The following table summarises the applications created by the two leading developers of accessible Android applications: IDEAL and Project Eyes-Free. This is not an exhaustive list of accessible Android applications, and there will be other mainstream applications that are accessible.
The Marvin shell is a simple, custom-built home screen for eyes-free use.* Marvin provides a single-touch user interface that not only provides access all Android applications on your device but also easy access to some Eyes-Free ‘mini apps’ such as an application that announces the time and date, or your current location.
The Stroke Dialer is also used as an alternative to the QWERTY keyboard layout in certain Eyes-Free applications such as the Marvin shell. Instead of thinking of the Stoke Dialer as a keypad, think of it as a compass with eight compass points: North, South, East and West, and North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West.
One of the difficulties that people who are blind or vision impaired are faced with when using a touchscreen interface is that there must be some form of feedback to replace the visual cues that are necessary to use a touchscreen. Devices such as the Apple iPhone have resolved this by using text-to-speech technology to announce objects on the interface.
