2017

Each year, the iAccessibility Management Team looks back at what devices they liked best and we put each person’s favorite down in a blog post. It is now time for our 2017 picks. Do you agree with us? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments section. You can also email your pics for 2017 to feedback@iaccessibility.net

Michael – All-New Amazon Element 50 Inch 4K HDTV

The Amazon Element TV is a 4K HDTV with Amazon FireOS built in. It offers Amazon Alexa voice support, and allows low vision and blind users to use VoiceView, Amazon’s built in screen reader that works on the FireTV line of devices and the Amazon Fire tablets.

Jason: Logitech Slim Combo Keyboard Case for iPad Pro

My pick for best device of 2017 would have to be the Logitech Slim Combo Case for the 10.5 inch iPad Pro. While I’m not a big fan of the plastic material the case is made of, it’s really light, and typing on the keyboard is a really nice experience. The F and J keys have easy to locate markings on them to help with orientation. In fact, the markings are a bit too prominent for my taste, but it’s something I’m more than willing to live with.

The keyboard has some dedicated function keys for things such as adjusting the display brightness, searching in Spotlight, and controlling media playback. Because the keyboard connects via the Smart connecter, there is no Bluetooth connection to deal with, and no batteries to charge. It’s there when you need it, and you can remove it when you don’t.

The case itself snaps over the back of the iPad, leaving the side with the lightning connecter and speakers exposed. There are covers for the sleep/wake and volume buttons.

It also features a kickstand that angles the iPad in a similar fashion to a laptop screen, so it’s not laying flat on a table or your lap when in use. Both the kickstand and keyboard attach magnetically to the case, and, in the case of the keyboard, will lock the screen just like a Smart Cover does. The front of the case also has a holder for the Apple Pencil, unlike most others in its class.

I know of no other case for the 10.5 inch iPad Pro that has the same level of convenience and functionality that this case offers, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a keyboard and is getting an iPad Pro.

Aleeha: 10.5 inch iPad Pro

Following up on Jason’s comments, I have to say that the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is my pick for this year. Yes, the iPad has been a great device since day one, but the iPad Pro takes it to the next level, especially when combined with a case, like the one Jason mentions above. This lightweight, powerful tablet has become my travel companion, and, in several cases, is taking the place of my MacBook. It has an A10X chip, serious RAM, a beautiful display, a powerful camera, and, favorite in my book, four gorgeous speakers that make the sound from this device extremely pleasant to listen to. I think the 10.5 inch screen size is perfect for me: I can hold it easily and the screen real estate is not too much. With the new features in iOS 11 that allow a user to place two apps on the screen at once, which are completely accessible for blind users, this device is a real workhorse.

Dan: Samsung Galaxy S8+

Yes folks, I continue my Android loving ways. It was a tough choice actually, but the Galaxy S8+ is my pick for favorite device of 2017. This phone is awesome. Its fit and finish are sleak. The Infinity screen display is amazing. You can hook it up to a docking station and almost use it as a desktop replacement. With an Octocore processor and 64Gb of storage, you can do just about anything you want (Minecraft is awesome on this device by the way.) Speaking of Minecraft, let’s not forget the Samsung Gear VR you can put this device into. Whoa! Now that is cool!

Ok, enough of me oohing and aahing. Here is why I love this phone.

The screen is really amazing. The curvature at the edge is very comfortable. I really like how the edges light up with notifications. Also, watching YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Video is no problem. I use magnification quite a bit, and everything looks crisp and clear when I magnify the screen.

Battery life is truely a key point of this device. Every day, I stream music probably six to seven hours, have WhatsApp running constantly, watch several YouTube videos, write several texts, make and receive voice calls, and my battery is still at around 15% when I put it on the charger at night. I typically take the phone off the charger around 6:00 a.m. and put it back on the charger around 10:00 p.m. My household has had the S2, S3, S4, S5 Sport, and the S7 and I have never seen this kind of battery life out of any of these older devices. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary depending on your useage.

Expandable memory: Yes, I am one of those that still wants expandable memory. I only have a 64Gb micro SD card in my phone right now, but my music collection is expanding and I am due for an upgrade.

Finger print reader location: Samsung took quite a bit of grief from this one. I personally find it easy to use, based on the way I hold my phone. My index finger naturally falls into place for the fingerprint reader to scan my finger.

General look and feel: This phone just looks and feels cool in my opinion. the overall fit and finish is very nice. I also believe this to be one of the best phones Samsung has made to date, again in my opinion.

Matt – Victor Reader Trek

My pick for 2017 is not a tablet or a mobile device. It is, however, a very mobile way to access your favorite books, podcasts, and internet radio stations. You can also record notes with the built-in notes feature. The thing that makes this device unique is that you can also use built-in TomTom GPS to guide you while listening. This is all without taking your phone out of your pocket or getting distracted by notifications.

Back in October, HumanWare released a brand new device that puts the famous Victor Reader stream and the Treker Breeze together in one package. The Victor Reader Trek, priced at $699, feels a bit heavier than the second generation stream, has a faster processor, bluetooth capabilities for use with headphones or speakers, 32gb of internal memory, and comes with an 8gb SD card,which can be exchanged for up to a 256gb card, so you should never run out of storage.

I picked this device because, even though I use GPS on my phone, it uses up data, gets constantly interupted by VoiceOver speech and notification sounds that can be distracting. The Trek gets rid of that headache.

One of my favorite features, found only in the Trecker, is the ability for the device to describe to you what type of intersection you are about to cross. This is useful if you’re in a new area and you’re not familiar with it yet. You are able to explore an area before you take your route as well.

I know the device is a bit pricey, but I feel that it is a good fit for those who want a stand-alone book reader, podcast player, note recorder and navigation tool.

Last week I had the chance to experience the CSUN Assistive Technology conference in San Diego California. CSUN is a yearly conference to show off some of the best technologies that have come out and that are to be released during the coming year, and this year there were many devices that were shown that will make an impact on the Assistive technology community. During this article, I will discuss my thoughts of this conference and talk about what I found to be the most interesting devices and sessions I saw.

The Hotel

The conference is held currently at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in downtown San Diego. When I booked my tickets to go to the conference in January the hotel was already booked and did not have room available, so my boss from the Austin Lighthouse and I stayed at the Residence Inn in Mission Valley. Each day I would use Lyft to get from the hotel where I was staying to the conference hotel, and I also rode back and forth with my boss in a rental car. The trip was great to see the town, and both hotels were great. That Monday San Diego received so much rain that Monday which caused the power at the Residence Inn to go out for a day. San Diego received so much rain that much of the city had flooding beyond what they are used to which caused a lot of power issues.

On Sunday, I decided to go and explore the hotel for the convention since I was taking pre-conference classes. I learned very quickly that the hotel was very big and had a lot of space for sessions and class areas. I also learned that the restaurants at the hotel were expensive but great and serving staff was very helpful with helping customers find what they wanted to buy. I also noted that hotel staff would explain directions in terms of steps and turns which was very helpful.

The Pre-Conference

Monday saw the beginning of the Pre-conference with classes and learning opportunities from businesses in the assistive technology industry. I took a class on inclusive design from the folks at Deque Systems, and learned quite a bit about testing for accessibility and which tools can help determine website accessibility. We will have more on this here at iaccessibility.net soon. On Tuesday I took a class on Advanced Mobile App Accessibility testing and learned a lot about testing apps and their code for accessibility.

The Conference

Wednesday was the start of the actual conference, which was filled with many sessions and a wonderful exhibit hall. They also had several parties for people to attend to network and to meet others in the AT industry. I took the opportunity to look at several exhibits and went to several sessions, but here is the highlights from what I saw.

Exhibits

CSUN 2017’s exhibit hall was the size of the NFB National convention’s exhibit hall, but was made up of nothing but technology which was up my ally since I love tech. I saw several devices that I thought were nice like the ElBraille from VFO, The NeoBraille and the Braille Sense Polaris which is from HIMS.One of the things that we have been looking for at the Austin Lighthouse is accessible copiers, and Canon came to CSUN with exactly that. They showed us copiers that could be used by speaking the number of copies, and the device would also read the screen out loud. We will post more about exhibits and products that were at CSUN at iaccessibility.net soon, but you can also check out coverage from Blind Bargains for interviews on these products.

Sessions

CSUN had so many sessions that one could not possibly attend all of the topics that they would like, so you have to pick and choose which ones are the best for you and your industry. Several sessions I went to sounded great but were on different topics than I would have imagined, so I did not stay at these. Personally, I found Friday’s sessions on video game accessibility to be most interesting because they focused on entertainment for everyone which I personally think is interesting. There were speekers from AbleGamers, SSB BART and Twitch from Amazon. I think my favorite session that I attended was a session on a project called the Blind Arduino Project that promotes the concept that people that are blind can become Makers, and build projects with circuits and code. We will post more on this topic in a future article here at iaccessibility.net.

Conclusion

CSUN 2017 has been an amazing conference, and I really urge anyone to go if they have the chance. I would also suggest that everyone go and explore San Diego as it is a beautiful city in California. The town is wonderful, and so is the hotel downtown. If you do go next year, book your rooms early, and get to the hotel with plenty of time so that you can make sure to have a room for the conference.

IAccessibility Staff Pick Our Best Devices of 2017