Application:  VBWriter_2.436
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Android Versions: 2.1 or greater
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Tested on Android Phones:  Droid
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Getting Started:
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Download the VBWriter application file, VBWriter_2.436.apk, from mobileaccessibility.cs.washington.edu/apps and install it on your Android phone.  Instructions for installing .apk files are also found on the same page as the .apk file.

VBWriter uses speech synthesis (Text-to-Speech) to speak instructions and screen information to the user.  When starting the application, check the media volume setting on your phone to make sure it is loud enough to hear.  

After the application is installed, select the VBWriter application from your phone's Applications menu to run the application.   

Hold the phone vertically (in Portrait orientation) with the buttons at the bottom.


What the Application Does:
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VBWriter allows the user to practice creating Braille letters by double-tapping where dots in the letter should be raised.  It is an application suitable for blind, low-vision and sighted users who wish to practice writing Braille letters.   
   
The touchscreen is divided evenly into six regions, each of which contains one of the six dots found in the standard Braille cell.  The dots are numbered with dots 1 through 3 down the left side of the screen and dots 4 through 6 down the right side.  When a region is touched, its number is spoken.

All dots start out empty -- an empty dot is the same as a non-raised dot in a paper-based Braille cell.  Solid (or filled) dots represent raised dots and a dot can be filled in by double-tapping on it.  Once a dot is filled, it will vibrate when touched.  (More accurately, touching the region containing a dot triggers the haptic device so that the entire phone vibrates.)  Filled dots can be made empty by double-tapping on them.  Empty dots do not vibrate.  

To help distinguish one row of dots from another, the vibration frequency between rows of dots is varied -- meaning the feel of the vibration in each row differs from those of the other two rows.  To maximize the benefit of these differences, players should begin their touch in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and drag down the column before moving to the second column and repeating the downward dragging motion.


How to Use the Application:
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Start the application by tapping on it in the Applications menu.  After the welcome greeting is spoken, the application will tell you which letter to enter.  Use your finger to navigate to the dots that should be raised -- dot numbers are spoken when touched to help you navigate to the desired dot.  After you hear the number you want, double tap in that same location.  The application will respond verbally that the dot has been added and the dot will begin vibrating when touched. (Note: the dot will be added in the location where the double tap occurs.  The regions are fairly large so unless your finger is right on the border area between regions, you should be able to add dots accurately to the dot number last spoken.)  If you need to remove a dot, navigate to it and double tap.  Again the application will respond that the dot has been removed and the dot will no longer vibrate when touched.

Alternatively, you can raise or lower dots using the numbers 1 - 6 on the phone's keypad.  You can also use the following letters to indicate the dots: Q = dot 1, W = dot 2, E = dot 3, R = dot 4, T = dot 5, and Y = dot 6.

When you are finished entering the dots in the current letter, swipe right with two fingers (or if available, press down on the trackball or center of the directional keypad) to find out if you entered the Braille symbol correctly.  If you did, you will hear "that is correct!" and then name of the next letter to enter will be spoken.  If you entered the letter incorrectly, the application will attempt to find a match for the dots you entered and tell you what letter you wrote.  It will then vibrate the correct dots on the screen so that by touching them, you can determine which dots should have been raised and lowered.  When you are ready to move on to the next letter, swipe right with two fingers (or press down on the trackball or center directional key) again.  

To hear spoken instructions for the application, swipe down with two fingers.

To interrupt and stop instructions, single tap anywhere on the screen.

Press the Menu button to repeat the name of the letter to enter.

Press the Back button to hear how many letters you got right and then exit the application.