Mobile Phones that Listen and React

Written by Claire

If you recall my article about the Beep Baseball, you might remember my friend, Ken, who was a blind player in the Beep Baseball game which I volunteered for a few weeks ago. Ken called me last night and asked me to pick something up for him from what we call here in Taipei, the “Cell Phone Street.”

Excited as I was, something popped into my head instantly, and I asked him about this Motorola Z6 that he wanted me to pick up. “Don’t you have a cell phone programmed with voice command functions already?” I remember watching the blind players using their cell phones on the Beep Baseball field and silently praising the technology behind these talking cell phones. Apparently Ken is purchasing this mobile phone for another blind friend in another city.

This might sound a little sad, but Ken is luckier than the other people who have special needs since he is an engineer whose job is to write verbal enabling programs, and thus, has the ability to turn his devices into talking ones. But as he told me, for the rather large population of people with sight impairment, it is very difficult for them to find a perfect cell phone. Like many of my friends, lots of people can not survive one day without their cell phone. I know the anxious feeling because I have experienced the inconvenience. And for blind people, it is just as bad, or even worse. Without a cell phone, blind people will have a hard time meeting or “looking for” their dates, and who knows when they need assistance or encounter any unexpected situation, how can they find help right away? A cell phone is also essential for families of the blind people since it helps them stay connected with each other, therefore, going to a place on their own or having some more outdoor activities stops becoming a worry for the families.

However, regardless of the importance of a blind-user friendly cell phone, inventions and technology still lack user experiences and friendliness. For his work, Ken has done some surveys and questionnaires regarding blind users’ needs for cell phones, and here, I got his permission to share with you.

The difficulties encountered when using cell phones:

Keys
A lot of times the keys on the cell phones are too small or do not have obvious outlines separating one key from another. This usually resulted in dialing the wrong number. And of course, the most extreme case in the matter of keys is touch screen keys, like our favorite iPhone, which is impossible for blind users to navigate.

Smaller screens or smaller letters on screen are very user-unfriendly for weak-sighted users. The only good thing about a smaller screen is usually the greatest consideration when buying a cell phone- cheaper in price.

Phonebook
An essential function of a cell phone is to save phone numbers and contacts, but it’s also the greatest barrier for blind users when using cell phones. They can not see the phone book, view missed calls, or find the numbers for answered or previously dialed calls.

In Ken’s survey, usually there are three options for users when encountering the problems above; none of them entirely satisfactory. A part of the blind user population just put up with all the inconveniences as long as the keys are big enough and easy to differentiate by touch. Some other users would go for a PDA or similar device so they can install verbal enabling programs under Windows Mobile-type software. The problem is, if you purchase a legal verbal enabling software, the price is more than the price of two PDAs; if you download a free one online, it crashes too often and you have to reinstall everything almost every month.

The last solution is one which Ken has gone for, a cell phone with voice command function. I have tried out the function, with a pounding heart, at the cell phone shop before paying for it and I have to say, man, it’s incredible.

The Motorola MOTOROKR Z6 was originally designed with voice command function for drivers on the road. When you hold on to a key on the right side of the phone and say your command, it will react. I tried words and commands like “what time is it?” and “phonebook, missed calls” and it gave me all the right answers. I screamed a little in the shop. It was too exciting since I said my command in Mandarin, meaning this cell phone can have multiple language commanding software installed and thus bring the great invention to everyone who needs it.

The only thing which I found funny was that there is a 2.0M camera on this phone. But then I realized this phone is not specially designed for blind users. Hah. I mean, without a camera, the price of this phone will be a lot cheaper, making it available for every blind user who has the need.

There are also some cell phones like Moto U9, DaTong TC667 and some Korean brands that have functions like reading out the phonebook or vocal dialing, some can even repeat the numbers dialed or numbers missed. The minor problem is that they often do not offer all of the functions mentioned above, for who knows what reasons.
Ken has recently been testing a Moto e2 bought from Bejing, China, out of his own pocket, especially designed for blind users. I hope this new Moto e2 turns out to be one step closer to the perfect mobile phone for people with special needs.

Read: Rogers Launches Nokia 6682RVI with TALKS Software for Blind Cell Phone Users

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