I keep hoping someone evaluates the Echo show for accessibility while the buy two get $100 off the second one is still available at amazon. We have been discussing the show and the calling feature for a few days now and other than quite a few YouTube demonstrations by sighted reviewers we have not seen any thing as to the accessibility of the touch screen. Merv
----- For all things related to the Echo: echoing+subscr...@groups.io -----Original Message----- From: Pc-audio [mailto:pc-audio-boun...@pc-audio.org] On Behalf Of Gary Schindler Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2017 3:03 PM To: PC Audio Discussion List <pc-audio@pc-audio.org> Subject: First impressions of the Alexa calling feature Here are my First impressions of the new Alexa calling feature using the IOS Alexa app! The setup was pretty straight forward. You are asked to sign into the app and enter your credentials and proceed to the setup. you will need to supply the phone number you will be using to receive and make calls on your mobile phone whether it be android or IOS. When you continue you are sent a verification code to your mobile phone. once you are verified, you will here a chime on your Alexa device, and you are taken to a screen where you import your contacts, allow Alexa to use the microphone and so on. Once this is all done, you are given a brief explanation of how to insert contacts to make calls and send messages, and so forth. Making calls from the Alexa devices is quite easy to do. You say, Elexa call so and so. As long as the person in your contacts has the Alexa app on there phone, Alexa will make the call for you. Anyone can download the app and enable the calling feature. I would think they had better have an Amazon account though! Making calls from the Alexa app itself is another matter. You search for a contact in your address book and tap it to make your call. If the person doesn’t answer,you don’t hear anything at all. You can’t power down the phone or anything. you don’t have voiceover to end the call. The only way I got voiceover back was to call myself with one of my Alexa devices. The phone vibrated and eventually I heard the Amazon ringtone and I could answer or decline my call. I think I will stick to using the Elexa devices to make calls. When I called my self, the audio was quite clear. I then told my device at hand to hang up. it did and my phone when back to normal. I guess the other party you are talking to will have to end the calls, because there is no way to find the end call icon if you are totally blind because you have no voiceover. I think the Alexa calling and message feature has potential, and I am waiting for some blind individual to buy the Echo show when it comes out and let all of us know how accessible it is. If you call yourself for testing purposes, make sure the volume on the device is turned down low, or you will have ear splitting feedback. The calls don’t show up in your IOS calls either.
