The next DC happy hour is scheduled for Monday August 24th!

CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Public Relations Specialist
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen@nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind and Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Announce Agreement with Apple to Make iTunes Fully Accessible

Baltimore, Maryland (September 26, 2008): The National Federation of the Blind and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley today announced a cooperative agreement with Apple, Inc. to make Apple’s iTunes software, iTunes Store, and iTunes U more accessible to the blind. On September 9, Apple released iTunes 8, which contains significant accessibility improvements. Under today’s agreement, Apple will make iTunes U (a dedicated area of the iTunes Store for content provided by colleges and universities) fully accessible by December 31, 2008, and will ensure the full accessibility of the iTunes software and the rest of the iTunes Store to blind people using both Mac and Windows operating systems by June 30, 2009. Over the next three years, Apple will continue to work with officials in the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General and the National Federation of the Blind to ensure that the iTunes services remain accessible to the blind and that accessibility issues are resolved. Apple has also agreed to contribute $250,000 to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to assist the agency in providing adaptive technology to blind residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Computer technology is a critical means of access to business, education, information, and entertainment in the twenty-first century, and the blind must have equal access if we are to be equal participants in society. By making its extremely popular iTunes service fully accessible to the blind, Apple is setting an example that should be followed by the entire information technology industry. The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have worked with Attorney General Coakley and her staff to reach this important agreement with Apple, and we will continue to work tirelessly until the blind have equal access to the full range of products and services available to the public through the Internet and other information technologies.”

“Our office is committed to providing equal opportunity to all citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley. “This agreement will benefit blind Commonwealth citizens and all blind Americans by making one of the most widely used computer applications accessible to them. I applaud Apple for its commitment to accessibility and look forward to continuing to work with the National Federation of the Blind to ensure that rapid progress is made in making the iTunes software and services usable by everyone.”

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About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation’s blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

When I woke up on Thursday Sep 18th the most significant email I received was an announcement that the Mobile Geo GPS product had finally been released, and I figured I would try to install it before heading off to work.

My prior background with GPS systems involved some use of one of the original Atlas Speaks products, and also more recently, I’ve started playing with the Verizon Wireless VZ Navigator. Unfortunately, VZ Navigator’s menus do not work correctly with the Mobile Speak MSS screen reader. Through trial and error with VZ Navigator, I have got it so that I can press a series of buttons and essentially it will tell me what street I am on or near. However, I have not been able to get beyond that point. There are many important features in VZ Navigator that I cannot use because of the current incompatibility with the MSS screen reader. For instance, one should be able to use the VZ Navigator product to find a nearby coffee shop or pub, or plan a route from A to B.

I downloaded and ran the Mobile Geo installation. FYI, I think it would be better if Code Factory provided an .exe or .msi file rather than a .zip file. The .zip file adds several steps to the installation process.

My Motorola Q9C kept dropping in and out of Active Sync which I have not seen before with this device. After I got through numerous continue buttons in the activation wizard, you could probably get rid of most of those too, I got to the place where you pick where to install (device or memory card). However, device was the only option, probably because the device inexplicably disconnected, so I picked device and the installation crashed.

Then my device would not connect via Active Sync, again for no apparent reason, and after several reboots and connection and disconnection of the USB cable, it just as inexplicably connected again. This time, after hitting the continue button again in that activation wizard several times, I got the product installed and was even able to say that I wanted it on the storage card. I activated a 30 day trial license for Mobile Geo.

I also had to shut down and restart the Jaws screen reader several times as I lost speech when Active Sync was interacting with the Motorola device. I wish each time I had to do this, it would send Freedom Scientific a distress signal.

I then went outside, and fired up Mobile Geo, only to be told that I did not have a recent enough version of the MSS screen reader for Mobile Geo to run. I figured it was current because I installed it a couple of weeks ago. I believe it was the MSS public beta 170 which was on the device, so I went ahead and downloaded the latest MSS version which I think is 178.

I first uninstalled MSS which I think you are supposed to do rather than just installing the new version on top. Really, though, all the AT venders should take a page out of Apple’s play book. It is extremely cumbersome to install, uninstall, and upgrade these AT products. This process should be made automated so the user can push one or two buttons and leave it to do its thing. Only the most geeky user has the patience for any of this.

Just as an example, I recently called Apple tech support out of curiosity because I am considering getting a Mac Mini. I asked the representative how to configure the Apple bluetooth wireless keyboard. I was told to just turn the keyboard on, and the rep told me where the switch is, and then turn on the Macintosh. The rep told me that the keyboard would automatically be ready for me to use when the Macintosh booted up. Take that, Microsoft! No pairing, wizards, entering pins, etc. That is how such a device should work in the most basic configuration. You should turn it on, and it should work. The Macintosh system also apparently has a way to configure Bluetooth devices with in the operating system, but that is a secondary method that one need not use unless it is desireable to do it that way.

Given that the Humanware Breeze is priced I believe similarly to the Geo, that product may appeal to people who want to just turn it on and have it work. I would have thought that Mobile Geo would be significantly less expensive than the Humanware Breeze product. Even given the premiums we often pay for blindness products, I really wouldn’t expect to pay more than $500 for the Mobile Geo software. A key limitation in the Breeze, however, is that you cannot set up a route with it, unless you walked the route before. If I walked a route before, I don’t think I would necessarily need or want to use GPS. The unfortunate thing is that the Breeze probably could have more features, but rumor is that Humanware dumbed down the device. Instead, they should have set up different modes. Though you have to give it to Humanware, you can at least turn it on and it works! I saw this first hand last summer so its not just hyppe from their sales department. You could probably get the Breeze up and running in 15 minutes something I wasn’t able to do with Mobile Geo.

On the Windows platform, Skype and APH’s Studio Recorder have among the easiest to use product update features. You just do Help, Check For Updates, and relatively quickly without rebooting you are up and running. Windows screen reader updates should be made more automated as well. Maybe you have it update automatically at 4:00 A.M. if you really must reboot. Code Factory products should also be able to update over the air with wireless internet, and the user interface to complete those updates should by default require as few clicks, button presses, or interactions as possible. Dare I forget, the Level Star Icon - APH Braille Plus also has a remarkably easy to use update feature that will work over WIFI, and usually “just works.” You can basically start the update, and as they say, set it and forget it.

Miraculously, however, I was able to uninstall MSS 170 and install 178 without much trouble. It took some time and there were too many continue buttons to push, and too many reboots, but it did essentially work. Remember, I’m trying to do this and get to work on time.

With the new version of MSS, I again went outside, and fired up the Mobile Geo. This time I was told that I didn’t have a license even though I did license it in the earlier steps. I’m assuming the reinstall of the MSS screen reader component deactivated my Mobile Geo trial license.

I ran the Activation manager, and said I wanted a trial of Mobile Geo. However, it said that it could not connect to the internet. I remember though that Code Factory support once told me that you sometimes must launch Internet Explorer on the mobile device before you use the activation wizard. I did this, but then I never could get the activation wizard to retry the connection to the activation server. I even tried ending some processes in the Motorola Q9C’s task manager. Eventually I rebooted the phone, started up IE on the phone, and then successfully managed to activate a trial license. I guess the order you do things is important :).

I then, I guess this is the 3rd time, as they say “firedup Mobile Geo,” and I got the welcome music and it said it was trying to start the Sendero GPS engine. At least I made a little progress, and didn’t get an error message right away. I think I ran through all the possible pre start error messages or at least I hope so.

However, the Mobile Geo would not recognize the built in GPS receiver in my Verizon Wireless Motorola Q9C which I bought with in the last 30 days. Mobile Geo seemed to want to configure a bluetooth device, and I am not sure that this built in GPS device in the phone is bluetooth.

Nevertheless, I activated bluetooth, and also activated the VZ Navigator to see if that would wake up the GPS receiver, and make it talk to Mobile Geo.

However, it didn’t. To be honest, I did not read all the information as to exactly which built in GPS receivers are compatible with Mobile Geo. I do remember that Code Factory issued some caveats in this regard. I just expected that if I have a mobile phone, and if it can work with Verizons GPS, that it should work with Mobile Geo, or at least I would like it too. Couldn’t Code Factory have partnered with Verizon Wireless or Motorola to ensure that this did work?

I guess I need to take a look at the recommended bluetooth GPS receivers. I have no idea if such a device costs $50 or $300 on top of the is it $800 for the Mobile Geo software? I really would have preferred for it to work with the GPS in my phone. The last thing I need is to have to carry around another device, the bluetooth GPS receiver. Its another device to carry and eventually lose, and plus you’d have to figure out where to put it or how to carry it in addition to the phone.

One other oddity I noticed was that it appears that you do not get a map as part of the demo, and that only the Washington DC map is available. I don’t know how the GPS would work in Boston if the demo does not come with the Boston map. Luckily for me, I actually do travel to Washington frequently, so in theory I could try the Washington DC map. But what about someone in Seattle Washington who doesn’t travel to the nations capital who wants to try the demo?

It still seems like a product that only a computer geek would install especially with all the glitches I had trying to install it. Though once installed, perhaps it would be useful to a broader slice of the population. Bluetooth pairing worries me though. I mean when it works its great, but it has its glitches at least if my Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard under Windows is any guide. I’ve also heard about problems with bluetooth com ports in the first generation of Motorola Q handsets. This meant, for instance, that a Humanware Braille display would not work on a first generation Motorola Q handset without hacking the registry of the device to enable a com port. I don’t know if these bluetooth com port issues have been addressed in newer Motorola Q devices like this Q9C that I have.

Code Factory and other AT venders should have more rigorous usability testing. They should take their products to different kinds of users, and see how those users try to install or configure the products, and then incorporate those findings in the user interface. In general you want to simplify user interfaces. Again think of that Apple bluetooth keyboards installation process :). I recognize that Code Factory and other AT venders are limited by the complexities inherent in Microsoft products, and this also largely explains why the products may be so cumbersome to set up. Remember the issues with Active Sync? That’s Motorola and Microsoft, not Code Factory.

I would still be interested in trying this product but I wanted to give the reader a sense of my day 1 experience. I will file another report if I get the required bluetooth receiver or other useful information. It seemed it was finally at the cusp of connecting if only it had a compatible GPS receiver to work with.

I hope that Code Factory can use my day 1 experience to improve the usability of future versions of their products. It strikes me that maybe this product, in its current state, should have been released as a free public beta for say 90 days. I do applaud Code Factory at least for letting consumers try this product on a device for 30 days before they buy it. I also applaud Code Factory and Sendero for blazing the trail to accessibility of these mobile phones and GPS offerings. Mobile Speak Smart phone was and is actually the screen reader that got me out of the dark ages so that I can and do routinely use SMS text messages and the mobile internet. As those who know me can attest, despite any flaws, I recommend that people who are blind get out of the dark ages, and ensure that they can at least access SMS text messaging using products like MSS or Talks. In fact, a litmus test I use to see how hip fellow blind people are on technology is I ask them if they can send and receive SMS messages on the device they have. And if not, I recommend that they go out and get out of the stone age. Where necessary, I also recommend they talk to their mobile phone carrier about offsetting the costs for the screen reader.

I got to work with in just about 15 minutes of on time.

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