AT&T unveils app for people who are blind or have low vision


Telecom major AT&T announced the launch of AT&T
Mobile Accessibility Lite for customers who are blind or have low vision.


Customers, who are blind or have low vision, can now access
and enjoy their Android device in a fully accessible way.


AT&T Mobile Accessibility Lite, a custom version of
the screen-access application, Mobile Accessibility, is developed by Code
Factory. The application features a suite of accessible apps so customers can
perform common wireless tasks enjoyed by most Android users.


AT&T Mobile Accessibility Lite features a suite of 11
accessible apps — phone, contacts, SMS, alarm, calendar, email, web, where am
I, apps, music player and settings. Each is designed to be intuitive and easy
to use for the blind and visually impaired customer.  


Once a customer downloads Mobile Accessibility Lite to
their Android smartphone, they have the option of making the suite the device’s
home screen. From within the suite, they can then easily navigate among any of
the 11 featured apps by moving their finger across the screen.


The Nuance Vocalizer voice synthesis then reads the text
under their finger, allowing customers to perform any number of tasks, such as
answering a call, managing their contacts, writing an SMS, editing a calendar
entry, sending an email, or accessing GPS to get an update on their current
location.


Other features include speech recognition, allowing
customers to use their voice to write text and email messages quickly and
easily. The Music Player app, unique to AT&T Mobile Accessibility Lite, automatically
lists all the music files that are installed on the memory card of the phone
and sorts them by Artists and Albums.


“To remain competitive in the workforce, the
National Federation of the Blind believes that blind people must have equal
access to the same products and services as the sighted.  Smartphone
technology is increasingly critical to full participation in modern life. For
that reason, this collaboration between AT&T and Code Factory is a positive
development,” said Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of
the Blind (NFB).


By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]