Aira Explorer

Wow I like the idea, but waaay too much. Starting at $89? I'll have to pass this for now.

Just wondering; I mean, if this app is just a way to do video calls with sighted people isn't that a lot like be my eyes. I have found that I like the BeSpecular model better for most of what I need such apps for, but that's just my own personal experience.

I am one of Aira's testers, and not only are the agents trained to work with/communicate with blind people, for the price of the plan, they will send you Google Glass to use as a hands-free camera. You can also use your phone's camera if you wish, but the Glass is there so you can walk around and, say, call Aira to have an agent read signs and things like that. You have the assistance, but you can also walk around with your cane or guide dog at the same time if you use Google Glass.

This sounds pretty neat! Would love to hear someone do a podcast on this.

I thought google glass is a dead technology though no longer being supported or developed by google? the description of the app makes it sound like we are in constant need of help or assistance, I guess its good to have options though I won't be subscribing.

Is this available outside the US? if not, are there any plans to make it international? Also, is there a demo video/podcast for this, or somewhere else I can learn more about how the service works and what it might be useful for?

Yes, you can download the app in the UK, but I don't think you can sign up for the service.

I could see using this if I traveled a lot more. I wonder how much data this would take up? It also seems to be different than other apps as the person seems to stick with you longer.

Hello there, my name is Wesley and I work on the Aira team! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have regarding the Aira app & service. I'll go through some of the ones already posted to this thread that haven't already been responded to by some of our current users.

Troy: Here is the link to the Speaking Out for the Blind podcast featuring one of our engineers and an Aira user. https://soundcloud.com/user-674130373/speaking-out-for-the-blind-aira

Alex: Google glass is no longer available for individual purchase, but google has been hard at work on a newer version of glass with even stronger connectivity features that we ship to our users. It's only available to companies at this time.

JeffB: We ship an AT&T mifi device with all of the glasses, so all of the data goes through that device instead of your phone. The data is built into your subscription price.

Brad: Thanks for asking all the questions earlier :) In regards to the pricing table, every email and web page we have has been tested with screen readers for functionality by multiple blind users. We hadn't received any complaints regarding that specific page. What screen reader are you using so we can test with that as well?

Thanks for the good posts here. Full disclosure, I consult with Aira. I am also a very stubborn blind person who does not seek or like very much assistance. However, the ability to reliably obtain (and control) sighted assistance when needed is powerful. I am also impressed that the Aira team, which includes blind employees and advisers, is careful not to make assumptions about our needs as users. They train the agents to provide professional customer service and the rest is up to us as users to determine what we need and when. Sometimes its a quick, but essential, transaction, identifying my bag on the airport baggage belt. Sometimes more detailed, sorting out visual indicators on a piece of technology. And sometimes private, which papers do I need for taxes. Price is admittedly a sore point and one that I hope to help Aira decrease through broadening financial support mechanisms.

I guess the subject says it all. LOL I know the app can be downloaded in the Canadian app store, but is the service actually available in Canada?

I think the price is worth it. I might make the suggestion though that if you know you have wifi networks or a good cell plan that you can opt out of the hotspot thereby reducing the cost of the plans if you want to.. I've ben using it now for two day and I can already say this. Wow! Just, wow! I was able to get help installing printer inc by myself. I have not dine this before, normally my dad does it for me and talks me through the set up. I was able to do it by myself and it took about an hour, but it was very much worth it. I'm ready to take my

First of all let ,me just say that I do not think the price is unreasonable; to be honest, I wonder if the financial model is even sustainable for Aira in the long run. Now to my questions.

What is the battery life on the compatible headsets while using Aira? I don't know much about Google Glass, but from what I remember the first version had pretty short battery life, and I would think it would go pretty quickly if you were on a cellular connection, per forming what is basically a video call.

Question two, how much lag or delay do users typically experience when communicating with the operators? The description of the app mentions mobility, but I can't see how this service could be trusted for many mobility tasks. We have all used Skype and Face Time, and we all know how badly those services can lag. Even a lag of a few seconds could have very bad results if users were depending on this app for mobility.

I'm looking forward to any answers to my questions, Perhaps I am missing something when it comes to the mobility part of the service.

?Aira is the most revolutionary product for blind people to come along in quite some time. Aira makes it possible to truly get any information not available to blind persons via any other means. While it is true that constant use of the iPhone can cause some additional battery drain I find that my use of the phone for Aira is not sufficiently diminished to cause concern. It is true that Aira has some user costs associated with it. However, like any new product costs will decrease over time and the product will be easier to use and less costly to operate. I urge people to try Aira, and then decide whether or not They are ready to use Aira. The product is cool and it's users say they find it most helpful, usable and worth the price.

I am on the waiting list to become an explorer and am curious what it will bring to my life. I don't believe the subscriptions are over priced, as hiring a reader for say ten dollars an hour can be costly too depending on what you want done. Like someone else pointed out, I too think it would be a good thing to create plans that don't come with the hotspot device, bringing the price down for those who don't need the extra data.

160 minutes. , ok thanks.

I had heard about this product from a friend and colleague awhile back, and saw this entry, and decided to give it a go. I had a couple questions to add to the mix. Is this Mifi hotspot only meant to be used for the device or could I conceivably use it to link up to my phone and get help from another service like BeMyEyes when Aira agents are unavailable? I am currently with Sprint and I was traveling in a rather rural area where I could not get an adequate connection for BeMyEyes volunteers to be able to see the video. It would be useful to have the option to use the data connection in certain circumstances, such as the one I described.
Perhaps I missed this, but I was wondering if there was a price per minute if one went over their allotment for the month.
How much time can I spend with an agent at any given time? Would I be able to, say, head into the supermarket and do my own shopping? What about watching a movie and getting descriptions of what's happening on the screen? Will I be able to sit down and play a game of Candy Crush, at last?
I'm looking forward to regularly using the service soon. I literally finished creating my account a few minutes ago, so hopefully the suspense doesn't kill me.

Yes, I will definitely keep you all posted about the journey. And if I go to the grocery store and encounter a nice-sounding vixen, I'll ask the agent whether she is as gorgeous as I am! On second thought, if they say that she is fairer than I, these glasses might go for an unintended trip out my second-story window. :D

On the web site using both NVDA and JAWS and even voiceover on the iPhone, i can't see what the plans are. I'm using the latest of everything, windows ios and NVDA, i have jaws 17. Haven't tried it on macOS but am not very hopeful as i can't access the same info anywhere else, but here's hoping.

Hey,

I thought I would throw this out there. I was having trouble viewing websites too, and come to find out that my antivirus was blocking certain pages from loading properly. I had tried with multiple screen readers and multiple browsers, and didn't put 2 and 2 together till I had a friend load the same page without an issue. For the record, the antivirus program I was using was Daily Safety Check, which incorporates the BitDefender antivirus engine. I can't guarantee that this will address your issue, but am sharing this to illustrate that it may not be related to accessibility.

The service speaks for itself; you have to try it to really appreciate what it can do for you.
Here is my review on Aira:
https://twitter.com/ShafPatel/status/893223374851379200

I second the question asked by Big Cat earlier - does anyone know how the glasses look? It would be good to know whether or not you end up looking like Geordi La Forge by wearing these things.

I also am curious if there is an option for a tinted/sunglasses version for those of us with light sensitive residual vision. Looking on the site I can't seem to find anything that describes the glasses in any detail.

Hopefully they will consider a pay-as-you-go model too at some point. I would rather pay for a bucket of minutes that I could use up and then buy more, rather than commit to a subscription. I guess this would probably require the user to buy the glasses upfront though.

hi their, I just signed up for the aira service last week on wednesday and wow, all I have to say is what a difference it has been for me in the short time i've been using it. before, i've had to have uber and lyft drivers get out of their vehicles and come in to where ever I was to find me, now, with aira, I have found three vehicles with out having to have a driver come in to the building and find me, looked up a menu and got the information about what kinds of chicken sandwiches their were at burger king, read several pieces of mail with no bad results from apps, walked in to a red lobster to a host stand and found a table, and even got to my seat in the movie theater all with out sited guide and using aira. what an incredible service this is, and to me the price is well worth the bit of money i'm out every month.

Hey everyone! So I am from the UK, and I met up with a friend who was visiting for lunch. He let me have a go using Aira, and I think it’s incredible! We used it to help us get from our table in the restaurant through london Victoria train station and down to the platform on the underground train system. It was incredible! I am not very confident navigating around busy places, so I loved it today! I have checked on aira’s website, and if you select a plan and go to fill in your details, it says the available countries are the UK, USA and Canada. I wonder if we can definitely get it over here? If that is the case, then i’ll Definitely be subscribing at least to the basic package, it’s incredible!

Well, I emailed them yesterday, and they are working on a beta program for the UK. They are also working on one for Australia. I told them, that I am interested, and they are going to send me a form. They are launching in Canada in May. :-)

Hi once again from Aira.

I'm Jonathan Mosen, VP of Explorer communications at Aira. One of the cool things about working with Aira is that the service is constantly being improved due to your feedback. Since it's been a while since we've posted in the comments on this App Directory entry, here's a bit of a "State of the Service" update as at December 2018.

First, for those who were deterred by the cost of Aira, the app is now free to use for an increasing number of tasks, and in more locations. This is thanks to a program we call Aira Access. With Aira Access, the business sponsors the use of Aira, so it's free for you to use.

Locations include airports, a range of stores and college campuses.

In terms of tasks, thanks to our partnership with Intuit QuickBooks, the Aira app is now free to use in any location for any task relating to small businesses whose owners are blind or low vision.

We also have a partnership with Vispero, who make JAWS and ZoomText among other products.

It is free to register with Aira as a guest. You can then keep the app on your iPhone in case you are in an Aira Access location or want to perform a task that is covered free by one of our partners. If you find yourself in an Aira Access location, we'll send you a push notification to tell you.

Second, it's cheaper to try us out for your own tasks. As many people have requested, we now offer handset-only plans, starting at $29 USD per month. This means you can give us a try with a much smaller outlay of funds than before.

Third, although when the app directory was created it wasn't possible for Deaf Blind people to use the app, I'm pleased to say that's no longer the case. We've introduced a feature called Aira Messages. It has many uses, one of which is that a Deaf Blind Explorer can communicate via a Braille display with a professionally trained agent, who will text back. This is all done within the app, so it's like being in a chat window and is efficient. You can also pre-program commonly used messages to speed the process up even further.

Finally, Aira offers a way to broadcast your Aira sessions. It's a social network of sorts called Aira Live. When an Explorer chooses to, they can make their session public for anyone to hear on the Aira Live tab within the app, or they can "go live" and protect it with a PIN. All someone needs to do to listen is register as a guest. This is great for sharing descriptions of conferences when several blind or low vision attendees are in the room. It could be used to read restaurant menus to several blind guests at once. or it could just be used to share a visit to an exciting attraction with friends.

There's a lot more going on, so do feel free to download the app, even if you don't think you want to pay for the service just now. You'll find it's still very useful.

Sounds great. What about if you need to use the service for several minutes and not for more than 30 minutes? I learn to cook without having to need help and the only way I see me using is if I am looking for something. For example the exercise room in my building so I can find the equipment. Particular building but I tend to find it without ever using similar thing. The price probably OK but there are some who are getting SSA benefits and not enough money for it. Question. I can not use any type of glasses because my left ear does not work and I can not put the hook of the glasses. Are there glasses that go around?

as I understand it though if you don't use all your minutes in a month any you don't use basically go to waste you lose them and can't bank them so basically you might as well have set fire to your money, same say if you have a period in a month where you pay for it and don't use it at all.
If someone is that un independent that they need several hundred minutes from aira you have to wonder if they should be living in sheltered accommodation or something.

haha, or it could mean feed me first. Seriously I think the concept exploits blind people who are less able and encourages laziness, as to things like navigating airports, I actually think its probably more efficient to deal with staff there rather than portraying this attitude I am blind I must do something without any help even if waiting for local staff to help you is probably quicker in the long run for example navigating security getting on board the plane etc. as lets be honest OK you can ask an aira agent for help finding something in the airport but they won't be as efficient or helpful as local staff. plus I think anyone who wonders around a public space using something like aira just looks a bit of a freak to be honest and stands out more than they would with just a cane.
Plus if your minutes you pay for with aira go to waste because you don't have enough use for all the ones you pay for that is theft in my book, even phone companies are starting to allow people to roll over unused usage.
also have you heard about paul hopkins experience with aira in the UK, it sounds a nightmare and aira don't seem bothered about sorting it, not a great advert for the company.
I know everyone also goes on about live audio description for stuff, but if you think about it minute per minute its like paying for a premium rate phone call.

Hi Michael, I haven't used aira yet because I haven't visited anywhere that offers aira access yet, and I don't really have any tasks around the house that I need assistance with.
though I plan to try it at some point, as to the minutes not rolling over, effectively users have to guess how many they might need then tough if they don't use them all.
I wonder if the other reason aira doesn't allow for minutes to roll over is because a lot of users would buy a block of minutes, then spend them over a few months and so reduce company income. another thing I haven't been able to find out is if agents are all from the US, or say I am in the UK does that mean I will get a UK agent. as I don't want to have to start using americanisms just to make myself understood, can you point me to the rest room or tell me where the crossing is for the sidewalk etc. are there some in non english speaking countries, I wouldn't want to call up and get agents with thick foreign accents or who weren't actual native english speakers.
also, if aira is so wonderful how come I haven't scene organizations like the rnib promoting it and saying what a wonderful product it is. Sure there has been press attention but there always is with things like this.
I listened to a podcast recently where the glasses were unboxed and from the description they sounded awful and the presenters found it quite funny, and yes I know your going to tell me they look fashionable and stylish but the description in the aira in the real world podcast was far from flattering.
also how does aira protect sensitive information, I know agents have to sign non disclosure agreements, but for example say I got an agent to read me new credit card information how would I be guaranteed that said agent wouldn't copy down my information and misuse it. also, are calls monitored or in any way recorded either for quality assurance or to protect either the user or agent, and in fact what information does aira collect and retain and how does it use any stored information. and in fact can users request copies of information aira holds as I know it keeps an ongoing profile of explorers with notes on preferences and such.

My only complaint with the service as it stands now is that the wonderful unlimitted plan is gone. But oh well, o-bla-di, o-bla-da, life goes on. It was nice for a while, but I guess it had to go.
I loved aira as it gave me access to many books that were published without digital or audio editions, something that is not possible anymore (I do not enjoy reading books with synthesized speech). I would scan a book and read it, hense why I say I loved the unlimitted plan.
But do I still use aira? Yes! Maybe not for the same things as someone else, but I still do find it a valuable resource.