Well in my endless quest to make my new iPhone as accessible to me as possible, I think I have really helped me. I got the tvguide app. I know for most this may not seem like that big of a deal, but for me it is huge.
Now with this app I can check what is on TV without asking anyone. It has different tabs and you can set it up for standard, HD, or both.
Rich set it up for me with the HD channels since he has them. There are 24 channels in my favorites. That means I don't have to go through all the channels. I have what I want in my favorites, all I have to do is open it and that is where it goes.
Out of all the apps I have this is my favorite one. I can now look at what is on and I do not need anyone else to help me. It is great. I love being able to know what is on and not rely on others to tell me. The website is accessible on my computer, but takes me forever to navigate.
With this app there is no need for me to use my computer. It was difficult and I was never able to get the hang of it. My life is so much easier with it.
iPhone
So I have not posted in awhile. Sorry about that. I have some very exciting news though. I got an iPhone. Now I feel like I am in the 21st century finally. Let me explain what lead to it.
My other phone charger died and when I went to get a new one I couldn't. On May 6th I went to King of Prussia Mall with mom, Barb, and Rich. We went to the big AT&T store and they could not help me. So we went to Radio Shack and they could not help me. Went to the small AT&T store and they could not help me either. Since we were at KoP we went to the Apple store and they of course had the iPhone 32gb in black in stock, so I got one and so did Rich.
I got the iPhone because it is truly the only accessible phone for me. I have voice over enabled on it. Between that and Siri I love my new phone.
I have downloaded ringtones for my family. I have also downloaded apps.
The first app I will talk about is the Look Tell money reader. I can now read the paper currency without the help of sighted people. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but it is. I got change back yesterday at Wal-mart and was able to check out what the bills were and place them in their proper place in my wallet all on my own. Yeah!
Next I also downloaded ColorID. This identifies colors for me. I can tell what color clothes are or even the color of someones hair.
I also got Ariadne GPS. It is really nice. I have not tried it outside of houses yet though. That is the next step for me.
I also got Weatherbug, Yellowpages, and Price Scan to read barcodes of items. ColorID and the last three were all free. The money reader was 9.99 and the GPS was 5.99 dollars to download.
I love my new phone and come this fall Apple is releasing a new operating system for the iPhone. Siri will be even smarter and FB will be integrated into the phone.
My other phone charger died and when I went to get a new one I couldn't. On May 6th I went to King of Prussia Mall with mom, Barb, and Rich. We went to the big AT&T store and they could not help me. So we went to Radio Shack and they could not help me. Went to the small AT&T store and they could not help me either. Since we were at KoP we went to the Apple store and they of course had the iPhone 32gb in black in stock, so I got one and so did Rich.
I got the iPhone because it is truly the only accessible phone for me. I have voice over enabled on it. Between that and Siri I love my new phone.
I have downloaded ringtones for my family. I have also downloaded apps.
The first app I will talk about is the Look Tell money reader. I can now read the paper currency without the help of sighted people. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but it is. I got change back yesterday at Wal-mart and was able to check out what the bills were and place them in their proper place in my wallet all on my own. Yeah!
Next I also downloaded ColorID. This identifies colors for me. I can tell what color clothes are or even the color of someones hair.
I also got Ariadne GPS. It is really nice. I have not tried it outside of houses yet though. That is the next step for me.
I also got Weatherbug, Yellowpages, and Price Scan to read barcodes of items. ColorID and the last three were all free. The money reader was 9.99 and the GPS was 5.99 dollars to download.
I love my new phone and come this fall Apple is releasing a new operating system for the iPhone. Siri will be even smarter and FB will be integrated into the phone.
Mind Like a Steal Trap
Well March 26 was the first real mobility lesson that I had. I did a lot of walking by myself. It was nerve racking thing, but I did it. I walked in Boscov's, down through the mall and to an ATM that despite the fact that it has the jack for headphones it does not talk. Ugh. Not the end of the world. From there I walked to the post office in the mall, mailed a letter for my instructor, Elaine, and then back to her. After that I walked up to T.G.I.Friday's and got a take-out menu for Elaine. We took a short break then it was back to Boscov's and then to the car. We then went to Wawa to use their ATM.
Ok first to talk about the letter. Elaine gave me 50 cents to get a stamp for her letter that had to be mailed. I haven't done this since I lost my sight. I went into the post office/service center for the mall. There was only one woman working in there because it was in the middle of the day and the mall wasn't very busy. I went in, bought the stamp, and asked if there was any word yet as to what was going to be going into where Sears is. No word yet, but they are trying to get something in there. When I was finished I walked up to Ross and met Elaine at the chairs out front of the store.
Second, I went to Friday's and got Elaine a take-out menu. I found the restaurant all by myself and asked the nice woman inside for the menu. While she was getting it, I talked to the guy that was also working. He asked me how my day was going. At this point I need to mention that Rich did this too, but it was not as easy for him. He had to walk through the restaurant to get help since no one was at the front podium. I was very lucky.
Third, I walked back to Boscov's and made it to the entrance/exit. I had to make it around the tables in the front of the store. I knew I was in the right place because of the pajamas that I felt, I felt them when I came in. I made it through the mall and that is what mattered.
Elaine and I then went to Wawa to use their ATM since the one at the mall doesn't talk. I was able to use my own card since Wawa doesn't charge to use their ATMs. I found the headphone jack and did everything by myself. Elaine was very proud of how fast I did it. Not that it was hard, just plug in the headphones and listen to what it tells you to do.
I know for some this may not seem like a big deal, but when you are blind these are huge milestones. I know I have a lot more training and I may even have it for the rest of my life, but that is ok. In the end it makes me a more independant person and hopefully I won't have to depend on Rich as much.
Ok first to talk about the letter. Elaine gave me 50 cents to get a stamp for her letter that had to be mailed. I haven't done this since I lost my sight. I went into the post office/service center for the mall. There was only one woman working in there because it was in the middle of the day and the mall wasn't very busy. I went in, bought the stamp, and asked if there was any word yet as to what was going to be going into where Sears is. No word yet, but they are trying to get something in there. When I was finished I walked up to Ross and met Elaine at the chairs out front of the store.
Second, I went to Friday's and got Elaine a take-out menu. I found the restaurant all by myself and asked the nice woman inside for the menu. While she was getting it, I talked to the guy that was also working. He asked me how my day was going. At this point I need to mention that Rich did this too, but it was not as easy for him. He had to walk through the restaurant to get help since no one was at the front podium. I was very lucky.
Third, I walked back to Boscov's and made it to the entrance/exit. I had to make it around the tables in the front of the store. I knew I was in the right place because of the pajamas that I felt, I felt them when I came in. I made it through the mall and that is what mattered.
Elaine and I then went to Wawa to use their ATM since the one at the mall doesn't talk. I was able to use my own card since Wawa doesn't charge to use their ATMs. I found the headphone jack and did everything by myself. Elaine was very proud of how fast I did it. Not that it was hard, just plug in the headphones and listen to what it tells you to do.
I know for some this may not seem like a big deal, but when you are blind these are huge milestones. I know I have a lot more training and I may even have it for the rest of my life, but that is ok. In the end it makes me a more independant person and hopefully I won't have to depend on Rich as much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)