April 19: MAXIS recently reached out to visually impaired community in the Klang Valley with a special offer on the iPhone 3GS – with a RM500 discount off the phone with a sign-up for an iValue plan.

A Maxis representative demonstrating the iPhone 3GS’s features to a member of the Malaysian Association of the Blind Cyber Club. Maxis chief operating officer Jean-Pascal van Overbeke said Maxis is committed to enriching lives and to provide outstanding services to all parts of the community.

"We’re making it easier and more affordable for visually-impaired community to enjoy the phone’s built-in accessibility features," he said.

"The iPhone is a tool with almost limitless uses delivered through the unparalleled variety in its applications and easy-to-master user interface," he added.

One of the key accessibility features of the iPhone 3GS is VoiceOver, the world’s first gesture-based screen reader.

Instead of memorising keyboard commands or pressing arrow keys, simply touch the screen to hear a description of the item then double-tap, drag or flick to control the iPhone.

The feature speaks 21 languages and works with all the applications built into the iPhone. It also features a virtual control called the rotor.

Turning the rotor by rotating two fingers on the screen as turning a dial, changes the way VoiceOver moves through a document based on a setting you choose.

For example, a flick up or down might move through text word by word or character by character, useful for proofreading or editing text.

Two other features that help the visually-impaired include the zoom function and the white on black display.

The iPhone zoom allows users to magnify the entire screen of any application while the display change allows for higher contrast thus higher readability. Both functions work in all applications.

Malaysian Association of the Blind Cyber Club (MABCC) chairman Yam Tong Woo said after a three-week trial, he is personally looking forward to use the phone on a daily basis.

"My favourite feature is the built-in VoiceOver function which I found to be most useful," he said.

"Before the iPhone, visually-impaired mobile phone users like me had to purchase and install screen reader software costing up to RM1,000," he added.

Yam said several applications from the iTunes Store that is downloadable for free or bought at a nominal price, can also be used by the blind or visually-impaired.

"For example, the built-in digital compass helps me check my bearings and find my way around," he said.

For more information, visit www.maxis.com.my/iphone3gs

Source: http://www.thesundaily.com