[gps-talkusers] Re: Seeing Eye GPS Issues
- From: "Robert Sweetman" <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:29:17 -0400
If you create a route, directions are always announced and work very well.
You can create a route to a point of interest, or to an address. Also, if
you set your home address, you can quickly create a route to your home from
any location.
It is intersections that are announced when you are walking, (under 15 miles
per hour). I am using an iPhone 4S, and have not experienced a lag with
intersections when walking.
From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jenny Wood
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 2:12 PM
To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gps-talkusers] Re: Seeing Eye GPS Issues
I would like to say that I do agree with one point in particular here, and
that is the use of voiceover exclusively. I don't know how others feel on
the subject, but personally, I find it more difficult to sort out the
pertinent navigation information from anything and everything else voiceover
may chatter about on the phone. I rather like that so many other GPS apps
use a different voice to call out instructions, because it grabs my
attention better than listening to a voice I hear constantly, and in many
cases, tune out subconsciously. I realize that licensing for other voices
can potentially drive up the overall cost of the app, but it does make me
wonder how other developers obtain the voices they use. I know that both
Apple and GoogleMaps now provide voice navigation, and neither seem to
charge any more than they did before. Something I find interesting is that
they all seem to use the same-sounding voice, so I don't know if that
particular voice is available at a much lower cost than others, or what.
Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the Seeing Eye GPS app. It was kind of
cool letting it track our road trip to and from Austin this past weekend.
Even though I didn't have a specific route set at the time, which I may
actually do when we head back down there this Wednesday, it was refreshing
to always know what city or town we were traveling in at any given time so
that I didn't need to keep pestering my husband like a child. LOL I love
road trips and learning the "lay of the land" so to speak, as we travel
along. I didn't bother setting up a route this last time, because according
to what I have read here, directions are not announced over 15mph anyway.
--
Jenny Wood
Phone: (972) 989-3894
Email: kc5gni@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:kc5gni@xxxxxxxxx>
Facebook/Twitter/Skype: kc5gni
On Jul 15, 2013, at 12:35 PM, "Baracco, Andrew W" <Andrew.Baracco@xxxxxx
<mailto:Andrew.Baracco@xxxxxx> > wrote:
I downloaded and installed this app shortly before leaving for the ACB
convention in Columbus OH, which I thought would be a great opportunity to
test the app in an unfamiliar environment. Like many, I was first confused
when the app was a free download, but had no functionality until you
purchased a subscription. I was surprised, because even if you buy a car,
you have a chance to test drive it.
That being as it may, I couldn't wait to put it through its paces in Ohio.
My first disappointment came when I discovered that it would not announce
intersections if you are traveling in a vehicle. I was so used to this
functionality in the Trekker, and I believe that it worked on the
Braillenote devices as well. I found a button that I thought would allow
for adjustment of this parameter, but tapping it did nothing.
I also did a fair amount of walking in downtown Columbus, and was
disappointed there as well. There was a significant lag in performance, I.
e. intersections and POI's would be announced long after I passed them.
Thank God I was walking with a sighted person. I was also disappointed that
the app relies exclusively on Voiceover, which is often hard to understand
in a noisy environment. Blind Square, and apps like Navigon and Tom Tom
offer additional voices. I think that for the price, having a HQ voice isn't
asking too much. I would also like to have some control over the speed
threshold for announcing intersections, just like you can for POI's. I
understand that this is a 1.0 release, but perhaps there should have been a
discount for those who purchase the initial product.
Andy
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