A few months ago, we told you about the BlackBerry® Screen Reader app from RIM®. Well, the Accessibility team at RIM has been busy improving the app and is happy to share some updates they’ve been working on since launch. After listening to your valuable feedback, they’ve made improvements and added new features. The app also now supports two new BlackBerry smartphone models. In addition to the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphone models, the application is now available for the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320 and 9220 smartphones.

Let’s dive in to some of the changes:

Basic Browser Support
BlackBerry Screen Reader is now revised adding the ability to have a loaded webpage read to you.

Help Menu
Through BlackBerry Screen Reader settings, you can now access an English help menu to provide you with additional assistance.

Additional Shortcut Features
Previously, the application shortcut (Right Convenience Key + Send) only supported email messaging. The updated shortcut is now designed to allow you to re-read a loaded webpage without refreshing your browser; it also allows you to easily read SMS and BBM messages, from the most recent to least recent message.

Additional Caller ID Screen Support
The first version of the BlackBerry Screen Reader would only read the number that was calling. The functionality has now been extended to the caller ID screen to also identify the contact’s name (if available).

Unified Inbox improvements
The unified inbox feature has been updated and now identifies Facebook® and Twitter® messages. You can now differentiate between your e-mail and social media messages.

BlackBerry Screen Reader Demo
If you’ve been wondering what the application is all about before giving it a try yourself, check out the video below, which includes a walkthrough and some tips to help get you started:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

You can get the latest version of BlackBerry Screen Reader at: www.blackberry.com/screenreader
To learn more about other accessibility features for customers with visual impairments, please visit www.blackberry.com/accessibility

Have you been using the BlackBerry Screen Reader app since it first launched? What other ways would you like to see the app improved?

Hi, I’m Kang from the Software Product Management team at Research In Motion® (RIM®). With social responsibility top of mind at RIM, we’re always hard at work developing innovative and useful solutions. Today, I’m extremely excited to introduce our latest accessibility solution for customers with visual impairments: BlackBerry® Screen Reader. This application — available for BlackBerry® Curve™ 9220, 9320, 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones — is free to download and is designed to provide audible output of the visual information displayed on the screen of a BlackBerry® smartphone. The features of this app help customers with visual impairments to better operate and access their BlackBerry smartphone. To learn more about other accessibility features for customers with visual impairments, please visit www.blackberry.com/accessibility

Providing accessibility solutions is very important to RIM, and this application adds to the list of many other accessibility features of BlackBerry smartphones that help provide solutions for mobile customers with visual impairments.

Here are some of the great features that you can expect from the BlackBerry Screen Reader:

• Independent Volume Control for the screen reader
• Customizable audio and output controls
• Option for a more secure presentation of passwords
• Useful in-call setting for text-to-speech output
• Shortcut Commands

Download the BlackBerry Screen Reader

To download the free app, customers can connect their BlackBerry smartphone to their desktop computer through a USB cable and head to www.blackberry.com/screenreader. The app supports the BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones and is available in US English, UK English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Tips and Tricks

For customers using the BlackBerry Screen Reader for the first time, I recommend a few quick tips and tricks:

1. Become familiar with the shortcut keys. They help provide information quickly and easily.
2. Set the Right Convenience Key to “Do Nothing.” Users can still use the Right Convenience Key for shortcuts and the Key Describer Mode, but setting it to “Do Nothing” will avoid invoking multiple actions that can become confusing. BlackBerry Screen Reader will prompt the user to customize their Right Convenience Key with the initial setup.
3. Become familiar with the default settings. They are designed to help users become comfortable with their device quickly.
4. Only download the BlackBerry Screen Reader language support in the language you require (as opposed to all languages) to conserve device memory.
5. Visit the Quick Tips menu in the BlackBerry Screen Reader settings screen. It provides more useful tips to help get the most out of BlackBerry Screen Reader.

Have you or anyone that you know given this app a try? Please share your story and let us know in the comments how it will help make things easier.

The next “Paul’s Challenge” that I’ve been waiting to post has arrived, and it’s all about the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Let me be honest – even though I have been traveling without a laptop for around 9+ months, there were times that I wished I had one. That changed when I was handed a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. I can definitely say that it has added value to several aspects of my day to day work – but how has it changed my No-Laptop Challenge?

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

(Check out this great guest post from our good friend, Greg. You may remember him from our Inside the BlackBerry Accessibility Team feature. Ed.)

On behalf of the Accessibility Team at Research In Motion® (RIM®), I’m extremely pleased to tell you about the new Clarity theme for BlackBerry® smartphones, available for free in BlackBerry App World™. This theme is designed to help meet the needs of customers who may have visual impairments related to partial vision loss and/or colorblindness, and even customers new to smartphones.

The Clarity theme for BlackBerry smartphones includes the following features:

• Simple, easy to use home screen
• Clickable header on the home screen, enabling customers to choose between seeing Date and Time or Network and Battery information
• High contrast application screens
• Large, text-based application icons on the home screen
• Supports devices running BlackBerry® Device Software version 5.0, including BlackBerry® Curve™ series of smartphones, the BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 smartphone, and the BlackBerry® Bold™ series of smartphones. BlackBerry 6 OS and touch screen enabled BlackBerry smartphones are currently not supported.

Find more information or download the theme today at BlackBerry App World! Also, you can learn more about BlackBerry Accessibility at our website, or read the Inside the BlackBerry Accessibility Team feature right here on Inside BlackBerry!

If you have any questions for us about accessibility and your BlackBerry smartphone, please let us know in the comments! Click the link below to see more Clarity them for BlackBerry smartphones screenshots.

I’m back for part three of my No Laptops Allowed challenge, and this time, we’re talking BlackBerry apps!

For this post, I’m going to forego some of the standard applications. You should all have a favorite mapping program, your normal social media applications like Twitter®, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), foursquare®, LinkedIn®, Facebook®…I could go on forever. I would like to know what your most-used social app is, though! Let me know in the comments section, or send a message to the Inside BlackBerry for Business Twitter account.

These are a couple of key applications that, in my experience, are complementary to someone who needs to be truly mobile:

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

I’m back with part two of my no-laptop challenge (have a look at the No Laptops Allowed Challenge Part 1, in which I introduce my personal challenge to work solely from my BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone), and this time, it’s all about the hardware I’d recommend you have on hand to most easily succeed with just your BlackBerry® smartphone for your day-to-day tasks.

First, let me thank everyone who responded to the first post! Not only was it motivating to hear about your experiences, but it was also nice to see some additional challenges thrown my way. In part three, I’ll cover application essentials; but here in part two, we’re going to talk about the hardware that is essential to this challenge. You’ll be able to find all these items at the Official RIM BlackBerry Accessories Store, so be sure to stop by and order a few of these handy items for yourself!

Read More at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

Hi everyone – my name’s Paul. I’ve worked at Research In Motion® (RIM) for over eight years as a Technical Account Manager, and I’m now the Manager of Technical Services for the Enterprise Sales group at RIM. For the past few months, I’ve been making a deliberate effort to conduct all of my work on my BlackBerry® smartphone (a BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone, to be exact). This project started very slowly, but with each week, I learn what I can do to keep my laptop at home.

I started while on a business trip to Chicago, and although I had my laptop present, I tried to keep it in my bag. The next trip was to San Francisco, and once again, I had my laptop with me – but this time it stayed in the hotel room. For all of my meetings, I relied on BlackBerry® Presenter.

Before the holidays I tried my first official week where my laptop didn’t even make it on the plane – I was able to do all my work laptop free! Through January, as I head off to a week-long conference, I plan to leave my laptop at home. Very liberating – and all thanks to my BlackBerry smartphone!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

Many dedicated BlackBerry® smartphone users and Inside BlackBerry readers may not be aware of the Accessibility team at Research In Motion (RIM) or what they do. I can attest to the fact that I didn’t know they existed at all, but hey, I’m still new to RIM.

So when I was given the opportunity to talk to Greg the Accessibility Product Manager about his team, I jumped at the chance. Not only did I learn a lot about the team, but also a bunch about some very cool features on your BlackBerry smartphone right now that you might not be aware of. Check it out!!

Readers might not be aware of Accessibility team at RIM. Can you give some insight on the history and goals of the team?

I joined the Accessibility team at RIM as the Product Manager three years ago. The majority of my focus has been devoted to improving the accessibility of the BlackBerry Device Software platform and device applications, to help ensure that BlackBerry smartphones can be used more easily by people with disabilities. In addition, we also work with third party vendors to help enable the creation of external hardware and software solutions for people with disabilities.  In some ways, I propose and help deliver universal design changes for BlackBerry smartphones that help to improve device usability for all customers, including customers with disabilities.

In addition, our team collaborates with industry associations to participate in the review of accessibility-related legislation around the world so that the need for mobile phone accessibility is reflected wherever possible.

So what exactly is your role as an Accessibility Product Manager?

My role is pretty standard from a Product Management perspective. Specifically though I need to understand the wants and needs of our customers, roadmap and then drive accessibility features and solutions for BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry Device Software, enable third party developers to create mobile applications that are accessible by customers with disabilities, support our large customers and Carriers in the area of accessibility, support our ISV members, collaborate with the disability advocacy organizations and generally participate in the Accessibility community.

Can you name some of the additions to the BlackBerry Device Software the Accessibility team has helped to bring about?

Sure!

• In BlackBerry Device Software v4.6 we added the Reverse Contrast, Grayscale and Grid Layout features.
• In BlackBerry Device Software v4.6.1 we added the Accessibility API to help developers utilize our accessibility features within applications
• In BlackBerry Device Software v4.7 we added the ability to extend vibrations from 1, 2 and 3, to 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 vibrations with Short, Medium and Long durations
• In BlackBerry Device Software v4.71 we added Event Sounds (i.e., on and off, battery full or about to die, USB/audio jack connected or disconnected)

As I said before, these features are the types of things that are useful to many users, but may be particularly helpful to people with disabilities. For example, the Event Sounds feature provides a non-speech audio tone when your battery is low and needs a charge to retain radio network access. This is useful to someone who is waiting for a phone call and needs a little reminder that their battery is low, as well as being useful to our customers with visual impairments who may find it difficult to see the battery indicator on their device screen.

Talk to me about another feature that was recently added: closed captioning.

We have recently added the ability for customers to display closed caption content on their BlackBerry smartphones. Like you might have seen on your television at home, support for closed captions enables viewers to watch a video and read the accompanying transcribed text at the same time on the screen. This feature is most useful for our deaf and hard of hearing customers who rely on closed captioning for viewing multimedia content, and is equally helpful for customers who do not have hearing loss but want to watch a video without sound for security and/or privacy reasons.

Of course, our support for closed captioning does require content authors create closed caption multimedia content, so we’re excited to work with the Inside BlackBerry blog to raise awareness. All content creators have to do is transcribe their content, time align the text to the corresponding video point using the standard 3GP Timed Text format, and export it into either 3GP or MP4 file formats, which are industry standard supported audio formats.

(Note: stay tuned for an upcoming post on the BlackBerry Developer’s Blog for more info on closed captioning, and using the Accessibility API).

What BlackBerry smartphones currently support closed captioning?

Support for closed caption playback is available on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry Device Software v5.0, like the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphone.

Where can people go to learn more about RIM’s accessibility initiative or for contact information?

http://www.blackberry.com/accessibility is the place to go. We will be updating this microsite with more information in the new year as well.