Section 3. Access for People Who Are Blind: Off-the-Shelf Phones vs. Third Party Software

There are two ways access to cell phones is currently provided for people with vision loss:

• off-the-shelf or built-in accessibility, meaning access is incorporated directly into the phone; and
• using third party access software.

Currently, there are a limited selection of off-the-shelf phones which include built-in access to many but not all cell phone features.

Other phones, specifically phones running the Symbian, Windows Mobile and Windows Mobile Pocket PC Operating System platforms are compatible with third party screen reader programs that provide speech output and/or braille output to support nearly every feature and function on the phones. This third party software is similar to running the Window-Eyes or JAWS screen reader software programs on a personal computer.

Off-the-Shelf Phones

LG Phones with Voice Command

LG Electronics' phones with the "Voice Command" feature are available from several service providers. These phones allow you to use your voice to control many, but not all, aspects of the phones. It is speaker-independent, meaning that it recognizes any voice, so you do not have to train it to understand your voice. The speech recognition quality is robust, even in some noisy situations. These phones also have text-to-speech functionality that provides access to some but not all of the display screen information. This speech output also allows you to use the phone's control buttons to control the phone, in case you do not wish to speak commands to your phone. It will also speak the various menus as you navigate through them, but the speech doesn't support many of the underlying applications found in the menus.

To access LG's Voice Command function, you press the Voice button, and a recorded human voice responds, "Please say a command." For example, you could say, "Call 800-555-1212," and the phone will respond "Did you say call 800-555-1212?" You then respond "yes," and the phone will place your call. Although LG's Voice Command functions are certainly desirable for blind people, the number and function keys on the phones should be redesigned to be more identifiable by touch, including more consistent use of a "nib" or dot on the 5 key of all models. The amount of functionality supported by speech input and output varies by phone model. Here is a general list of some of the tasks and information you can access using these LG phones.

• You can dial by voice by speaking a phone number or the name of someone you have entered into your Contacts application.
• The phones will speak the digits as you dial a number.
• You can get a great deal of spoken phone status information, such as battery and signal strength. The phone also tells you how many missed calls, new voicemails, and new text messages you have.
• You can independently create contacts and look up the numbers for contacts you have entered in the phone's contacts/phonebook application.
• The phones will speak the number of an incoming caller or the person's name if you have entered it into your contacts list.
• Some models support composing and reading text messages.

Motorola i355 and i580

Available from Nextel, the Motorola i355 and i580 provide access similar to that of the LG phones, but not to as many features and functions as the LG phones. The buttons on these Motorola phones are more tactilely discernable than the LG phones. After rebates and agreement the i355 is $29.00 while the i580 after rebates and agreement is an expensive $279.00.

Speech output from Motorola's Text-to-speech engine supports the following features:

• the number keys you have pressed;
• the names, phone numbers, and types of contacts as you scroll through contacts (However, there is no speech support for adding/creating contacts.);
• the status information on the home screen, including the time and date, if you have voice mail, the battery level, and the signal strength;
• the word "home" when you return to the main screen;
• a prompt indicating that you have started or ended a call;
• the names, phone numbers, and types of contacts as you scroll through recent calls;
• the menu options as you scroll through the main menu only;
• notices, such as "low battery" and "keypad locked";
• caller ID information;
• pop-ups, such as "new voice mail" and "new text message".

The text-to-speech is built into the i580, but you have to download and install the software for the i355. This is a simple process for a person with a screen reader and a minimum level of experience using a web browser. However, we discovered a compatibility problem between the software and phone when testing the i355 in the Summer of 2006. Although Motorola fixed the problem in subsequent releases of the i355, you should check with Nextel and/or Motorola to be sure the software is compatible with the current version of the i355. The software performs the same on both phones, but there is one problem we discovered when testing the i580. You have to go through the menus to reach the setting on the i580 to turn on the text-to-speech. You have to first go to the menu and choose settings, but that is where the speech output stops briefly. You have to then scroll down five times and press OK to activate the voice-playback settings, where the speech support returns.

Samsung A640

Newly available from SprintPCS, the Samsung A640 has speech output functionality similar to the LG phones, but again, not as robust as the LG phones. However, we have not yet been able to completely evaluate this phone, and we could find no information online about this phone's access features. It was also not available at our local Sprint store.

Service Providers and Off-the-Shelf Phones

Disclaimer: Much of the information below is based on conversations with manufacturers and service providers, and has not been confirmed through our own accessibility testing. We recommend you visit your local cell phone retailer to feel the buttons on the LG phones and verify the availability of the Voice Command feature. The following is a listing by provider of the off-the-shelf phones discussed herein.

The New AT&T

AT&T now carries some LG phones with Voice Command. Check with your local store to see which ones they carry and to see if the tactile nature of the phones and buttons appeal to you.

AT&T now offers Code Factory's Mobile Speak screen reader and the Mobile Magnifier magnification application at a steeply discounted price for their customers with vision loss. (See the discussion of third-party software for further details about Code Factory and other screen access software.)

Sprint

Sprint offers the LG Lotus with Voice Command.

Verizon

LG VX8350 (speech supports composing text messages)
LG VX9900 (QWERTY keyboard; speech output supports composing and reading text messages)

Read AFB TECH's review of the LG VX8350

Third Party Software

There are three companies that manufacture third-party screen reader software for cellular phones: Code Factory, Dolphin Computer Access, and Nuance. This software provides speech and braille access to nearly every function of the phones with which they are compatible. So far, some games and other software from third-party venders are the only things we have found to not be compatible with the screen readers. This software is available only on selected phones running the Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Windows Pocket operating systems. There are roughly 40 compatible Symbian phones, 20 Pocket PC phones, and 50 Windows Mobile Smartphones.

Symbian phones work only with service providers using the GSM network, with AT&T and T-Mobile being the national carriers. Pocket PC and Smartphones are available on both GSM and CDMA carriers with Verizon, Sprint/Nextel and Alltel being the national CDMA carriers. Here is a list of the third-party screen reader products available on the respective operating system platforms:

From AT&T: Information about Mobile Speak, pricing, supported devices, and more

• Symbian cell phones: (1) Code Factory's Mobile Speak screen reader and (2) Nuance's TALKS screen reader.
• Pocket PC PDAs: (1) Code Factory's Mobile Speak Pocket screen reader and (2) Dolphin's Pocket Hal screen reader.
• Smartphones: (1) Code Factory's Mobile Speak Smartphone screen reader and (2) Dolphin's Smart Hal screen reader.

How does this Software Work?

These third-party software products provide access to cell phones in a way that is very similar to how JAWS or Window-Eyes provide access to computers. Each has a set of commands used to access information that is displayed on the screen. The Code Factory and Nuance products are also compatible with wireless braille displays, and Dolphin promises this compatibility in a future release.

Pricing

The prices of the phones compatible with third-party screen reader software vary widely, with newer models costing more than models reaching the end of their life cycle. Service contracts also affect the price, with longer contracts resulting in less expensive phones. We have found older phones with long contracts costing as low as $0, and newer phones without contracts costing as much as $399. The Symbian and Smartphone software programs cost $295, and the Pocket PC software costs $495 to $599, making the total cost of phone and software out of the reach of many people with vision loss.

Note: AT&T (formerly Cingular) now offers Code Factory's Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier products at the discounted rate of $89. They are the only service provider offering screen reader or screen magnifier products to their customers with vision loss. They no longer offer the TALKS software.

Documentation

The developers of the access software do provide accessible electronic manuals, but the manuals are fairly limited in scope, providing enough for you to learn the basics with the expectation you can learn the rest on your own. The manuals for the phones themselves, however, come in untagged PDF documents. The accessibility of these manuals varies from nonexistent to very good, but even the best should be tagged to avoid common PDF accessibility barriers, such as unlabelled graphics.

Products included in this review are not necessarily endorsed by the American Foundation for the Blind.

Updated November 1, 2007

Related Announcements

• Federal Communications Commission Notice: Accessible Mobile Phone Options for People Who Are Blind, Deaf- Blind, or Have Low Vision
• View all announcements