Editor's Page
Lee Huffman
Cell Phone Access
The Current State of Cell Phone Accessibility
I've been writing cell phone evaluation articles for AccessWorld for over eight years, and in this issue focusing on cell phone accessibility, I thought I'd better step up and have something to say. In this article, I give an overview of the current state of accessibility affairs in the mobile device world and link to AccessWorld articles. I'll begin with smartphones that are in reality very powerful mobile computers, and cover less powerful mobile phones, known as feature phones. I also briefly detail what each of the four major national service providers offer as far as accessible devices. I also provide information about Access Wireless, a website created by The Wireless Association (CTIA) and the wireless industry to help people with disabilities, seniors, and their families find a cell phone and service.—Darren Burton
When the iPhone first made news among users with vision loss because it was "accessible out of the box," I was not among those rushing to buy one. A long time Verizon customer, my excuse was "I'll get one if it ever comes to Verizon." Well, the iPhone did come to Verizon, at just about the same time that I was asked to review Getting Started with the iPhone: An Introduction for Blind Users (National Braille Press). It struck me that reviewing the book as a brand-new user of the iPhone 4 would be an ideal approach. The iPhone and the book arrived on my doorstep at roughly the same time, and the combination proved to be the proverbial match made in heaven.—Deborah Kendrick
My Trials and Tribulations Learning the iPhone with VoiceOverJanet Ingber
This article chronicles some problems I had learning to use the iPhone and how I was able to solve them. Read this article and learn from my mistakes. The first text message I sent from my iPhone was to my husband. The message said, "I hate this phone." Now, I absolutely love it.—Janet Ingber
Product Evaluations
An Evaluation of Mobile Accessibility for Android, by Code Factory
Perhaps one of the biggest recent advancements for Android accessibility is the introduction of Mobile Accessibility for Android from Code Factory. Mobile Accessibility provides a two-pronged accessibility solution: a homegrown suite of applications, and a screen reader for the phone. This review looks at version 1.2 of Mobile Accessibility, and evaluates how the software performs a variety of tasks.—J.J. Meddaugh
Accessibility Review: The Verizon Accolade Cell Phone
We recently learned Verizon had replaced the LG VX8360 with the LG Accolade with speech output, and were curious to see how it performed. This evaluation takes a close look at the built-in accessibility features of this basic feature phone.—Tara Annis and Morgan blubaugh
Letters to the Editor
Readers Offer Feedback on the May Issue and Thoughts on Vision Restoration
AccessWorld News
