How do I add individual contacts?

As users begin to feel comfortable with their phones, one of their first major tasks is to add contacts, a list of names, phone numbers, and email addresses to their devices. Contacts can be added from the Call Log, the text messenger, or the contacts app. At this time, adding the sender of an email to contacts is not accessible in K-9 Mail.

The information in this post covers adding individual contacts from the Call Log, the text messenger, and the contacts app; it also covers a few basic management tasks.

For information on working with electronic business cards (VCards), on using VCF files stored on the phone's SD card, or on importing contacts from the Google cloud, refer to the next post.

Users coming to Android from Nokia may be interested in J.J. Meddaugh's post on transferring contacts from Nokia to Android.

Users working with the Motorola Motoblur UI may find more helpful information about adding and managing individual contacts in Motoblur in the post by Chris Gilland.

Users working with the Samsung Touchwiz UI may find more helpful information about navigating the Touchwiz Call Log in the post by John J. Herzog.

Adding Contacts from the Call Log

The simplest way to add a contact is by using the Call Log. This is a list of recent incoming and outgoing calls. It opens automatically after each call, including calls to voicemail, and it can be accessed from the Contacts and phone apps.

1. Access the Call Log using one of the following methods:
a. Make or receive a call; then hang up.
b. Go to contacts from the Home screen and open the app; then left/-right arrow to Call Log. You must be at the very top of the screen for this to work.
c. Go to the Phone app from the Home screen and open it. Up-arrow from the number edit field to Phone; then left/right-arrow to the Call Log.
2. Arrow up and down through the list of calls, stopping at the one you wish to add to Contacts; then press the selector.
3. Navigate to and press the selector on Add to Contacts. Available options vary, depending on how the Call Log is entered, but they include Call/return call, Edit number before call, Send Text Message, Add to Contacts, and Remove from Call Log.
4. Create or edit the Contact.
a. If the contact is not in your address book, press the selector on Create New Contact.
b. If the contact is in your address book, but you do not have a phone number for him or her, arrow to the name and press the selector.
5. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few of the following fields as desired. Notice that the phone number has been added automatically.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, and website, . If an edit field isn't available for an item, press the selector on the icon to bring one up.
6. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Adding contacts from Messaging

Contacts can also be added from the stock text messenger.

1. Go to Messaging from the Home screen and open the app.
a. From the Eyes-Free Shell, down-stroke to Applications, type the letter M, arrow down to Messaging, and press enter.
b. From the stock Home screen, arrow to and press the selector on Applications, then on Messaging.
2. When the app opens, focus moves to “New message: Compose New Message.” Arrow down to a message that comes from someone whose phone number is not in your address book. Do not open the message.
3. Long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the message; then arrow to Add to Contacts or View Contact if the former is not available. Options may be View Thread, Add to Contact, View Contact, and Delete Thread.
4. Create or edit the Contact.
a. If the contact is not in your address book, press the selector on Create New Contact.
b. If the contact is in your address book, but you do not have a phone number for him or her, navigate to the person's name and press the selector.
5. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few of the following fields as desired. Notice that the phone number has been added automatically.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, website, . If edit fields aren’t available for an item, press the selector on it to bring one up.
6. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Adding Contacts from the Contacts App

The most obvious way to add contacts to an Android phone is by going into the Contacts app and typing the new contact’s details manually. The steps are as follows:

1. From the Home screen, go to Contacts and open the app.
a. From the Eyes-Free Shell, down-stroke to Applications, type the letter C, arrow down to Contacts, and press enter.
b. From the stock Home screen, arrow to and press the selector on Contacts.
2. Press Menu.
3. Arrow to and press the selector on New Contact.
4. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few fields as desired.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, website, . If edit fields aren’t available for an item, press the selector on it to bring one up.
5. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Doing More with contacts: Contacting, Viewing, Editing, and Deleting

Once contact details are on the phone, they can be used to communicate with someone, and the contacts themselves may be reviewed, modified, added to a list of frequently used contacts, or removed altogether.

1. To call or email a contact while in the Contacts app, do one of the following:
a. Find the contact's name.
b. Short press (1 second) the selector on the contact name.
c. On the new screen that opens, which has options like Call Home, Call Mobile, or Email, arrow to and press the selector on the desired item.
1. If you short-press on either of the calling options, the call is sent.
2. If you short-press on email, an email message opens up. Focus is in the To field, which is already filled in. Down-arrow to move to the Subject field, and continue with your message.
2. To text a contact from the Contacts app or Call Log, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, arrow to and short-press the selector on the person's name. A new set of options appears, which includes Call Mobile if a cell number is listed with the name. Arrow to and long-press (2to 3 seconds) the selector on Call Mobile. The new screen lists options for calling the contact, texting him or her, and making the number the default. Arrow to and press the selector on Text Contact. . A text message opens, and focus is in the message body. Continue with your message.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to and press the selector on the name of the person you wish to text. A new set of options appears: Call Contact, Send Text Message, and View Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Send Text Message. A text message opens, and focus is in the message body. Continue with your message.
3. To view the contact details, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the contact name. A new list of options appears: View, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to the person's name and short- or long-press the selector. A new set of options appears. For a short-press, they are Call, Send Text Message, and View Contact. For a long-press, they are Call, View contact, Edit Number before Call, Send Text Message, Remove from call Log. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
c. While in Messaging, arrow to the text from the person whose details you're interested in. Then do one of the following:
1. Short-press (1 second) the selector to open the message, and press Menu for additional options. They are View Contact, Add Subject, Attach, Insert Smiley, Delete Thread, and All Threads. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
2. Long-press (2-3 seconds) the selector on the closed thread for additional options. They are View Thread, View contact, and Delete Thread. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
4. To make changes or add information to the contact details, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, arrow to the person's name and
1. Either short-press (1 second) the selector on the contact name, press Menu, then press the selector on Edit, arrowing through the following fields to provide new or revised details as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector.
2. Or long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the contact name. A new set of options appears: View, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. Arrow to and press the selector on Edit. Then arrow through the following fields to provide new or revised details as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to the person's name. Then either short- (1 second) or long-press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector. A new set of options appears. For short-press, they are Call, Send Text Message, and View Contact. For Long-press, they are Call, View contact, Edit Number before Call, Send Text Message, Remove from call Log. Arrow to and press the selector on View Contact, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button, arrow to and press the selector on Edit, and down-arrow to provide new or revised details for the following fields as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
c. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button, arrow to and press the selector on Edit, and down-arrow to provide new or revised details for the following fields as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
5. To delete a contact, do one of the following:
a. Go into the Call Log. Arrow to and press the selector first on the person's name, then on View Contact. Press the Menu button, and arrow to and press the selector on Delete. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
b. Open the contacts app, arrow to the person's name, then do one of the following:
1. Press the backspace button on the physical keyboard. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
2. Short-press as if to call or email the contact. Then press Menu and arrow to and press the selector on Delete. Options are Edit Contact, Share, Options, and Delete Contact. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
3. Long-press (2 to 3 seconds); then arrow to and press the selector on Delete. Options are View Contact, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
c. Open Messaging, and arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button. Options are Edit Contact, Share, Options, and Delete Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Delete Contact. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.

Working with Favorites: Finding Favorites, Adding to Favorites, and Removing from Favorites

Since contact lists can get very long very fast, users find it convenient to separate frequently used contacts into a shorter list they can scroll through quickly. This list behaves exactly like contacts, and the items found in it remain in Contacts, even after they are removed from favorites.

To find Favorites, do the following:

1. Open the contacts app, navigate to the top of the list, and up-arrow one more time. This moves focus to a set of four tabs--Call Log, Contacts, Favorites, and Phone—though the order varies from handset to handset.
2. Navigate to Favorites; then down-arrow or press the selector.

Note: Some handsets do not allow users to reach these tabs with the navigational control. If this is the case, touch the top of the screen to move focus to any one of the tabs; then arrow left or right.

To include a contact in Favorites, do the following:

1. While in the Contacts app, arrow to the person's name. Then either short- (1 second) or long-press (2-3 seconds) the selector. A new list of options appears. For short-pres, they are Favorite and options to call or email if those details are part of the contact. For long-press, they are View Contact, Add to Favorites, Edit Contact, and Delete Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Favorite or Add to Favorites to check the item. Press Back when finished.
2. While in the Call Log, arrow to and press the selector on the person's name, then on View Contact, and finally on Add to Favorites to find and check that item. Press Back when finished.
3. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the person whose details you're interested in. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Arrow up and down through the list of information for the contact. At the top of the list is a Favorites checkbox. Arrow to and press the selector on it to check the item.

To Remove someone from Favorites, but not from the general Contacts list, do either of the following:

1. While in the Call log, arrow to and press the selector on the person's name, on View contact, then on Favorite. Press the selector to clear the Favorite checkbox. Press Back when finished.
2. While in the Contacts app, go into Favorites. Use the arrow keys to find the person you want to remove from the Favorites list, short- or long-press the selector to open additional options, and uncheck the Favorites item by navigating to it and pressing the selector. Press Back when finished.
3. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Arrow up and down through the list of information for the contact. At the top of the list is a Favorites checkbox. Arrow to and press the selector on it to uncheck the item.

Apps4Android Releases 6 Accessibility App Installers (AAIs) and 37 Voices in 25 Languages

On February 6, Apps4Android announced the release of two new products. One is a set of carrier specific accessibility app installers (AAIs) for Android users living in and out of the United States. The other is a set of new voices in a wide range of languages.

The following has been excerpted from the announcement. To read the complete press release in html, click here. To read a Word version of the release, click here.

The apps can be found on the Android Market by searching for Apps4Android.

Apps4Android’s AAIs:

Apps4Android’s AAIs are carrier-specific applications designed to make it easy and intuitive for wireless carrier retail store personnel, help desk professionals, and subscribers to identify, download, and install "no-cost-to-the-subscriber" suites of third-party applications designed to enhance the accessibility of Android smart devices. Apps4Android’s AAIs identify the accessibility applications not currently installed on an Android smart device. They then walk the user through installing the missing accessibility applications.

Apps4Android’s AAIs manage the detection and installation of the following Android accessibility applications:

1. Accessibility Preferences (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Enables users to easily modify settings for accessibility applications such as TalkBack.
2. Eyes Free Shell (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Permits the use of an Android smart device as an eyes-free communicator.
3. IDEAL Item Identifier® (Apps4Android) Takes pictures of standard UPC and QR codes and voices the description of the item using Google’s TTS voices. It also enables users to create talking barcodes.
4. IDEAL Magnifier® (Apps4Android) Turns most Android smart devices into handheld video magnifiers.
5. IDEAL Web Access Pack® (Apps4Android) Enables individuals with print disabilities to easily surf the Web.
6. K-9 Mail® (Apps4Android and K-9 Dog Walkers) Fully accessible Android e-mail client that includes the ability to create, send, receive, and read e-mail messages. Other features include search, push e-mail, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures, bcc-self, mail on SD and more! K-9 Mail supports IMAP, POP3, and Exchange (with WebDAV).
7. KickBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) provides haptic (vibratory) feedback in response to various events taking place on Android smart devices
8. Rock Lock (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) A fully accessible music player.
9. SoundBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Provides non-spoken, auditory feedback in response to various events taking place on Android smart devices.
10. TalkBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Provides screenreading functionality to native Android applications on Android devices.
11. Talking Dialer (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Enables users to dial phone numbers in an eyes-free environment.
12. Walky Talky (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Accessible GPS navigation aids.
13. Intersection Explorer (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team) Accessible GPS navigation aids.

Apps4Android AAIs have been released for:

1. AT&T® Android smart device users in the United States.
2. Sprint® Android smart device users in the United States.
3. T-Mobile® Android smart device users in the United States, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Poland.
4. Verizon® Android smart device users in the United States.
5. Vodafone® Android smart device users in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, and Romania.
6. Optus® in Australia, Orange® in France, DOCOMO®, SoftBank®, and au by KDDI® in Japan, Singtel® in Singapore, nTelos® in the United States, and all other carrier’s Android smart device users in all other countries including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Best Voices for Android®:

All of Apps4Android's accessibility applications incorporate the use of text-to-speech voices. Because of this, and because many text-to- speech users prefer high-quality human-sounding voices, Apps4Android is pleased to release "Best Voices for Android." Voices are available in 25 languages including a total of 37 voices.

"Best Voices for Android" languages include Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, European Spanish, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mexican Spanish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, UK English, and U.S. English.

Best Voices for Android® not only provides the ability to purchase the best voices on the market, it permits users to sample the voices before purchasing them! Even better, Best Voices for Android® are only $2.99 each!

Important note: "Best Voices for Android" will only run on smart devices running Android version 2.2 (Froyo) and above.

Eyes-Free Shell Refreshed

We just refreshed Eyes-Free Shell on Android Market with a long-overdue set of improvements that have been waiting to launch. Here is a brief summary of user-visible changes:

User Customizable Home Screen

You can now add additional pages of short-cuts to the home screen. You can flip through these pages of short-cuts by tapping the left or right edge of the screen. Pressing the menu key within a page of shortcuts allows you to customize the short-cuts on that page; it also provides controls for inserting new short-cut pages.

One-Click Uninstall

The default way of managing applications in Android requires many clicks through nested menus --- this is especially true when uninstalling applications. The Eyes-Free Shell now lets you uninstall applications by pressing menu while in the applications list .

I18N

Spanish and Chinese strings for Eyes-Free Shell.

And many more underlying changes too numerous to fit in this margin. Speak, Listen, And Enjoy!

Intersection Explorer --- Now Intersections Sound Even Better

We just updated Intersection Explorer on Android Market. This version improves on the initial launch by providing more intuitive descriptions for intersections, I'll include some examples below:

T-Intersection

Minor Street ends in Main Street to form a T-Intersection Depending on where you explore from, you hear:

• Currently at Minor Street ends in Main Street
• Currently at right on to Minor Street from Main Street.
• Currently at left on to Minor Street from Main Street.

Plus-Intersection

Given the 4-way intersection of Castro Street and El Camino, you hear one of the following depending on the direction you're exploring:

• Currently at Castro Street crosses El Camino
• Currently at El Camino crosses Castro Street.

And a lot more than will fit this margin --- explore, share and enjoy!

What Accessibility Improvements does Gingerbread include?

Svetoslav Ganov from Google posted the following to the Eyes-Free Users Group today:

Dear users,

The Gingerbread release of the Android platform has introduced the following accessibility related features:

1. The Calendar application has been instrumented to fire the appropriate accessibility events. which consumed by a screen reader such as Spiel or TalkBack turn the application into a fully accessible Calendar solution.
2. Accessibility tests have been added to the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) to ensure that every Android compatible device does support the latest version of the platform accessibility APIs. This means that Android compatible devices will have the same accessibility features as the current version of the platform. Among other things, the tests ensure that the user settings to enable accessibility are present. Note that this test suite is not responsible for assessing the accessibility level of the applications running on Android devices.
3. A much more recent version of TalkBack is included out-of-the-box.

Thanks!

Svetoslav Ganov

How do I keep my screen still during a call?

Some Android phones, like the Motorola Droid and Droid 2, have especially sensitive touch screens or faulty proximity sensors, which keep the screen active during phone calls. This can be a problem as the nearness and movement of the user’s face inadvertently activates soft buttons, unintentionally launching other apps or putting the call on mute or speaker.

Two free Android apps, Quick Lock and Lock Now Free, enable users to manually freeze the screen immediately after placing or answering calls. Both are fairly accessible and easy to use.

Quick Lock

Quick Lock by Sakura Soft is best for phones with physical End Call buttons because the accessibility option that allows users to end calls with the power button needs to be turned off. The app is free and available from Android Market. The first step is to find the app and install it to the phone. Then the setup begins:

Setting up Quick Lock

1. Use Settings to uncheck Power Button Ends Calls by doing the following:
a. From the Home screen, open Settings.
b. Arrow to and press d-pad OK on Accessibility.
c. Arrow to Power Button Ends Calls. If it is checked, press d-pad OK to uncheck it.
d. Return to the Home screen by pressing Back several times or Home once.
2. Open Quick Lock from the Home screen. When the app opens, Talkback announces, "Select lock mode," offering 3 options: Sleep, No Sleep, and Cancel.
3. Arrow to and press d-pad OK on Sleep. Talkback does not announce that the item is checked.
4. Return to the Home screen by pressing Back several times or Home once.

Using Quick Lock

1. Make or receive a call by doing one of the following:
a. Dial and press send, listening for the phone to ring.
b. Answer the phone with the unlock gesture, listening for the line to open.
2. Lock the screen immediately by pressing the power button twice.
3. If desired, access the screen again during a call by pressing the power button twice, then swiping in the usual place to unlock.

Lock Now Free

Lock Now Free by Azrael is best for phones that lack physical End Call buttons. It enables users to lock the screen with something other than the power button. Options are the Search and Call keys and the Status bar. The application appears to do more, but documentation is sketchy . The app is free and available from Android Market though there is a paid version as well. The first step is to find the app and install it to the phone. Then the setup begins:

Setting up Lock Now Free

1. Open Lock Now Free from the Home screen. When the app opens, Talkback announces all 7 options: Enable force lock, create shortcut, Search Key Long Press, Call Key Long Press, Status Bar, Disconnect Power, Other app ….
2. Pres d-pad OK on Enable Force Lock. The phone asks if you want to activate the device administrator.
3. Down-arrow to and press d-pad OK on the Activate button. If
4. Press Back once to return to the list of 7 options.
5. Arrow to and press d-pad OK on Search Key Long Press. Talkback does not announce whether the button is checked.
6. Return to the Home screen by pressing Back several times or Home once.
7. Make a practice call. When the phone starts ringing, long press the Search button. Since this is the first time the app is being used, the Android System screen appears, offering3 choices: Lock Now Free, Search, and Use by Default for this Action.
8. Arrow to and press d-pad OK on Use by Default for This Action; then arrow to and press d-pad OK on Lock Now Free.
a. It may be easier to access these screens after hanging up.
b. Lock Now Free does not appear to interfere with the behavior of the Search button when not in a call.
9. Once Lock Now Free is set as the default action, hang up if necessary, and return to the Home screen with the Back or Home keys.

Using Lock Now Free

1. Make or receive a call by doing one of the following:
a. Dial and press send, listening for the phone to ring.
b. Answer the phone with the unlock gesture, listening for the line to open.
2. Lock the screen by long-pressing the Search button (2 to 3 seconds). The phone vibrates briefly.
a. The screen becomes inactive after another 3 to 4 seconds.
b. The 4 Android buttons (Back, Home, Menu and Search) appear to remain active, and touching them appears to wake up the screen.
3. If desired, access the screen again during a call by long-pressing the Search key (2 to 3 seconds). The phone does not vibrate to indicate the screen is active, so keep fingers away from the bottom of the screen to avoid touching any of the soft buttons.
4. Hang up when the call is over and use the already active screen, or tap the Power button to lock it.

Walking About With A Talking Android

1 Walking About With a Talking Android

I have long relied on spoken directions from Google Maps on the desktop. As I access more and more of my online world through my Android phone, Google's recent announcement of GMM4.5 enhanced with walking directions means that I now have superior functionality to what I have enjoyed at my desk --- but now with the added benefit of having it all in my pocket!

Inclusion of step-by-step walking directions on Android now allows me to specify a destination on my TalkBack enabledeyes-free Android device, and have these spoken to me as I walk. But wait, there's more!

We're launching a new member of our Eyes-Free family of programs for Android --- WalkyTalky that goes hand-in-hand with spoken walking directions from Google Maps to better navigate the physical world. In addition,application Intersection Explorer allows me to explore the layout of streets using touch before venturing out with WalkyTalky.

1.1 WalkyTalky

WalkyTalky is an Android application that speaks the address of nearby locations as you pass them. It also provides more direct access to the walking directions component of Google Maps. With WalkyTalky installed, you can:

• Launch WalkyTalky to specify a destination,
• Either specify the destination by address, or pick from favorites or recently visited locations,
• And in addition to spoken walking directions,
• Hear street addresses as you walk by.

These spoken updates, in conjunction with the walking directions that are spoken by Google Maps help me navigate the physical world as efficiently as I navigate the Internet.

1.2 Intersection Explorer

Often, I like exploring a neighborhood to learn the layout of the streets before actually venturing out with my trusty companion,Hubbell Labrador, and this is where Intersection Explorer comes into its own. Using this application, I can explore any neighborhood on Google Maps via touch exploration.

1.2.1 How It Works

• Intersection Explorer starts off at the user's current location.
• One can change the start position by entering an address, to do this, press menu and click on new location.
• Once the map has loaded, touching the screen speaks the streets at the nearest intersection.
• Moving one's finger along a compass direction, and then tracing a circle speaks each street at that intersection along with the associated compass direction.
• Presence of streets is cued by a slight vibration as one traces the circle.
• Lifting up the finger when on a street moves in that direction to the next intersection, speaks the distance moved, and finally speaks the newly arrived-at intersection.

1.3 Summary

Together, Intersection Explorer and WalkyTalky, in conjunction with Walking Directions from Google Maps brings a new level ofaccess to my physical world. I use these tools in conjunction with other Maps-based applications such as the Places Directory on Android --- this is another application from the Google Maps team that works fluently with TalkBack on Android to help me find nearby attractions or other locations of interest.

So next time you take your trusty Android out for a walk, make sure to give these new tools a spin --- you can report back on your experience via our Eyes-Free Group.

Applications WalkyTalky and Intersection Explorer can be downloaded from the Android Market.Share And Enjoy, and as usual, remember, The Best Is Yet To Come!

Author: T.V Raman

Date: 2010-09-09 Thu

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