Tom, I'm going to touch on just one facet of your post, but I think it's a pretty major one.
Quote: "to be honest I think what has happened here is that Apple got to the accessibility first. All the blind users ran out, purchased Apple iPhones, and now any time someone goes looking for a smartphone they say iPhone, iPhone, iPhone. However, now that Google is closing the gap, the accessibility is improving, people such as yourself already have an iPhone and refuse to switch or even follow changes in Android accessibility since it does not apply to you. Am I right?" End quote: In some cases you are absolutely right, but in others, it's a clear case of Talkback just plain not being as good as VoiceOver. This says nothing about Android versus iOS. That's beyond the scope of my point. I use an Android on a daily basis in my work. I'm required to make sure our sites and apps are accessible for both Android and iOS, so I'm required to be fluent in both systems. The bottom line is that, while Talkback is improving, it's nowhere near as polished as VoiceOver, and it won't be for some time. For example, VoiceOver has given users the ability to navigate by various HTML elements for several years. This feature was added to Talkback around a month ago, and it's still not as fluid or thorough as VoiceOver's navigation. Perhaps most telling, however, is the fact that all standard apps on iOS can be utilized by a VoiceOver user instantly, where the same cannot be said for Talkback users. iPhone users can navigate apple maps by touch and fully utilize the iOS camera app. VoiceOver will even tell the user when a face is centered and describe the taken picture in broad strokes. Talkback users, on the other hand, can't even use the built-in calendar. One could argue--and probably will--that you can just install a different file browser, a different calendar, a different whatever on Android if you want accessibility. But therein lies the crux of the issue--the reason why Apple still wins hands-down. On iOS, you don't *have* to do that to use it. It just works. I'm sure Google will catch up some day, and I'm very much looking forward to that day. I greatly appreciate their approach to open-source software, and I think they're an all-around more impressive company. Right now, though, it's not a case of blind people refusing to change; it's an issue of Talkback just not being there yet. Ryan --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
