How do I contact the AFB Tech lab with feedback?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve" <[email protected]
To: <[email protected]>,"the-facts-machine"
<[email protected]
Date sent: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:41:49 -0400
Subject: AccessNote AFB's New Notetaker for your IOS Device
BlankThis 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
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