Mobile access tech goes mainstream

Way back in the closing decade of the 20th century when mobile phones stopped being a yuppie toy and became affordable for everyone, choosing your phone was pretty straight forward because there were few features and it came down to which networks you could pick up best in your area. Size and shape varied a bit but that was about as far as it went.

When looking at accessibility, especially for visually impaired people, the choice was: a) whether you could use it or b) whether you couldn't use it. I remember that I thought one old phone I had was more accessible because of the minor advantage that it allowed you to fit standard double A batteries if you ran out of power.

This was handy to me because I couldn't see the meter to tell whether the built-in battery was dying and wouldn't get caught out if I took a pack of Energisers with me. That was about as good as these devices got, for some of us.

Enter the 21st century and there was a revolution in mobile access. Pioneers of add-on assistive software such as Torsten Brand - who sadly died earlier this year - have had a massive impact on the lives of many disabled people. These customers now take it for granted that they will be able to use a handheld device to send and receive text and email messages, browse the web, listen to music, read books, get turn by turn directions, oh and even make calls.

I used to worry about battery life     &nbsp

But it seems we are now paying the price for the pace of that development. With more choice than ever before, which device do you choose? Whether your priority is sound, a good clear screen, tactile keys or perhaps battery life, for many people with impairments this isn't the half of it.

The features are now richer and more accessible, so it's now all about which text-to-speech or screen magnifier will work on which handset? Will this one work with my satellite navigation package? Will it allow me to take a photo of a timetable, menu or letter and have it read aloud?

And, being as the phones which can be made accessible are at the premium end of the market *gulp* how much does it cost? All these questions are getting more and more difficult to find answers to.

Websites like MobileAccessibility.info can help identify the handset with the features you're looking for, but unless you are willing and able to get to grips with the technicalities of operating systems and software versions, it really is a minefield.

It seems that we might just be on the brink of another revolution in mobile access, though. This time it's all about moving away from special software and devices and going mainstream. For instance, the latest generation of Apple products come with a range of accessibility features.

Have accessibility features gone mainstream?     &nbsp

The touch screens and gesture based interface mean you no longer need to look for the right buttons but can jump tracks, increase text size, or turn the page with a flick of a finger or the shake of your wrist. There's also speech output, screen magnification and tactile feedback all right there in the box.

Dragon Dictate, for use creating documents hands free, is just one of over 50,000 apps (applications) that can be downloaded and installed on the newest models.

Google is now at it too. The Android software that now powers more mobile phones than the Apple competition also comes with many of the access features right there waiting to be switched on. Unlike the Apple products you don't first need to connect to a computer to get it going, and there's an equivalent extras store, the Android market.

In terms of accessibility, the Google Android solution isn't quite as advanced as the Apple feature set right now, browsing the web with the screenreader for example still needs some work, but with all these access features available at the flick of a finger, choosing a mobile looks set to get much easier in the future.

Handsets have dramatically changed in the last 10 years     &nbsp

It's not just choice either, you can pick up a pay as you go Android phone such as the T-mobile Pulse Mini or Vodafone 845 for a fraction of the cost of the assistive technology alone. With the kind of phones many of us are pocketing these days - with decent cameras, wireless and Bluetooth - they're well spec'd at any price point.

Consider that both Apple and Androids can access the free Google navigation service with turn by turn directions as well as thousands of other apps, and you've got to think. Choosing your next mobile looks to be a whole lot easier.

However, each device has its advantages and disadvantages, and you'd be wise to try the assistive technology route as well as the emerging mainstream one. Just because it's free, or costs less, doesn't necessarily mean it's better.