Got the Smarts

Back when phones were phones (err remember those?) adaptive technology was a hodge podge of specialised Hardware and/or Software.  Needed to do Object Character Recognition work?  You needed a $1500 flat-bed scanner plus good software  Needed mid to long range visual assistance?  Well you needed to buy a monocular telescope.  A lot of these devices were wonderful things that provided people with various physical, sensory and psychological challenges a better chance at interacting with the world around them.  But they were expensive and in many cases cumbersome, for many who required more than one device it became a matter of requiring a forklift to carry your ensemble.

But things began to change...

In the early 2000's we started seeing the release of touch based mobile phones.  A melding of two devices, the mobile and the Personal Data Assistant (PDA).  Many supported clunky interfaces such as WIndows Mobile 5 but with various hacks and tweaks these devices could be forced to be accessible (Often available through PocketGear which has since been rebranded to Appia) .  Making these phones reasonably accessible was best left to those who knew their ways around the hidden registry.

Back on June 29th, 2007 the face of adaptive technologyunderwent a fairly big facelift with the launch of the original iPhone (see Wikipedia for more information).  Despite being quite simple in terms of its functionality, for example it was unable to send MMS, it popularise the smartphone to the point of becoming a mass market item.

While we took several steps backwards in terms of interface design (loss of form equating to function, no user feedback etc) we gained access to an easily useable multi-function device that was highly portable.  Later a stime went on we saw software released for various accessiblity tasks such as Magnifying Lenses, Video magnifiers, Voice Recognition, Text to Speech, Barcode Reading, Document Scanning and Communication Boards.

Since then, Disability Technology has become more affordable as it shifts from a dedicated Hardware/Software approach to almost strictly a Software one that exists on multiple platforms (iOS, Android and Windows Mobile).  Cost issues have almost been removed (most software is free or under $5) and high levels of accessibility to mobiles is now being pushed to the fore (many accessibility options are mirrored on all platforms).

We look forward to further development in the area of Smartphone technology.