Category:
Model:
Manufacturer's Website:
Short Description:
Excellent accessible phone with hardware keyboard, ideal phone for blind.
Physical Description:
Based on a processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal fast storage (SD allowed), Android 5/6 smartphone with 5,5" super-oled display with high brightness and contrast. One of few Android devices with physical keyboard (qwertz/qwerty fullslide-out keyboard below the display with gestures supported. HW and SW keyboard 100% accessible. Android 5.1/6.0 (updated on jul 2016 with monthly updates) is fast and optimized. Clear Android with Blackberry Launcher and some security and communication apps from Blackberry. Laught speaker on left bottom side of phone. Mechanical keys for volume setting and mute, sensor keys for Back, Home and Tasklist at bottom of display. Internal storage has 32GB (24GB free for user) and it supports SD cards to 32/64GB (with drivers). OTG supported. GPS, Bluetooth (full and BLE profiles) and NFC at center of backside.
Accessibility Features:
All of google's standard accessibility features are available. Talkback runs fast and with no lagging. Setup is easy but in some cases (non-english language set up) it is not possible to fully setup the phone independently. Only Google TTS comes pre-installed with limited language support. TalkBack supports proximity sensor for stopping speech (you can switch it off). Some accessibility features in Settings / Display include: Inverting colors, changing color depth and scheme, and enlarging font text and some UI objects.). This phone supports Shine+ when installed from play store. The hardware keyboard allows for setting up some keystrokes for screenreader. I found some accessibility issues in Blackberry Launcher. You may choose to install Nova Launcher or Google now. Blackberry´s apps are mostly accessible (contacts, phone with caller identification, etc.), but some issues occurred in apps mainly developed for Blackberry OS such as Blackberry Calendar, Notes, Tasks, and BB Hub. For these apps I recommend installing alternatives/native apps from Google. Surprisingly, the camera app speaks all controls and can be controlled by the hardware keyboard. Both hardware and software keyboards are accessible and typing is easy by word and sentence prediction. For voice recognition it uses standard Google VRS (but you can install Swipe with Dragon if you want better VRS. In many cases, standard components from Google are in use.
Experience:
Good device for blind users who want to use a phone for manager´s purposes. Good hardware keyboard, accessible interface and apps, and secured system. Only problem is some issues in Blackberry launcher, you can install some alternatives.
Comments
Links to resources on the blackberry priv
Here are some links to resources on this phone: