BlindSquare is an Apple iOS app that combines a compass and GPS (Global Positioning System) to build a picture of what is around you. The app was specifically designed for people with sight loss and the developer sought the views and opinions of blind people when they were making it.
Where to get it
Download Blindsquare from the iTunes App Store for £10.49
How does it work?
BlindSquare uses both GPS and a compass to find out where you are. It then gathers information about the surrounding environment listing things such as points of interest, restaurants and the layout of the street. Once it has this information, BlindSquare speaks to you, letting you know what is in your local area.
BlindSquare categorises the points of interest in to handy lists such as Outdoor and Recreation, Colleges and Universities and Shops and Services, you can expand or restrict your search area and once you find where you want to go it will tell you which direction it is in from a clock face and how far away it is.
Once you have selected your point of interest BlindSquare will allow you to access information and do tasks such as information such as
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Get the address and telephone number
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Open the Twitter feed
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Make a phone call
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Start your navigation program to get turn by turn instructions
If you are a public transport user, BlindSquare will let you know about interesting places in front of you, for example the next stops and street crossings when you are passing them.
BlindSquare also links in with FourSquare, a social networking app for locations. As a Foursquare user you will be able to
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Get a list of nearby FourSquare venues
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When you are in a place, you can check in by shaking your device
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Do a check in and comment using Twitter or Facebook
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Correct the location of the place
One thing to consider with BlindSquare is that it relies on a data connection to download the points of interest and other information, this could incur costs from your mobile provider.
What our users say
Mel told us
"I have used Blind Square but not exhaustively. Someone suggested it to me as it is a good app for knowing where you are in a moving vehicle, i.e. in my case, on the bus. I believe there is a lot you can do with it to alert you to when you are near to points of interest that you have set but I haven't explored it.
The voice it uses is very clear. My one criticism is that when you have finished with it, you can't just go back to the home screen, you have to take it out of the app switcher otherwise it keeps talking to you. However, I have heard that this is the case with other GPS apps also so might not be a fault with Blind Square.
Sunil is also a newcomer to BlindSquare. He said
"I have a number of GPS apps on my iPhone but BlindSquare appealed to me because of its huge database of Points of Interest and the fact that the interface looked so easy to use. There have been times when I've been struggling to access the settings and relevant info because of the number of buttons and screens in some apps.
Although I have not used it to negotiate an unfamiliar area yet, I have used it on the train when I lost track of the number of stops left.
One very good feature is the ability to set the radius in which Points of Interest are flagged up. So as well as concentrating on looking for somewhere to have a drink in the general vicinity, you could focus on locating a street which you know might be close by when you're not sure exactly which direction it's in.
One thing I'm keen to try out is finding a Point of Interest in the database and plotting a route to it.
The app has a clear voice and all in all though I like it so far.
Got a Suggestion?
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The App of the Month is a place to showcase apps that have been recommended to RNIB as being a useful aid to blind and partially sighted people. RNIB have not audited or tested, and do not endorse any of the apps featured.