Well, since sadly Soundscape is being discontinued, it is time to find a better gps option. I know it will still work until June, but I would rather just find something that works now, and not have to transition later.
I’ve downloaded two apps, Lazarillo and Seeing Eye GPS. In this small town where I live, I can’t say that either one is 100% accurate, but then again gps has never been something you can use to get within a few, as in under 10, feet of your destination, turn, etc. Example, today when using Seeing Eye, it told me I was 65 feet away from my turn, when in reality it was like 10 feet tops. What I do like about Seeing Eye is that updates are frequent. I tend to doubt myself a lot when it comes to mobility, so having that more frequent feedback is a big help, so I know I haven’t screwed up to bad yet. Lol
As far as Lazarillo, it wasn’t giving me much in the way of updates at all. I’m just going around the block with my dog to get some exercise so since my final destination is the same as my start, it doesn’t make much sense to do a route in either app. But I do really depend on those intersections being announced, since in this small town, there really aren’t any sidewalks, so you have to walk in the street. And some crossings are really nicely defined, and others you would never know you just crossed a street where you should have turned, and it can become incredibly easy to miss a turn. So you’re a good half a block from where you wanted to be before you ever even know you messed up with Lazarillo, at least here in this small town.Between my dog, and halfway decent directions or at least indications I manage pretty well. But, I did have some not so fun experiences today, as I did miss a turn two of the three times we went out walking, and I should note that happened with Lazarillo. I managed to figure it out, didn’t become roadkill in the process, so that’s a plus, but the more frequent updates from seeing eye helped out a bit on the third time we went out, even if they were off a bit. I at least made my turn that time.
I would really like to be able to use Lazarillo, to avoid the subscription with Seeing Eye, but it wasn’t giving me the best updates. Is there any way to change the frequency of the updates in Lazarillo? Any other settings I should change? Also, when I locked the phone, Lazarillo got even quieter. Does that app not work when the phone is locked?
If I have to pay the money to use Seeing eye, I will, but want to be absolutely sure the free options won’t meet my needs first.
There is also BlindSquare, which is a $39 one time purchase. Have any of you used it? How is it with precision and frequency of updates as you walk along a street?
My o&M skills aren’t the best, but I am really trying to work on that. Also, self training my dog to be a guide dog. Yes, self trained is legal and legit, and while we both have a way to go, with my dog I do at least have the confidence to get out there and do this, where I never felt that confident with a cane, and I’ve been a cane user my whole life. My problem has never been a lack of cane skills, but rather the orientation, and like I said before, I do tend to doubt myself a lot. But I’m really trying to work on that, and with the dog, I do have a sense of freedom I never had with the cane before. Just being able to put on my dog’s harness and get out there and go has been so awesome, rewarding and motivating. I also know that both the dog and the handler can have off days. That’s just part of life. But over all, I’m happy with the progress I am making and am just looking for the right tools that will work the best for me.
I really appreciate the feedback from everyone in this community. Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.
Comments
Justin, it sounds like you…
Justin, it sounds like you found your solution, although it is not free. The Seeing Eye app has been around for many years. Lazarillo has been available only recently. The developer welcomes feedback and would like a report with detailed specifics. I have paid for Blind Square and recently used Lazarillo on a neighborhood trip here in Chicago to compare it with Blind Square. It was to a specific destination and I used Lazarillo with both Apple Maps and Google Maps, as I visited the same destination multiple times on different days. Blind Square did speak more than Lazarillo. I found the many announcements supportive and helpful. Others find them to be too chatty and an annoyance. When Blind Square speaks an announcement, it speaks the street address and the nearest intersection in the user’s path of travel. I would say Lazarillo is good at this point but not great like the Seeing eye app or Blind Square. The only way iPhone apps for the blind go from good to great is through significant and highly specific user feedback so contact the Lazarillo developer either through his website or through the app. Award winning apps like Seeing eye, Overcast, Blind Square, Weather Gods, and Lire get to this level is through communicative blind end users and developers willing to work with the blind community, roll up their sleeves, and create insanely useful and accessible apps. If you want to hear what Blind Square sounds like as an app, visit YouTube and search for blind Square. Some blind users have posted demonstrations of the app.
Also, the only way travel skills get better is through practice. Training only does so much. With constant feedback, the apps really help and boost my confidence in unfamiliar places. Keep on trucking.
Check out GoodMaps Outdoors
Seeing Eye GPS is now called GoodMaps Outdoors and best of all, it's free.
Kelly, thanks so much for…
Kelly, thanks so much for the positive constructive feedback. I don't constantly need an address, but do need to know when those intersections are coming up, and more than just one notification is nice, so Seeing Eye really was good in that regard. I am also very curious as to where these apps get their map data, as I have had both Soundscape and Lazarillo mention streets, that when I mention to a sighted neighbor, who also knows this area very well, and they told me said streets don't even exist. So, maybe the streets were planned but never put in? Also, some of the markers could be off, as at some intersections, the stop sign is not right at the intersection but off a bit. It would be nice if there was a way to have someone go in and adjust that for these apps so things could also be made a bit more accurate. But I'm not so sure they would do it for one small town and just one user. If it were a big city, with lots of people having the same problem, sure. But for just one town, I'm not sure any developer would be willing to use resources they barely have to do that.
Julian, thanks for the comment, but I'm not so sure about this, as if Seeing Eye were now GoodMaps Outdoors, wouldn't they have gotten rid of the old app, or at least changed the name of it? I will still check it out though.
Seeing Eye GPS is now Goodmaps Outdoor
Goodmaps acquired Seeing Eye GPS sometime ago and now it is Goodmaps Outdoor, and it is free. I think they still have Seeing Eye GPS available for the people who paid for it, but they haven't updated it for a long time.
For more information visit the following link:
https://www.goodmaps.com/news/good-maps-acquires-the-sendero-gps-mobile-apps-from-aira-which-are-now-free
Aaaah, this makes sense…
Aaaah, this makes sense. Downloaded and look forward to giving it a test run today.
Google Maps walking directions!
Another thing to try is Google Maps. It is free and there walking directions are quite good. To get the most accurate reading with this app, you want to be moving while you are using it. Otherwise, I really like Google Maps. Good to have a couple of free tools in your GPS toolbox to use in different situations.
Less info with screen locked
Is it just me, or does seeing eye / Goodmaps Outdoors give a lot less feedback when screen is locked? I would much prefer to keep my phone in my pocket, locked, but still get the same amount of feedback. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed this? Any setting I may be unaware of to fix it?
Mapping services
The digital maps come from large data providers. Originally, these companies obtained historic analog maps for local roads and streets and incorporated this data into the digital products developed in the last several decades. It is likely one of these companies obtained a local analog map of all the roads and streets in your town and county that was decades old. Over time, the public road has been renamed, taken over by private property owners, abandoned, turned into a driveway, or covered over and incorporated into a bigger property. I experienced this when I was in Colorado Springs, the amateur sports capitol of America, several years ago for a powerlifting competition. I stayed at a hotel that opened in the late 1960s. the hotel offered coupons for a free breakfast at a restaurant in a strip mall nearby. As a powerlifter, I need to constantly eat so I took advantage of the offer and used a blind navigation app, I forget which one, to give me turn by turn directions to get there. The hotel had many driveways and access roads so getting to the restaurant was not simple. I followed the directions and eventually found the place and had breakfast. Coming back to the hotel, I thought I was on the right path and a passerby asked if I needed help. I said I was trying to follow a particular street to get to the hotel. The person was older and a longtime Colorado Springs resident. He explained that both the strip mall and the hotel were part of a massive real estate development in the 1960s where public streets, homes and some small businesses were all demolished to build new buildings. Some local streets were incorporated into the development as access roads and fragments of others were driveways. The blind navigation app was giving me the name of a local road the developer took over in the 1960s and the app may not have added all the roads and driveways of the development so the app was correct but misfiring. I eventually figured out a path of travel to the shopping mall, which also had a Mexican restaurant, when I left to go back home.
Even in big cities and highly influential countries, the digital map providers continue to make errors and be incomplete. Apple Maps until recently did not have the correct address and location for the Jazz Showcase, one of Chicago’s two premier jazz clubs. It has been at its current location since 2008. I sent in an error report to Apple, and a fully revised listing was added in about a week, which included a Yelp review. I attended a concert at the Jazz Showcase with an 18-year old friend from Germany. I learned about a secondary subway entrance on the way there that was just one block from the club. On the way home from the concert, my friend pulled out his cell phone, fired up Google Maps, and spoke about lengthy walking directions to another subway entrance. I said follow me and I led him to the nearby entrance, being stunned to find stairs on the sidewalk that descended underground. I mentioned that not everything was on Google Maps and he then shouted the word Yet, believing strongly that digital mapping services will contain the world’s navigational knowledge in his lifetime. Apple Maps still struggles with data issues. The service does not have cycling directions in the Netherlands, the bicycling capitol of the world. Google has hired an army of contractors to add uniquely localized information to google Maps. This includes all the tricks cycling enthusiasts use in San Francisco to traverse its legendary steep hills.
Blind Square uses data from a service called Open Street Maps. It is based on historic map data and welcomes end users to edit the map. The editing feature is not accessible to the blind. Sighted people can rename streets, add streets, or remove them if the local conditions have changed since the analog map was originally digitized. This is not to say though that you could lead a community effort in your town to edit and revise the data in Open Street Maps with a sighted tech savvy local. Google and Apple can also be notified about any errors. Sure, your place does not have one of the top jazz clubs in the world, but small towns matter. They offer an affordable place to live when most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Small towns offer a respite from big city problems like high crime rates and untreated mental illness in a country that increasingly is working remotely, making the rural lifestyle economically viable for the first time for many.
Lazarillo App
Hi all! I work with the team at Lazarillo. Just wanted to thank you for trying out our app and let you know that our team is always making improvements and looking for your feedback to create the best product possible. We work daily with blind and visually impaired users, including many members of our staff, to create the most accessible experience possible, but we know that there is always a lot of room to grow and improve our app. If you ever have any questions for our team, you are welcome to reach out via email at hello@lazarillo.app. You can also visit our website at lazarillo.app/theapp to learn more about the Lazarillo App and what it can do, or visit our support page at lazarillo.app/usersupport to view a handful of useful tutorial videos on how to use all the different features of the app. Thanks again and best wishes from the Lazarillo team!