Kestrell

Over the past week, I've been playing with the Microsoft Soundscape app
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/product/soundscape/#banner
which provides navigational information of the real world for visually impaired people, including using binaural audio, creating the effect of 3D sound (spatial sound).

I used this app on my first gen iPhone SE along with a pair of Bose Frames bluetooth audio sunglasses, Rondo version
https://www.thurrott.com/microsoft/230909/microsoft-soundscape-now-supports-bose-frames-to-better-help-the-blind

As a blind technology user, I'm used to hearing a lot of promises and inflated marketing about tech that supposedly assists visually impaired users navigate the real world, so I was really skeptical about both the app and the bluetooth sunglasses, but...
THEY ARE TOTALLY AWESOME!!

I was surprised at how much info was provided by the audio interface, and that it provided so much control for the user over what kind of info was spoken (for example, there are filters for public transportation, stores, food and restaurants, and things to do). It not only indicates information about your current location and destination, but also provides info regarding which direction you are facing, cross-streets and intersections, and landmarks you are passing as you move, along with spatial audio sounding in either your left or right ear in order to indicate which side the landmark is on and how close it is.

It also provides many other features which I haven't learned yet, but one of the features is the ability to add audio beacons to locations, such as your home, starting location, or destination. Users can also add personalized audio tags to locations, and lots of other features which I am still learning how to use.

There's also a fantastic feature called Street Preview, which is described as "providing an innovative tool for virtually exploring the world! With it, you can select any location in the world to preview the area at street level in order to familiarize and build a mental map of the space." While I have in the past thought of how useful it would be to have a feature like this, the first time I used it I went to the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans and walked around Jackson Square, listening to the app tell me about the streets I was on and what was around me. I couldn't get the music or the smells of all that great New Orleans food and chicory coffee but, if I could, this app would really be perfect.

As a XR device, the Bose bluetooth sunglasses definitely fill the same functionality as the headsets for sighted people, providing a sense of being both immersive and intuitive with natural movement and actions. The sound is delivered as beam toward the ear, so the audio quality is fantastic, plus it actually sounds as if it is inside your head, so the sense of immersion is really vivid. You can easily turn them on by pressing a tiny button on the right arm of the frame, and they are easily turned off by removing them and flipping them upside down for two seconds.

The form factor was perfect for me: I typically wear sunglasses anyway, and the shape of the Rondo style sunglasses I was using is identical to the classic Ray Ban Wayfarers that I favor, while weighing only slightly more. I'm also one of those people who has trouble finding earbuds which stay in their ears, so the Bose sunglasses are a great alternative. I also have a hearing impairment in my left ear, but the sound quality was so good that I had no problem hearing the audio cues in that ear.
Note: I am a short person with a small face, and the Rondo style fit me *perfectly*. I'm not sure if they would be comfortable on a larger person, and all the other Bose Frames styles are much larger, and way too large for my face.

The MS Soundscape app is constantly being improved, and has regular updates
https://iphone.apkpure.com/microsoft-soundscape/com.microsoft.soundscape

What's missing:
1. Microsoft seems to be showing some bias toward making Soundscape available on Android: granted, the iPhone has a huge following amongst visually impaired people, but keeping Soundscape platform-specific seems like a jerk move on MS's part.
2. The app is free, but it does require the user to share usage info with Microsoft, which could be a privacy concern for some users.
3. like everyone else, visually impaired or sighted, I wish there was a way for these to work inside large buildings, like campuses, hospitals, or office buildings.
4. If Soundscape could also deliver the sounds and smells of New Orleans through the app, I would be in heaven.