Yeah, I guess I'm not too personally worried either. I think about what was available to me as far as accessible phones, PDA's and note takers about a decade ago and then how I felt when I got my Nokia Communicator which wehn running Talks gave me an accessible cellphone, PDA and note taker. It still wasn't cheap at the time, but it was a lot cheaper than a product made especially for the blind. Now I can get an iPhone with it's accessibility and access to all of it's apps, and I don't see us taking any steps backwards because there are a handful of apps out their written especially for the blind, some of which are more useful than others.
I'm very much a pragmatist when it comes to accessibility. I can certainly understand why someone would want a dedicated note taker made especially for the blind. There's still something to be said for something like the old Braille 'n' Speak, where I could just flip a switch and be taking notes in just a few seconds. IMHO, there are pros and cons to all in one devices versus dedicated devices. Although I like seeing us being able to access and use more and more mainstream products, and I think this this is a positive trend, I also don't have a problem using a device made especially for the blind if it's going to make my life easier and help me compete with my sighted colleagues. I would not have been employed for the last 20 years if it hadn't been for products like JAWS, the Braille 'n' Speak and so on. On 13/07/12 08:58, Ricardo Walker wrote: > 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 > [email protected] > Twitter:@apple2thecore > www.appletothecore.info > > On Jul 13, 2012, at 9:02 AM, Krister Ekstrom <[email protected]> > 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 >>> [email protected] >>> Twitter:@apple2thecore >>> www.appletothecore.info >>> >>> On Jul 13, 2012, at 8:44 AM, Krister Ekstrom <[email protected]> >>> 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/[email protected]/. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email >>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>> 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/[email protected]/. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>> [email protected]. >>>>> 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/[email protected]/. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> [email protected]. >>>> 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/[email protected]/. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> 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/[email protected]/. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > -- Christopher (CJ) chaltain at Gmail -- 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/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en.
