Numbers

By Matthew Bullis

App Details

By:  Apple Inc.

Price:  $9.99

Devices:  Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.1 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description:  This ten dollar app from the productivity category in the app store lets you navigate Excel spreadsheets. You pretty much need to use a Bluetooth keyboard for this app. However, with VoiceOver, this app is a challenge. It lets you navigate across the columns but not down the rows. I’m not sure what’s gone on there, but these issues have been reported to Apple by other users. Other suggestions have also been sent. Without the ability to review the whole worksheet, it doesn’t really help me, and I need to use the Windows version. It’s not as simple as just sliding down the cells with your finger. VoiceOver uses the downward motion of your finger to change the rotor settings, a feature which is unique to the VoiceOver feature set. You can’t disable the rotor, and nor would you want to, since that’s how you navigate by words, characters, links on a web page, and so on. I look forward to a creative solution from an app update in the future, should that become available.

Numbers is compatible for blind, low vision, and sighted.

Cons

• VoiceOver use with this app is a challenge, able to use Excel on a Windows platform much easier