[Electronics-Talk] Apps that deliver alerts and vibrations when you get to where you want to be.

Jim McCarthy jmccarthy at mdtap.org
Thu Jun 8 15:56:57 UTC 2017 

Jenny, I think to get any of these to inform one, with some degree of
accuracy of the exact door and such locations, it probably requires regular
use. What I mean is that the address information is probably the same for
these as for google maps or apple maps. A user of one of the blindness
specific apps would use the app process for marking a door or something that
is regularly used. An example I have seen in one of the manuals is a
MacDonald's. The actual address might line up to the drive through. If I
want MacDonald's and am walking, that is probably not ideal. Thus, I find
the door the first time and go through the process of labeling that location
in my app giving a name like Mickey D's door. There also is getting to be
the ability for us to share these locations as users. So it seems to me that
if one is going to want that sort of access, she is best to buy one of these
apps, which as I have said are pricey but that access is, I think what one
pays for.
Jim 

-----Original Message-----
From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jenny Keller via Electronics-Talk
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2017 11:32 AM
To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
Cc: Jenny Keller
Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Apps that deliver alerts and vibrations when
you get to where you want to be.

Right, exactly is definitely not the word for it.

I use apples app for the maps for directions, and I use Google Maps. It
depends. Yeah I cut for me I have to have the directions in general.
However, I do think that it's a good thing to find doors. That is important
also. I might think about buying one of the apps and when I think I'm where
I'm at then flip back over to the door thing

Have a great one


Jenny

> On Jun 7, 2017, at 5:28 PM, Jim McCarthy via Electronics-Talk
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Jenny,
> I am quite uncomfortable with using the word exactly because GPS is 
> not exact. Also, I imagine there are several on this list who use 
> Google Maps or Apple Maps with walking directions and who feel like 
> those work for them. I do not think either of those has a feature that 
> would let me mark the door I mentioned with the steps here. I think 
> there are some other features they do not have for me also but the 
> flipside is that they are free; I am sure some on this list think they
work just fine and great for the cost.
> Jim
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of Jenny Keller via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2017 6:25 PM
> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
> Cc: Jenny Keller
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Apps that deliver alerts and 
> vibrations when you get to where you want to be.
> 
> OK, I missed one part right didn't understand it. Like Google maps or 
> whatever, you can put in an address and it will verbally give you 
> directions. So the other apps will do the same thing and then tell you 
> exactly where doors are in stock. That's really cool if it does that.
> Because I don't know necessarily how to get to a route. I just like 
> the ability to say like go left on such and such street or you have 
> reached the street turn left. Do you like I love apps that help as much as
possible.
> 
> 
> Jenny
> 
>> On Jun 7, 2017, at 5:04 PM, Jim McCarthy via Electronics-Talk
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Jenny,
>> You can create roots and the app will give you turn by turn directions.
>> There may be situations when one wants to find a gazebo in a park and 
>> there are not trails but instead is just a vast open space; in a 
>> situation like that, one may prefer to think of a clock face for the 
>> directions or one app calls this "getting warmer."  The root 
>> suggested may not be the one you would prefer, which means that the 
>> user needs some travel skills and to use the app as an additional 
>> tool. There may be sidewalk construction on the suggested root; there 
>> may be no sidewalks at all so the traveler needs to use trailing 
>> techniques along roads. In the wide open spaces example, there may be 
>> drop offs or who knows what. In my earlier post, I said the door 
>> might not be where the app directs a person. I can give a good 
>> example so you know how that would work. My office is in the building 
>> that is the headquarters for Maryland's rehabilitation agency. This 
>> is a large, three-story building with several doors. I have its 
>> address  marked as a favorite and can root to it easily. The address 
>> is a main door and is where paratransit drops people off or where a 
>> cab would drop one off. The building is almost a block long. My 
>> office is toward the far west of the building and the main door is 
>> probably 50 yards east of my office. Walking east on the street where 
>> this building is located, there is a set of steps that goes up to a 
>> door on the west end of the building closest to my office. I will not 
>> be told that I have reached my
> destination that is marked as a favorite at those steps because they 
> are several yards west of the official address.
>> They lead to a door though that is closest to my office. I know they 
>> are there as does my dog guide, so I use them. If I wanted to be sure 
>> to get them located by the app, I could mark them. That would improve 
>> the GPS ability to inform me of them, but there is the imperfect 
>> accuracy issue of earlier so it might not be exact.
>> Jim McCarthy
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
>> On Behalf Of Jenny Keller via Electronics-Talk
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2017 5:02 PM
>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>> Cc: Jenny Keller
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Apps that deliver alerts and 
>> vibrations when you get to where you want to be.
>> 
>> Hi Jim, question, hey, how's dark. Also, wanted to know about these apps.
>> Does it give you directions and then let you know where you're 
>> supposed to be like by the doors. Or, do they just tell you where you 
>> are at but let you find it yourself. I don't know about these apps.
>> 
>> 
>> Jenny
>> 
>>> On Jun 7, 2017, at 3:27 PM, Jim McCarthy via Electronics-Talk
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> All of the blindness specific apps, Blind Square as mentioned, 
>>> Seeing Eye GPS, and Nearby Explorer alert for location arrival. For 
>>> those not familiar with GPS, it should be noted that this alert may 
>>> be close but not exact to the desired location because of the in 
>>> perfect accuracy of GPS. All the 3 apps I mentioned have a cost and 
>>> for phone based apps, it is somewhat high, I think at least $30. The 
>>> other item I think relevant here is that the address in the maps is 
>>> not always equivalent to the door of the place one seeks; some 
>>> shopping centers or  apartment complexes may only have one address 
>>> for several buildings, stores, or doors; also, the actual point of 
>>> entry may not be where the desired address is located on the map. 
>>> Apps allow one to
>> modify this for commonly used places though.
>>> Jim McCarthy
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Electronics-Talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>> On Behalf Of Lori Motis via Electronics-Talk
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2017 11:50 AM
>>> To: Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances
>>> Cc: Lori Motis
>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Apps that deliver alerts and 
>>> vibrations when you get to where you want to be.
>>> 
>>> I have that feature on Blind Square. I have it set to alert me when 
>>> I arrive at the destination that I am tracking. I am not sure of its 
>>> current price, since I bought it several years ago. They have added 
>>> a lot of features, and I use it whenever I am out walking and 
>>> looking for a particular place. Apple vis gives a lot of info on it 
>>> and other similar apps on their website which is applevis.com I 
>>> think since I am writing this from memory, and mine is getting old, LOL.
>>> Lori AKA Food Lady
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Jun 7, 2017, at 6:39 AM, Philip Blackmer via Electronics-Talk
>>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I am looking for a GPS app that can play some kind of alert sound 
>>>> or
>>> vibrate my phone when I get to a selected location.   Does anybody know
> of
>>> an app that has that feature?
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
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