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Mobile Information Page

Here's information on cell phones, their software, and other related software/hardware for making a phone accessible or for accomplishing other tasks.

• Twitter is a very popular site that continues to grow in use, which allows people to communicate through messages of 140 characters or less. Though this is not a lot of space, people have made it work by providing massive amounts of information. The central question of Twitter is, "What are you doing?" Users have answered this question from anything with personal activities, to links to technology stories, to companies that provide product features and promotions, and more. There are many ways you can use Twitter, including the site itself, through a cell phone and text messaging, or by using any number of Twitter clients. Not all of these clients or programs are accessible, but one that is is called Qwitter and is very accessible. If you have a cell phone that's accessible, then you might be interested in Tweets60 and runs on Nokia series 60 phones. To find other accessible Twitter programs, do a web search, or read the post from the Access Ability blog.

• To shorten that long URL or web address into a form that will more easily meet the 140 character limit of Twitter and other sites, try Tiny URL. This site is very easy to use with JAWS and has a simple layout and design.

• Probably the biggest news at the 2008 NFB Washington Seminar was the Kurzweil-NFB Reader Mobile. This software can run on a cell phone, such as the Nokia N82, and provide instant access to many kinds of printe dmaterial. With a phone such as the N82, the KNFB Reader Mobile software, and a screen reader such as Talks or Mobile Speak, a person can have access to their phone and nearly everything around them. This page provides links to the KNFB Reader Mobile and related software, documentation, news, and more. AS people who own the software often say, "Go totally mobile!"

• MobiFun Software has several add-on applications for your cell phone, including one for reminders, locking the phone, and my favorite, one that makes accessing any program as easy as putting it on an expanded start menu. This particular program also gives you an option of changing the unlock procedure to unlock your phone. Check the site out for more details. Many blind people use this software and find it affordable and very usable.

• PaylessGadget.com is a site that offers discounted prices of batteries for many popular devices, such as cell phones. Most notably are batteries for the iPhone, Motorola, Nokia, and other popular phones. This site also has extended batteries for many different phone models. These batteries are said to last several times longer than the factory default battery, so for instance, 3-4 days for an iPhone extended battery. If you have a Nokia phone and want to browse the collection of items available, then visit the Payless Gadget collection of Nokia regular and extended batteries page.

• Mobile Speak is a screen reader for cell phones. It can run on phones running the Symbian, Windows mobile, or Pocket PC operating systems. There are different versions of Mobile Speak for each operating system. This site offers lots of information on these various versions of the software, along with user manuals, mailing list information, and other things. Mobile Speak is made by Code Factory, out of Spain, which also makes a screen magnification product for cell phones called Mobile Magnifyer.

• The AT Guys provides various products and services relating to assistive technology. This is a good place if you're hsopping for mobile phone assistive software or if you want a little discount on said software.

• Nuance, makers of the Talks software, has a list of phones that can run Talks. This is a complete list of any and all phones that are Talks capable. This does not mean that Talks comes on these phones, but rather that it can run on these phones. Some of the phones in this list are newer than others. All of them are linked to other pages with more information on the particular phone models. Note that there may be phones on this list that aren't supported by AT&T or other providers, but that doesn't mean that Talks won't run on them. You will have to get an unlocked version of the phone, which will allow it to work on any carrier.

• Mobile Planet has a good selection of cell phones and PDA phones at good prices. For instance, when looking for a Nokia N75 one day, I found it on Mobile Planet for $60 less than on Let's Talk and other similar sites. Check back often since prices and offers may change.

• The Blind Bargains website has written a great article called Cell phones for the blind: an introduction. This article gives an overview of accessible cell phone technology to date, providing links to the access companies and cell phone manufacturers.

• Those interested in GPS (Global Positioning Systems) for cell phones will find these next two links of interest. Loadstone GPS is a free GPS program for your cell phone that assist blind and low vision users in navigation. This program is still in its testing or "alpha/beta" phase, so if you're not comfortable with using a program that hasn't been fully tested, then don't. On the other hand, it is free. Wayfinder Access is available for a nominal fee but also comes with a very good Bluetooth GPS receiver. Of the various accessible GPS options for the blind out there, Wayfinder Access is the most affordable. Note that these GPS packages should not be used as a replacement, but rather a complement, to your mobility needs (cane/dog/sighted guide)., Also, in order to fully use these packages, one needs to have a screen access program already on their phone, like Talks, Mobile Speak, or a related product.

• In their January, 2007, issue, Access World has published an updated article called Talk Me Through It: A Review of Two Cell Phone-based Screen Readers, which covers Talks and Mobile Speak on a Nokia 6682. This article goes into more detail regarding these screen readers and various applications on this particular cell phone. Though the phone is no longer sold by Cingular/AT&T, you can still get it from various sites on the web.

• If you're looking for information about Talks, such as manuals, third party applications, audio seminars on various topics (such as upgrading Talks or some cool programs you can get), then check out Blind Sea's Mobile Corner, or, for many different third party applications, audio seminars, and more, Blind Sea's Third Party Applications page. Both of these pages are updated often. Though most of the applications listed are going to work with Talks, some will also work with Mobile Speak. I've spent lots of time at these sites and I like what I see. They put everything in one place, even the latest version of Talks.

• Talks Users is the site where you can join or leave the Talks email list. If you're a member, you can also view the list archives, which are extensive and if you've got some time, can be very helpful.

• For those interested, here's a direct link to Talks from Nuance (used to be ScanSoft). Talks runs on many Nokia phones as well as a few other kinds of phones. There is both a standard and premium edition. Talks acts as a screen reader for your cell phone, reading the information and giving you access to nearly every feature.

• Vision Cue is an authorized dealer of Talks, along with many other programs. They only sell Talks Premium edition, but can be a good resource if you don't want to order from Code Factory directly, or from the "accessibility" part of AT&T. Though the "accessibility" department might offer up front discounts of said software, you're not getting a full license for that software and may have to pay a fee to upgrade to anewer version of the screen reader they're selling. Whereas, if you buy directly from a dealer like Vision Cue, you get the full product and are qualified for any future upgrades/updates.

• There is a talking light and color identifyer available for your Symbian camera phone, and possibly for other phones. No, you don't need to spend $500 or so on a color identifyer anymore, when you can have one for free on your camera phone. This program may not tell you the required information if you don't already have speech software on your phone, such as Talks or Mobile Speak, but it is a great edition to the phone and offers many more possibilities. Read more aboutt the vOICe MIDlet for Mobile Camera Phones + Talking Color Identifier Imagine being able to identify the color of that shirt you're shopping for. This sure gives blind people a new way to use that camera in their new phone.

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