Tuesday 21 September 2010

Another thumbs up for Apple - a personal note

The only problem with the IPhone for a blind user, as I've said before, is text entry using the virtual keyboard. Yes, it can be done but is very slow because the keyboard area is so small that you can't do what a lot of blind people do - touch type. (The problem's much less so on the IPad of course because of it's larger size(.
But what a thrill with the latest update to IOS 4.1! I can connect my ThinkOutside BlueTooth portable keyboard and not only type away at full speed, but I have extra commands that let me flip around the screen,click an item, and more. In short, I can use the IPhone just like a full[sized Apple Mac.
I'm writing this using a little app called BlogWriter - I'm trying the free version and it works fine. With the full version you can upload images and much more, so it's off to the App Store after a cup of my wife, Pia's homemade blackberry and lemon...
Well done to the people at Apple who are making accessibility a reality. There's one little business over here in the UK that appreciates your efforts!