Review of Blio 3.3 for iPad (iOS 5 and 6)
Blio 3.3 for iPad (iOS 5 and 6)
Reviewed 12 Sep 2012
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Average score 88%
Summary
The Blio app is accessible on the iPad but noticeably there are no vibration alerts that can take the place of audio alerts. iOS 6 offers more features and navigation under the accessibility options with the Assistive Touch and Triple click Home access to VoiceOver etc.
Detailed Results
| # | Test | Outcome | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Built in accessibility checks | 100% | VoiceOver works well with Blio although gestures change when it is on and there are differences in the way the accessibility options work between iOS 5 and 6 - Zoom will work with VoiceOver in iOS 6. |
| 2 | Application works with External Assistive Technologies | 67% | There are very few external assistive technologies that work with the iPad but switch, external keyboard and braille devices can be used to access Blio. Page turning may require multiple switches. |
| 3 | Text or other alternatives for image elements. | 100% | Alt tags for images are read when they are in place and it is possible to add these tags when iBook Author is used to create ebooks. |
| 4 | Keyboard / Alternative input with focus | 100% | Wifi connections are possible with keyboard, braille devices and switch access. |
| 5 | Labels for objects, fields or controls | 100% | Labels for all menu items are good. |
| 6 | Audio alerts have visual cues | 0% | Audio alerts can be set in the iPad and when reading a book if the gesture results in no action there is often a sound to warn the user but no visual cues or vibration. |
| 7 | Alternatives for Video / Animation | 100% | Blio does not offer access to multimedia ebooks at present. |
| 8 | Media events offer user control | 67% | It can be hard to use the page slider when VoiceOver and Zoom are on. The gestures change and this affects usability. |
| 9 | Textual Information for screen reader | 100% | Text can be read in blocks or continuous with VoiceOver. Some books offer access to human voice reading and Blio has its own voices at an extra cost. |
| 10 | Keyboard shortcut keys offered | 100% | Gestures are used for access to the iPad and there some mentioned on the device and others on Apple web pages. |
| 11 | Save user preferences for style and zoom | 100% | Zoom is possible on the IPad and for all the ebook pages. Font styles and colours can be changed in ebooks that allow these changes and on PDFs that are accessible. |
| 12 | Timed events can be altered | 100% | There are no timed events,. |
| 13 | Change colours and contrast | 100% | Colour background and high contrast changes are possible in accessible books and PDFs. |
| 14 | Uniform and standardised presentation | 100% | The Blio app conforms to iOS standards. |
| 15 | Documentation | 100% | Help for instant access comes on the device in the settings but more guidance is available on the web and there are <a href="http://help.apple.com/ipad/5/voiceover/en/iPad74ec1798.html">accessible help manuals for the iPad</a>. |