Smartphone for Visually-Impaired Released in Europe

Georgie, a smartphone app designed for people who are blind and low vision has been launched. The app can be installed and run on an Android device.

Georgie, a smartphone designed for people who are blind.

Georgie was developed by a blind husband and wife team, Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, who are based in the UK.

The name Georgie was kept after Mrs Wilson-Hinds first guide dog. The couple run a not-for-profit social enterprise Screenreader.

The smartphone has a voice-assisted touchscreen and a special variety of apps designed to assist people who are blind or low vision to complete tasks such as finding a location, reading text, and travel timetables.

A variety of additional apps are also available for purchase in three packages; Travel, Lifestyle or Communicate.  These bundles are available for £24.99 each and include a range of additional features.


Georgie can be easily installed in an Android device like Saumsung handsets like Galaxy Ace 2.

“I was able to send my very first text just earlier this year thanks to Georgie,” said Screenreader co-founder Roger Wilson-Hinds. “It’s exactly that type of digital experience we want to make easily available to people with little or no sight. More than that though, it’s also going to help solve every day problems for people who are blind or low vision so they can be more confident about navigating the real world and become more independent.” he said.

The smartphone will be sold by a not-for-profit company called Screenreader  and is distributed by a company called Sight and Sound Technology, a company which provides hardware and software to people who are blind or low vision. The device will retail for around $460.


Source: GAATES

Android Accessibility Apps

SNOW has put together a list of accessibility apps for Android devices. The list can be found here.

Source: SNOW

iPhone Apps for Disability and Visual Impairment

Disabled World has put together a list of iPhone apps for disability and visual impairment. It can be found here.

Innovative EnableTalk Smartphone App Wins Microsoft's Imagine Cup

Microsoft announced that Ukraine’s team quadSquad won this year 10th Microsoft Imagine Cup student technology competition with their innovative EnableTalk smartphone application, sensory gloves that can translate sign language gestures into speech.

Team quadSquad from Ukraine celebrated its first-place win in the Software Design category at the Imagine Cup 2012 Worldwide Finals in Sydney, Australia. (Photo credit: Microsoft)

This year’s Imagine Cup’s theme was “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems” and most teams focused on healthcare and the environment.

This year, more than 350 students from 75 countries traveled to Sydney after competing in local and online events, representing the best and brightest selected to compete in the Imagine Cup Worldwide Finals where Microsoft handed out approximately $175,000 in cash to the winners across eight different categories.

The Imagine Cup finals were carried out over 5 days and featured intense presentations from teams across the world. While the Ukraine team took the top prize, the truth is that everyone who participated in the competition all year long are winners as they are changing the world for the better.'

Next year’s event will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia

Windows vs. Mac Built-In Magnifier

The Royal National Institute for the blind in the UK has published an excellent post comparing the built-in screen magnification of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac platforms. You can find the article here.


Source: RNIB

Google Launches Google+ Hangout Accessibility App

Google is working on making Google+ more accessible for users with hearing disabilities.
 The app called Hangout Captions to help integrate live transcription into Google+ Hangouts.

Google announced that it is launching a new app that makes Google+ Hangouts more accessible for people with hearing disabilities.

Hangout Captions app provides a transcript of a Hangout that can be read by people who are deaf or hard of hearing, allowing them to participate in the conversation as well.

By adding the +Hangout Captions app allows two options of transcription. The first is professional transcription through StreamText, and the second is basic transcription which you do yourself by typing on the keyboard.



To find out more about the new +Hangout Captions app, visit https://hangout-captions.appspot.com

Source: http://www.flobalaccessibilitynews.com/

Windows 8 Tablet Accessibility for Visual Impairment

Watch video to learn more about Windows 8 Tablet Accessibility: