[nfbcs] nfbcs Digest, Vol 147, Issue 5

Tue Aug 23 00:00:31 UTC 2016

I would like to respond to this discussion.  I got a Kindle Fire for
Christmas and have been very disappointed.  There is a manual for Voiceview
but you need to know how to use voiceview to read it.  That's something
amazon should have thought of.  I haven't been able to find a manual online
as a text file.  I also find the gestures hard to execute.  There is a
tutorial for VoiceView but it only goes so far.  I can't get slider gestures
to work even though I follow the instructions.  I also can't seem to
remember how to stop speech so this is a real pain.  I also hate the touch
typing Android and amazon devices use.
On top of all of this, I haven't been able to get my Kindle to work with a
Braille display.  I tried installing BrailleBack from the amazon store and
that didn't work very well.  I contacted amazon and someone in their
accessibility group suggested that I modify my Kindle software to allow it
to get software from the google Play Store.  I did that and installed the
Google version of BrailleBack which didn't work very well either.  The
manual for BrailleBack on the google website isn't very helpful, and the
response I got from my Braille Sense was unreliable.  Some Braille commands
worked, and others didn't.  I finally got amazon to admit that their
engineers had tried everything I did and that there are still known issues
with Braille.  They offered me my money back but since the device was a gift
I'm not sure I'm going to send it back.
I've tried the IOS Kindle app but wasn't crazy about the Braille support
there either.  My reason for getting the Kindle was to read books.  I also
thought it would be easier to order books from the Kindle directly and not
use the amazon website.  Strangely enough, you can use the IOS amazon app to
search for books and add them to a wish list but you can't buy them from the
app.  You have to go to their website which is a pain to use.  Now I'm back
to square one.  My only option which works very well to read Kindle books is
to use the Codex software to break the DRM and convert the book into a
format I can read with my Braille Sense.
I know the Federation reached an agreement with Amazon but I'm not sure what
that will mean in terms of access to Braille.
On top of all of this, I couldn't get my Braille Edge to work with a Linux
machine using Orca.  Now the Braille Edge won't work with my Windows 10
machine either.  I guess I've had a bad day.
Sorry for the rant but I wanted to get it off my chest.

Dan

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Subject: nfbcs Digest, Vol 147, Issue 5

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Today's Topics:

   1. Kindle Fire tablet (Elizabeth Campbell)
   2. Re: Kindle Fire tablet (Buddy Brannan)
   3. Re: Kindle Fire tablet (Elizabeth Campbell)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2016 11:18:29 -0500
From: "Elizabeth Campbell" <batescampbell at gmail.com>
To: "'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List'" <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [nfbcs] Kindle Fire tablet
Message-ID: <007a01d1fafe$7dd05ee0$79711ca0$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Hi all,

I recently purchased a Kindle fire tablet to try since they are not very
expensive.

I was wondering if anyone on list has one,and if so, what are your
impressions?

I think the VoiceView is far more difficult to use than VoiceOver in IOS.
For instance, I am trying to set up my wifi so that I can enter my Amazon
account information, but I can't get the shift to work to capitalize letters
using the on screen keyboard, and my password is a mix of lower and upper
case letters along with numbers.

I ordered a Bluetooth keyboard, but it hasn't arrived yet.

I like the idea of having a very small tablet for reading books, etc. when
I'm traveling, and this is not to replace the iPhone or my Windows 10 laptop
by any means.

If anyone is using the Kindle Fire and has any pointers, please pass them
along.

Thank you.

Liz Campbell

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2016 12:23:24 -0400
From: Buddy Brannan <buddy at brannan.name>
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Kindle Fire tablet
Message-ID: <C7D9D88D-005B-4179-A3AD-30960383DDF8 at brannan.name>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi,

My opinion agrees with your opinion. It's good for something that costs $49,
but as with previous Fire tablets (like the first one I bought), it seems to
me that gestures have to be quite exaggerated to be properly recognized.
Some gestures are also a bit non-intuitive, but at least the settings to
change granularity, among other things, are not using a circle gesture
anymore. 

--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: 814-860-3194
Mobile: 814-431-0962
Email: buddy at brannan.name

> On Aug 20, 2016, at 12:18 PM, Elizabeth Campbell via nfbcs
<nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> 
> 
> I recently purchased a Kindle fire tablet to try since they are not very
> expensive.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone on list has one,and if so, what are your
> impressions?
> 
> I think the VoiceView is far more difficult to use than VoiceOver in IOS.
> For instance, I am trying to set up my wifi so that I can enter my Amazon
> account information, but I can't get the shift to work to capitalize
letters
> using the on screen keyboard, and my password is a mix of lower and upper
> case letters along with numbers.
> 
> I ordered a Bluetooth keyboard, but it hasn't arrived yet.
> 
> I like the idea of having a very small tablet for reading books, etc. when
> I'm traveling, and this is not to replace the iPhone or my Windows 10
laptop
> by any means.
> 
> 
> 
> If anyone is using the Kindle Fire and has any pointers, please pass them
> along.
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> 
> Liz Campbell
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfbcs mailing list
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbcs:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.name

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sat, 20 Aug 2016 12:03:22 -0500
From: Elizabeth Campbell <batescampbell at gmail.com>
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Kindle Fire tablet
Message-ID: <3CBBA017-81BE-4EE8-8B3D-F4C1E6766FF6 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=us-ascii

Hi buddy,
I have not really played with the granularity settings yet. I find that
sometimes I have to tap on the screen three times in order for me to
activate an icon I know that voice you says to double tap but even if I
double tap slowly nothing seems to happen.

Liz Campbell Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 20, 2016, at 11:23 AM, Buddy Brannan via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> My opinion agrees with your opinion. It's good for something that costs
$49, but as with previous Fire tablets (like the first one I bought), it
seems to me that gestures have to be quite exaggerated to be properly
recognized. Some gestures are also a bit non-intuitive, but at least the
settings to change granularity, among other things, are not using a circle
gesture anymore. 
> 
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194 
> Mobile: 814-431-0962
> Email: buddy at brannan.name
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Aug 20, 2016, at 12:18 PM, Elizabeth Campbell via nfbcs
<nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I recently purchased a Kindle fire tablet to try since they are not very
>> expensive.
>> 
>> I was wondering if anyone on list has one,and if so, what are your
>> impressions?
>> 
>> I think the VoiceView is far more difficult to use than VoiceOver in IOS.
>> For instance, I am trying to set up my wifi so that I can enter my Amazon
>> account information, but I can't get the shift to work to capitalize
letters
>> using the on screen keyboard, and my password is a mix of lower and upper
>> case letters along with numbers.
>> 
>> I ordered a Bluetooth keyboard, but it hasn't arrived yet.
>> 
>> I like the idea of having a very small tablet for reading books, etc.
when
>> I'm traveling, and this is not to replace the iPhone or my Windows 10
laptop
>> by any means.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> If anyone is using the Kindle Fire and has any pointers, please pass them
>> along.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Liz Campbell
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfbcs mailing list
>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nfbcs:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.name
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfbcs mailing list
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
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> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
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>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/batescampbell%40gmail.com

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