Android Lollipop 5.0 accessibility: overview, benefits and comparison to iOS

Transcript

26 October 2014

Roberta: Media Access Australia Project Manager, Dr Scott Hollier, is with us today to give us a rundown on the accessibility features available on Google's latest version of Android, Lollipop 5.0. Welcome, Scott.

Scott: Thanks, Roberta, it's great to be back again.

Roberta: Now, for our listeners' benefit, Scott, what is Android?

Scott: Android is the operating system that runs on the popular devices not made by Apple, is probably the easiest way to think of it, so if you buy a device from Sony or LG or Aesus or any of the other big manufacturers there's a good chance the operating system running on those is an Android. So it's a mobile operating system and it runs on tablets and smart phones and, yeah, as I was saying, if you go and buy a Samsung or any of the big popular models that aren't made by Apple then it probably runs Android.

Roberta: Now, there's been a bit of talk recently about Android and Lollipop. What's all that about?

Scott: Well, it's talking basically about the new version of Android, version 5.0, and Google always to name their operating systems after desserts and they do it in alphabetical order. So over the years we've had things like Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean. The last one was Kit Kat and now we're up to Lollipop.  Yeah, it's always a bit funny trying to describe serious computing things in terms of sweets but, you know, it always does bring a smile to the face of people doing it. It's a very clever naming convention.

Roberta: It certainly is. So are there any new accessibility features in Android 5.0?

Scott: Well, the good news is yes. There are three really important new features in Android 5 and we'll start seeing Android 5 devices in the next month or so. The three big ones are that you can now invert the text, so you can change it from white on black to black on white and be able to easily toggle that. So that's a really big step forward for people who are blind or vision impaired. Also, having improved colour differentiation, so you can actually choose a setting for people with low vision to make it more, the differences in colours, and also you can improve the contrast. So if you do have things which seem a little bit close together in contrast ratio you can push that out. So that will make a big difference to improving the legibility. So most of it is more focussed on the low vision than blind users in this release but, you know, it is great to see that with every new release accessibility continues to improve.

Roberta: That's really good news. What are the benefits of using Android, Scott?

Scott: Well, Android generally does have a number of great accessibility features and since version 4.2 Jelly Bean we've seen a really polished screen reader in terms of talkback. We now have a built in full screen magnifier so you can easily zoom in and out and you've got large text options. So it is nice that whilst Android did trail from other mobile devices quite a bit in terms of accessibility initially, Android has really caught up now and it's great that there are these options. The other really good thing is that Android often goes on budget devices, so you can buy very cheap Android tablets for less than a hundred dollars on EBay. So when we're talking about accessibility and affordability Android is quite a good option.

Roberta: So how does Android compare then with iOS on the iPhone and iPad?

Scott: That's a great question. Basically Android is now at a point where for most of the basic use of a phone or tablet it's reasonably comparable to iOS. I'd still argue that iOS devices are the better of the two but when you consider that the iPhone 6 starts and $880 and the larger 6 plus at $1000, when you can buy an Android smartphone for around $100 for the cheaper models, then, you know, it is great that people who are blind or vision impaired do have choice in the market and, yeah, while I would argue that iPhones and iPads are probably better with accessibility and a bit more polished because they've been around longer, Android is certainly a worthy contender if people are looking for accessibility on a budget.

Roberta: Accessibility on a budget, I like that, yes. Now, is there anything else on the horizon, do you think?

Scott: Well, next year we're going to see a few other devices and the market for wearables is really hotting up at the moment. So on the Android front we have the Moto 360 Smart Watch and, of course, next year, Apple has already announced their Apple Watch. So I think that will be the space to watch.

Roberta: Yes, we'll certainly have to be talking about that when it happens.

Scott: Absolutely.

Roberta: Well, thank you today for all of that, Scott. I really appreciate it.

Scott: Thank you.

Roberta: For more information on Android, iOS and mobile device accessibility you can call 02 92126242 or email Media Access Australia on info@mediaaccess.org.au and to find out more about access to media and technology you can visit the Media Access Australia website and that is www.mediaaccess.org.au. I've been speaking today with Dr Scott Hollier who is Media Access Australia's Project Manager. Media Access Australia is a supporter of this program.

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