-----Original Message-----
From: main@TechTalk.groups.io
[mailto:main@TechTalk.groups.io] On Behalf Of James Bentley
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2020 12:53 PM
To: main@TechTalk.groups.io
Subject: Re: [TechTalk] New Smart Flip Phone?

Hi there Gerald,

I realize that I will not be writing email while I walk down
the sidewalk with my cane. But, dialing a phone number on
the touch screen is easy because the phone number pad is
very large. The large numbers are in the same location as a
regular push button phone.

I have arthritis and diabetes which has robbed me of
feelings in my finger tips. If I stick my fingers in room
temperature liquids, I can not feel any thing at all. Yet,
I have zero problems with touch screen phones.

You should be able to dial phone numbers or use dictation if
you are not out side in a lot of noise.

You can purchase a brand new iPhone for around $450.00.
And, please don't think of it as just a phone that you will
only use a couple times per year.
. These devices are unbelievably addictive.

Its a pocket computer. Its a way to read email or text
while you are sitting in your doctors office. Its a music
player. Its access to YouTube or Amazon.com, news and
sports, or the NLS Library, BARD books, and all of the
millions of other things on the internet. Its a light
detector. Its a color detector. A money reader. And a
text reader that is almost as good as OpenBook. You can
take a full size keyboard and use it while in a hotel room,
a hospital room, or at a friends home.

I could go on and on but I think you can see at least some
of this.

Good luck for you on what ever you decide.

Regards,

James B

-----Original Message-----
From: main@TechTalk.groups.io <main@TechTalk.groups.io> On
Behalf Of Gerald Levy via Groups.Io
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2020 11:27 AM
To: main@TechTalk.groups.io
Subject: Re: [TechTalk] New Smart Flip Phone?


 But the big problem with full size keyboards  is that they
are not very portable.  But even if you could carry one
around in a briefcase or backpack, it would not be very
practical to use in the street.  you would have to sit down
on the sidewalk and place it on your lap.  Or maybe drag
along a a rolling desk.  I would prefer a phone that could
be operated completely by voice commands, but there are
apparently no longer any such inexpensive 5G compatible
animals like the Samsung Haven and Gusto 3.  I know all
about Siri, but I'm not about to spend $1000 for an IPhone I
would keep on hand mostly for emergencies.  am I am also
hearing impaired and wear hearing aids, so I won't even go
into the problems of hearing clearly on a smart phone in a
noisy environment. And I am familiar with blutoot hearing
aids, which cost $8000 a pair or more and can connect
wirelessly to an IPhone, but these are not suitable for all
types of hearing loss and besides,  are way out of my price
league right now.


Gerald



On 2/21/2020 12:02 PM, Holly wrote:

Gerald:

I have an Apple Magic blue tooth keyboard.  It is light

weight and

portable, and the keys are large enough to accommodate

locator dots.

Of course, it would not be practical to walk and use it.

Also, with a smart phone, you have access to sighted help

anytime with

apps like 'Be My Eyes' and AiRA.

There are many text to speech scanning apps, money

identifiers, color

identifiers.
Apple also has a free app called Seeing AI, which does

many amazing

things to help blind people.  Even can read handwriting.


I was very reluctant to switch from my flip phone to a

smart phone,

but after taking the plunge, I never looked back.  I am 75

years old,

so no spring chicken either.