, then that issue's a deal breaker. Thanks.--Matthew Chao


>>>> On 3/24/2016 10:38 PM, Christopher Chaltain via Electronics-Talk wrote:
>>>> Given what an S7 costs, if you're just going to turn it into an iPhone
>>>> then I'd think you'd might as well just get an iPhone. Personally, I
>>>> like choice, and I wouldn't get an Android phone just to turn it into
>>>> an iPhone.

>>>> I have a Nexus 7 tablet, which isn't a high end smart phone, but I
>>>> find Android usable and I prefer it over my iPhone for some tasks. I
>>>> couldn't possibly tell another person if it's worth the price or not
>>>> though.

>>>> The mailing list I'd recommend for Android phones is vi-android. You
>>>> can subscribe to it using the following instructions:

>>>> To unsubscribe from the list send an email to
>>>> vi-android-request at freelists.org with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject
>>>> field (new users, use 'subscribe' to subscribe)

>>>>> On 24/03/16 21:24, Jude DaShiell via Electronics-Talk wrote:
>>>>> They will be when the definitive guide to turning an iPhone into an
>>>>> Android phone gets published on the internet.  As things stand, a guide
>>>>> to turning an android phone into an iPhone already exists.

>>>>>> On Thu, 24 Mar 2016, Matthew Chao via Electronics-Talk wrote:

>>>>>> Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2016 16:29:21
>>>>>> From: Matthew Chao via Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Reply-To: mattchao at verizon.net,
>>>>>>    Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>>>>>>    <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>>>>>>    <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Cc: Matthew Chao <mattchao at verizon.net>
>>>>>> Subject: [Electronics-Talk] Android Cellphones: Are They Worth It

>>>>>> Hi, Folks.  I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy S7, and see that it's
>>>>>> accessible.  Two basic questions:

>>>>>> 1.  Has anyone used the newer Android phones, and if so, are they
>>>>>> worth the investment?

>>>>>> 2.  Are there forums or liststervs for users of these phones with
>>>>>> emphasis on blind useres?

>>>>>> Thanks in advance for any help or info you might have.--Matthew Chao


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>> --
>> Christopher (CJ)
>> chaltain at Gmail

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