[nfbcs] Fwd: Free Software for Sprint

Tue Jan 10 09:42:31 UTC 2012

>
>Sprint to Offer Mobile Accessibility 
>Application, Developed by Code Factory, for Free 
>to Customers Who are Blind or Have L
>Tools
>·         <http://www.fiercetelecom.com/forward?path=node/43538>Email
>·         <http://www.fiercetelecom.com/print/node/43538>Print
>Posted January 9, 2012
>Mobile Accessibility application and new 
>Accessibility Sprint ID packs make smartphone 
>usage more accessible for Sprint customers
>OVERLAND PARK, 
>Kan.--(<http://www.businesswire.com>BUSINESS 
>WIRE)-- Sprint (NYSE: S) is offering customers 
>who are blind or visually impaired, as well as 
>elderly individuals or those who cannot read 
>print on smartphones because of physical, 
>perceptual, developmental, cognitive or learning 
>disabilities, free solutions that will provide 
>them easier access to their Android-powered 
>smartphone’s functionality. The solutions 
>include five new Accessibility Sprint ID packs – 
>bundles of applications available on select 
>Android-powered smartphones – and the Mobile 
>Accessibility suite of applications.
>Mobile Accessibility, developed by Code Factory, 
>is a suite of accessible applications that have 
>been specifically designed for people who are 
>blind or visually impaired. Mobile 
>Accessibility, which features a simplified user 
>interface and textual information that is spoken 
>aloud using voice synthesis to aid navigation of 
>the device, will be offered to Sprint postpaid 
>and Boost Mobile prepaid customers through the 
>Android Market for free starting this quarter.
>The application is available for free for 
>postpaid Sprint customers with Android-powered 
>smartphones activated on a monthly service plan 
>that includes data, such as the Everything Data 
>plan starting at $79.99. The app is also free 
>for no-contract customers with Android-powered 
>smartphones on Boost Mobile’s Monthly or Daily Unlimited plans.
>The application, which typically costs $99, will 
>be available in English and Spanish in the 
>Android Market under the names Sprint Mobile 
>Accessibility EN & ES and Boost Mobile Accessibility EN & ES.
>“Sprint strives to satisfy all our customers’ 
>wireless needs, and with solutions such as 
>these, we’re helping our customers with 
>disabilities realize the full potential of their 
>smartphones,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice 
>president-Product Development. “That is why 
>we’re offering the Mobile Accessibility app and 
>Accessibility ID packs free of charge.”
>“Code Factory is delighted that one of the most 
>important carriers in the world decided to 
>subsidize Mobile Accessibility for their 
>customers and is helping to assure that the 
>product reaches as many people as possible at no 
>cost for them,” said Eduard Sanchez, Code 
>Factory CEO. “We are proud to be a new partner 
>with Sprint and hope this is the start of a 
>longtime relationship for accessibility for 
>blind and visually impaired Sprint customers.”
>The main features of Mobile Accessibility:
>    * Touch navigation: Users can simply move 
> their finger around the screen and the voice 
> synthesis will read the text located under 
> their finger. They can swipe up/down/right/left 
> and tap on the screen to navigate through the 
> interface, and they can enable sound and vibration feedback.
>    * Easy to input text: In or outside the 
> Mobile Accessibility suite users can use the 
> touch QWERTY keyboard or speech recognition to 
> write text quickly and easily – making it 
> possible to write an SMS or email using their voice only.
>    * Voice synthesis: Provides customers natural sounding voice read back.
>With Mobile Accessibility, users can do the following:
>    * Phone: Make calls, answer calls, hear the 
> caller ID and manage their call log.
>    * Contacts: App tells user how many contacts 
> they have and speaks the contact’s name they selected.
>    * SMS: Virtual keyboard is larger and fills 
> the entire screen. When the user clicks a 
> letter on the keyboard, the app reads the 
> letter to them. This makes it easier for them 
> to compose emails or SMS messages. It also reads SMS messages to the user.
>    * Alarms: Set their alarms.
>    * Web: Full Web browser experience; also 
> reads text from Web page to the user.
>    * Calendar: Create, edit and delete a 
> calendar entry. View all events per day, week or month.
>    * Email: Full access to Gmail accounts; reads emails to the user.
>    * Where am I?: GPS application that gives 
> the user an update about their current location.
>    * Access to basic phone functions, such as 
> date and time, missed calls, etc. User can 
> click on the function and it speaks to them.
>“Having the ability to gain greater access to 
>information on smartphones through the use of a 
>free suite of applications is a very positive 
>development in the blind community’s quest for 
>more affordable choices,” said Mitch Pomerantz, 
>president of the American Council of the Blind 
>(ACB). “The American Council of the Blind 
>commends Sprint for its willingness to take 
>another positive step toward full product accessibility.”
>Accessibility Sprint ID packs:
>Today Sprint is launching five 
>accessibility-themed Sprint ID packs, developed 
>by Apps4Android, which are bundles of 
>applications designed to accommodate the access 
>needs of Sprint subscribers with print 
>disabilities – people who are unable to read 
>standard printed material, including text on 
>their smartphone, because of blindness, visual 
>disability, physical limitations, organic 
>dysfunction or dyslexia. For more information 
>about the Accessibility ID packs, read 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fnews%2Fhome%2F20120109006634%2Fen&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=today%27s+press+release&index=1&md5=6c416915d9284f77111ef97d7c80a47f>today’s 
>press release.
>About Sprint Nextel
>Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of 
>wireless and wireline communications services 
>bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, 
>businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel 
>served more than 53 million customers at the end 
>of 3Q 2011 and is widely recognized for 
>developing, engineering and deploying innovative 
>technologies, including the first wireless 4G 
>service from a national carrier in the United 
>States; offering industry-leading mobile data 
>services, leading prepaid brands including 
>Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance 
>Wireless; instant national and international 
>push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 
>Internet backbone. The 2011 American Customer 
>Satisfaction Index showed Sprint is the #1 most 
>improved company in customer satisfaction, 
>across all industries, over the last three 
>years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 
>Green Rankings, listing it as one of the 
>nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any 
>telecommunications company. You can learn more 
>and visit Sprint at 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sprint.com&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.sprint.com&index=2&md5=de9659d58f17dc113e8cbff7ffa6c144>www.sprint.com 
>or 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsprint&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.facebook.com%2Fsprint&index=3&md5=843e523a31b78b8bf59c1ad4ecb258e9>www.facebook.com/sprint 
>and 
><http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fsprint&esheet=50125434&lan=en-US&anchor=www.twitter.com%2Fsprint&index=4&md5=40adca48a4642e7af7b468ea6d51db86>www.twitter.com/sprint.
>About Code Factory
>Founded in 1998 with headquarters in Terrassa 
>(Barcelona), Spain, Code Factory is the global 
>leader committed to the development of products 
>designed to eliminate barriers to the 
>accessibility of mobile technology for the blind 
>and visually impaired. Today, Code Factory is 
>the leading provider of accessible mobile 
>applications such as screen readers, screen 
>magnifiers, and Braille interfaces. Code 
>Factory’s products are compatible with the 
>widest range of mainstream mobile devices 
>running on Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry 
>Smartphones, and Android. Among Code Factory's 
>customers are well-known organizations for the 
>blind such as ONCE in Spain, and carriers 
>Sprint, AT&T, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, TIM and Vodafone.
>
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