fkjegj

Contributed by John J. Herzog One of the Android apps that blind and visually impaired users especially enjoy is WalkyTalky by the Eyes-Free Project. When the app is on, users hear street addresses as they walk past buildings and houses. If the phone has a good internal GPS receiver, this app makes independent travel much easier, but if the device has a buggy internal receiver, as is the case with the Samsung Epic, feedback is nonexistent or obviously inaccurate. For users who are not hearing spoken feedback or reliable information from WalkyTalky and other navigation apps, I highly recommend the use of an external Bluetooth receiver with an app called Bluetooth GPS Provider by mobile-j.de. This combination of hardware and software greatly increases the accuracy of the GPS and even, as in my case, the amount of auditory feedback delivered. Bluetooth GPS receivers are available through eBay and electronics stores like Radio Shack and Best Buy. I have the Holux m 1000. Other members of t...

Contributed by John J. Herzog Unfortunately, the upgrade to Android 2.2 has broken many accessible applications and features of the Samsung Epic. This is largely due to the Touchwiz user interface (UI), which is responsible for modifying key apps. After using my phone for a couple of days, I have found issues with Messaging, Call Log, Contacts, Caller ID, music player, GPS, my user defined home screen, and the My Apps area of the Market. Other apps may be affected as well. In this post, I explain the accessibility drawbacks in each of these key apps and describe workarounds to help you get a useable phone. Messaging on the Epic with 2.2 Problem: In the stock text messaging app, it is hard to send a message to a person when there is no pre-existing conversation. When you open the app, you are placed in an edit box, and Talkback says, "to," to indicate that this is where you enter a phone number or contact name. While you can still write in this box, you can no longer type the ...

Contributed by Fenton Smith I explain here how blind people can remove the DRM from Kindle books for use on Android and other devices. These instructions are permitted only for personal use so that people with disabilities can have the same level of access to ebooks as is already available to the sighted. Certain legal ramifications should be kept in mind. While the Department of Justice has said that it will take no action against those who break DRM to make file content accessible to people with disabilities, the DOJ has also said that it will take legal action if people sell, give away or loan such files outside their immediate households. Also, carelessness with respect to the rights of authors and publishers may cause the DOJ to rethink its stand and Amazon to plug this hole in its DRM. Given all of this, I recommend against doing the work for other blind people, even if they buy the original source from Amazon. Instead, I suggest pointing them to tutorials like this one, which de...

Keyboard Tutor is a new Android app from the eyes-free project that can help you locate and learn about the keys on your physical keyboard, and any other physical buttons on your phone. Just start the app, and press any button to hear a description of that button spoken. You can download Keyboard Tutor from the android market.

If you are reading this blog for the first time, you are probably a developer wondering how to make your app more accessible to screen reader users. This post explains how you can test your app for accessibility, what you can do to make it more usable by blind and visually impaired people, and where you can find more information to help you develop accessibly. Understanding Android Accessibility When developing for Android, you must keep three things in mind: 1. The touchscreen is not accessible, so blind and visually impaired users find and activate controls using the d-pad or trackball. 2. Web views are not accessible, so blind and visually impaired users can not read information presented in this format, unless it is web content that can be accessed via the user default browser, in this case the Ideal Web Reader. 3. End users have very basic control over the information that is spoken, so long explanatory screens aren't helpful because the information generally cannot be repeate...

Contributed by John Herzog PDAnet by June Fabrics Software is an application that enables you to tether your android phone to your computer. This is convenient when you need an internet connection as you are out and about. No rooting of the phone is required, and the app is both entirely accessible with Talkback and compatible with android 2.1 and 2.2. I discuss using PDAnet with Windows. The Mac version does not appear to be accessible and I explain why later in this article. Installing PDAnet PDAnet involves some setup both on your phone and on the laptop or netbook you will be using. First, install the app on your phone. To do this, use your handset to open the android market. In the search box, type "pdanet" without capitals or spaces. Scroll to PDAnet by June Fabrics software and install it as you would any other application. Next, on your computer, go to the June Fabrics Software website and download PDAnet for your PC. There are two components to this program, and bo...

The following was posted to the Eyes-Free list today by J.J. Meddaugh of A T Guys. A T Guys is pleased to announce a new website for the accessible Android community. Android Access offers information, ratings, and accessibility reviews for dozens of accessible Android applications. Users can • Post reviews of apps they've tried. • View tips and tricks submitted by others. • Learn more about how to get started with the Android operating system. • Stay up to date with the latest news and features. We are thrilled to bring this free service to the Android community, and look forward to your comments, suggestions, and submissions. Click here to visit Android Access.

Mobile Accessibility: Code Factory Goes Android! Features • Touchscreen Navigation • Speech Recognition • Web and Email Access • Nuance’s Vocalizer® Text-to-Speech FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain, March 2nd, 2011 Today, Code Factory is delighted to introduce Mobile Accessibility, a screen-access application that allows people who are blind or have low vision to use an Android phone in an intuitive, easy and simple way. Mobile Accessibility is the first accessible Android application that permits intuitive touchscreen navigation of Android phones, featuring text readback via natural sounding voices powered by Nuance’s Vocalizer® text-to-speech technology. “Mobile phones have proved to be among the fastest-changing consumer technologies in the world – particularly with the advent of the Android platform. So making mobile phones accessible to the blind and visually impaired is therefore challenging, fascinating, thrilling and totally exciting all at the same time,” expla...

Nolan Darilek, the developer of the Spiel screen reader, posted the following to the Eyes-Free Android list. His new app is a free download from the Android Market: Touchtype is an accessible on-screen keyboard for Android devices, inspired heavily by that found in Apple's IOS. Open source released under the Apache 2.0 license, Touchtype is useful even without the on-screen keyboard, as it also solves several accessibility flaws in Android's input-handling. Find it in the Android Market, or at http://dev.thewordnerd.info/touchtype where you'll also find installation and usage instructions. Note: please read the *entire main page* before asking questions or offering feedback, as the FAQ addresses many of the most common questions I've received. Enjoy. I'll try popping into the eyes-free list from time to time, but for a quicker response, please ask any questions on the Spiel group.