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

Sat Dec 23 17:25:32 UTC 2017

Of course only blind people are talking about being able to check signal strength. This information is readily available to folks who can see. 

I know folks who often check their signal strength when they’re having problems making calls or accessing the internet. 

Jim

Written While on the Move

> On Dec 23, 2017, at 10:10 AM, cheez via Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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