We're continuing our look at the top stories of 2011. Our panel of Blind Bargains and Serotek contributors each independently submitted their votes for the top stories of the year. This year's panel included Joe Steinkamp, Jamie Pauls, Kevin Reeves, Matt McCubbin, and J.J. Meddaugh. Here are our earlier stories in case you missed them. Number 3 involves perhaps the most amazing iPhone yet.
If there's any solid indication of the success of a product amongst the blind community, it's when that product reaches a point that non-technically minded people start raving about its features and benefits. Love it or hate it, the iPhone has transcended from a cool tech toy to perhaps the most purchased new phone by a blind person in 2011. The iPhone 4S added more fuel to the fire, allowing for customers from three of the four major U.S. carriers to get in on the action. And for those who are still a bit scared by the prospect of using a touch-screen, Siri arrived to save the day, allowing for the dictation of messages, the setting of alarms, and much more. Siri isn't the first voice assistant and it won't be the last, but Apple has once again succeeded at turning a feature from a novelty to a must-have. Other accessibility improvements this year included talking face recognition and support for the new greeting card app. You just don't find that level of commitment from many developers, mainstream or not. Apple still has progress to make for a perfect solution, but they've certainly taken the mobile phone world by storm and caused others such as Google, Nokia, and Code Factory to take notice and reevaluate their strategy.
Apple's release of the iPhone 4S and their continued smartphone dominance lands them at number 3.
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J.J. Meddaugh is an experienced technology writer and computer enthusiast. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a major in telecommunications management and a minor in business. When not writing for Blind Bargains, he enjoys travel, playing the keyboard, and meeting new people.
