Jessica, BlindSquare is designed for visually impaired, so it is very fluent to use. For example, there is just one search box where you type any search term. It will find places by name, address, your contacts by name, address or company, categories matching search term etc. From search results you have options like "make a phone call", "google it", "show restaurant menu", "simulate location" (you can "visit there" at home). You can also set alert distance for the place, so for example, if you simulated your destination at home and found nearest bus stop, you can set alert distance of 300 meters for that stop, so you will get alerted when you need to get off. There is also button to Plan a route. It will list you all navigation apps you have installed (Google Maps, TomTom, Navigon, Waze etc.) and when selected, you will have that 3rd party app running, destination is selected and you will get spoken turn-by-turn. BlindSquare will stay on background adding information about your address, intersections and nearby places while you go.
You will learn most of it's features by listening this podcast: http://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/blindsquare-feature-packed-navigational-tool-blind-ios-users Some more features: https://audioboo.fm/boos/1497058-blindsqare-news-podcast-1-for-release-1-43 Walking demo: https://audioboo.fm/boos/1555578-blindsquare-walking-demo-using-google-maps On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 4:00 AM, Jessica Moss <junglebookfa...@gmail.com>wrote: > Ok, I'm really confused here. I've started trying to use google maps, for > example, and have a love-hate relationship with it, considering the fact > that I love the idea that unlike mapquest, the search feature as far as > finding a location such as "pizza hut," is so much easier, however, I don't > like the fact that you can't access your contact info like you can with map > quest/apple maps, which is something I do really frequently. > Also, I've found that in a lot of cases, its acuracy can be really off > when navigating, and was wondering if anyone else has ever had this issue. > Something else I was curious about, what's the difference between using > blindsquare with an app like google maps, and just using google maps, for > example, by itself? > On Aug 29, 2013, at 11:10 AM, Mike Arrigo wrote: > > > I actually use GPS more for telling me streets and places than > directions. While it's certainly no substitute for a cane or guide dog and > good travel skills, for me it's just as important. I remember back in 2009, > this was when I was using way finder on a Nokia Symbian phone, I had gone > out for a nice long walk, on the way home, one of the streets had an > interesting curve in it and I found myself in a different place than I > expected. I probably would not have gotten back on track had it not been > for the GPS program, and it was kind of late so there was no one around to > ask. These days, having nearby explorer on my android devices, and the > sendero seeing eye app and blindsquare on my iphone are good things for > sure. > > Original message: > >> Wow, Cheree! what a story! > > > >> Glad you had friends you could call and that all worked out well! :) > > > >> I love the fact that GPS apps are so prevalent on mobile platforms now. > -And that so many of them are at least usable for us. It's very freeing > when you think about it. :) > > > >> In addition to assisting people you are with, they can go a long way to > helping people get acquainted with their environments so that we can really > get a better sense of our surroundings. > > > >> Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful night! > > > >> Smiles, > > > >> Cara :) > >> On Aug 28, 2013, at 9:08 PM, Cheree Heppe <che...@dogsc4me.com> wrote: > > > >> Cheree Heppe here: > > > >> The use of the GPS in a car could only have happened to somebody in a > sit-com, but, trust me, it happened to my friends and me this afternoon. > >> A pair of apparently solid sandals that I wore to work completely broke > down, leaving me the choice of walking in my nearly bare feet over > questionably clear sidewalks and streets to get home. I decided that would > be a very risky plan and phoned a family I have known for some years with > an emergency plea for transport or to borrow a pair of shoes. All of the > girls and their mother wear the same size shoe as I do. > >> The mom, Carolyn, agreed to pick me up after my work day and drive me > home and share a pair of shoes until I could step on to home turf and > return them. > >> At about 17:25, long after I got outside in my nearly bare feet, they > hadn't arrived. Two phone calls determined that Carolyn had parked her SUV > in one of those self-serve parking garages and walked several blocks to me. > >> When Carolyn and her daughter, Hannah, saw me outide my building, they > simultaneously realized that they'd forgotten the loaner pair of shoes in > their car. > >> Carolyn wore a double pair of socks and let me slip into her sneakers. > We carefully, for Carolyn's sake, wended our way to find the building and > her SUV. > >> Once up the ramps and at the car, we all got inside, only to have > Carolyn realize that her credit card was at home next to the laptop. This > car park requires a credit card in order to open the exit gates. > >> We decided to use my card. Carolyn took it to the machine, where, > because of Braille labelling I affixed with the card number, etc, it > promptly got well and truly jammed in the machine. Naturally, it hadn't > gotten to the stage to let us, or the ever-growing line of cars and driers > out of the parking structure. > >> On the automatic card machine now jammed with my card is a keypad to > use in case of problems. Carolyn dialed and explained that a card had > gotten jammed in the machine. > >> Several staff from the Embassy Suites to which the parking structure > belonged, came out and could not get the card out. Meanwhile, the drivers > were making increasingly interesting suggestions about our situation. > >> Finally, the hotel engineer came with a pair of needle-nose pliers and > pulled the card out. > >> All and sundry breathed a really large sigh of relief and we all got > free egress from there. > >> Not, for the GPS part. > >> Carolyn is not familiar with the city and I am not familiar with driver > helps. What a team. So, I brought up WAZE, a navigation and traffic GPS > that one of my former readers swears by. Sure enough, after I set it up, I > had to turn off VoiceOver to Carolyn's sighted daughter could read the > directions to Carolyn. WAZE is more accessible than it started out to be, > but still is not blind friendly enough to use the way we would really like. > It's amazing for sighted users, however. > >> We found our way home beautifully. > >> If I actually learn how to use some of my GPS apps, I suspect I will > have powerful tools in the palm of my hand. I have Ariadne and Blind > Square and they help more than hinder. Maybe I'm making GPS progress, eh? > > > > > >> Regards, > >> Cheree Heppe > >> T > > > >> Sent from my IPhone 4S > > > >> -- > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "MacVisionaries" group. > >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > >> -- > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "MacVisionaries" group. > >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "MacVisionaries" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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