[nabs-l] Phones with a fully accessible calender

Wed Mar 7 06:02:16 UTC 2012

I spoke with At&T a little less than a year ago when I was hunting for
my current phone, and apparently they no longer sold any of the Nokia
phones that work with Mobile Speak. I got my Nokia E75 from an on-line
electronic retailer, which was quite an additional investment, but it
has served me very well. To clarify my previous comment, I'm sure
Nokia Symbian phones (the product series that supports Talks and
Mobile Speak) are still being made and sold in  some countries, but we
can no longer get them through any of the US carriers, and I believe
that the same is true for Windows Mobile smart phones such as the HTC
Ozone. If you are really not ready for a touch-screen device and are
not interested in doing much web browsing/emailing on your phone
anyway, then getting a phone through a third-party vendor on-line and
have Verizon subsidize you for the purchase of Mobile Speak may be the
way to go. Good luck!
Katie

On 3/6/12, Ignasi Cambra <ignasicambra at gmail.com> wrote:
> AT&T definitely sells some subsidized Nokia phones. At least they did
> not too long ago...
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 6, 2012, at 7:44 PM, Matt McCubbin <mgoalball at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Justin,
>> Nokia is the manufacturer of the N82/N86. However, these phones won't be
>> compatible with Verizon's CDMA network technology. You would have to
>> switch to AT&T or TMobile to use these phones.
>> Also, Nokia phones aren't sold through any of the major US carriers, so
>> you would need to purchase one at a much higher cost, either new from an
>> electronics retailer, or used.
>> If you wish to stay with Verizon as your carrier, you have a couple
>> options. However, if you want an accessible calendar on your phone, you
>> will need to invest in a smartphone.
>> 1. The iPhone starting at $99. You stated earlier that the iPhone's
>> touchscreen didn't really work for you. Frustration is understandable,
>> there is a definite learning-curve with this device. There are numerous
>> resources available on the Internet to help you get up and going with the
>> phone. Also, the National Braille Press is currently revising their
>> "getting started with the iPhone" book. The calendar on the iPhone is
>> completely accessible, and offers the location features you asked about.
>> 2. An Android phone. With the right software, Android is quite accessible.
>> In adition, some of Verizon's droid phones come with dedicated physical
>> keyboards. Mobile Accessibility from Code Factory for $99 makes Android
>> quite accesible, and offers more options to customize the screen-reader
>> than VoiceOver on the iPhone. It's not quite like the out-of-the-box
>> experience of the iPhone, but with MA, many aps for Android are made
>> accessible. Plus, you can often get Android devices for free or
>> inexpensively with a two-year contract.
>> I strongly encourage you to spend a good amount of time with either
>> operating system, Verizon offers at least a 14-day return policy.
>> I hope this helps, and feel free to email me off-list if you have
>> additional questions.
>> Best regards,
>> Matt
>>
>>
>> On 3/6/2012 6:25 PM, Justin Young wrote:
>>> Thanks a bunch for all of your feedback.  Who makes the Nokia N82/86?
>>> That may be an optionworth at least looking at.
>>>
>>> Thanks again:)
>>>
>>> On 3/6/12, Ashley Bramlett<bookwormahb at earthlink.net>  wrote:
>>>> Maybe a tactile overlay would help with the touch screen. I'm old
>>>> fashioned
>>>> and have a regular phone; it may have a calendar, but if it does it does
>>>> not
>>>> talk. It only talks when incoming calls come in. I
>>>> use another calendar to stay organized. I wish NFB would push for more
>>>> accessible phones. Come on, not everyone wants a smart phone; however, I
>>>> would like access to the on screen menus; I want to know who called
>>>> yesterday in my missed calls list; and I want to read texts. But No do
>>>> not
>>>> want the bells and whistles of the I phone.
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Katie Wang
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 2:05 PM
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Phones with a fully accessible calender
>>>>
>>>> Hi Justin,
>>>> Unfortunately, most smart phones these days feature a touch screen, so
>>>> you might have to get used to that interface if you want something
>>>> more sophisticated than the Haven. I currently have a Nokia Symbian
>>>> phone with Mobile Speaks, which is a third-party screen reader, but as
>>>> you might have heard Nokia has discontinued that line of products. I'm
>>>> not a big fan of touch screens either but have resigned myself to the
>>>> fact that I will have to get an Iphone at some point in the future--
>>>> While it does come with a steep learning curve, I know plenty of blind
>>>> people who love their Apple devices and am confident that you can
>>>> master the technique too with some practice. Just my thoughts!
>>>> Katie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 3/6/12, Justin Young<jty727 at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>>>> This is the phone I currently have.  When I tried to upgrade they
>>>>> didn't really have much to offer in this regard.  So, I kept my Haven
>>>>> because it was the best one I was familiar with.  I tried the touch
>>>>> screen thing, but became a bit frustrated with it.  So, I'm curious of
>>>>> there are any suggestions out there.
>>>>>
>>>>> On 3/6/12, Ashley Bramlett<bookwormahb at earthlink.net>  wrote:
>>>>>> which cell carrier are you using?
>>>>>> The Haven from verizon is a  talking phone if you use verizon; not
>>>>>> sure
>>>>>> though if the calendar talks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: Justin Young
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 12:32 AM
>>>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Phones with a fully accessible calender
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi to All!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hope you are all doing well.  I'm not sure if any could answer this
>>>>>> question.  I am looking to possibly in a few months upgrade my phone.
>>>>>> I am looking for possibilities of anything with an accessible calender
>>>>>> where you can enter the location of the appointments and is non-touch
>>>>>> screen.  I tried that once and it didn't really work for me.  Any
>>>>>> suggestions you could offer is much appreciated as always!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks in advance:)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Justin
>>>>>>
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