Programming Accessible Software on Java Phones?

LostSinner asks: "My mother, who is blind, called me recently and asked if I'd be up for a challenge. She is supremely fed up with trying to use her current cellphone (a StarTAC) and is looking for a new one. Recently, she has heard about the newer Java-enabled phones. She wants me to write a Java program which will allow her to navigate the menus, place calls, and generally use everything available to us sighted folks that she can't currently use. Though there are a few aftermarket pieces of software somewhat geared towards this, the price and the functionality (or lack thereof) are both sticking points... and what's the use of having a geek son if you don't get any benefits, right? I plan to release the code and either give the software away for free or charge a nominal fee for it. It's new ground for me, but I love a challenge. So, is a Java enabled phone the best way to go? Are there already phones out there with this functionality built in? If Java is the best way to go, what service provider and/or phones does Slashdot recommend? Thanks."

Comments

I'm not sure MIDP is the way to go.

[Dr. Bent]

Java has a very rigid security system, which works well on phones because users view them as a hardware device (a phone!) and not a software platform, and so they must be reliable and secure.

However, I would think that this would prevent you from replacing all the menus with your own code. Instead, you might want to get her something like this

Re:Harder than it sounds

[TMLink]

I have a co-worker that is blind, and his biggest problem is getting lost. If the wrong key is pressed on accident, it sometimes takes several keypresses before he realizes that he's in the wrong spot and then has to figure out his way back to square one (and hope nothing has been messed up). Having everything said aloud would give him the ability to navigate as anyone else would have.

Basically this guy wants JAWS for his mother's cellphone. Which would be really usefull should anyone ever put something out like this.

can't do with j2me, go with symbian.

[gl4ss]

the subject pretty much says it, you can't access the phone on low enough level with the java implementations(the sandbox they work in isn't that free, so that you can run midlets without fear of them racking up your phone tab or sending information of your simcard&etc to some malicious hacker, kind of applets but with ability to connect where-ever the device allows, they even have their own seperate from other stuff store for storing information).

however, symbian allows for much lower level access of the device. sure the developing is a bit harder but that's the price you have to pay(it's not _that_ hard if you're familiar with c++ and the community is building up nicely so help is available).

symbian phones include series60 from nokia(7650,3650,6650&etc) and s-e p800 there may be others as well.

of these i'd recommend the 3650(even though she might not have use for the mmc card), the 'weird' number pad isn't that hard to use, don't know how adapting it is for the blind(i would guess pretty well adapting, should she want to train on it few hours, actually it should go pretty well, and the buttons with different functions are laid away from each other)