Re: getting a new iPhone, some help needed, please
Well, since this topic is already here, I might as well piggyback on it a bit.
I, too, am on the brink of getting an Iphone. The idea has been kicking around in my head for some time, actually, but there are quite a few things that intimidate me to no end. However, my old and crusty flip phone, almost 5 years old now, is A. unable to hold a charge for more than 20 minutes, and B. is, and always has been, practically inaccessible. I can send texts with it, but that's about the extent of what it talks me through. So, I have to make a choice: do I buy another phone like this one, knowing that it will probably not even be as accessible, or do I get an Iphone and suffer through the learning curve? Of course the logical answer is to get an Iphone, thus my grudging acceptance of this fact, and my questions.
To understand my reticence, I think it's worth explaining what my problem is. I feel that I have no point of reference when it comes to what I can expect from a touch screen environment. For example, I've recently begun looking into Linux. I went into it with the hope of learning a new OS, not to use full-time, but to know how it worked, and to compare and contrast between it and Windows. I would surely find tasks that linux could do better, and tasks that Windows could do better. So, I researched different distros, settled on Vinux, as it seemed the most friendly to a beginner, let alone a blind user, set it up in a VM, and got to work reading Ubuntu's and Orca's documentations. I approached this whole process with some trepidation, thinking that I would have to memorize a whole set of vastly different keyboard shortcuts, but the more I read, the more I realized that many of the commands I use on a daily basis would carry over. This gave me the confidence to proceed, and, while I still have much to learn, especially concerning the command line, I think I might one day be able to consider myself a power user of Linux, much the same way asI consider myself a power user of Windows.
So you see, the factor that sealed the deal for me was familiarity. I knew that, yes, there were going to be differences. But how do you reconcile the fact that there is nothing at all that works the same way as it would if you were inputting it on a keyboard? This is my first experience with a touch screen, bar an experience I had in 2011 where I had an Iphone for a day, then got too frustrated with it and gave up.
Maybe there are parallels that I can hold onto. If this is the case, I hope that someone can explain them to me. I know that I can get a bluetooth keyboard, but I almost feel like that's cheating. I feel that, if I do this, I should at least become accustomed to the touch gestures before getting a keyboard to simplify my life and lower my blood pressure, lol.
I worry about my typing speed and acc uracy suffering as a result of going touch screen. Being clearly heard and understood is very important to me, so proper spelling and punctuation is a must. I refuse to use dictation, because when people send emails or texts with it, it always looks sloppy. No punctuation to speak of, acronyms all over the place, and misinterpreted words, which, while the latter is sometimes amusing, I would cringe if it happened to me. Surely if it was possible to edit messages once they were dictated, people would clean them up before sending?
I also don't even know if I have a right to ask for help, because I sometimes read comments from people, usually on mailing lists, who rave about how they learned how to use an Iphone with Voiceover in 20 minutes. I know I could never be that good. Not only has my previous bad experience proven that, but because I feel under such enormous pressure to conform to that ideal or risk being thought of as stupid, that would probably work against me, and hinder my learning process even further. Either way, if I do get one, I would rather struggle than admit that I haven't picked it up as fast as everyone else.
Having said all that, I've taken a look at the directory of apps on Applevis, and there's some stuff that looks awesome. I've always wanted to try many of the games that have been available for some time, and I've always envied people who had a GPS in the palm of their hand like that to get them out of tough situations. Even knowing who is calling me when my phone rings would be a luxury that everyone else takes for granted, but is something I've never had with the slew of flip phones I've dealt with in my time. The fact that my current one, a Pantech Breeze 3, has the level of accessibility that it does have is an improvement over others I had that didn't talk at all.
So yeah, I'm approaching this the way one might approach a vicious pitbull. I'm terrified of the touch screen. There, I admitted it. You guys are reasonable folks, though. I can only remember one instance on this forum where I felt personally attacked, and that was years ago, so I think you guys might be able to help me out. It's entirely possible that I'm looking at this the wrong way, and that someone out there will have a suggestion as to how to make the process bearable. If that happens, I'll come back with a few app-specific questions that I have.
_______________________________________________ Audiogames-reflector mailing list Audiogames-reflector@sabahattin-gucukoglu.com https://sabahattin-gucukoglu.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/audiogames-reflector
