[Electronics-Talk] Smart Phone for the Blind [Signal Strength]

Sat Dec 23 17:10:56 UTC 2017

Educate me on this.  Why are people so concerned with signal strength?
I mean, if you are able to place/receive calls, access the Internet, etc., 
then why is it so important?
I vary seldom check the signal strength.  Usually when I do, it's just to 
see if my iPhone is using wi-fi or Verizon when something isn't right.
And don't take this the wrong way, but, the only people I know whom are 
concerned with signal strength are blind.

Vince

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pamela Dominguez via Electronics-Talk" <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: <steve.jacobson at visi.com>; "Discussion of accessible home electronics 
and appliances" <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Pamela Dominguez" <geodom at optonline.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2017 9:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Smart Phone for the Blind

> Yes; I liked my Alcatel phone when I first got it, but I am finding things 
> about it that frustrate me, like the silent times you mention.  I also 
> think that sometimes, I can accidentally turn off the screenreader without 
> knowing it.  Also, it says strange things that don't make sense.  If I am 
> choosing menu items, say on newsline for example, all of a sudden, the 
> screenreader will sound like it's telling me that it is calling somebody. 
> I forget the exact word it uses.  Another thing is, I found out how to 
> check battery level, but can't find out how to check signal strength.  I 
> had the Nokia n95 with mobile speak and it told me battery level right 
> away.  It told me in bars, and it told me the signal strength in bars. 
> This phone gives me the battery level in percentages.  That's okay, but I 
> can't find signal strength in anything, bars or percentages anywhere. 
> Pam.
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Steve Jacobson via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2017 10:47 AM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> Cc: Steve Jacobson
> Subject: [Electronics-Talk] Smart Phone for the Blind
>
> Hi,
>
> I would very much like to complete the electronic part of the discussion
> surrounding a Smart Phone for the Blind.  After going to the website on 
> this
> particular device, I couldn't help but think about what it is that we 
> might
> need in terms of a special smart phone.  First, I tend to take the 
> approach
> that if a company markets their product honestly and they succeed in 
> drawing
> customers, it really does not matter if I think their product is a good 
> one
> or not.  The demand proves that the product has something to offer.  In 
> this
> particular case, I can also see the advantage in being able to pull out a
> phone and use it easily without the need to pair another device, pull out 
> a
> separate keyboard, or pull out a braille display.  I am an iPhone user and
> have successfully used a keyboard and a braille display and realize that
> both approaches work and that both approaches are sometimes inconvenient. 
> I
> frankly don't know how sighted people use touch screens on a bus.  <smile>
>
> What I am wondering, though, is whether people who feel we need a special
> phone are really going to be happy with a phone like this.  I have had
> frustrations with learning and using an iPhone, but frankly, many of my
> frustrations are related to bugs or unpredictable behavior in the 
> operating
> system itself.  Some may be related to VoiceOver but some are not.  This
> smart phone is apparently an Androidphone which, of course, is different
> than the IOS operating system used on an iPhone.  However, I also have a
> BrailleNote Touch device in my household, which is an android device, and 
> I
> see some of the same unpredictability there as well.  As an experienced
> computer user, I have little trouble dealing with it, but the mechanical
> keyboard and the specialized Keysoft software does not eliminate Android
> processes from interrupting the workflow, for just one example.  It means
> that the user has to consider which automatic updates to turn off and 
> which
> need to happen.  In other words, there is a lot in a complex operating
> system that will still impact the user and will probably be the case on 
> even
> a specialized Android phone.
>
> Moving back to phones, as has been the case with other specialized phones,
> this one only works on certain networks, being a GSM phone.  The website
> itself says this leaves out Sprint and Verizon.  We also don't know, as 
> far
> as I can tell, exactly what one is getting for a phone in this special 
> smart
> phone.  While the price is not unreasonable for a good Android phone, is 
> it
> reasonable for what is being offered as the base phone?  Which Android
> phones only can use GSM, for example?  What is a fair markup for a special
> phone for the blind?
>
> My wife gave up on using an iPhone and we purchased one of the Alcatel
> phones that Sprint has with a built in voice.  It is a flip phone with a
> keyboard that is fairly easy to use.  However, even on this phone which is
> not an Android or an IOS phone, there are periods of silence where one 
> does
> not know what is happening, and some of what is spoken is not clear.  This
> is a relatively inexpensive phone and it is working better for her than 
> did
> her iPhone, but it isn't the perfect solution I had envisioned when I
> started my research, even though it might well have been the best choice
> that could have been made at the time.  I would frankly hesitate to say 
> this
> phone would work well for a Senior who doesn't have some understanding of
> technology.  The Odin phones seem to me to be pretty good, but their use 
> is
> limited to certain networks, and there has been rumors that the cellphone
> technology they use will soon be phased out.  It seems likely that they
> started out with an older phone as the base, although I don't know this 
> for
> certain.
>
> As usual, I am finding this issue to be more complex than I thought when
> first looking at it.  We need to be careful to completely define the 
> problem
> that is being solved and be a little careful before putting down $500 or
> more for a special phone that may leave many problems unresolved.  To 
> really
> judge these new phones fairly, we need to hear from people who have some
> experience with them.  This is a topic that is worth some intelligent
> discussion.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
>
>
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