Announcing the AppleVis Editorial App Picks of the Month for July: Seeing Eye GPS, CNN and BlindSquare

By AppleVis, 3 August, 2013

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

At the end of each month the AppleVis Editorial Team take a look at all of the apps which have been posted to the site during that month - either for the first time or where there has been a significant update - and decide which of these we think is the most noteworthy.

Considering the level of anticipation that has existed ever since news emerged that it was in development, there should be no surprise that our pick for July is Sendero's Seeing Eye GPS.
 
Few will claim that it is perfect, but for a first release it shows the potential to become everything that people would hope for from an app that combines the features of a mainstream turn-by-turn GPS application with tools and information specific to the needs of blind users.
 
If you would like to learn more about the development of this app; plans for the future; why it costs what it does; and the challenges that the developers had to contend with, be sure to listen to our interview with Mike May from Sendero.
 
Something else that we've been waiting a long time for, is CNN to show a commitment to making their iOS app accessible to VoiceOver users. And, with the release of version 1.8.4 of the CNN App for iPhone, there are signs that they are finally coming to the party! There are still issues - most notably the iAds in the app which cause VoiceOver focus to revert back to the top of the page each time they reload - but there is enough evidence to suggest that CNN are making a conscious effort to improve VoiceOver support. So, hopefully we'll soon be reporting that the remaining issues with this app have been addressed.
 
One app that does seem to get better each and every month is BlindSquare. Updates during July managed to squeeze another long list of new features into what was already an extremely feature-packed app. Perhaps the most notable of the new features is integration with the Google Maps app to offer turn-by-turn navigation. Although BlindSquare has for some time integrated with other mainstream GPS applications, the addition of Google Maps offers another alternative to those mostly paid options.
 
If you want to hear BlindSquare being put through its paces during a walking demonstration, be sure to check out Mike Arrigo's excellent podcast. As an added bonus, you will also get to hear how 5 mainstream GPS apps perform.
 
As always, we would love to hear of any apps that you think we have overlooked, so do please post a comment below to share your own personal picks or your thoughts on our choices.

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