Greetings,

Here is more info about the Blind Shell phone, being a review picked up from
another group.

As I have not asked the sender's permission to post this, I am removing all
vestages of their emails Etc.

To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [vi-genaccess] A Phone Worth Shelling Out For
From: [vi-genaccess]" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2019 13:27:59 -0000

A phone Worth Shelling Out For
Introduction
One of the major criticisms of Smartphone technology these days is that some
people just cannot operate a touchscreen handset.  And some don't even want
all the bells and whistles a Smartphone offers such as social media,
streaming services and a store to purchase or download lots of apps.  Many
blind and partially sighted people still only want to operate a good,
responsive handset with tactile buttons and a simple interface.  In part,
the Kapsys SmartVision2 and SmartVision Mini handsets offer this kind of
hybrid functionality with an interface that lets the user operate their
phone with tactile controls or their voice in addition to touchscreen
gestures, (SmartVision2 only.  But one phone that is perhaps less known, but
which offers the user an even better all-round experience in my view, is
Blind Shell Classic.
Meet Blind Shell Classic 
Blind Shell Classic is a small, compact phone with well defined tactile
buttons and a simple, intuitive menu that lets you navigate the handset
quickly and efficiently.  It measures 13.7, by 5.7, by 1.5cm, and weighs
109g (including battery).  It comes in black or red, and may be supplied
with a leather case (purchased separately).  This is a phone with full
speech access with clear American male or female voices.  You can also speak
to Blind Shell Classic in order to dictate text messages, call numbers from
your contacts, send Emails, and even obtain a weather forecast.  Everything
that can be achieved using Blind Shell Classic is done so efficiently using
the tactile keypad or your own voice.  And for those with some vision, text
size and colour scheme may be adjusted on its LCD display.
Blind Shell Classic may be operated on any network using a micro SIM card.
It comes with 4gb of internal memory, and may be expanded by up to 32gb
using a micro SD card.  The phone is charged using a micro SD to standard
USB cable, and is the same lead that connects your phone to a computer for
transferring music or your own ringtones if required.  Blind Shell Classic
comes with a user replaceable battery, and supports both Bluetooth and
Wi-Fi.
Phone Description
With the handset facing you and its LCD screen furthest away, you will
discover that there are several tactile buttons.  Below the screen is a
raised horizontal ridge which I am presuming offers guidance to the
navigation pad below it.  There are four arrow keys and a larger flat button
in the middle of the navigation pad.  The arrow keys allow you to move
through Blind Shell Classic's options by going left or right.  Pressing the
up arrow offers you status information such as time and date, remaining
battery life, network signal strength, and Bluetooth.  A very useful tip is
being able to activate those functions on the fly to quickly enable or
disable them.  The down arrow key repeats the last utterance or, if long
pressed, spells the last utterance.  This is particularly useful if you wish
the text-to-speech voice to repeat a phone number, or information in a text
message.  The button in the centre of the navigation keypad is the enter or
accept key.
On either side of the navigation pad are four buttons, two on the left and
two on the right.  The top left button is the volume down key, and the one
on the top right is the volume up key.  Below the volume down key is the
call button which also acts as the accept key.  This button offers an
additional useful feature where you can long press to quickly dial a
number..
The button below the volume up key is the end call button.  It is also used
to delete a character at a time in an edit field such as a text message.  It
is also the power button which you press and hold to turn the handset on.  A
long press while the phone is on will reset the device in the event of a
crash.  To turn off the handset, navigate using the left or right arrow keys
to Turn Off The Phone, and press the centre key to accept.
Below these buttons is your regular telephone-style keypad.  Those who are
familiar with texting will know that number two on the keypad is for A, B,
C, and the number three key is for D, E, F, etc.  The number one key offers
lots of punctuation marks, number zero is to insert a space, and the hash
key allows you to jump between first letter capital, all capitals, all
small, or numbers, when compiling text messages and notes.  If you hold down
the hash key, you can choose a variety of emojis by using the left and right
arrow keys once in this mode to insert smiley faces and other expressions.
The star key will lock your phone when long pressed.  Simply long press
again to unlock it.
On the top edge of Blind Shell Classic is a micro USB port for charging the
phone or connecting it to a computer, and a 3.5mm headphone socket for using
the handset with the earbuds supplied, or headphones of your choice.
The bottom edge of the phone has an opening into which you put your
fingernail to remove the back cover.  There is also a microphone for use
with dictating voice notes, or voice navigation.
On the rear of Blind Shell Classic is an emergency SOS button that you can
assign to an important contact of your choice.  There is also a 2MP camera
with LED flashlight function.  When you remove the cover and battery, you
will find a memory card compartment, and dual SIM card slots.  The slot on
the right of the two is for using a 4G SIM card.  It comes with an 1800 mAh
battery with a modest standby time.
To turn on Blind Shell Classic, press and hold the second button from the
top on the right.  This is also the end call button, and the back key when
in an edit field.  Wait until you feel vibration, then hear a small tune to
indicate that the phone is now switched on.
To ascertain information about time and date, network status, and
notifications you might have, press the up arrow key.  Move between these
status announcements with the left and right arrow keys, and press the
centre key to activate.
The Blind Shell Classic Menu
This handset has a very simple menu which you navigate with your left and
right arrows.  Simply press the centre key of the navigation pad to activate
an item.  The menu comprises the following items:
o	Call
o	Messages
o	Contacts
o	More Applications
o	Settings
o	Status Information
o	Manual
o	Notifications
o	Turn Off The Phone
Most items are self-explanatory, and what you would certainly expect to find
on any handset.  The More Applications item comprises several useful
utilities such as timer, stopwatch, alarm function, calendar, agenda, voice
memos, etc.  Manual lets you listen to the Blind Shell Classic user guide,
and Settings offers lots of items pertaining to voice gender, speed,
intonation, keypad echo and display.
Using Blind Shell Classic
This is a very pleasant experience.  All key presses are extremely
responsive which makes rapid texting or the entry of notes a breeze.  In
addition to making and receiving calls, composing text messages, adding
contacts, speed dialling, writing Emails and performing regular functions
from the keypad, Blind Shell Classic lets you dictate using your voice.  You
can ask the phone to call contacts for you, compose text messages, Emails
and notes, or request a weather forecast.  Note, however, that in order to
use voice dictation, you would need to be connected to Wi-Fi or a data
plan..
If you wish to use Wi-Fi, simply enable it and put in your wireless key.
Once done, you can then stream Internet radio stations, or add them as your
favourites for quick access.  When connected to Wi-Fi, you may also check
for system updates which are all free.  When connected to a computer, Blind
Shell Classic lets you transfer music, books and ringtones to the handset.
If you install an external memory card into the phone, you will see this
come up as an external drive on your computer as well.
You may also activate Bluetooth for connecting to an external speaker or
headphones.  Those who remember using Nokia handsets with Talks will perhaps
be thrilled that this more modern version of one of those devices is very
much alive and well!
One really useful feature of many on Blind Shell Classic is the ability to
quickly speed dial.  When you assign a mobile or landline number you call
frequently to digits on the keypad from zero to nine, long press the
appropriate digit, and the contact will be called.  You can also long press
the call button that drops you into an edit field where you can then enter a
number.  These features may sound trivial, but if you are out and about, in
a noisy environment, or just need to call someone quickly like a taxi
company, for example, you can achieve this very efficiently using Blind
Shell Classic.
The phone offers a basic media player for listening to music, books,
Internet radio, and a built-in FM radio.  Note though that you would need to
use the supplied earbuds or headphones of your choice that act as the FM
radio antenna.  Several Internet radio stations have been added, but you can
carry out your own search by genre and continent, and country within that
continent, then add stations to a favourites list should you wish to.
What You Can't Do With Blind Shell Classic
You must remember that Blind Shell Classic is not your all-singing,
all-dancing, top notch Smartphone.  It has no social media features, no
store to go rushing off to purchase apps, and therefore no ability to
customise it beyond the scope of its own menu items.  It has no Internet
browser either, so does not afford you the freedom to use Internet banking
and online shopping.
But what it does offer is a much-loved, straightforward interface for
carrying out all those mundane yet important tasks phones were originally
invented to do.  Those who have become isolated and side-lined due to the
advances in Smartphone technology will doubtless feel revitalised with the
availability of Blind Shell Classic.  To be honest, there is nothing I
dislike about this handset: its size, usability, battery life and quality
are all worth touting, and even the case if you decide to purchase one as an
extra - makes the handset secure without compromising on bulk.
Conclusion And Pricing
There are now very few fully speaking mobile phones on the market.  Having
tried the competition, I can honestly say that Blind Shell Classic wins
hands down, and does exactly what it was designed for.  Documentation for
Blind Shell Classic is available as a very tidy PDF document from
www.blindshell.com
and is accessed on the handset itself.  The phone also comes with a Vodafone
Pay-As-You-Go SIM card and adapters to get you up and running.
If you want a Smartphone that gives you lots of options to add apps, use
social media, browse the web, or utilise a good quality camera for photos
and OCR, then you would need to consider the raft of devices on the market,
Blind Shell Classic is not for you.  But if you want a well thought out
handset with excellent tactile buttons and a plethora of simple, useful
features, then this device is most definitely good value for money.
It is currently priced from Amazon at £359, or can be purchased from the UK
dealer, Cobolt Systems, 01493 700 172, for £299 (if you are VAT exempt).  A
leather case can also be purchased from them for £20.
All in all, this is a cracking phone with blind and visually impaired
customers very much at the forefront.  So, if you are looking for a device
that puts control of a phone back in your hands, then Blind Shell Classic
might well be what you've been seeking in this modern Smartphone era.
© 2019


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