Joe, you have a legitimate point of view and I am inclined to agree that the price is a bit out of line for what it actually does. I respectfully do have to question whether this would be an appropriate refund instance. I strongly believe that a refund is in order when we purchase an app which a blind person cannot use because it doesn't work with VO and we had no way to determine this in advance. However, BS does work with VO and there are a number of podcasts on what it does and how on Applevis. An especially good one was produced by the developer and I found it well worth the time before I decided to purchase it. If it doesn't do everything you hoped it would I can readily understand your disappointment. However, most software is sold with a caveat that there is no promise that it will do everything you might choose to use it for. The developer can produce an app, describe what it does in it's description and be held accountable for doing what was promised. The developer has no control of the purchaser's expectations and if they extend beyond what was promised they can't really be held accountable. I can't recall what I paid for the app but I do agree that $24 is a bit too high for what it does in the context of what else is out there. I do find it useful and at times I find it funny. I use it's pedometer functionality on my neighborhood walk to pace myself. I also found it funny when I got to an intersection I had been to thousands of times over the last 30 years and BS informed me that the Easy Lounge - My Boudoir was 450 feet away at 11 o'clock. I decided I didn't want to go there but it was a good laugh in a rather staid middle class inner city neighborhood. Found it interesting to use along with Navigon to see some of the things along the way to the places I go. I learned that some places were actually in a totally different part of Dallas than I had thought. Not essential information to this taxi traveler but interesting. Bottom line of course is that the app is worthwhile to some of us and totally a waste of money to others. When they can't sell it at the current price, they will sell it cheaper and the point at which the price is right will differ for different customers. For a lot of people on this list the right price would be less than zero because they simply do not need or want what it does. In any case, you are perfectly appropriate to express your opinion and perhaps prevent someone else with similar needs from wasting his or her money. Such posts are a major reason a lot of us subscribe to the list in the first place.
Regards, Wayne -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of SSEric Sent: Monday, October 28, 2013 7:53 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: RE: BlindSquare, A Disappointment Joe, I have been a user since release, so I paid much less. I certainly would not have paid the asking $24. Many times, much of what I pay for these sorts of accessible apps I write off as donating to the cause, anyway, and find many of them not to be worth the $10 or so they charge. Let me first say much of this is naturally a part of not practicing with any app, but the times I have needed BS I have found it lacking, too. When I really needed to know where I was or find an address, I was bombarded with unnecessary and useless information. For instance, while walking on the side of the street I knew a business to be on, I was constantly told the stadium was at 2:00 or 5:00, and I knew the stadium was on the other side of the street. Then, when I thought I was pretty close to my destination, I was given a range of street numbers, even though I discovered where I was going was on a corner. I could understand that range given mid block... This instance of unreliability was particularly glaring to me at the time as I was in an unfamiliar area and it was late at night, so I wanted to promptly, confidently get to my address. Again, had I taken BS to this neighborhood during a leisurely walk and had time to become familiar with how it worked, it would have worked a little better for me that late night. But, if I knew all that, I would not have needed BS anyway. That is just one instance when I felt I was let down by the app when used in situations I expect it was meant to handle. The other thing I find so frustrating is the time it takes to gather and report information. It is not always conducive to stand on a corner 30 seconds or so while the app figures out where you are; especially not near midnight. The thing I do find best about it is being able to simulate a location. I am not sure what other apps do this, but it is fun and somewhat useful. One thing I would like to find, and maybe something I don't currently use does this, is to simulate travel along a block and be told what businesses you would be passing. It would be quite useful for picturing where a given location is on a route you plan to travel. Eric -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Joe Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 7:15 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: RE: BlindSquare, A Disappointment Hi Alex, I don't want my personal opinion to taint your interest in purchasing the app. I do feel like the skunk at the picnic for being the only person who has found the app disappointing, but after another round of putting the app through its paces, I don't get the wow factor. WhereTo lets you choose from a wider selection of business categories and gives you the same distance monitoring that BlindSquare provides. Ariadne performs the same function you mention regarding the bus travel example. I'm not saying the app can't be great for some people, but for me the excitement just isn't there for the money you pay compared to other orientation apps. I knew not to expect turn-by-turn directions. I knew it was not a fully functional navigation app like the Seeing Eye app, but I was expecting better accuracy, better stability and, frankly, better coverage than what BlindSquare is providing. The app is not providing nearly the amount of information it ought to be providing for an area I am very familiar with. Anyway, I'll stop slamming the thing. I know people are loyal to it, but at $24 I thought it worth sharing my candid thoughts on the thing. Besides, if Apple refuses my refund request, I'll have no choice but to start liking the blasted thing.--Joe From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Alex Hall Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 12:48 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: BlindSquare, A Disappointment First, I do not have this app, but I have done a lot of research into it and am thinking of buying it at some point. That said, it all depends on what you want from a navigation app. Blindsquare can't do turn-by-turn directions, so that's where other mapping apps come in and it is why Blindsquare can run in the background. What you can do, though, is monitor a POI, with the app telling you where it is in relation to you as you move. This way, if you know the general layout of your area but not where a specific point is, you can find it easily enough. You can also set up triggers to have the app alert you when you pass within a distance you pick of a point you pick. For example, if you need to have the bus stop at First and Main, just set a 200 meter trigger for that spot. You can then use the app to see your current street, and when you are on Main or First and the app alerts you that you are within your notification distance, you can have the bus stop or remind the driver where you need to get off. On Oct 27, 2013, at 11:41 AM, Richard Turner <richard.turne...@gmail.com> wrote: Also, to add to Sieghard's comments, using Blind Square together with Google Maps gives the best combination for knowing what is around you, what street is coming up and turn-by-turn directions for one third of what you would pay for one year of the Seeing eye app. Blind Square has been updated numerous times since it came out and the next release will likely simplify the main screen and may get closer to what you were expecting in the first place. Very few app developers have been as responsive to user feedback. I would strongly recommend that you contact the developer directly with your concerns and I think you may find, with some patients, that you will become much more fond of using it. If not, then by all means, go for that refund. Good luck with either choice, Richard ________________________________ From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto: <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Joe Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 7:50 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: RE: BlindSquare, A Disappointment Hi Sieghard, The BlindSquare app is very accessible. I don't want to give anyone the impression that it is not, and as far as I know, Apple gives other reasons for why you can request a refund. It's a long shot, hence my pointing out my, hope, for a refund. In that regard, Android gets a small nod from me for allowing a try before you buy scenario, but that's beside the point and not an attempt to stir up a debate. I listened to a few podcasts about the app. That's ultimately what motivated me to take the plunge, but I may not have heard the one you're specifically referring to. If you can think of the episode title or date, I'd be much appreciative. At $24, I'd be glad to find ways to like it, though I did spend time reading through all the documentation. Anyway, just my two dollar's worth. I'm open to being convinced otherwise, but so far the alternatives are winning out. Joe From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto: <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Sieghard Weitzel Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 10:36 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: RE: BlindSquare, A Disappointment Hi Joe, First of all, I doubt you will be able to get a refund. Apple has been giving refunds for inaccessible apps, but you can definitely not argue that Blindsquare is inaccessible since it was made for blind users. I think Blindsquare is awesome when it comes to finding out what's around you. First of all it is by far the best of these apps (I am not including the Seeing-Eye app when I say "these apps") when it comes to announcing upcoming intersections without having to interact with the device. I know Ariadne has a Monitoring function which is supposed to do this, but I somehow never found it was all that reliable. I admit, however, that after I bought Blindsquare I deleted Ariadne from my phone and I haven't used it probably in at least a year. I also like the fact that it's very easy to put in my own points of interest in Blindsquare. Later I can, for example, sit in my house and I can check out where these points are in relationship to my house, e.g. "Start of Trail, 550 metres at 11 o'clock". You can, of course, do the same with other points of interest, e.g. stores, restaurants etc. >From what you said I assume you haven't listened to any Podcasts about Blindsquare because then maybe you might have had a better idea about what to expect. But I think it's a good idea to go to www.applevis.com <http://www.applevis.com/> , search for Blindsquare and listen to especially the one Podcast, can't remember the name of the person who does it. Maybe you will find some information or hear about uses you hadn't thought of before. Regards, Sieghard From: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Joe Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 7:25 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: BlindSquare, A Disappointment I purchased the BlindSquare app on account of I did not want to spend a lot more for the Seeing Eye GPS app. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, except I was hoping for a little more familiarity with my environment. As it stands, the only real advantage is that BlindSquare can tell me, maybe what intersection is in front of me, and that with some turning this way and that to make sure the app is not capturing intersections further away than what you're looking for. Actually, it seems a little illogical that you would need to tap into two screens to turn on a mode that ought to be readily accessible from the main screen. By all means buy it if you're on the fence, but my personal recommendation is that it's more than a little overblown. If you use Ariadne GPS with a combination of WhereTo or Around Me, and pair these up with Google MAPS or Apple's own Maps app, you'll be more than good to go without spending more than twenty bucks. I would venture to suggest that even Sendero's Look Around app could help. Me, I'm hoping I'll be able to get a refund. Thumbs down.--Joe -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing viphone@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com> . Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/ <http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/> . Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailingviphone+ow...@googlegroups.com <mailto:viphone+ow...@googlegroups.com> . 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