When I started using Smart Phones I decided to get an Android. It was much harder to use and less efficient. However, it made me appreciate the IPhone even more. It also made it easier to use. The article makes it sound like the IPhone is not a good idea. With patience it is a great tool for blind people. It gives us so much better access to mainstream technology at a cheaper price than we are used to.
On 6/5/14, Victor Gouveia <[email protected]> wrote: > David, > > I think you should have mentioned, when stating the cost of the iPhone is > over 600 dollars was to point out that if one were to purchase a separate > unit to do all of the things the iPhone does for the blind, the cost would > run well over thousands of dollars, such as the Humanware Trekker Breeze, > the SARA Scanner or Pearl Camera from Freedom Scientific, or the Digital > Talking Book Player, such as the Humanware Victor Reader or the > BookPort/BookSense. > > Each of these items perform only one function which is a fragment of what > the iPhone currently has to offer a blind person, and yet, only the cost of > > the phone is looked at. > > All in all, it was a good response to an otherwise pitiful excuse for what > was supposed to be an unbiased article. > > > > Victor Gouveia > Vice-President > Training Coordinator > VIP Tech > Tel: 1-888-640-6661 > Fax: 1-888-640-6669 > Home: [email protected] > Work: [email protected] > Limiting Disabilities with Limitless Possibilities > > -----Original Message----- > From: 'David Goldfield' via VIPhone > Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 1:38 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: NFB June Braille Monitor/Article on the iPhone > > Here is the article which I have just published to my blog. > > My comments on the Braille Monitor Article concerning the iPhone > Comment on My comments on the Braille Monitor Article concerning the iPhone > the June 2014 edition of the Braille Monitor contained an article by > Curtis Chong titled Knowing what Is Good about the iPhone and What is > Not.I was intrigued by the title. I have to admit that I've become quite > the Apple fanboy of late and I would have a very difficult time in > coming up with a list of ten objections or things which are "not good" > about the iPhone. In fact, I'm having a very difficult time in coming up > with a list of one or two things which are "not good" about the iPhone. > However, no product is perfect and I can handle objectively written > product evaluations. Unfortunately, this article was not one of them. > I'm going to reprint each of the objections stated by Mr. Chong in their > entirety, with my comments below each objection. > What Is Not Good About The iPhone > 1. If you don't want to pay for a data plan, the iPhone has no option > for that. A data plan will cost you about twenty dollars a month. You > need a data plan for the iPhone to be able to communicate over the > Internet. > Response: you need to pay for a monthly plan to get anything on the > Internet. If a consumer already has an Internet connection in his home, > he can buy an iPod Touch or an iPad. These devices run iOS and don't > require an additional monthly data plan. The fact is that any computer > or device that accesses the Internet is usually going to require you to > pay for some sort of access plan. > 2. It is very inefficient to make a simple phone call with the iPhone, > particularly if you don't have a person in your contacts list. You can > dial a phone number that you know much more quickly with a keypad that > has real, physical buttons. > Response: not at all. You can simply press the home button and command > siri to call any number, such as saying "call 302 555-1212." That's > hardly what I'd call inefficient. Also, a consumer can order screen > protectors from Speeddots containing tactile keyboard overlays. > Finally, the rivo keyboard, while insanely expensive, gives you a keypad > allowing for quick telephone entry and it also provides keyboard > commands which let you control many other functions of the iPhone. > 3. On the iPhone touch typing for texting and email is very slow as > compared to a regular keyboard; this has been somewhat mitigated by > Braille apps, of which there are now two. However, you should know that > research has shown that, on average, a blind person entering data using > the touch-screen QWERTY keyboard is writing at about three words per > minute. By contrast, users of the built-in Braille apps have been > clocked at around 23 words per minute. > response: you can use any number of Bluetooth keyboards if you want to > compose a lengthy email or text message. For short text messages, > composing one is as quick as dictating the text to Siri, just as you can > use your voice to place a call. > 4. The iPhone is very much a technology requiring good hand-ear > coordination. People who want real buttons that they can operate > silently by touch will be very disappointed in the iPhone. > As I stated in a previous response, you can purchase affordable tactile > overlays from Speeddots. Besides, in the section in the article covering > the iPhone's strengths, it is stated correctly that the iPhone > demonstrates, with a properly designed user interface, that blind people > can successfully operate a touchscreen. > 5. Battery life for the iPhone is still an issue. You have to charge it > at least once a day--a lot more if you use GPS. > Response: yes, I long for the days when products like the Braille 'n > Speak could give us 30 hours of battery life from one charge. However, > this is a non-issue. During the day, I connect my iPhone to my > computer's USB port and when I get home I connect it to my computer for > a few hours before going to bed. Turning off Bluetooth, if you're not > using that service, and turning your screen brightness down to zero > percent will do a lot to save battery life. Besides, it's not exactly a > major inconvenience to plug the thing into a computer or a wall outlet > every night. > 6. The iPhone is not small. It is bigger than a lot of flip phones. > response: are you serious? Really, are you kidding me? My wife's > Motorola Droid Ultra has a wider form factor. The iPhone fits very > comfortably in one hand. I mean, we're not talking about a device like > an iPad or a Kindle 8.9 HDX. > 7. For a lot of people the iPhone is a lot more technology than they > want. It is not for someone who just wants a phone to make and receive > calls. > response: true, but once blind people discover that the iPhone can act > as their digital book player, restaurant menu reader, Web browser, email > client, money identifier, barcode scanner, radio tuner, game player and > object recognizer they might just want to use it for more than just > making and receiving phone calls. > 8. The iPhone is not cheap. Even with a two-year contract, the basic > unit can cost $200. The full retail price of the iPhone is approximately > $650. > I received my iPhone 5C, 32 GB version, for free if I agreed to sign a > two-year contract with Verizon, which I was more than happy to do. > Admittedly, that particular deal expired on March 31 of this year but I > have heard that at least one other carrier was offering a similar deal. > It is likely that consumers who do a bit of searching will be able to > acquire an iPhone for a fraction of the actual cost if they are willing > to sign a contract with the carrier. > 9. First-time users of the iPhone have reported initial frustration with > this powerful technology. It is not uncommon for these people to feel as > if they want to throw the phone away during the first month. Answering > calls and hanging up calls seem to be two particularly difficult > problems for beginning iPhone users. > Response: does this mean we shouldn't recommend JAWS or NVDA to some > consumers who are new to Windows because we can find a percentage of > users who experienced frustration with their screen reader during the > first few weeks or months of use. It is common for people to find a new > piece of hardware or software frustrating or difficult to use when > they're first learning how to use the product. Yes, using a product with > a touchscreen is a very different way of interacting with a device and > frustration can occur. This is true, by the way, with sighted consumers > as well as blind consumers so this really is a very silly objection. > 10. The iPhone requires a fair amount of dexterity and the ability to > tap quickly. People who have motor issues or poor dexterity will likely > not benefit from this technology. > Response: I don't believe this is correct. I'm no expert on this but I > remember reading about how the iPhone can be adapted for consumers with > difficulties with hand movement. > I acknowledge that Mr. Chong also compiled a list of many advantages of > owning an iPhone; I was amused that he listed that one of them was that > NFB Newsline was available as an app. However, I found this list of > things which were "not good" to be misleading and an example of > irresponsible journalism. Mr. Chong is entitled to his opinions. > However, the NFB is a very influential organization and many of its > members as well as readers of the Braille Monitor take these articles > very seriously because they are being published by a well-known and > well-respected organization which claims to represent the visually > impaired. I am concerned that this article could convince many blind > people, as well as friends and family members who support them, that the > iPhone will not be a good product for them. This is tragic, as it could > potentially be responsible for deterring blind consumers from enjoying a > device whose functionality is unmatched by any competitor. It is my > sincere hope that Mr. Chong would examine the validity or lack thereof > of the objections which he states in his article and that he would > consider writing a follow-up piece to correct these statements. > Feel free to visit my new Web site http://www.DavidGoldfield.info Feel > free to visit my LinkedIn profile > http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-goldfield/12/929/573 Visit my blog > http://davidgoldfield.wordpress.com Follow me on Twitter > http://www.twitter.com/davidgoldfield David Goldfield, Founder and Peer > Coordinator Philadelphia Computer Users' Group for the Blind and > Visually Impaired > On 6/5/2014 1:13 AM, Neal Ewers wrote: >> Curtis Chong the author of this article has been around for some time. It >> would have been interesting if the article had been written by someone >> younger. >> >> Neal >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On >> Behalf >> Of Teresa Cochran >> Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2014 11:19 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: NFB June Braille Monitor/Article on the iPhone >> >> Um. Where to start? Well, if you don't want a smart phone, don't get one. >> >> If >> you don't want to pay for a data plan, get an iPod Touch, or an iPad >> without >> a data plan. What are those, you say? Hmmm. As for the virtual keyboards >> they're not as fast for anyone as a regular keyboard. How fast was the >> old >> method of using the teeny keys on a "real" phone keyboard or even the >> numpad >> keys for typing letters? Not very. And why not use Siri to call a number? >> What is Siri? Hmmm. >> >> I will say that I have come across folks at my local blind center who >> receive iPhones and haven't the slightest idea how to operate them. A >> well-meaning person might have given it as a gift, but they ask me why >> they >> can't do things more simply. Maybe for some, a bit more one-on-one >> attention >> would have been a good idea. >> >> having said this, I think this article is more than a tad condescending, >> if >> addressed to most blind folks out there. >> >> Teresa >> >> "The golden age of science fiction is twelve."--Pete graham >> >> On Jun 4, 2014, at 8:52 PM, 'David Goldfield' via VIPhone >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Has anyone read the June Braille Monitor? there is an article covering >> the supposed pros and cons of the iPhone. I have to admit that it would >> be >> very difficult for me to come up with a list of ten things which are "not >> good" about the iPhone but this article supposedly did just that. I plan >> >> to >> write a detailed blog post in the coming week with my responses to the >> ten >> objections but I'll just say that it's one of the most irresponsible >> pieces >> of journalism I've ever read from that magazine. Please, understand that >> this is not meant as a bash about the NFB vs any other organization or >> even >> a criticism of the Monitor. However, the piece infuriated me because the >> NFB is a highly influential organization and many of its members and >> readers >> of the Monitor will take the article seriously just because it comes from >> >> a >> nationally recognized blindness organization. My fear is that many >> people >> may read this article and will be convinced to not buy an iPhone due to >> things which the article claims are "not good" about the device. >>> -- >>> Feel free to visit my new Web site http://www.DavidGoldfield.info Feel >> free to visit my LinkedIn profile >> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-goldfield/12/929/573 Visit my blog >> http://davidgoldfield.wordpress.com Follow me on Twitter >> http://www.twitter.com/davidgoldfield David Goldfield, Founder and Peer >> Coordinator Philadelphia Computer Users' Group for the Blind and Visually >> Impaired >>> -- >>> The following information is important for all members of the viphone >> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you >> have >> any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel >> that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. 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The archives for this list > can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
