FOR some, technology appears to move too fast and I’m not arguing that this is wrong, but in many so much of it can appear to be pointless, gimmicky and childish – do our children really need to be looking for Pokemon everywhere they go?
I must admit to being a little sceptical when I was given my first so called “smart” phone which to me, a totally blind person, was no more than a piece of glass.
However, after some minor adjustments to my settings, every tap, swipe and several other finger gestures, the device came alive and now has almost changed my life completely.
No need now to carry several pieces of expensive standalone specialist equipment, I just have to double tap on the App Store and enter a search for the correct VI (visual impairment) Friendly Apps.
A really useful app is Tap Tap See, an app where simply by pointing the phone’s camera at something and taking a photo, a verbal description of the picture taken comes back within 15-20 seconds.
Already I’ve taken photos of shopfronts so I can check I’m going into the correct shop, even clothes shopping is easier, as it gives a description of the time, including colours.
The other app I use is Seeing Assistant.
This has a number of useful parts to it: a colour detector, which does a similar job with identifying the colours of clothes, a magnifier (which sadly, is of no use if you have no sight), and a light detector.
The light detection facility gives out an audible signal which increases in pitch when pointed towards a light source, allowing you to check if lights are on or off, which can greatly improve home security.
Finally, and possibly one of the most ingenious parts, is a bar code reader.
It is incredible how much information can be stored on a simple bar code, everything from product information, to nutritional values and cooking instructions, in some cases it even links directly to the product’s website – really useful.
All this, and I’ve not even mentioned the built-in assistant who takes and responds to verbal commands, although, like most speech recognition packages this is not always fool-proof and it does seem to struggle with Doric.
Perhaps I need to develop a Doric Translation App!
Additionally, there are huge social and health benefits with the umpteen dedicated accessible apps available and along with instant news, sport and weather alerts, I have really gone from someone being totally confused by a small piece of glass to someone who has a world of independence and knowledge all - literally - at my fingertips.