Changes and New Beginnings.

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not writing any new articles on the iAccessibility Report, but a lot is going on, and I think that everyone will like to hear what is coming up.

Future of this blog.

The iAccessibility Report has always been hosted here at iAccessibility.net, but in the future, users will have to go to report.iaccessibility.net or our readers can click the blog icon on the newly redesigned iAccessibility home page.

New iAccessibility Home Page

The new iAccessibility home page will be a place for ou users to come to learn more about our products and services offered by iAccessibility. We have a lot of things planned for this site, so we hope you enjoy the page when it is finished.

Conclusion

Not much will change here at the iAccessibility report, except for the location on the web, and also the frequency in which stories are posted. We promise to post more app reviews more frequently, and I’d also like to see a few new authors and some people comenting on these stories.

The iPad Mini

Apple last week just announced the newest lineup of iPads, one of which is a smaller, thinner, and lighter iPad called the iPad Mini. The iPad mini is the newest in the line of iOS tablets, and comes with the same features as the iPad 2, and starts at $329.00.

Why would the iPad Mini be good for blind users?

While the iPad (4th generation) is a great device, it still costs as much as any of the previous iPads, and really does not add anything new for blind users at this point. The iPad Mini is a smaller device that runs the same apps as the larger iPad, and is $170 cheaper than the bigger variant. The Mini also allows for a user to find things on the screen easier since there is not as big of an area so the user does not have to search everywhere to find something small.

Why the iPad Mini instead of the iPad 2?

Apple is still selling the iPad 2, but it still has the same screen size as the 4th generation iPad without the same features. The iPad 2 also does not have Siri, which does run on the iPad Mini. This makes the Mini a great device for users wanting SIRI without paying the extra for the 4th generation iPad.

Conclusion

The iPad Mini allows blind user the ability to afford an iPad without paying the full amount that users have had to pay with previous iPads. The device still runs VoiceOver, and also has Siri built in. This device starts at $329.00, and will give the user the flexibility of the iPad 2 and iPad 3rd generation.

 

iBlink Radio from Serotek

Serotek has built several cloud solutions for the blind and visually impaired that allows users to use their computers to watch descriptive movies. One of the things from Serotek is an app for iOS called iBlink Radio. iBlink Radio allows users to listen to many different podcasts and reader services that are produced by the blind. You can also listen to all of the podcasts from Serotek in this app. With the latest update, users can now connect their System Access Mobile Network, or SAMNet account to iBlink Radio, and enjoy all of the great content that is offered on that service.

How does the app work

iBlink Radio consists of a man menu, which is a table that loads results from the web. From this menu, the user can tap on the most recent shows from Serotek, or they can select a category to browse. This will bring up a new menu of choices. Once the user selects the show they want to listen to, a player with the usual music player controls will appear at the bottom to control the audio.

How to sign in to SAMNet

It is very easy to sign in to SAMNet in iBlink Radio. First, go to SAMNet Sampler, and select login to SAMNet. Once you enter your username and password the page will change, and you will get access to all of your SAMNet content.

Problems with the app.

Even though this update is great, it is not without its flaws. The major flaw that has been found is the player. If the user does anything to manipulate the current position of audio playback the app will start the audio over or crash. This even happens when pausing or resuming audio. It is nice to have an app that can deliver this content, but without a stable player, it makes listening tedious and frustrating to the end user. I also determined that this happens while using the remote control functions from the headphones and the app chooser of iOS.

Conclusion

While iBlink radio is a great app, the unreliability of the player makes this app frustrating and tedious. I would really like to see Serotek fix this problem as I really like using this app. I also would like to pause and resume my audio as well, so for now, I am having to use the Apple podcasts app to listen to the Serotek Podcast Network.

iAccessibility On Facebook!

We now have a new Facebook page! If you want to learn more about us, or if you want to leave us comments, then feel free to do so at facebook.com/iaccessibility

Fleksy – Does Fleksy change the way the blind uses the iPhone?

So now that Fleksy has been released for a few weeks now, I would like to look at the app, and see if it measures up to the hype that surrounded it at #NFB12?

How does Fleksy work?

Fleksy is a new keyboarding app for iOS that allows blind or visually impaired users to type on any iPhone or iPod touch. Once the user loads the app, Fleksy loads the speech engine and then brings up a text box and the on scren keyboard. Once loaded, a user can then tap on the screen where they think the character they need would be, and then the the user swipes right to complete the word they just typed. Once the user swipes right the app tries to guess what word they typed and puts it on the screen. swiping down will go to the next suggestion, and swiping left will delete the word. swiping right again will add punctuation.

thoughts

So how well does it work? Fleksy has proven to be a very accurate app. I believe it has up to 90% accuracy The speech is good, and it is very responsive. Several users have said they do not like the price of the app, but for the licensing and technology needed to build this app I can see why this is needed. There are still some things I do not like though. First, I think we should have an iPad version of this. This app will work on the iPad, but the app will still need to be doubled to be used in full screen on the iPad, which lowers accuracy. I urge the makers of Fleksy to please make an iPad app. I would also like to see some saving abilities. Local and iCloud saving would be an excellent thing to add. I would love to see the load times fixed to be a bit quicker, but I do understand why this happens.

Conclusion

Fleksy is a great new app to help the blind and visually impaired type quickly. Even though this is the best audience, I do think that this app could be used in other applications. I think that if the makers wanted a more broad audience, then they would market this app as a fully eyes-free capable app for sighted users who need to keep their eyes on the road or who need to watch where they are going while walking. Even though the app has a lot of new features and is very useful, I think it would be very worth the price if it has some of the features mentioned above. Despite the price, I recommend everyone get this app and support these guys. I also would recomend any iOS developers check out their APIs for their own apps.

#NFB2012 – Welcome!

If you have heard abut this site from this year’s NFB convention in Dallas, I strongly urge you to subscribe to this site, so you can receive updates on new products, reviews and general iOS news. I hope everyone enjoys the site, and their time at the convention. It only comes around once a year! I hope to see everyone again around the Anatole.

Fleksy – A new way of using a keyboard on mobile devices!

Yesterday, I was able to get a look at the new keyboarding technology from Fleksy. Fleksy is going to be a new app for iOS that lets the user type text without having to use exact placement fingers on the screen. All you have to do is tap where you think letters should be and type a full word, and the app will predict which word you are trying to type. After trying this system, I believe that this app/technology is at least 90% accurate.

How does it work?

Fleksy is a simple and intuitive new technology that lets you type without having to find keyboard keys. To start, you start trying to type a word. Once you are done, swipe right and the app will predict what you typed. If that word is not correct, swipe down or up to get more suggestions. The swipe right also puts a space, and there is also commands to add punctuation as well. Swipe left will also delete the word you just typed.

Conclusion

Fleksy is an incredible new technology that will be making its way to the iOS app store very shortly. The developers have also said they would like to create APIs for other developers to use their technology in other apps. I plan to add Fleksy technology to all future app releases I come out with, and would love to see other developers do the same. If you are here at the 2012 National Federation of the Blind convention, try and find one of their representatives and they will give you a demonstration.