The first app for the blind to operate a smart phone is on sale today. Georgie, which makes Google's mobile operating system Android easier to see or control with your voice, is available to download or pre-installed on phones including the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Creator Roger Wilson-Hinds, who is registered blind, named the service after his wife's first guide dog. Georgie makes the interface larger and clearer to see for the blind or partially sighted, and allows you to do more by speaking or listening to the phone. The large coloured blocks make Android look more like Windows Phone, making it easier to see than the small icons of most smart phones.
The app makes it easy to call pre-set phone numbers that can be altered online, use voice commands to send texts and map out saved locations such as safe places to cross the road.
One of the cleverest features is the use of optical character recognition, which allows the phone to read things for you. The camera captures text that you encounter while you're out and about, such as on signs or timetables or menus, and turns it into larger and clearer text or reads it out to you. The images are saved so you can come back to them later.
The app costs £150 from Google Play, the Android app store. Uniquely, Georgie is more than just an app though -- you can also have it set up for you by buying a phone pre-loaded with the app from accessibility experts Sight and Sound Technology.
You can choose from a range of Samsung Galaxy phones: the Samsung Galaxy Y, Galaxy Ace 2, waterproof and drop-proof Galaxy XCover or the top-end Samsung Galaxy S3. Prices start at £300 for the Galaxy Y without a SIM card, going up to £650 for the S3.
Various add-ons are also available for an extra £25, giving you extra travel, lifestyle or communication options.
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anonymous 17 July, 2012 20:17
"The first smart phone for the blind is on sale today." Rich... do your homework Mobile accessibility was out before this, android also has a couple of screenreaders in the form of spiel and talkback. Apple baked accessibility in to the iPhone 3gs, 4 and 4s nevermind the ipad and ipod touch. There were countless symbian powered nokias soled running nuance talks/or mobilespeak from pretty much the early 2000s ditto windows mobile devices. This is surely not the first device. also pretty shocking that you have to shell out that amount of cash. You could get a cheaper droid such as the sony ericsson xperia pro, unlock the bootloader, upgrade it to the CyanagenMod build of ICS (or jellybean) install a select set of apps and do everything that this overpriced piece of crap does. With a price like that, does that make it the most expensive app on the play store? Makes you kind of question how this guy sleeps at night. wripping people off like that.
anonymous 18 July, 2012 03:23
To the above comment.... LOL I read that in my toilet and I actually laughed hard! I agree, this isn't the first smart phone with blind or impaired sight problems. It's way overpriced, tbh though on an S3 is pretty nice, however a phone invented specifically for it would have surficed as you wouldn't need all that power to run simple apps like this. £150! Ridiculously priced.
Rich Trenholm 20 July, 2012 11:01
Thanks for your comments folks. I would have done my homework but the dog ate it. Yes, as you point out there have been accessibility apps before, but that's a different thing to just buying a phone where the whole thing is set up for you. Sure, you could "unlock the bootloader, upgrade it to the CyanagenMod build of ICS (or jellybean) install a select set of apps"... except no normal person knows or cares how to do that
anonymous 20 July, 2012 12:31
Your missing the point, this is more than just phone access technology, if you look into properly you will see that it is 1. making a touch screen phone accessible and easy to use 2. offering allot of helpful components (Apps) that most people would not know how to access 3. including things like OCR TTS that 2 years ago cost £600 on a phone. its not just making a phone talk its a daily living aid.... etc. etc.
anonymous 20 July, 2012 14:09
@Rich:
The installation of existing accessibility apps is nowhere near as complicated as that - no need to unlock your phone or anything of that sort to install an app such as this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=es.codefactory.android.app.ma.vocalizerenu
Kind regards,
Marcus Groeber
(who still thinks he developed the first app for smartphone accessibility back in 2001 on the Nokia 9110 :-))
anonymous 20 July, 2012 23:37
... All true, except the average blind person cannot do any of these things on a standard phone, it's the interface that's new. Then once you can use the phone you have a suite of useful apps. All cheaper than an iPhone which is not quite as easy to use with accessibility turned on as the marketing would have you believe. Horses for courses I say. Mind you, I am biased.
anonymous 10 August, 2012 12:05
Firstly what pisses me off as a blind registered is the bloody silly security system where you have to enter two words to make the comment go into the system.
I am blind!!! And the normal sighted have a problem with this system. Plus have you really tried to do it by sound Please get a life. And change this stupid system.
OK the Phone, Yes I have it and it running well I had the Oases 22C which was great as a Phone but it’s not made any more but it was limited. I like this app it does what I need it to do. The magic words are designed by the blind for the blind; if you have sight you really do not know what a pain in the ass things that are designed by the sighted are to them that are blind can be. This app in a way has a limited market so the price us OK pricey but understandable as a disabled person you soon come to find that most things that would make your life a lot better are somewhat out of reach as to the price, I am fortunate I have a well paid Job so can get this sort of thing.
It brings all the items together in one place that’s its main strength; it’s a good working platform, I find it simple to use and its expandable it timer if the interest is keeps to develop it keeps up. So Fare I like it allot, it has a few bugs but it’s a new product and in time will be corrected but there is nothing that stops me using the app. The big let downs for me is the phone its self the battery life is crap! If I keep it on I am lucky to get 6Hrs out of it. I keep it plugged in at work to my computer.
Now the things that could be better and could be developed hopefully, when you have the screen locked to save power, but when you get a text the screen comes on and stays on, and if you’re not there bang goes your battery , there is no timed screen lock when in the app. There is no choice.
The other thing i am finding difficult is answering the phone its self the button is not easily found to pull over to answer.
The one thing I would love to see and would make a big different to me is a GPS in it where I could put a post code in and it would lead me to it.
Over all i like the All and it has already made a difference to my life the text is fun as now i can use it like every one ells.
I was reading the other remarks on this page and they just do not get it I wish to be independent and responsive I do not wish to have a phone that I have to struggle with that does not really have me in mind but has a few tricks like talking but it’s not fully integrated as this app is.
I am and will be demanding that this product develops and improves and if I find something that’s not right I will be asking for it to be put right, but you have to give things time so far its working well and i am pleased with it. I am grateful for anything that attempts to make my life better, so give it a chance please, I like it.
Graham
Rich Trenholm 10 August, 2012 14:59
Hi Graham, thanks for your comment, interesting stuff. I've sent your concerns about the commenting system to our tech team
Rich Trenholm 14 August, 2012 14:31
Hi Graham, if you register an account with the site, you won't have to go through the comment process in future. Hope that helps
anonymous 16 August, 2012 10:37
Hi there,
Thank you for your responds
I really do not have the brain power or the time to join groups
And have passwords and such, it’s all about browsing and then being responsive.
I was browsing when I came a crossed this I do not wish to join another sight I have to many now to remember as it is.
This system of having two fuzzy unreadable words, what is the point of it, I just do not see the point
Is it there to make you go get your eyes tested? Is it a diabolical plan invented to generate customers for eyeglasses shops? Shirley there must be a simpler way of doing this?
I know one; do not make the words fuzzy what different does fuzzy words make.
It just makes my world more difficult than it needs to be.
It’s a really simple thing if it’s difficult for the plane sighted it’s not possible for me.
Face book as the same system and there web page is not user friendly for soft ware as I use.
So I very really use it, it seems to me from the response I got from them when I brought this up with them, is well it’s not cool to have disabled on the sight! It’s all about face and image rather than inclusion for all.
Can your tech team Guys Explain? Why the words have to be Fizzy and bent?
I really wish to know?
anonymous 24 March, 2013 13:23
Is the Georgie available in US?