Android smartphones

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Assistive Android apps recognised

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The Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards were held yesterday in Belgium to celebrate innovative apps for Android smartphones designed to make things easier for people with a disability.

Funded by the Vodafone Foundation and supported by the European Disability Forum, the awards recognised apps in four categories: Wellbeing, Independent Living, Social Participation and Mobility. As phones which run on Android are generally less accessible than the Apple iPhone, encouraging Android developers to consider the needs of disabled users is very worthwhile.

Below are the winners and runners-up in each category:

Taxonomy: 
General
Blind or vision impaired
Deaf or hearing impaired
Mobility
Digital technology
News
Digital media and technology: 
Android smartphones
Android
Smartphones
Assistive technology
Mobile operating systems

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Indoor mapping to increase mobility for blind users

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Increasing the independence of people who are blind or vision impaired could be possible through indoor mapping technology, according to experts who attended last week's Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN) conference. Held at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the conference brought together electronics, surveying and informatics experts to discuss the potential of indoor mapping, including how it could enhance the independence and mobility of people who are blind or vision impaired.

Thomas Gallagher, a researcher at UNSW, told the Sydney Morning Herald that indoor mapping technologies could further increase the independence of blind and vision impaired users, similar to how global positioning system (GPS) technology helps people navigate outdoor spaces.

Taxonomy: 
General
Digital technology
Web
News
Digital media and technology: 
Android smartphones
iPhone
Smartphones
News alert taxonomy: 
Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news

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Rival to Siri could enhance app accessibility

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A voice-activated virtual assistant tool called Nina could improve the accessibility of smartphone apps. Developed by Nuance Communications, the rival to Apple’s Siri will give users the option to use their voice to perform tasks on their phones, increasing usability for people with a disability.

This week, Nuance released the software development kit so developers can begin to integrate Nina into their apps. The virtual assistant technology can be used across both Android and Apple iOS apps.

Taxonomy: 
General
Digital technology
News
Digital media and technology: 
iOS
Android smartphones
iPhone
Android
Smartphones
News alert taxonomy: 
Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news

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Meet Georgie, the app enhancing Android phones for blind users

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A vision impaired couple from the UK have come up with an app that improves the way blind or vision impaired people use phones. The app for Android smartphones, called Georgie, combines screen reader technology and add-on features that make it easier to use.

Designed by Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds, the app comes with core features as well as add-on packs that can be purchased according to user needs. The core features include screen reader and speech-to-text technology. Users can navigate the app menu and receive audio feedback, according to where their fingers are on the screen. Users can also dictate text messages which will then be read out by the screen reader before it is sent to another user.

Taxonomy: 
General
Digital technology
News
Digital media and technology: 
Android smartphones
Android
Smartphones
News alert taxonomy: 
Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news

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