Aps for Android

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HTML Version of this News Release:
http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-020611

Word Version of this News Release:
http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-020611-doc

Contact:
Apps4Android, Inc.
Media Relations
media-relations@apps4android.org

Apps4Android Releases Six, Carrier-Specific, Android Accessibility Installers® and Best Voices for Android®

HILLIARD, OH February 7, 2011 –Apps4Android today announced the release of six, carrier-specific, Accessibility Application Installers® (AAIs) and a Best Voices for Android® application.

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 were designed in support of the following communities of users:

* Consumers with print disabilities: Individuals with a print disability cannot effectively read print because of a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive, or learning disability. There are 826 million consumers worldwide1 who have a print disability.

* Individuals who are aging: Individuals who are aging sometimes find it more difficult to see small displays, use small keyboards, or understand how to perform complex functions on smart devices. There are 519 million consumers worldwide1who are 65 years of age and over.

* People who never learned to read: Individuals who never learned to read find it difficult to perform functions on smart devices that require reading instructions or in acquiring knowledge from dynamically changing content such as SMS messages, e-mail messages, web content, e-books, etc. There are 1.2 billion consumers worldwide1 who never learned to read.

* Consumers who, for whatever reason, wish to operate their smart devices in eyes-busy environments; and,

* Everyone else!

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.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-ap-1

2. Eyes Free Shell (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
Permits the use of an Android smart device as an eyes-free communicator.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-efs-1

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.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-iii-1

4. IDEAL Magnifier® (Apps4Android)
Turns most Android smart devices into handheld video magnifiers
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-im-1

5. IDEAL Web Access Pack® (Apps4Android)
Enables individuals with print disabilities to easily surf the Web.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-wap-1

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. More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-k9-1
KickBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
provides haptic (vibratory) feedback in response to various events taking place on Android smart devices
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-kb-1

8. Rock Lock (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
A fully accessible music player.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-rl-1

9. SoundBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
Provides non-spoken, auditory feedback in response to various events taking place on Android smart devices.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-sb-d

10. TalkBack (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
Provides screenreading functionality to native Android applications on Android devices.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-tb-1

11. Talking Dialer (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
Enables users to dial phone numbers in an eyes-free environment.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-td-1

12. Walky Talky/ Intersection Explorer (Developer: Google Eyes-Free Team)
Accessible GPS navigation aids.
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-wt-1
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-ie-1

Steve Jacobs, the President of IDEAL Group and CEO of Apps4Android stated, "For the past two years our companies have been receiving a large number of calls and e-mails from carrier personnel and subscribers asking what versions of which Android accessibility applications they should be installing on Android smart devices to make them more accessible. They have also been asking where to find and how to download the applications. It is our hope that developing and releasing our AAIs and Best Voices for Android will help to simplify, speed-up and enhance the quality of this process for all stakeholders involved."

Apps4Android AAIs have been released for:

* AT&T® Android smart device users in the United States
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-att

* Sprint® Android smart device users in the United States
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-sprint

* T-Mobile® Android smart device users in the United States, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Poland
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-t-mobile

* Verizon® Android smart device users in the United States
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-verizon

* Vodafone® Android smart device users in Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, and Romania
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-vodaphone

* 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;
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-other

Best Voices for Android®

In 2009, Apps4Android ported six TTS voices (US English, UK English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish) to run on the first-out release of Android (Cupcake). Apps4Android named their suite of voices, "Better Voices for Cupcake®."
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-bv4c

Now, there are even better voices available 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!
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-best

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

Credits:

We would like to express our deepest respect and sincerest appreciation to the members of Google’s Eyes-Free team, especially T.V, Raman and Charles Chen for developing a majority of the accessibility applications installed by Apps4Android’s accessibility installers. We would also like to thank K-9 Dog Walkers for integrating our accessibility enhancements into the code base of their K-9 Mail® application. This high level of mutual support is exactly what open source software projects are all about!
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-ef-1
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-k9-1

About Apps4Android:

Apps4Android, a subsidiary of IDEAL Group, Inc. Apps4Android is dedicated to developing low and no-cost-to-the-user, high-quality Android applications that enhance the accessibility and usefulness of Android devices for individuals with disabilities, consumers who are aging, individuals who never learned to read, individuals who, for many reasons, wish to operate their Android smart devices in eyes-busy environments, and everyone else!

Apps4Android is the world’s largest developer of Android accessibility applications in the world. They:

* Support 1.3+ million users;
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-eos-1

* Support users in 48 countries
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-co-1

* Developed (along with its sister company Onymous Heroes) 77 applications
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-apps-1
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-onymous

* Support 112 different Android smart devices made by 47 manufacturers;
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-p-1
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-m-1

* Support five official and many modified versions of Android
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-os-1
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-os-2

* Support subscribers of 60 different wireless service providers;
More: http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-sp-1

Reference:

1. Jacobs, Steve. 2010. Business Benefits of Accessible ICT Design
http://tinyurl.com/apps4android-sj-1

Trademark Credits:

Accessibility Application Installer (AAI)® is a registered trademark of IDEAL Group, Inc.
AT&T® is a registered trademark of American Telephone & Telegraph Co
au by KDDI® is a registered trademark of KDDI Corporation
Best Voices for Android® is a registered trademark of IDEAL Group, Inc.
Better Voices for Cupcake® is a registered trademark of IDEAL Group, Inc.
DOCOMO® is a registered trademark of of NTT DOCOMO, Inc.
K-9 Mail® is a registered trademark of K-9 Dog Walkers
nTelos® is a registered trademark of nTelos Inc.
Optus® is a registered trademark of of SingTel Optus Pty Limited.
Orange® is a registered trademark of France Telecom.
Singtel® is a registered trademark of Singapore Telecommunications Limited
SoftBank® is a registered trademark of SoftBank Mobile Corporation
Sprint® is a registered trademark of Sprint Communications Company, L.P.
T-Mobile is a registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.
Verizon® is a registered trademark of Verizon Communications Inc.
Vodafone® is a registered trademark of the Vodafone Group.