The Guide Dots Android and iOS app for visually impaired people will be redundant in the future when smartphones that can be operated wholly via voice commands have the necessary program built in. But until then, tools like VML’s Guide Dots are always welcome since they make life easier for those with vision problems.
The Guide Dots app has been described as a great complement to a cane or a guide dog. The application includes Facebook integration to help alert users to friends who are nearby. It combines Google Maps, audio prompts and Facebook Places to loudly name the places the user passes by so they have a good idea of their location.
The application features push-to-talk controls and can even tag the route of the person employing it. Some of the details with which the available maps and locations are dotted, have been contributed by the pool of users who depend it to stay mobile. The provided information contains all sorts of things such as hazards in the walkway to the location restrooms to different types of obstructions and more.
The Guide Dots app is supported by non-profit charity, The Guide Dogs Association for the Blind Singapore. It is a free 1.5MB download and only runs on devices with Android 4.0 or higher installed.