Introducing Fleksy
Contributed by Joel Zimba, MDTAP Special Projects Coordinator
Hot on the heels of a virtual Braille keyboard typing app, which has yet to be released, comes yet another prospective means for blind users to quickly enter text. Similar to the Swipe keyboard on the Android platform, Fleksy makes educated guesses about what you actually meant to type. In short it is a more flexible “qwerty” keyboard.
The latest edition of the Tech Doctor Podcast demonstrates this app, which is still in the beta testing phase. As demonstrated in the podcast, text entry is much faster than the current means of touch typing on the built-in iPhone keyboard. Fleksy shows off some innovative concepts, such as a sort of hybrid functionality, wherein the app functions differently depending on whether VoiceOver is running. There are several custom gestures, including lifting the phone to the ear to read the current text, and using the “rotor” gesture to access custom functionality.
While the current cycle of beta testing appears to be closed, the Fleksy website (http://www.fleksy.com) gives further, if limited, information.
Pricing and expected release dates are not yet available. A brief YouTube clip demonstrates how the final app may function:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YP5goKA4dQ
Check out the Tech Doctor Podcast at: http://www.dr-carter.com
