Hello Everyone,

The following is my review of the Apple iPhone 3GS Smartphone with regard to user accessibility for the blind and low vision. 

PURPOSE
While I believe this article contains pertinent information that will be useful to everyone, including the sighted, my comments are drawn from a visually impaired perspective, only.

This document answers the following questions I continue to receive from many visually impaired people which include:

“Mark, what do you think of the new iPhone 3GS?”
“Is it hard to enter text into messages?”
“Should I get an iPhone?”

INTRODUCTION
Since the debut of the iPhone 3 G S with VoiceOver for the visually impaired, Apple has been justly praised for its innovative and, to be even more honest, dazzling demonstration of its technical prowess. 

Without a doubt, just as in the mainstream Smartphone market, Apple has set yet another refreshingly surprising standard for other companies to follow in the area of access technology.

As I write this, I am acutely aware of the almost certain anger/frustration/irritation that  this piece will elicit from many in the “blind community” (if such a community exists) who will consider me either unappreciative or unwilling to eat from what was once considered the most tantalizing and yet, for the visually impaired, forbidden Apple tree in the wireless orchard.

I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth, evidenced in part, by the fact that I compiled, edited, and formatted portions of the iPhone 3G S User Guide so that it can be read more easily by those using screen readers and/or screen magnifiers.

As you read this article, I ask that you keep the following in mind:

1.
I am not a journalist.  In addition to being a city commissioner, systems analyst, professional musician, published short story writer, computer information systems instructor, software beta tester, and friend to mice and men, I am a Smartphone enthusiast, who happens to be low vision. 

I state this, Dear Reader, so as not to give the erroneous impression that I will, in anyway attempt to be neutral in my comments or conclusions.  Simply put, I am an opinionated person and this piece is based on my opinions.  In no way is this article intended to persuade, dissuade, or blue-suede you but rather, offer up a realistic, measured, and if nothing else, sincere point of view on the accessibility of version 3.0 of the Apple iPhone 3G S Smartphone.

Be assured that, by the end of this piece, I will provide definite answers to the questions listed above. 

2.
With the exception of the Motorola Q9C, I purchase all of my own technology, assistive or otherwise.  This means that I am, in no way, a shill for anyone or any company. 

3.
Even though I am perceived by many to be a Windows Mobile (Microsoft) guy, during my career, I have been directly responsible for developing, purchasing equipment for, maintaining, and staffing Macintosh computer labs.   Further, at one time in my career, I very successfully taught classes on how to use Macs.  For the record, I began using Macintosh computers during Apple’s OS 6 period.

4.
Since receiving my iPhone 3G S at approximately 7:00am on Friday, June 19, 2009, I have spent virtually every waking moment testing and exploring the device via VoiceOver. 

Further, since June 19th, I have made several trips to both my local AT&T Wireless corporate retail store and my local Apple store in order to consult with the staff and, so as not to run out of battery power, purchase two additional iPhone docking cables complete with two A/C adapters and three 16ft USB extension cords.  So, no matter where I am in my home, I can comfortably use the iPhone without fear of running out of Apple juice.  (I’ve always liked that phrase.) 

In addition, not counting the time spent producing the Braille friendly version of the iPhone 3G S User Guide, I have read the manual, in its entirety, twice.

At the time of this writing, I have spent no less than nine hours consulting with Apple tech support via either phone or web chat. 

Based on my recent activities, in combination with over 25 years of access technology experience, I am comfortable making an assessment of the accessibility (for the visually impaired) features of version 3.0 of the Apple iPhone 3G S Smartphone.

THE HARDWARE
Simply put, the iPhone 3GS is a beautiful thing to behold, literally.  It has a nice solid heft that makes one know that this device was built to last.  Be that as it may, upon purchasing my phone, I inserted it into an extremely sheer black leather case with a protective flip cover.   I am so glad I did because last night, as I got tangled up in all of these cables, I pulled the phone off my desk and onto the hardwood floor of my office.  Oops!  No damage resulted from the fall.

I was and continue to be amazed at the high quality of the phone’s built-in microphone, speaker and digital camera.  Believe me folks, Apple went first class on this one.

While I am delighted that Apple decided to equip the iPhone 3GS with a standard headphone jack, as a low vision person, the SIM card slot is much too close to this jack.

In addition, I find the fact that one must use a paper click style tool in order to open the SIM card tray, almost laughable.  Again, speaking as a low vision person, were I to drop this tool on the floor, I am almost certain that I would not find it again anytime soon.

So, as for the overall quality of the hardware, the iPhone 3GS is a superb piece of engineering  success with  only two minor design flaws for those of us with low vision.

ITUNES FOR WINDOWS
I’ll admit right here and now that my previous experiences with iTunes for Windows were unpleasant at best and down right destructive, at worst.  That is, in the past, installing iTunes with QuickTime would almost always wreak havoc with my delicately balanced Microsoft Matrix.  (Smile) 

I am pleased to report that, at the time of this writing, I have installed iTunes on three of my computers and the experience, on each of them, has been equally pleasant and remarkably accessible. 

While I use AI Squared’s ZoomText software screen magnifier to access my Desktop PC, I use Freedom Scientific’s JAWS software screen reader to access my notebook computers.  While I am certain that some will disagree, I find iTunes 8.2 comfortably compatible with the latest version of JAWS.

From a blindness perspective only, I applaud Apple for updating iTunes so that a visually impaired person can quickly and easily configure the accessibility features on the iPhone without sighted assistance.   This new level of device access demonstrates Apple’s almost uncanny sensitivity to the needs of it customers.

In addition, I wish to add that the symmetry between iPhone and iTunes is virtually seamless. 

Having said this, generally speaking, I am not a fan of iTunes or the iTunes store.  I find the iTunes environment blatantly restrictive and remarkably insulting to my intelligence.  As an example of iTunes heavy-handed approach to file management control, after purchasing my iPhone 3GS, I decided to use a recording of my traditional landline telephone ring, as a ringtone for my iPhone. 

To my dismay, iTunes would not allow this, informing me that I must first pay for and then download music from the iTunes store in order to add a custom ringtone. 

Of course, I was able to trick iTunes into thinking that my own home-recorded sound file was, in fact, a legitimate purchased iTunes file.  The fact that I had to trick the application, at all, angers me to no end.

Just so you know, whenever possible, I purchase online music from Amazon which, to me, offers a much more convenient and customer friendly experience.  As far as I am concerned, iTunes is the only proverbial worm in the Apple pie and should be avoided whenever possible.

BASIC USER INTERFACE
Like sighted users, visually impaired users interact with the iPhone using hand gestures; however, when VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader, is enabled, the gestures differ from the standard gesture interface used by the sighted.

[Begin Excerpt From iPHone 3GS User Guide]
IMPORTANT: VoiceOver changes the gestures used to control iPhone. Once VoiceOver is turned on, you have to use VoiceOver  gestures to operate iPhone—even for turning VoiceOver off again to resume standard operation.
[End Excerpt From iPHone 3GS User Guide]

To Apple’s credit, VoiceOver gestures are somewhat intuitive and easy to learn.  For the most part, they can be executed with one hand.  Unlike other Smartphone screen readers, however, the touch-screen is not formatted into absolute regions.  That is, even though one can navigate the screen, step-by-step if necessary, one can also greatly increase access speed to various items by learning where, on the touch-screen an item is located.  While this may sound daunting at first, given the size of the touch-screen, one soon learns this expedited method of application and item access.

Therefore, I am extremely confident in stating that there is a very small learning curve with regard to basic navigation on the iPhone 3GS using the VoiceOver screen reader.  

ADVANCED USER INTERFACE (Dialing Telephone Numbers Manually and Entering Text)
You may be wondering why I omitted an Intermediate User Interface section in this document.  I did so because I do not believe that such a level exists.

Simply stated, as one may expect given that there are no hardware keys for entering letters, numbers, or punctuation marks, there is a remarkably steep learning curve in learning how to enter text on the iPhone 3GS Smartphone.

Now I realize that those who, like me, have been using the iPhone since its debut will most likely conclude that I am over stating the level of difficulty in learning how to manually enter alpha numeric data, but, to those used to a hardware key interface found on traditional wireless devices,  I assure you , I am not.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the average person cannot learn how to manually enter data with an acceptable level of accuracy, I am merely saying that learning how to do this well, will take a lot of time, patience, and continued practice. So be warned. 

Fortunately, there are ways to expedite the dialing process by using other navigation features such as the Voice Control and standard navigation commands. 

CONTACTS AND CALENDARS
Until mastering how to accurately enter characters, those who manage their Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, etc. in either Microsoft Outlook or Apple’s Mobile Me (allowing for data synchronization) will have a definite advantage over those who must enter this information into the iPhone manually. 

BROWSING THE INTERNET WITH IPHONE
As a visually impaired person, I can safely say that the web surfing experience on iPhone is no less than 20 times more rewarding and enjoyable than on any other Smartphone I have used up to this point. 

MANAGING MEDIA
As hard as it is for me to believe, the primary reason why I find it most difficult to be more than five feet away from my iPhone is because of the superb manner in which iPhone handles multimedia including music, movies, videos, audio books, television episode, podcasts, etc.  What can I say?  It’s fun, intuitive, and completely accessible to those of us using VoiceOver.   

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY
At the time of this review, Monday, June 29, 2009, anyone visually impaired who may be considering the purchase of an iPhone 3GS should be aware of the following issues that may or may not be addressed in upcoming iPhone updates:

1.
While multiple Bluetooth devices may be paired with the iPhone 3GS, only one Bluetooth device can be connected at once.  Therefore, should one use a Bluetooth headset with the iPhone (recommended) then a Bluetooth Braille keyboard cannot be used at the same time.

2.
When the iPhone 3GS is placed next to the ear (or in a relatively vertical position), its touch-screen is disabled to prevent accidental dialing.  One technique commonly used by the blind and low vision, in order to enter data such as account access codes, is to dial while the phone is close to the ear in order to have touch-tone audio feedback.  This technique cannot be used on the current version of the iPhone 3GS.  In order to have access to the virtual touch-tone telephone number keypad during a call, one must use either a wired headset or a wireless Bluetooth headset.

3.
During a call, when no headset is used, tilting the iPhone 3GS in a lateral position will cause the device’s speaker phone to be engaged.  Currently, this feature cannot be disabled.  Again, it is highly recommended that to insure privacy, either a wired or wireless headset be used. 

4.
Currently, the iPhone 3GS does not allow for custom SMS alerts or system sound modification.  Further, repeat notification for system alerts is not available.  Frankly, the six onboard alerts are terrible at best and remarkably ridiculous at worst.

5.
Even though the VoiceOver synthesizer is among the best  accessibility features to date, at this time, only the speech rate may be modified.  In the United States, the VoiceOver synthesizer is a mezzo-alto female voice.

6.
Some visually impaired users have reported extremely short battery life when using the iPhone 3GS.  Speaking only for myself, unlike with previous phones, I feel it necessary to always carry a secondary remote battery charger in order to ensure continued operation of the device.

7.
While this has not happened to my iPhone, there are a growing number of reports that some units are prone to overheating to the point of becoming either uncomfortable to hold or unusable.
CONCLUSIONS

QUESTION:
Mark, what do you think of the new iPhone?

ANSWER:
I think it is a remarkably accessible and surprisingly versatile device that will serve as a gateway to as yet unimagined vistas of equality for those of us who are either blind or low vision.  Be that as it may, it is only the first step and, as such, there are several aspects of its interface that need to be modified in order to secure its place in history as the first true off-the-shelf wireless device  equalizer.

QUESTION:
Is it hard to enter text into messages?

ANSWER:
Yes, it is.  However, after much practice, I and many others now feel as though we are either as fast or, in some cases, even faster using the virtual keyboard than we were using the traditional keyboard.  Make no mistake, there is definitely a learning curve. 

QUESTION:
Should I get an iPhone?

ANSWER:
Because of its relatively short battery life, its system sound alert limitations, the fact that its position-based automatic speaker phone cannot be disabled, the omission of all but the most basic of speech synthesizer controls, and the one Bluetooth device limitation I do not recommend the iPhone 3GS for visually impaired business users.

PERSONAL NOTE
Having said all of this, I will add, “This is the neatest thing I’ve ever seen.  I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.  It’s fun, exciting, and if you can afford one, get it!  While it, as yet, cannot take the place of my beloved Samsung Epix SGH-i907 Windows Mobile Smartphone, it is, without a doubt, the Apple of my wireless eye.”

Most Sincerely,

Mark