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2012-02-03 16:00

The Voiceover Screen ReaderComes to the iPhone

8 June, 2009 @ 3:20 pm by Lioncourt

Though many said it could never be done, Apple has yet again shown a tremendous commitment to accessibility today with the announcement of the iPhone 3GS, the latest version of its popular iPhone handset, which ships with a version of VoiceOver optimized for it. Using this incredible new technology, the blind and visually impaired will have access to the iPHone in much the same way they enjoy Mac support today.

Using a combination of touch screen technology and specialized gestures, the VoiceOver user can use all the apps that ship with the iPhone, and Apple is already working with third-party developers to make sure their applications are accessible as well.

You can read the full details of how the new VoiceOver screen reader for iPhone 3GS works on the iPhone accessibility page. The iPHone 3GS will be released in the US, Canada, UK, and some other European countries on 19/June, with other countries to follow through the summer.

Apple has also announced that similar technology will be available to control Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard with VoiceOver and your Mac’s trackpad. More information is available on this Apple Accessibility page.

All of us here at Mac-cessibility are overjoyed and astounded at this tremendous leap forward. No words can describe our excitement.

Posted in Apple Inc., Apple News, Hardware, iPhone, Mac OS X, VoiceOver | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “The Voiceover Screen ReaderComes to the iPhone”

  1. crister asserted:

    on the surface, it sounds nice, but when applied to real world usage, voice command technology isn’t as easy or a cure all as it first sounds. I’m a very happy Mobile Speak Pocket and Voice Command user and even with those two programs running on my quadband HTC TYTN PDA, there are many times where because of the situation I’m in, using Voice Command or MSP is impracticle. Either by ambient noise making it impossible to hear feedback, the same noise making it impossible for the program to understand what I’m saying or situations where it just isnt’ appropriate to have a talking phone blathering on and on about battery life, caller information, text messages etc. in a private or quiet business setting. Not to mention, I don’t thinkn I’d like for everyone to be able to hear my business. Whether it be who I’m calling, Whose calling me, what I’m browsing or whatever other tasks I’m performing on my device.

    The intention is good and of course go in the right direction, but I’d imagine that initially, the accessibility features on the IPhone will be more gimmicky for the average sighted person and incredibly frustrating for a visually impaired one.

    I think I’m going to stick with my boring old Windows Mobiel based PDA and MSP for now. I love my qwerty keyboard and the flexibility that MSP offers. Not to mention all the blue tooth and not being locked into a crazy sim card or contract either. I’m not ready to sacrifice functionality for flashiness just so I can brag about my brand new IPhone that may not be as accessible than my trusty PDA.

    All that said, It’s encouraging to hear that Apple is taking a greater interest in making it’s various products more accessible. Regardless of what the initial steps towards accessibility they make, they’re at the very least steps in the right direction.

    Now, if only they’d fix that terrible iTunes 8.2 update that they just put out and makes iTunes pretty much impossible for Jaws user to navigate things would be really encouraging.

    June 8th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
  2. bertp001 articulated:

    I am impressed. Porting VoiceOver to the iPhone 3G has to be considered a programming achievement. For many visually-impaired people, it should provide access to the iPhone 3G if they apply effort and persistence to the learning task. As for the general public, they benefit from Voice Control for automatic dialing and access to iTunes.

    Likewise, extending VoiceOver in Mac OS X 10.6 to the multi-touch pad should be very helpful. The Apple announcement also mentions VoiceOver Quick Nav for use on the keyboard for those without a multi-touch pad.

    So far, no resolution independence in Mac OS X. For many with poor vision, the smaller icons on higher-resolution screens can be quite a recognition problem. But Apple has made a start in that direction as well, and I am hopeful resolution independence will be eventually be implemented.

    Finally, I am of the view that the new accessibility technologies spill over to provide new programming functions usable for a wider audience than the visually-impaired. For example, AppleScript GUI scripting is based on VoiceOver technology.
    Consider the VoiceOver Kit for the iPod Shuffle.

    Progress is being made. Cheers!

    June 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
  3. bertp001 interjected:

    Some more observations about the iPhone 3GS. I have seen and heard Apple’s Quicktime release of the WWDC keynote speech. First, I now realize VoiceOver accessibility is limited only to the “S” version. Second, I wonder if the iPhone 3.0 Software Development Kit has some application programming interfaces available for some of the accessibility features of the iPhone 3GS. Third, the iPhone 3GS has the ability to communicate with attachments through a software interface. This should provide great potential for specialized devices of many types for greater accessibility. Fourth,
    the ability to locate an iPhone 3GS via the Apple MobileMe service would be a boon to everyone. Plus the ability to wipe sensitive data is very useful. Fifth, the compass function in conjunction with maps, and perhaps VoiceOver should be of help to more than the general public. Sixth, the use of Bluetooth earphones, or wired earphones should allow VoiceOver and Voice Control users to have private use of their iPhone 3GS. Eighth, in my opinion, Apple is leveraging their software accessibility tools among their range of hardware devices. Note that the iPhone 3.0 Software Development Kit is derived from the Mac OS X operating system. Ninth, if Apple can do this now, they can do more in the future, and they are clearly committed to accessibility. Think of the multi-touch trackpad being extended. Tenth, Apple emphasizes great design for their hardware. I think that emphasis spills over into software and accessibility. Again, cheers! I am going to have to become more proficient in VoiceOver.

    June 10th, 2009 at 10:09 am

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