COOL BLIND TECH

YOUR SOURCE FOR THE BEST ASSISTIVE TECH NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS FROM TOP BLIND AND LOW VISION EXPERTS. AN ENTERTAINING AND TRUSTWORTHY DISCUSSION ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Lookout

Google Lookout Updates App with Food Labeling and Scanning Documents

Google Lookout, the accessibility app that aids the blind and visually impaired identify objects through the use of their phone camera, has been upgraded with some new features and improvements.

Google Lookout, the accessibility app that aids the blind and visually impaired identify objects through the use of their phone camera, has been upgraded with some new features and improvements. Originally released in 2019 in the US for Pixel phones, Google Lookout was created to help those with vision loss navigate the world through the use of AI. When pointed at objects or animals, it would attempt to identify them. read more

Lookout is Finally Available for Download, But Was it Worth the Wait?

Google’s Lookout app is finally available for download, but only in the U.S., and only for owners of Pixel devices.

The AI-powered app, which has been undergoing testing since it was originally announced in May 2018, is designed to help blind and visually impaired people by identifying the objects around them.

Lookout is easy to use: Once the app is started, all the user needs to do is point the phone forward. The app will identify people, text, objects and more as you move around and tell you what it sees. The app won’t overwhelm the user with unnecessary info, though, but rather only tell them about the things it thinks are important. read more

All the New Accessibility Features Coming to Android P

At this year’s Google I/O developer conference, the Android accessibility services team announced new changes coming to Android P in order to make the operating system easier to use for everyone. In preparation for Google’s release of Android P, the team added new features that allow users to accomplish more tasks easier than ever.

Here are all the new accessibility features to expect on Android P this year.

Lookout

Coming out in the U.S. this summer on Pixel devices (Android Oreo and above), Lookout is meant to help blind and visually impaired people learn about their surroundings. Lookout is able to capture live imagery of the scene by detecting objects, people, text, and more, and then describe it to them out loud. After opening the app, you’ll be able to select a mode — work and play, home, scan, and experimental. Lookout will then be able to share information such as text from a recipe book or the location of an exit sign, depending on the mode you choose. read more

CBT Live! At Google I/O ’18: What’s new in Android accessibility

Learn about the latest feature additions to Android P, get an update on accessibility testing and best practices, and hear about new APIs that developers can use to create more accessible app experiences. This session will also offer a unique look into how Google conducts UX research for users with disabilities.

Google Announces Lookout to Help the Blind Navigate

Google has announced one of its upcoming apps called Lookout as part of the annual I/O conference. The tech giant’s Lookout was designed to help the blind and the visually impaired be more independent by giving spoken notifications about their environment. For instance, it can tell them that there’s a “chair 3 o’clock,” so they don’t bump into the object to their right. The app can also read texts, such as Exit signs over doors.

The application has four modes to choose from: Home, Work & Play, Scan or Experimental. They tell the app which elements to focus on — Home, for instance, can tell users where the furniture are if they’re doing chores or cleaning the house and need to move things away from their usual places. Work & Play can tell them where the office elevator is, or the various tools they need for their job like in the video above, wherein the app tells the user where her scissors are. Users can also try out beta features through Experimental mode. The app will use machine learning to figure out what visually impaired users deem important and worth hearing about. So, the more people use it, the better it becomes. read more

Skip to content