Ipads: lousy choice for PALS

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rcharlton

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A lot of members (including myself) seemed to be getting sucked in by all the hype surrounding Ipads and shelling out for this trendy device.

The Ipad is actually a terrible choice for PALS. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen device. It is a sad reality that sooner or later most PALS will lose the ability to touch.

Since I bought my iPad I've pretty much lost the use of my hands and arms. My ipad has become a very expensive paper weight.

With PCs, it is pretty much a free for all. There are no restrictions on the types of software and hardware that can be developed. Not so with Apple. Apple has numerous restrictions on who can develop software and what can be developed. Apple designed the Ipad to be a touch screen only device, so gosh darn it they're going to make sure it stays that way. So, at least for the time being, forget about alternative input devices like mouse, trackpad or eye tracking for the Ipad.

Plus the PC market is more than 30-40 times that of Apple/Mac. So there are more incentives for AAC developers to design programs for PCs as opposed to Apples/Macs.

If your looking for a good all around AAC, best to stick with your good old laptop. If you need portability a PC net book is a good cheap choice.

There are more and more tablet PCs being released to compete against the Ipad. The interface may not be as advanced or fluid as the Ipad, but many run on Windows so you'll be able to use all the same AAC devices and programs as you would on your PC. Alternative input options abound.
 
Sorry to hear that the iPad didn't work out for you, rcharlton. I'm not terribly surprised to hear it. Apple's product development philosophy has always been hostile to anything they can't utterly and completely control for as long as I can remember, so it's not surprising to see them late to the parade on AAC stuff for the iPad.

After all, it's not cool or trendy to admit that your product is used by cripples and gimps for something as mundane as communication, is it? ;)
 
Rcharlton:

Good and informative post.
Thanks for taking the time to write this.
 
Yes, thank you for the info. It's very helpful!
 
I have been using the iPad since it came out. I use it instead of a regular laptop for my Internet use. Not sure what I will do when I lose the use of my arms but have enjoyed it so far.
 
Rcharlton, I also thank you. My hands can do some typing, but want money spent only on what will be a "fix" for more than a few months.
 
And that's what it's all about, having something that works for more than one stage of our changing abilities. I use my iPod touch for most of my face to face talking now and a lot of my emails and forum posts because I can type pretty well with the index finger on my left hand and it's becoming very hard to type on the keyboard on my netbook because I hit too many keys at once. I would love an iPad, especially the lighter and thinner iPad 2, but I know that I won't be able to use it for long so I'll stick with what I have until it doesn't work anymore and then do a head mouse on my netbook or eyegaze on something.

If you have lots of money and can afford to have several devices then the iPad could be a part but no one device will do it all for all situations.
 
but no one device will do it all for all situations.

Actually the new PC Tablets come close to doing it all.

Check out the ASUS Slate.

Like the Ipad it's a tablet. So it is ultra portable. Great as an ebook reader (Kindle, Nook etc), watching videos, surfing the net, etc.

Unlike the Ipad it is a stand alone device and is not dependent on another computer for synching, updates. It has pretty decent specifications and can act as a laptop/desktop with the external keyboard and stand.

12.1" WSVGA (1280x800) Capacitive LED Touchscreen; Pen or Finger Touch; Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
Intel Core i5-470UM CPU; 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM, 1x4GB; 1 slot, 4GB Max; Intel HD Graphics
64GB Solid State Drive; Wireless 802.11bgn; Bluetooth 3.0; 2.0MP Webcam; Internal Speaker; Internal Microphone
Mini HDMI Port; 2 USB 2.0 ports; 2-in-1 Card Reader (SD & MMC); 4 Cell 34W/h Battery (Up to 3 Hours Battery Life)
Includes Digitizer Pen; Folio Case; Bluetooth Keyboard

Unlike the Ipad, it runs Windows so it will work with all AAC programs (Etriloquist, modeltalker, eyegaze)

Unlike the Ipad, it has usb ports so you can attach peripheral devices like mice, trackpad, eyegaze camera etc

The big drawbacks are that battery life is only 3 hours (a third of ipad's battery life), Windows 7 wasn't specifically designed for touchscreen use like the ipad interface so it will seem a bit clums, and very expensive at around $1000.00

So if you're intrigued by the ipad, but want something with more functionality and flexibility, check out the Asus Slate.
 
What about some of the new Motorola tablet products? Do they run on a PC based operating system?
 
A lot of the new ultra portable 7" tablets coming out use Google's Android operating system - which is incompatible with any Windows AAC programs

Motorola's Xoom tablet and Samsung's Galaxy Tab use Android

Blackberry Playbook uses a Blackberry OS - also incompatible with Windows AAC programs

AAC = AUGMENTATIVE ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION

Look for PC tablets running Windows
 
I had wondered about I-Pads and the touch interface myself. I am just loving the Toshiba NetBook that I bought a few months ago after reading Joel's web page and discussing it with him. Barry, your advice was so helpful also! The battery lasts about 7 hours if the screen is on a low setting. It's not as fast as the old laptop we also have, but I cant mannage it's bulk where as this is just perfect. It is also small enough to fit in a bag hung under the arm of my power chair, so it is available all the time. It has almost no sound output, but attaches easily to the voice amplifier that I have in the arm of my chair.

Great solution, I am so grateful for the advice I found here on the Forum.
 
I have the Apple MacBook Air...very thin and lightweight.

Software will let it operate PC programs.
 
The iPad can be controlled with a mouth stick or stick connected to skin anywhere else. Also, a variety of Macs, old and new, are compatible with SmartNav, a head mouse.

And as someone else pointed out, any modern Mac laptop can run Windows, under which you can use eye gaze systems.

I do not think a blanket indictment of Apple's AAC support should stand as the final word for those evaluating options. For those interested, atmac.org focuses on Apple-related assistive technology, of which there is quite a bit.
 
The iPad can be controlled with a mouth stick or stick connected to skin anywhere else. Also, a variety of Macs, old and new, are compatible with SmartNav, a head mouse.

And as someone else pointed out, any modern Mac laptop can run Windows, under which you can use eye gaze systems.

I do not think a blanket indictment of Apple's AAC support should stand as the final word for those evaluating options. For those interested, atmac.org focuses on Apple-related assistive technology, of which there is quite a bit.

It wasn't a blanket indictment of Apple products - it was a specific indictment of the Ipad.

I love Apple products. MACs are far superior to their PC counterparts.

I loved my Ipad - for the 3 months I could use before I lost complete use of my hands.

There are simply better and cheaper devices out there that can adapt to the ever changing needs of a PALS.

And there is no mouthstick designed for the Ipad. You can modify a mouthstick for use with an Ipad as outlined at Atmac.

I've tried using a mouthstick with my ipad. As the ipad only responds to human touch, you need to wrap the mouth stick in copper wire from the mouth piece to the tip and then wrap the tip in aluminum foil. I could operate the ipad using the mouth stick - although it was a bit awkward - and my mouth would sometimes lose contact with the copper wire so I would lose the connection for a second. My neck and jaw muscles are weakened so they started to ache after a bit. I could not manage to push the home button with the stick. The biggest problem was the drool factor- it was like Niagara Falls flowing down my chin and neck. So if you already own an ipad, are used to a mouth stick, have fairly normal neck and jaw muscles and not prone to excessive drooling- a mouth stick might work for you. I certainly would not recommend buying an ipad if you only plan to use it with a mouth stick.

For PALS it's all about alternative input devices but there are currently no alternative input devices for the Ipad sanctioned by Apple except for a keyboard. And this is where I take big issue with Apple.

People have developed apps that allow mice and trackpads to be used with the Ipad - but since these apps are contrary to Apple's design philosophy for the Ipad as being a touchscreen only device Apple will not authorize their use. So if you want these apps you have to jailbreak your Ipad thereby voiding your warranty and possibly ruining your device. I've been trying to find a way to use a magic trackpad with my ipad operated by my feet without having to jailbreak it - no luck.

There is no doubt that the Ipad is a very cool device - and it looks great as a doorstop - which is all I can use it for now.
 
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