[nabs-l] iPhone

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Danielle,
I think this discussion is very pertinent to students so I will
respond on-list unless Dave feels otherwise.
I have an iPhone and I use a RefreshaBraille display that connects
through bluetooth. The setup was easy and is done on the phone itself
in the settings menu. I don't know how pairing works with Braille
Notes and other Braille devices but I'd think it would be pretty
simple. The good news is you only need to pair the devices once by
entering some things into the settings menu, and then whenever you
want to connect them again, all you have to do is turn both the phone
and the Braille display on and put them near each other and they will
automatically connect.
I have also used a tactile overlay I got at Speed Dots and it was
helpful although unfortunately it fell off. If you don't have a
Braille display I might suggest getting a bluetooth keyboard, but if
you already have a Braille notetaker or other Braille device with
bluetooth connectivity, then I'd recommend using that as a keyboard
since you have the added advantage of reading Braille output.
The apps you get are really up to you. The phone comes with: text
messaging, calendar, clock, game center, a videos app, a mail app,
Safari Web browser, Itunes music, and a few others. I bought a GPS app
called Ariadne GPS for $5.99 that provides good location information
and can help you find your way back to a known location. It doesn't do
turn-by-turn directions but the built-in maps app does though a bit
unreliably.
I found the phone a little frustrating to learn for the first week or
two but the Braille keyboard was incredibly helpful in getting through
that stage. Now I can do most gestures and (slow) typing on the
on-screen keyboard without the Braille keyboard interface if I need
to. Siri is also a helpful shortcut for dictating text messages and
giving other commands to the phone.
Best of luck,
Arielle

On 12/28/12, Koby Cox <kobycox at gmail.com> wrote:
> Please email mee off list concerning this. My email address Is as
> follows:
> kobycox at gmail.com.
> Thanks,
> Koby.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle
> Sykora
> Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 4:40 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: [nabs-l] iPhone
>
> Hello everyone,
> I know there have been a lot questions about the iPhone lately; here
> are some more. I have been considering getting an iPhone but I really
> have no idea how to use it.
> I know that an iPhone will work with a braille display via buetooth
> but I don't know exactly how to set this up. Also, I know you can use
> a keyboard or braille overlay; are there any significant benefits or
> disadvantages to either? Are there any aps that would be especially
> useful for me to download?
> Any help would be appreciated,
> Danielle
>
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