Hasta La Gadget!

The screen-based controls and rich visuals that make a device like the iPhone an attractive option for deaf users aren’t of much use to the visually impaired. By employing a combination of an embossed “Moon Type” alphabet casing, a custom home screen and a screenreading app, the InVision solution could (awkardly) provide most of the core functions of the iPhone, including almost bearable browsing, text input and music navigation, to the blind.

Feel-good sentiment aside, a project like this would face some huge hurdles. Not only would the screenreading and interface apps likely require a good deal of research and development, but their deep integration into the iPhone’s OS would almost certainly violate the App Store rules, which can and one day will be construed to mean that Apple despises blind people. Right? RIGHT? Controversy! [Yanko]