Amazon’s New Accessibility Features Make Devices More Inclusive
Amazon announced two new accessibility features at its annual fall event on Wednesday: Eye Gaze and Call Translation. These features make Amazon’s devices more accessible to people with disabilities and make them easier for everyone to use.
Eye Gaze is a new feature for the Fire Max 11 tablet that allows users to control the device with their eyes. This is especially helpful for people with mobility or speech disabilities. Eye Gaze uses a built-in infrared camera to track the user’s eyes and determine where they are looking on the screen. Users can then look at items on the screen to select them, scroll through menus, and type text. Eye Gaze also works with Alexa, so users can use their eyes to give Alexa commands.
Call Translation is a new feature for Echo Show devices that transcribes Alexa calls and displays onscreen captions. This is helpful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as people who want to have a conversation with someone who speaks a different language. Call Translation can convert captions into over 10 languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Call Translation will be available later this year on Echo Show devices and the Alexa app for users in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
These new features are a welcome addition to Amazon’s devices. They make Amazon’s devices more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
Here are some additional thoughts on the new accessibility features:
- Eye Gaze is a significant step forward for accessibility on tablets. It allows people with mobility or speech disabilities to use the Fire Max 11 tablet without having to use their hands or voice. This is a major improvement over previous methods of controlling tablets, which could be difficult or impossible for some people to use.
- Call Translation is also a significant feature for accessibility. It allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to have phone conversations with people who speak a different language. This is a major breakthrough in communication technology and will make it much easier for people with disabilities to stay connected with their loved ones and participate in society.
I am excited to see how these new features are used and how they improve the lives of people with disabilities. Amazon is setting a great example for other tech companies by making its devices more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
