It's not a smart phone, it's my familiar
Jan. 26th, 2017 11:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kestrellJust popping my head up briefly to mention that I have finally joined the 21st century and gotten a smart phone. It's an LG Android, and I'm using OK Google and TalkBack with it, so I can do 21st sentury things like send text by voice. Also, it can do Google searches faster than I can open my browser and type.
I'm still getting used to being able to use natural language, but am adapting quite quickly to issuing orders such as "Play John Lee Hooker" and receiving instant gratification.
It's more like a familiar than a smart phone, so I have named it Pyewacket.
Thank you to Alexx, who spent a tortuous amount of time on his phone to get me the phone I wanted, and attempting to instruct me in the way of the magical gestures (I'm more an incantatory sort myself, so this was no small feat).
My most recent success: answering a call while simultaneously playing WWOZ, and not losing either process.
I'm still getting used to being able to use natural language, but am adapting quite quickly to issuing orders such as "Play John Lee Hooker" and receiving instant gratification.
It's more like a familiar than a smart phone, so I have named it Pyewacket.
Thank you to Alexx, who spent a tortuous amount of time on his phone to get me the phone I wanted, and attempting to instruct me in the way of the magical gestures (I'm more an incantatory sort myself, so this was no small feat).
My most recent success: answering a call while simultaneously playing WWOZ, and not losing either process.
no subject
Date: 2017-01-26 04:32 pm (UTC)Well, Arthur Clarke did say any sufficiently advanced tech was like magic!
I have a Nexus 5 cell phone, made by LG myself. Well, I had one. It suffered from a common failure. the on button failed in the on position, which causes the phone to constantly reboot until the batter fails. Most phone repair shops quoted me upward to a hundred dollars to repair it. I don't have that type of money to spare, so I researched the problem, found the replacement switch, and ordered two off of ebay for all of about two dollars. A friend of a friend is going to replace it for me for free. It's nice to have friends in techie places!
I don't post much on Dream width, or Live journal, but have started to read both again, after years with Facebook being my primary social media playground.
Hope things are going well for you!
ttyl
no subject
Date: 2017-01-27 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-01-28 06:02 pm (UTC)Hi! I've never had a lot of luck using any of the iOS interfaces, so I was pretty dubious about getting an Android, except that my old cell phone really needed to be replaced. It has been a complete surprise how easy the Android is for me to use.
I say quote easy unquote but it still has a learning curve, and a period of a couple weeks where you have to download and tweak the apps which are the most useful to you.
Ultimately, I think I got my first smart phone at the precise right moment that Android 6.0 Marshmallow evolved to be most useful. Note: I tried to put info I thought would be useful to you in my most recent post, but if you have more specific questions, just ask.
From: komadori - DW Comment [mailto:dw_null@dreamwidth.org] Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 8:55 PM To: kestrell@panix.com Subject: Reply to your entry. [ kestrell - 259336 ]
Image removed by sender. komadori: (Default)
Robin (komadori http://komadori.dreamwidth.org/profile ) replied to your Dreamwidth entry http://kestrell.dreamwidth.org/259336.html "It's not a smart phone, it's my familiar" in which you said:
Just popping my head up briefly to mention that I have finally joined the 21st century and gotten a smart phone. It's an LG Android, and I'm using OK Google and TalkBack with it, so I can do 21st sentury things like send text by voice. Also, it can do Google searches faster than I can open my browser and type.
I'm still getting used to being able to use natural language, but am adapting quite quickly to issuing orders such as "Play John Lee Hooker" and receiving instant gratification.
It's more like a familiar than a smart phone, so I have named it Pyewacket. Thank you to Alexx, who spent a tortuous amount of time on his phone to get me the phone I wanted, and attempting to instruct me in the way of the magical gestures (I'm more an incantatory sort myself, so this was no small feat).
My most recent success: answering a call while simultaneously playing WWOZ, and not losing either process.
The reply was:
I've been following you for a while, but I'm finally dropping by to say hi and ask a question. Do you know how this compares to the iPhone? I use the IPhone with VoiceOver, but Siri is sometimes more trouble than she's worth. I hope that OK Google works better, and it sounds like it does from the commercials. I would like to know how it works from a blindness perspective.
From here you can:
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no subject
Date: 2017-01-27 04:40 am (UTC)