Hi, sure but, not for nothing, I don't think these specialized apps, are stopping all the other mainstream app makers out there from doing there thing. I bet most people who aren't blind won't even know these other apps exist. I'm getting the feeling that you think these handful of apps will some how upset the Apple cart. :). I don't think that is the case. They are just apps. As long as we don't see a decline in mainstream accessible apps, (which I doubt will happen) I don't think this stuff matters much. It would be different if the blind specific app developers started petitioning Apple to make hardware revisions to make their apps more usable.
Ricardo Walker rica...@appletothecore.info Twitter:@apple2thecore www.appletothecore.info On Jul 13, 2012, at 9:02 AM, Krister Ekstrom <kris...@kristersplace.com> wrote: > I'm not frightened of the app itself, i'm frightened of the possibility of > the I devices becoming yet another case of us blind folks having to go > through special channels to by apps and get help and support for them and > having to pay huge amounts of money to do so instead of being able to use the > I device as any sighted person would. After all the I device is an > off-the-shelf product with accessibility built right in, and that's how i > want it to be, i want to be able to get help from an app store or a developer > or a standard support channel not through blindness specific channels, but > that's only me of course. > /Krister > > 13 jul 2012 kl. 14:53 skrev Ricardo Walker: > >> hi, >> >> Why are you frightened? Lol. just don't buy it. don't these products have >> the right to be in the app store as their main stream equivalents? I >> wouldn't buy this but, there might be some people out there who truly, find >> it beneficial. I see hundreds of apps that do about the same thing, across >> all price points, and feature sets. To me, this is no different. a matter >> of fact, just by looking at the release, and speculating over the price, I >> just couldn't imagine many blind people, or people of any group buying this >> in meaningful numbers. >> >> BTW, I personally find nothing wrong with reinventing the wheel. After all, >> thats how the wheel went from a crude piece of stone to an alloy wrapped in >> rubber with air in between. :) >> >> Ricardo Walker >> rica...@appletothecore.info >> Twitter:@apple2thecore >> www.appletothecore.info >> >> On Jul 13, 2012, at 8:44 AM, Krister Ekstrom <kris...@kristersplace.com> >> wrote: >> >>> That's because this seems to be yet another typical blindy app, that is a >>> reinvention of the wheel with some important features missing. I'm really >>> beginning to get frightened of the trend i see where more and more special >>> blindness solutions are developed for apps that already exist. In the case >>> of gps, although i hate to admit this, i can see the need for some special >>> features, which makes the combo of Ariadne and Navigon a good choise, but >>> when reinvention of the wheel takes place... well, that's another matter. >>> What do we gain by using this app instead of other well working ones? >>> /Krister >>> >>> 13 jul 2012 kl. 13:24 skrev erik burggraaf: >>> >>>> All that for under $30? Amazing how little market research actually gets >>>> done. So, aside from some hotkeys and a magnification feature, what does >>>> this do that you can't get in an existing product for 5 bucks or less? >>>> >>>> There's no file support. You can only create text files. No word or rtf >>>> or other standard markup formats. >>>> There's no spell-check. >>>> There're no formatting options such as alignments, bold, underline, fonts, >>>> paragraph styles. >>>> No access to air print. >>>> >>>> All for under 30 bucks eh? ...Wow. ...Snore. >>>> >>>> Erik Burggraaf >>>> Introducing Ebony Consulting business card transcription service, starting >>>> at $0.45 per card or $35 per hundred cards. >>>> Ebony Consulting toll-free: 1-888-255-5194 >>>> or on the web at http://www.erik-burggraaf.com >>>> >>>> On 2012-07-12, at 4:41 PM, Steve wrote: >>>> >>>>> This is the announcement, it is not released yet. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> "A person cannot survive as a true Spartan fan unless he is a bit of a >>>>> masochist and a very large optimist." >>>>> >>>>> Steve >>>>> Lansing, MI >>>>> AccessNote: AFB's New Note Taker for Your iOS Device >>>>> >>>>> Darren Burton and Ricky Kirkendall >>>>> >>>>> The AFB Tech lab is excited to announce that AFB will soon be releasing >>>>> AccessNote, a note taker for your iPhone or other iOS device. AFB Tech, >>>>> in conjunction >>>>> with FloCo Apps, LLC, has designed what is expected to be a >>>>> groundbreaking productivity tool for people with vision loss, and >>>>> developers plan for its launch >>>>> at the App Store later this summer. >>>>> >>>>> AccessNote is a powerful and efficient note taker that takes advantage of >>>>> the tremendous built-in accessibility of your iPhone, iPod Touch, or >>>>> iPad. To >>>>> allow for much greater typing speed, increase accuracy, and permit >>>>> keyboard commands, AccessNote is designed to be used with the Apple >>>>> Wireless Keyboard >>>>> (QWERTY) as well as wireless braille keyboards and displays. AccessNote >>>>> will be completely compatible with VoiceOver and the iOS screen reader. >>>>> It can >>>>> be used without a keyboard, but a keyboard adds efficiency. >>>>> >>>>> Description of AccessNote >>>>> >>>>> Although there is not yet a final price point, AccessNote will be priced >>>>> under $30, and it will have many of the features found in traditional >>>>> note takers >>>>> and accessible PDAs. AccessNote creates notes in the .TXT file format, >>>>> and it can also import .TXT files from e-mail or Dropbox accounts. It is >>>>> designed >>>>> with a clean, simple interface that uses standard iOS design techniques, >>>>> so its layout will be familiar to iOS device users. >>>>> >>>>> The home screen is titled All Notes, which is the heading at the top of >>>>> the screen. The next element is the "Add" button (for adding a new note) >>>>> followed >>>>> by the Search field. Next is the user's list of files and notes, which >>>>> includes a table index for quickly scrolling through notes. Finally, >>>>> there are three >>>>> buttons at the bottom of the home screen: "Settings," "Favorites," and >>>>> "Help." Once the user is in a note, the screen includes a "Back" button >>>>> to go back >>>>> to the All Notes screen as well as a "Review" button for going into a >>>>> read-only mode. >>>>> >>>>> Some of the features designed into AccessNote include: >>>>> >>>>> list of 7 items >>>>> • Compatibility with the Apple Wireless Keyboard and wireless braille >>>>> displays. >>>>> • Fast and efficient navigation. >>>>> • Powerful search features. >>>>> • Automatic saving and syncing with Dropbox files. >>>>> • Customized keyboard commands. >>>>> • A review feature. >>>>> • Options for larger text. >>>>> list end >>>>> >>>>> Compatibility with the Apple Wireless Keyboard >>>>> >>>>> Although typing on an iOS touchscreen is certainly accessible, it is not >>>>> nearly as efficient as using a traditional QWERTY keyboard, a primary >>>>> reason for >>>>> designing AccessNote for use with the >>>>> Apple Wireless Keyboard >>>>> (available from Apple for $69). Another reason is due to how well the >>>>> Apple Wireless Keyboard works with VoiceOver to control an iOS device. >>>>> There are >>>>> keyboard commands for nearly all of VoiceOver's gestures, including >>>>> swiping/flicking, using the rotor, and reading text. AccessNote will also >>>>> be compatible >>>>> with wireless refreshable braille displays. So far, AccessNote has been >>>>> tested with the >>>>> BraillePen12 from Aroga, >>>>> which also has many commands for controlling an iOS device. >>>>> >>>>> Fast and Efficient Navigation >>>>> >>>>> Using the Apple Wireless Keyboard, users have several options for >>>>> navigating a note. These options include navigating and reading by >>>>> character, word, line, >>>>> paragraph, page, or note. Users can also jump to a particular word or >>>>> phrase with the Find feature, and users can also quickly jump to the top >>>>> or bottom >>>>> of a note. These navigation features also work on the device itself using >>>>> standard and custom VoiceOver gestures, and most of the commands are >>>>> available >>>>> on wireless braille displays. >>>>> >>>>> Powerful Search Features >>>>> >>>>> AccessNote has two powerful features for searching notes: Search and >>>>> Find. Search (found on the All Notes screen) is a global search tool used >>>>> for searching >>>>> for text throughout all of the user's files, and it can also search for >>>>> file names. Find is used to search for text within the current note that >>>>> is open. >>>>> To activate the Find feature, users can use the Option + F command for >>>>> the keyboard or a "double-tap and hold" gesture for use on the iOS device >>>>> itself. >>>>> >>>>> Automatic Saving and Syncing with Dropbox Files >>>>> >>>>> To avoid any data loss, all edits are automatically saved when typing in >>>>> a note. AccessNote also syncs automatically with the user's Dropbox >>>>> account, so >>>>> you have all your files all of the time. >>>>> >>>>> Customized Keyboard Commands >>>>> >>>>> The AFB Tech lab was able to create a handful of customized keyboard >>>>> commands for the Apple Wireless Keyboard. These commands include: >>>>> >>>>> list of 6 items >>>>> • Option + C to create a new note. >>>>> • Option + R to rename a note. >>>>> • Option + F to search for text within a note. >>>>> • Option + P to search for a previous note. >>>>> • Option + O to move to the next note. >>>>> • Option + M to mark a note as a favorite. >>>>> list end >>>>> >>>>> Although these custom commands have not yet been added for the wireless >>>>> braille displays, this could come in a future update. >>>>> >>>>> The Review Feature >>>>> >>>>> In case users simply want to read their notes (for example, when studying >>>>> for an exam), there is a convenient "Review" button at the top of each >>>>> note. When >>>>> using the Review feature, AccessNote is in a read-only mode, and thus, >>>>> users don't have to worry about making any unwanted edits. There are also >>>>> "tilt" >>>>> gestures available when using the Review feature. Simply tilt the iOS >>>>> device to the right to quickly switch to the next note or tilt it to the >>>>> left to >>>>> switch to the previous note. >>>>> >>>>> Options for Larger Text >>>>> >>>>> In Settings there is an option to choose the default text size. The >>>>> available sizes are 14 point, 18 point, and 22 point font. AccessNote >>>>> will also work >>>>> with the Zoom feature built into iOS, but Zoom cannot be used at the same >>>>> time as VoiceOver. >>>>> >>>>> Your Feedback Matters >>>>> >>>>> AFB Tech is very excited about AccessNote and has high hopes for its >>>>> release. Because Apple's iOS devices are very powerful, AFB Tech wants to >>>>> take advantage >>>>> of that to allow students and professionals to use the same mainstream >>>>> device that their sighted peers are using. The developers, of course, >>>>> will be looking >>>>> for feedback from those who purchase and use AccessNote, and they are >>>>> anxious to hear your reactions to the new note taker. >>>>> >>>>> This of course turns the tables on the AFB Tech lab rats. For years, >>>>> those in the AFB Tech product evaluation lab have been evaluating >>>>> products designed >>>>> by others and have never been known to pull any punches, so please let >>>>> the lab have it if it has missed the mark. It is ready for the good, the >>>>> bad, and >>>>> the ugly. >>>>> >>>>> The AFB Tech lab appreciates the feedback received from readers using the >>>>> AccessWorld app, which was the first iOS app AFB Tech developed in >>>>> conjunction >>>>> with FloCo Apps, LLC. The developers added several ideas provided by the >>>>> readers to the AccessWorld app and hope to do the same for AccessNote >>>>> upon its >>>>> highly anticipated release. >>>>> >>>>> Stay tuned to AccessWorld and the AFB Blog for announcements of >>>>> AccessNote's official release date. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> "A person cannot survive as a true Spartan fan unless he is a bit of a >>>>> masochist and a very large optimist." >>>>> >>>>> Steve >>>>> Lansing, MI >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>>> Google Group. >>>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email >>>>> toviphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>> Google Group. >>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >>>> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>> Google Group. >>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >>> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google >> Group. >> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > To search the VIPhone public archive, visit > http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. > To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. 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