[nabs-l] New iPhone Model Now Accessible to the Blind

Tue Jun 9 04:56:46 UTC 2009

I'm happy with my N82.

I've always resisted Apple; I think it's a bit over rated.

I've always looked down on macs and the masses that buy them; IMO, the only people who really need them are those who do lots of film or digital editing or other high-level processes -- PCs are perfectly fine for basic computing, which is all most people do anyway. Macs are just a popular craze.

I've always thought iPods were nothing special, inferior to other, less popular but more feature-filled products.

But this ...

For what it's worth, I don't think I've been more interested by a press release concerning accessible technology since the KNFB Reader.

Brice
> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 20:58:09 -0500
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> From: dandrews at visi.com
> Subject: [nabs-l] New iPhone Model Now Accessible to the Blind
> 
> 
> 
> Vision
> 
> The revolutionary iPhone also includes an equally 
> revolutionary screen reader, and other innovative 
> accessibility features that make it easier to use 
> for those with impaired vision.
> 
> 
> VoiceOver
> 
> iPhone 3G S displaying VoiceOver settings. The VoiceOver and Sp
> 
> 
> 
> The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on 
> the Mac is now a standard feature on the iPhone 
> 3G S. It’s the world’s first gesture-based screen 
> reader, enabling you to enjoy the fun and 
> simplicity of the iPhone even if you can't see the screen.
> 
> What makes VoiceOver on iPhone truly remarkable 
> is that you control it using simple gestures that 
> let you physically interact with items on screen. 
> It’s easy to learn and fun to use. Instead of 
> memorizing hundreds of keyboard commands, or 
> endlessly pressing tiny arrow keys to find what 
> you’re looking for, with VoiceOver, you simply 
> touch the screen to hear a description of the 
> item under your finger, then gesture with a 
> double-tap, drag, or flick to control the phone.
> 
> VoiceOver delivers an experience unlike any 
> screen reader you've ever used before. 
> Traditional screen readers describe individual 
> elements on the screen, but struggle to 
> communicate where each element is located or 
> provide information about adjoining objects. This 
> contextual information is very important but 
> typically filtered out by other screen readers. 
> For example, “off-screen” models used by 
> traditional screen readers to represent 
> applications and web pages intentionally strip 
> away contextual information and describe web 
> pages as a list or menu of items. But with 
> VoiceOver on iPhone 3G S, you'll experience something entirely new.
> 
> Because VoiceOver works with iPhone’s 
> touchscreen, you interact directly with objects 
> on the screen and can naturally understand their 
> location and context. So, when you touch the 
> upper-left corner of the screen, you'll hear 
> what’s in the upper left corner of a web page, 
> and as you drag your finger around the screen, 
> you'll learn what’s nearby, providing an amazing 
> new sense of context and relationship between the 
> items you hear. For many, VoiceOver on iPhone 
> will provide, perhaps for the first time, a true 
> sense of how things appear on screen, not just descriptions of what they are.
> 
> You'll hear descriptions of every item on the 
> screen, including status information such as 
> battery level, Wi-Fi and cellular network signal 
> levels, the cellular network provider, and time 
> of day. It even lets you know when the display 
> changes to landscape or portrait orientation, and 
> when the screen is locked or unlocked.
> 
> The speaking rate is adjustable so you can set it 
> to a speed that best suits your listening 
> ability. VoiceOver uses distinctive sound effects 
> to alert you when an application opens, when the 
> screen is updated, when a message dialog appears, 
> and more. And, when Voiceover is talking, the 
> volume of background sounds and music are 
> automatically lowered, “ducking” under the voice, 
> so you can clearly hear what VoiceOver is telling you.
> 
> 
> It speaks your language
> 
> VoiceOver includes built-in voices that speak 21 
> languages including Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese 
> (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (US), 
> English (UK), Finnish, French (Canada), French 
> (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, 
> Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), 
> Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), and Swedish.
> 
> 
> Getting started
> 
> VoiceOver is built right into the iPhone 3G S. 
> There’s nothing extra to purchase or install. All 
> you need is the iPhone 3G S, iTunes 8.2 or later, 
> and a Mac or PC. You can activate your iPhone and 
> enable VoiceOver without sighted assistance using 
> iTunes with a compatible screen reader like 
> VoiceOver included in Mac OS X and GW-Micro 
> Window-Eyes® for Windows XP and Windows Vista 
> (sold separately). When you activate iPhone using 
> iTunes, you can enable VoiceOver on the iPhone to 
> start using it right away. Sighted users can also 
> enable VoiceOver for you directly on iPhone using 
> the Accessibility menu in the Settings application.
> 
> 
> How it works
> 
> With VoiceOver enabled, you'll use a different, 
> but simple set of gestures to control the iPhone. 
> For example, instead of tapping to click a button 
> or select an item, you tap to hear a description 
> of the item you touch and double-tap to click or select it.
> 
> When an item on the screen is selected, a black 
> rectangle called the VoiceOver cursor appears 
> around it. The VoiceOver cursor is displayed for 
> the benefit of sighted users with whom you may be 
> sharing your phone. When you prefer privacy, 
> VoiceOver includes a screen curtain that turns 
> off the display so no one can read it without your knowledge.
> 
> In addition to touching and dragging around the 
> screen, you can also flick left and right to move 
> the VoiceOver cursor precisely to the next or 
> previous item on the screenno matter how big or 
> small it is. By flicking, you have precise 
> control of what you hear even when it might 
> otherwise be difficult to place your finger on it.
> Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background shows the home screen
> 
> 
> Entering Text
> 
> When you’re typing text, such as an email message 
> or a note, VoiceOver echoes each character on the 
> keyboard as you touch it, and again to confirm 
> when you enter it. You can also have VoiceOver 
> speak each completed word instead of and in 
> addition to individual characters as you type 
> them. A flick up or down while typing moves the 
> insertion point cursor left and right within the 
> text so you can edit a word just as easily and precisely as typing a new word.
> Two images side by side. The first shows a text-suggestion bubb
> 
> 
> To help you type more quickly and accurately, 
> iPhone features word prediction and suggests the 
> correct spelling when you type a word 
> incorrectly. With Speak Auto-text enabled, you'll 
> hear a sound effect and the suggested word spoken 
> automatically. You can just keep typing to ignore 
> it, or press the space key to have iPhone type it for you.
> 
> 
> The Rotor
> 
> Two fingers touching a iPhone display and a counter-clockwise a
> 
> 
> 
> VoiceOver features an innovate new virtual 
> control called a “rotor.” Turning the rotor by 
> rotating two fingers on the screen as if you were 
> turning an actual dial  changes the way 
> VoiceOver moves through a document based on a 
> setting you choose. For example, a flick up or 
> down might move through text word by word. But 
> when you choose the “character” setting, each 
> time you flick up or down VoiceOver will move 
> through the text character by character  perfect 
> when you’re proofreading or editing text.
> 
> You can also use the rotor to navigate web pages. 
> When you’re on a web page, the rotor contains the 
> names of common items, such as headers, links, 
> tables, images, and more. You select a setting, 
> then flick up and down to move to the previous or 
> next occurrence of that item on the page, skipping over items in between.
> 
> 
> Applications
> 
> VoiceOver works with all of the built-in 
> applications that come with iPhone 3G S, such as 
> Phone, iPod, iTunes, Mail, Safari, and Maps. So, 
> you can place and receive calls, surf the web, 
> text and email your friends, check your stocks 
> and the weather, and much, much more. Apple is 
> also working with iPhone software developers so 
> they can make their applications VoiceOver 
> compatible. 
> <http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//iphone/iphone-3g-s/>Learn more
> Two iPhones. The iPhone in the foreground is displaying the Voi
> 
> 
> Voice Control
> 
> In addition to gestures, you can use your voice 
> to play music and make a phone call. Just press 
> and hold the home button, listen for the audio 
> prompt, and speak the name of the artist, album, 
> or playlist you want to hear. You can pause, 
> play, change tracks, even shuffle your music.
> 
> When you want to make a call, speak the name or 
> telephone number of the person you want to call. 
> iPhone 3G S understands 21 different languages. 
> <http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//iphone/iphone-3g-s/voice-control.html>Learn 
> more
> 
> 
> Zoom
> 
> Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background is displaying the wea
> 
> 
> 
> While many iPhone applications let you zoom in 
> and out specific elements such as images in Mail, 
> or webpage columns in Safari, Zoom lets you 
> magnify the entire screen of any application 
> you’re using to help you see what’s on the 
> display. Zoom can be enabled on iPhone 3G S using 
> iTunes when you’re setting up the iPhone, for 
> yourself or someone else, or later, using the 
> Accessibility menu in the Settings application on the iPhone.
> 
> Zoom works everywhere, including the Home, 
> Unlock, and Spotlight screenseven with 
> applications you purchase from the App store.
> Two iPhones. The iPhone in the background is displaying the Acc
> 
> 
> A simple double-tap with three fingers instantly 
> zooms in and out 200% and you can double-tap and 
> drag three fingers to dynamically adjust the 
> magnification between 100% and 500%. Even when 
> zoomed, you can continue using all of the 
> familiar flick, pinch, tap and other iPhone 
> gestures to run your favorite applications. Zoom 
> can also be used with white-on-black (reverse video) and speak auto-text.
> 
> 
> White On Black
> 
> For those who need or prefer higher contrast, 
> iPhone 3G S provides an option to change the 
> display to White On Black. This reverse video 
> affect works in all applications including the 
> Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens and can be used with Zoom and VoiceOver.
> 
> 
> Speak Auto-text
> 
> When typing, iPhone suggests a word before you 
> finish typing it or a correction when a word is 
> misspelled. Speak Auto-text speaks these 
> suggestions so you can hear them when they’re 
> presented. When zoomed, for example, the 
> suggestion might not be visible on screen, but 
> you can hear and accept it without seeing it. If 
> you’re using VoiceOver, you won't have to 
> interrupt your typing and touch the suggestion to 
> hear it. Speak Auto-text can be enabled even when 
> you’re not using VoiceOver or Zoom.
> Callouts indicate the name and location of the physical buttons
> 
> 
> Tactile Buttons
> 
> iPhone includes a few, easily discernible 
> physical buttons used to control the phone: the 
> Sleep/Wake button, located on the top edge; the 
> Ring/Silent switch and volume-control buttons, 
> located on the upper-left edge; and the Home 
> button, centered below the display.
> 
> 
> Giant Fonts For Mail Messages
> 
> For improved email readability, you can increase 
> the default font size of email text from Medium 
> (the default) to Large, Extra-large, or Giant.
> iPhone earbuds with clickable microphone built into the cable
> 
> 
> iPhone Stereo Headset
> 
> iPhone comes with a stereo headset with a 
> high-performance microphone built into the cable. 
> Plug it into the standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone 
> jack and the headset lets you control music 
> playback and answer and end calls by clicking the 
> built-in remote control button.
> 
> Several add-on products are also available to 
> work with iPhone that can help those with hearing 
> disabilities, including a hearing aid-compatible 
> induction ear loop from 
> <http://www.tecear.com/Music_Link.htm>TecEar, 
> wireless remote headset from <http://oticon.com/>Oticon, and others.
> 
> 
> Hands-Free Speakerphone
> 
> Enjoy hands-free communication using the built-in 
> speakerphone, which you can also use to listen to 
> Visual Voicemail, music, podcasts, and video.
> 
> 
> Audible, Visible, And Vibrating Alerts
> 
> Turn the ringer on, and iPhone delivers both 
> audible and visual alerts. You can activate 
> alerts for phone calls, text messages, incoming 
> and sent mail, and calendar events. iPhone also 
> offers an audio option confirming keyboard 
> clicks. You can even set incoming calls to 
> display a full-screen image or photo of the caller.
> 
> In silent mode, iPhone vibrates instead of 
> playing a tone. To ensure that you never miss a 
> notification, you can also have iPhone vibrate and play an audio alert.
> 
> 
> Downloadable, Assignable Ringtones
> 
> You can assign distinctive ringtones to 
> individuals in your contacts list, using the 
> ringtone as an audible caller ID. Visit the 
> iTunes Store to create, purchase, and download 
> additional ringtones of your favorite songs (sold separately).
> A visual representation of a ringtone sound wave as it might ap
> 
> 
> User Guide In Accessible HTML
> 
> The iPhone User Guide is provided online in HTML 
> format designed with accessibility in mind. You 
> can read the guide using your favorite screen 
> reader and web browser on your Mac and PC, and 
> using Safari on the iPhone with VoiceOver.
> <http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone//accessibility/iphone/hearing.html>Hearing 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/brsmith24%40hotmail.com

_________________________________________________________________
Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. 
http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009