[Nfbmo] Looking for Info About Basic Cell Phones LG LX370

DanFlasar at aol.com DanFlasar at aol.com
Mon Mar 18 17:40:07 UTC 2013


Except that the market keeps changing.   What was available  a  year ago 
may not be available now.  Are there viable replacements  around?   The 
purpose of discussion lists is to pool our collective  information.   Recall that 
this thread was started by two people  asking to find out about accessible 
phones.
Dan
 
 
 
In a message dated 3/18/2013 8:40:36 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
jamesmmoynihan at gmail.com writes:

It seems to  me we have already had this discussions about cellphones.  We 
are  reviewing the sametopic over and over again.

Cordially,

Jim  Moynihan

----- Original Message ----- 
From:  <DanFlasar at aol.com>
To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday,  March 18, 2013 12:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Looking for Info About Basic  Cell Phones LG LX370


> Fred,
>  Actually, Sprint  offered - may still offer - a phone that did  provide
> some  text-to-speech, but it is very limited.  It wouldn't go  more than  
a
> level or two down (example, it could voice navigate you to  open  
settings 
> to
> read some tips on using the  phone.  But going down another  level you 
lost
>  speech.)  The buttons were tiny, also.  As far as I  recall, it  was not 
a 
> touch
> screen, you used a navigator (circular)  button to  move between the 
icons,
> and pressed a button inside  the ring to select the  button. Susan Ford, I
> believe, found a  non-smart  phone that worked for  her.
>
>    If anyone is interested, this was the LG LX370 offered via   Sprint.   
I
> also recall that there were phones, such as a  Nokia model,  that came 
with
> an OS called RockBox that plus a  text-to-speech program that  offered 
some
> reasonable  functionality - but it wasn't cheap.  I think the  pioneering 
 
> KNFB
> Reader knocked that system off the market.
>   Dan
>
>
> In a message dated 3/17/2013 11:39:59  P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> goodfolks at charter.net  writes:
>
> Dan, there  are very few if any phones available  with speech other than 
> the
> Iphone and  some of the  Android offerings. You might check with AT&T or
> Verizon,  but  I'm thinking that because we are again such a small market
>  that
> there  is very little effort to grow this type of phone  market. There is,
> however  Public Law 255 which was passed by  Congress in the 90's which 
was
> supposed  to insure that all  phones be made accessible, it never did
> happen,
> and to   this day, it is not the phone carriers which have come forward, 
>  but
> either  phone manufacturer or third party initiatives which  have made 
some
> in-roads in to this market.
>
>  Fred
>
>
> ----- Original Message  ----- 
> From:  <DanFlasar at aol.com>
> To:  <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>  Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 11:27 PM
> Subject:  Re: [Nfbmo]  Looking for Info About Basic Cell Phones
>
>
>> Yep -  a  friend has one of those.  But there a re other people who  have
>>  problems reading any text because of macular  degeneration.  I've gotten
>> them
>> on to Talking  Books (albeit in other states) - phones w/  text-to-speech
>>  would be much appreciated.  And there is the  vanity factor - they  
don't
>> want to
>> be seen in public with one  of  those clunky jitterbugs.
>>       Dan
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message dated  3/17/2013 11:17:23 P.M.  Central Daylight Time,
>>  goodfolks at charter.net writes:
>>
>>  Dan there is   a phone, the Jitterbug with buttons which are a bit
>  larger.
>> It
>> can be had  from  http://www.greatcall.com or  from Independent Living 
>>  Aids
>> which  website is   http://www.independentliving.com
>>
>> Fred  olver
>>
>>  -----  Original Message -----  
>> From:  <DanFlasar at aol.com>
>> To:   <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>  Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 10:28  PM
>> Subject:  Re: [Nfbmo]  Looking for Info About Basic  Cell Phones
>>
>>
>>>    Gary,
>>>    I understand your point - I put off  buying  an  iPhonbe  for a long,
>>  long
>>> time.  But  after 3 different  phones that  seemed to offer  some  
speech
>>> assistance and each  one  being lacking, or getting to  be more and   
more
>>>  expensive,
>>> the iPhone  didn't  look that bad.
>>>    But  hopefully,  technology  has advanced in the area of  'regular'
>>  phones
>>> as  well?  I sure would like to know of  what's out  there  that
> actually
>>>  is
>>> accessible and doesn't cost    excessively.   I have  friends who have
>>   severe
>>> visual  impairment and/or arthritis that makes  trying  to  press tiny
>>>  buttons  to
>>> be a major  problem.  Actually, I had the  same  problem  with small
> button
>>> phones  myself - another reason that  the larger icons  of the   iPHone
>> helped
>>> me
>>> a  great   deal.
>>>   But, what's out there in  terms of  non-smart  phones?
>>>   Dan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  In a message  dated  3/17/2013 8:54:21 P.M. Central Daylight  Time,
>>>  gwunder at earthlink.net   writes:
>>>
>>> Hello,   Fred.  I have  no wish to be  argumentative, but I have to tell
>>>  you
>>> that  there are a lot of  older blind   people, not to suggest that 
>>> Shelia
>>> Wright  is  one of   them, who simply want to telephone to be a  
>>> telephone.
>>>  They
>>>   are  not interested in going to a menu that says  they want to use  
the
>>> phone
>>> as a  phone rather  than a  web browser, an email  client, or a music
>>   player.
>>> The  advance that Apple has given to   blind  people in working out a
>>> strategy
>>>  for  us to  use  touchscreen technology is fantastic and I love  it, 
but 
>>> I
>>>  realize   that I am  a power user who very much likes all of the  extra
>>>   features
>>> that  the iPhone provides.  It is the best  radio I've  ever had, but it
> is
>>>   not
>>> the  best cell phone I've ever    had.
>>>
>>> One of the items that will be on  our   convention  agenda has to do 
with
>>>  smart
>>> phones  and all they can give  to  blind  people, but in our board
> meeting
>>> there
>>>  was an  equal chorus for  having  something on the agenda for  people 
who
>>>   simply
>>> want a telephone  to be a  telephone.  I think we  dare  not forget  
about
>>> this
>>> segment of the    population.   Not every blind person can afford  in
>>>  iPhone;
>>> not
>>>  every   blind person can learn  to use one; not every blind  person 
once
>>> the
>>>   hassle   involved in using touchscreen technology when we can still
>  find
>>> telephones  with  buttons.
>>>
>>>    Warmly,
>>>
>>>  Gary
>>>
>>>
>>>   -----Original   Message-----
>>> From: Nfbmo   [mailto:nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf  Of  Fred  
>>> Olver
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 5:55  PM
>>>   To: NFB of Missouri  Mailing  List
>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo]  Looking  for Info About  Basic Cell  Phones
>>>
>>>  At this time, I  can't  imagine anyone wanting "just a basic cell
>  phone"
>>> when
>>>  the Iphone has so much  to  offer.
>>>
>>> With it you can  read   books, send  and receive email, order dinner,  
use
>> it
>>> as
>>> a  GPS   alternative  while traveling by car, bus or on foot. You can
>  surf
>>> the
>>> internet, access  NFB newsline,  get  local weather  forecasts, listen 
to
>>>  your
>>> favorite  radio  stations etc.  To settle  for something less capable is
> a
>>> mistake because  the   21st century's need is for  instant communication
>  on
>>> all
>>> sorts  of  levels.  The  android sector of phones are severely limited 
>>>  in
>>>  terms
>>> of offering  accessible  software  from the phones'  manufacturer as 
well
>>>  as
>>> other  sources  of possible downloads in   the google play store.  Also,
>>> because
>>> of  the   configuration of the  Android phones there appears to be  much
>> more
>>>   of
>>> a   possibility of viruses being able to get in to  your   phone.
>>>
>>>
>>> -----   Original  Message -----
>>>  From: "Shelia  Wright"   <sbwright95 at att.net>
>>> To: "'NFB  of  Missouri Mailing  List'"   <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent:  Wednesday, March   13, 2013 5:44  PM
>>> Subject: [Nfbmo] Looking for   Info  About Basic Cell   Phones
>>>
>>>
>>>>    Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I just got a Sam Sung M400  out   of  necessity. My initial impression 
>>>>  is
>>> very
>>>>  positive. The  voice  menus  are very similar to my antique LG-550 -
>>>>  Fusic
>>>>  with
>>>> even   added  voice menus thus expanding the  accessibility.  However,
>>>> there
>>>> still  seems to be  some   features not accessible yet. I do love  the
>>>  quality
>>>>    of
>>>> sound and almost no  learning    curve.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   I  would like to  be able to text but the sales rep at the  Sprint
> store
>>> said
>>>>  he was 99%  sure that it would not  read the incoming text    
messages.
>>>> Therefore, I left  text messaging blocked  on my phone  as  there is
> still
>>   a
>>>> additional fee for basic phone plans;   However,  when  experimenting
> with
>>>  the
>>>> phone, I   received a text from Sprint  about  usage of minutes. The
>>>>   phone
>>>> read
>>>> this message aloud. So  does   anyone  know if it will read incoming  
>>>> text
>>>> messages from  other    sources.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Also,  if you've used  this phone is  there any drawbacks.  There is  
a
>> short
>>>> window  of time in  which I could   return it if not   satisfied.
>>>>
>>>>   Thanks,
>>>>
>>>>     Shelia
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   _______________________________________________
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>>
>  
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   -----
>>>> No virus found in this  message.
>>>> Checked  by AVG  -   www.avg.com
>>>> Version: 2013.0.2904 / Virus   Database:  2641/6169 - Release   Date:
>>>>    03/13/13
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>    -----
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked  by AVG  -  www.avg.com
>>> Version: 2013.0.2904 / Virus  Database:  2641/6184 - Release  Date:
>>>   03/17/13
>>>
>>
>>
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>> Checked by AVG  -  www.avg.com
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>>  03/17/13
>>
>
>
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