In addition to existing screen readers, blind users of the Android operating system may be interested in other software designed to solve some additional tasks.
Below is a list of the most interesting programs of this kind, specially designed for users with disabilities. The list does not claim to be complete and can be supplemented, but, perhaps, it will be useful to someone at the initial stage of mastering the Android platform.
Accessibility Preferences
One of the basic applications recommended for all blind Android OS users.
Accessibility Preferences makes available a menu through which the user can make finer adjustments to accessibility. In particular, it is through this menu that the TalkBack and Spiel screen readers are configured.
The application is distributed free of charge and is available on Android 1.6 and higher.
Eyes-Free Keyboard
Eyes-Free Keyboard is a virtual on-screen keyboard that allows you to work in editing fields directly from the screen, as well as a set of gestures to move around a text field.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Android, it cannot completely replace the hardware keyboard in every possible way.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
Eyes-Free Shell
This is an alternative desktop designed especially for blind users. It is built into the system and becomes available for selection in the list of desktops, if the device supports this function.
Eyes-Free Shell is the home screen of the device, which presents the main system shortcuts: clock, battery power, signal strength, list of applications and some others. The user can also add shortcuts to other programs, both to the main area and to two additional panels.
Eyes-Free Shell is operated via a touchscreen display. Without lifting your finger, you should select the desired shortcut on the screen, which will be accompanied by voice and vibration feedback, and to activate it, you should interrupt the contact of your finger with the display.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
IDEAL Accessible YoutubeViewer
This application is a client that provides an accessible interface for viewing some of the selected channels on the YouTube video hosting service.
At the time of this writing, the IDEAL Accessible YoutubeViewer is in beta-version, so the list of channels is rather small, but the developers plan to increase their number.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
IDEAL AD Movie Viewer
This application provides access to about fifty films with the status of the public domain, which are provided with an additional voice description. The announcer describes what is happening on the screen and reads out various inscriptions that are inaccessible to people with visual impairments in ordinary films.
Materials of this kind are called video description, descriptive video, descriptive video service or simply DVS, in Russian-speaking countries they are better known as “films with audio commentary”.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, the IDEAL AD Movie Viewer only provides access to English-language films.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
IDEAL AndroidVox Browser
IDEAL AndroidVox Browser is a web browser available to screen readers and is the successor to IDEAL Web Reader.
Unfortunately, the built-in Android OS browser in versions below 4 is not available for screenreaders, so it becomes necessary to use a third-party solution.
IDEAL AndroidVox Browser, in addition to simply loading and reading web pages, also provides the ability to navigate HTML-markup objects, such as headers, lists, form fields, tables and much more, and control is carried out using keyboard commands, which are well known to most users from programs such as JAWS for Windows or NVDA. In addition, it implements the principles of navigation through structural levels borrowed from the ChromeVox screen reader.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 1.6 and higher.
IDEAL ePub Creator
IDEAL ePub Creator is designed to convert PDF, DOC and DOCX documents into ePub files, as well as preview the resulting document as a web page in any browser installed on the system.
Conversion is carried out on a remote server, so its free use is limited.
The application is distributed free of charge, but you will have to pay an additional fee to convert a large number of documents, and is designed for Android 2.2 and higher.
IDEAL Self-Voicing NewsReader
IDEAL Self-Voicing NewsReader is designed to facilitate access to major news sites and can read their feeds using speech synthesizers.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.0 and higher.
IDEAL WebMath
IDEAL WebMath is designed to provide easy access to www.webmath.com for Android users with disabilities. The resource www.webmath.com helps to learn how to solve mathematical problems of varying complexity: from simple arithmetic to trigonometry and mathematical analysis.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
Link to Market
KickBack
KickBack is a Google Inc. development that provides vibration feedback.
It integrates into the Accessibility setting and illustrates keystrokes and other system events with vibration.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 1.6 to 3.2.
Keyboard Tutor
The application is designed to study the device keyboard and, in fact, is a keyboard help mode, known from many screen readers for other platforms.
When you press the keys, Keyboard Tutor speaks their name. However, it should be noted that the program does not support working with international keyboards, that is, it does not accept the change of the layout language, sounding only the Latin alphabet.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 1.6 and higher.
Rock lock
It is a music player by Eyes-Free Project designed especially for blind users, with a simple and responsive interface.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.0.1 and higher.
SoundBack
SoundBack is a Google Inc. development that provides audio feedback.
It integrates into the Accessibility setting and illustrates keystrokes and other system events with various sounds.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 1.6 to 3.2.
Talking dialer
It is a virtual numeric keypad that allows a blind user to dial a phone number directly on a touchscreen display.
The principles of operation are generally similar to the Eyes-Free Shell, since both programs are developed by the Eyes-Free Project, you can also press Menu to open the contact list.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.
Talking Compass
Talking Compass, as the name suggests, is a talking compass. If the device supports this function, then using this application a blind user will be able to determine the cardinal points, bypassing the problem of inaccessibility of the standard graphical presentation of this information.
Work with the program is carried out through the touch display: when you touch, the actual information is spoken, and by swiping up and down, you can set the information content of the application.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 1.6 and higher.
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WalkyTalky
WalkyTalky is an application designed to provide assistance to a blind person through the use of satellite navigation.
The program periodically updates the status bar of the current location, and also implements semi-automatic interaction with Maps Navigation. It is important that the device has a GPS module.
The application is distributed free of charge and is designed for Android 2.1 and higher.