Navigating by Phone: A Review of Wayfinder Access GPS and Mobile Geo, Part 1
By Burton, Darren; Access World, Vol. 10, No. 3Publication Date: May 2009
Review of Wayfinder Access and Mobile Geo, two accessible cell phone-based Global Positioning Systems (GPS) that can be used with cell phone screen-reading software. The first of a two-part series, this article focuses on Wayfinder Access. The GPS devices evaluated, in addition to finding directions and planning traveling routes, give pedestrian and automobile directions, provide spoken alerts of upcoming turns, announce and provide directions to points of interest en route, and access updates on traffic conditions. The Wayfinder Access is compatible with the TALKS and Mobile Speak screen readers and works on phones running on the GSM cellular network, such as AT&T or T-Mobile. Detailed information is provided on navigating within its main menus, Map, Find, Favorites, and Services. The reviewer found the GPS easy to install on his cell phone and tested it in Passenger Car and Pedestrian mode in several different scenarios. The Wayfinder Access was found to be mostly accurate in announcing turns and arrivals, although it sometimes announced an arrival prematurely. In Pedestrian Mode, the distance to upcoming intersections was sometimes estimated incorrectly. A handful of times the GPS could not find an address searched. Another disadvantage noted was that the system does not announce street names at turns. Overall, the reviewer cautions that although a GPS provides nice ways to plan routes and learn about one’s surroundings, it does not replace a cane or guide dog.
Assistive Products Discussed: NUANCE TALKS
MOBILE SPEAK
MOBILE SPEAK SMARTPHONE
MOBILE SPEAK POCKET
MOBILE GEO
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
Link to text: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw100303
