[Electronics-Talk] Smart Phone for the Blindsteve and pam

[Arlene]

Steve, do you know if the odin phones are still being sold? I was wondering, 
because recently when I went on their web site, it was telling about how a 
number of their phones would be upgraded at the end of 2016, and I didn't 
find information about newer phones. Also I'm not sure how to ask this, and 
possibly you may not know from what I read that you wrote about this new 
special android phone, having to  do that it's only on gsm. Would that mean 
it's an older version of android or a version that was developed for this 
phone? Sorry if that didn't make sense, but I'm not sure how to put that 
into words to ask this question about the type or version of android that 
it's on. I think you're so right, it's worth it to take the time to look at 
all the aspects to really know what you're getting. I knoticed earlier today 
when I was on my sim mobile, I was on the internet. I think it was when I 
clicked on a link  that the page made a bunch of those clicking noises, I 
wasn't totally sure what was happening, but I think part of it was going 
into the link and I was on a page for the weather so possibly the page was 
updating the information. Pam, and Steve, when I was looking at the acatel 
when I was in the store this past summer, I didn't come across the 
information about the signal strength, but when I see that phone, I'll look 
into that too. I'm thinking of buying the acatel next month. As I said the 
sim mobile I have is very much like it so I'm going to see if I find the 
signal strength information, and if I find out how to do it on it, I'll let 
you all know, since it just might work the same way on the acatel. I never 
really think about the signal strength information, but in some instances it 
would be helpful to know.

Arlene
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Jacobson via Electronics-Talk" <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: "'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'" 
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2017 9:47 AM
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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