Introduction
The reviews continue! Welcome to another installment of Atechability reviews! On this review, we’re going to look at a cell phone that claims to make a phone easy to use for people who are blind and visually impaired. This phone is called, the Blind Shell. In this review, we are looking at the latest model, which is the Blind Shell Classic 2 (referred to as “Blind Shell” for simplicity from now on in this review. Want to know what all it has to offer? Read on to find out!
Pricing
You can obtain the Blind Shell for $529 from the official Blind Shell website. They claim to have a thirty day trial of testing out the product, or your money back. You may also qualify for a lower price if you apply for the “Affordable Connectivity Program, which you can find right through here. The phone comes in either red, or black.
A Brief History
In 2020, the first model of the Blind Shell was officially released, named the Blind Shell Classic, followed by a simpler phone called the Blind Shell Lite. Both these phones aimed to make “life easier” for the blind and visually impaired, by offering physical keypads and easy interfaces to navigate. All these phones had something in common, which was size. All these models, including the Classic 2 are the size of a chocolate Twix bar. As the models were perfected by adding things such as the louder speakers, and better battery, the Blind Shell Classic 2 was born in 2022. With that history out of the way, let’s take a look at what you can do with these phones!
Orientation and Description
Let’s take a look at what comes in the box of the Blind Shell, followed by giving you a basic tour of the unit! No need to panic, we will address some concerns that people may have along the way.
In The Box
We have to give credit to Blind Shell USA for making a box that can easily be opened! Gone are the days of trying to cut tape off with a key! The box is very tough, but this is a good thing because if it gets dropped by a post office, it can withstand a drop easily. Don’t try to drop or run over the unit with a truck, it only takes simple drops, not acrobatic superhero style drops. The point is, to open the box, simply remove the piece of cardboard that is on one end of the box, revealing access to lifting up the lid. Once you do, you will have the following items:
- Blind Shell
- Lanyard
- Three NFC Tag Stickers
- Battery
- USB C Charging Cable and charger
- Charging Cradle
- Adhesive sticker for cradle to stick to surfaces
- Earbuds
- Manuals
I know, we missed one item. The Case! You will have to purchase a case like this one, or for casual use, you can purchase this one. If you are blind or visually impaired, you can find the manual in electronic format right through here. This will open an accessible PDF file so you can read about the features the phone has to offer. You can also view this manual by section on the phone itself. Now that we got the box open, let’s look at the orientation!
Orientation
Now that we unpacked the phone, let’s orient it as if you were talking on it. The screen should face away from you, and it should be vertical on your table. (portrait mode) We’ll work our way through the sides and end at the face of the phone.
Top Edge
On the top left side of the phone you will find the headphone jack, followed by a small window looking marking. This is actually the flashlight portion of the phone. The headphone jack is a standard 3.5 MM headphone jack, like in the old days before smartphone companies decided to remove the headphone jack from their phones because it was “too old.”
Left Edge
On the left edge of the unit, you will find the volume keys. These are the only keys that are on this side, and it is in the same order as any smartphone volume control, which is “Up, then Down” below that.
Bottom Edge
On the bottom edge, on the left, you will find a hole for the lanyard. The Lanyard is a wrist one, and has a hook at the end to try and help you string it through the hole. You may need someone to assist you to string that lanyard through said hole, if you have issues with your hands. At the center of the bottom edge, you will find the USB C port. This can be used to charge or connect the phone to your computer. Yes, you can transfer files like music or documents to the phone, similar to Android phones now a days. Your computer will treat your phone as another drive. Simply copy the files to the appropriate folder, and Boom! You have your files on the go! The USB C charger works well with the standard USB C cables and charging blocks. The only block it does NOT work with, is the fast charging ones that are now sold for both iPhone and Android. It will actually think you are plugging and unplugging the cable if you were to try this, so stick to either the one that comes with the phone, or use a standard charging block. If you want a more convenient place to charge your phone, use the provided charging cradle, by plugging in one end of the cable to the cradle, and the other to the charging block plugged into a wall outlet. Then, set your phone down in the cradle, with the USB C port resting inside.
Right Side
On the right side, you will find one single short key that looks like a line. In fact, it looks like the smartphone’s side buttons, but this button does not power on the unit. Use this button to talk to your phone, which we will discuss a bit more in detail about later in this review.
Back Face
On the back of the phone, on the top, you will find the camera, and below that a round button. This button is what Blind Shell calls the “SOS button.” when held down for three seconds, if set correctly, you can set an emergency contact. In theory, you can have your country’s local emergency line, such as “911.” If you are ever in trouble, just press this button. Most people prefer having family contacts set up to this button. Below this, you will find the battery cover. To remove the battery cover, go to the bottom right corner of the phone. If the screen is facing the floor, then it would be the top righht corner. Pull on the lip of said corner using a fingernail. You may want to have long nails to get to this portion. We really do wish Blind Shell just did a standard “Push on the small lip” method or a screwdriver hole instead, because it would make life easier for someone, especially those who have difficult with strength in their hands. After a bit of pulling, the cover should come right off. To insert the battery, put said battery on the table, and find a small tactile lip that is sticking out of it. This lip should be facing the table. Now, with this same orientation, put this lip on the top right corner, or if the phone’s facing with the buttons as your top face, the bottom left. Now, insert the battery into the phone, and it should click into place. Once you’re done with that, line up the lid with the phone, which should be easy. Locate the camera hole on the lid, and line it up with the camera portion. You should now be good to go!
Top Face
This part of the phone can be divided into halves. The top half would be the screen, and the bottom would be the keypad. We’ll work our way through the keypad in this case. Starting from the top row, you will find the “Quick Settings, Up, and Repeat” buttons. Both “Quick Settings and Repeat” have a dot on them. The “Up” button has a raised line on it. On “Quick settings,” is where you find your notifications, power and network status, along with other information. Below this row, you will find, “Ok, Down, and End.” If you remember the old cell phones, the “Ok and End” buttons answered and hung up calls in that order. With Blind Shell, “Ok and End” are also used as “Select,” and “Back.” I find this very convenient, because there is no cursor cross, and it is very simplistic and logical to use these 2 buttons for other purposes than just manipulating calls. The “Down” button is another raised line, with “Ok” having a small tactile circle, and “End” having a diagonal small tactile line. Below this, you will find a standard telephone style keypad. The buttons are VERY pronounced, and they are also spaced out real well enough for you to tell which button you are pressing. All the buttons have a good click to them when pressed. Now that we tackled the orientation, let’s take a look at some requirements before you even use the Blind Shell!
Phone Requirements
If you think you are going to need more than 16 GB of internal storage, then you can purchase a Micro SD card that has up to 128 GB of storage. This card, along with the SIM card will go inside the battery compartment. The slots are located on the top portion below the camera. On the left, are TWO Micro SIM slots, and the SD card slot is on the right. Yes, this phone is able to use two cellular plans. It would have been nice to be able to use the new eSim standard for these phones, since most cell phone manufacturers, at least in the United States have all moved to having a phone with NO SIM slot. We will get to SIM cards a bit later in this review. to insert an SD card, make sure the lip of the card is facing the ceiling, and that the orientation is to where said lip is at the bottom of the slot. Once done, push the card in, and you will hear a click. Press on the bottom part of the card to remove it from the phone. This honestly would have been easier, if they put the SD card slot on one of the sides of the phone. There is some room on all edges to accomplish this, rather than having to open the battery compartment just to change a card out. This also applies to the SIM slots as well.
Phone Plan
Of course, with all cell phones, in order for them to work you will need a cellular plan. As of this writing, T-Mobile and its sub carriers such as Metro, and Google Fi are the only plans supported. We hope that eventually they can expand this to Verizon or AT & T. The best solution for this is to take your phone to a T-Mobile store and let them perform their magic in regards to putting in the sim card for you, and making sure the phone plan works. However, if you are brave and want to put in a sim card yourself, here’s how to do it.
Inserting or Removing SIM Cards
Remember, this phone uses MICRO SIM, not nano like the standard modern smart phones use. Let’s make sure the card is oriented properly prior to inserting it to make life a bit easier. Feel your card. You will notice a clipped corner on one edge. We want that corner to be on the top left. With that being done, put it into one of the slots of the Blind Shell on either the left or middle one, it does not matter which one you use. If you end up getting two cellular plans, just keep track of which one you are using in which slot so you will not remove the wrong one, if you ever needed to do that. To remove the card, simply push downn on the card with one finger, and slide down. The card should come out, and you should be able to now do whatever you need with it.
Blind Shell Basics
Now that we covered all the specs and requirements of the phone, let’s take a look at all it has to offer. To begin exploring the phone, hold down “End” until you feel a vibration. Wait about thirty seconds for the phone to turn on. You will then hear a short song to indicate the phone is turned on. Once done, your phone should sync with your phone’s tower and tell you the proper time. From here, we can begin navigating by pressing any arrow button, whether it’s “Up, or Down.” This will make your phone vibrate and tell you the first item on the home screen. Again, “Up and Down” are going to be your best friends, along with “Ok and End.”
Home Screen
The layout of this home screen is pretty simple and quite organized. When you get your phone, your menu is laid out as follows:
- Call (phone)
- Messages
- Contacts
- Applications
- Settings
- Manual
- Turn Off the Phone
Note: If you need to turn off the Blind Shell, there is no shortcut to do this. You have to go to “Turn off the Phone” to complete this action. When you select it, it will ask you if you are sure. Press “OK” to confirm and you should then here, “The phone is now off.” followed by a long vibration.
First Number Navigation
One thing I like about this phone is that when it reads the menu, it tells you where you are. For instance, it might say, “Calls, 1 of 7.” In this case, there are 7 menu options, and you are on position 1. Rather than navigating using my arrow buttons, you can prress a number of the option you want. Let’s say I want to go to “Settings.” We know the option number is “5,” so I can press the number “5” to get there. The screen reader will then say, “Settings,” and you can press “Ok” to select it. This is pretty convenient because it really saves you time, once you get good at using this phone! This system works on ANY menu or app, not just the home screen.
Features
Now that we tackled the navigation methods of the Blind Shell, let’s look at the features of this phone. What distinguishes this phone from the others? Read on to find this out!
Input Methods
As mentionned before, you can use the tactile keypad to operate the Blind Shell. However, if you want something a bit more easier to use, connect any external keyboard to the phone’s USB port. “Up and Down” arrows navigate around the phone, and “Enter” selects options. Press “Escape” to go back a level if you are deep within an app’s interface. You can also use the rest of the letters and numbers to input text, which will be a bit easier than the way we’re about to describe. Use “Control+Enter” to activate the “Send” button on emails or messages.
Tactile Keypad
Yes, the keypad can also be used to input text. HOWEVER, since it is a standar telephone keypad, you’re going to have to remember to use the old “multi-tap” method of input. This method involves pressing a button a certain amount of times. For instance, if I wanted to put in the letter “B,” I would prress the “Number 2” twice, in a textt field. When you hear “B,” stop interacting with the phone for about one second, and the phone will then make a clicking sound to indicate the letter “B” has been inserted. To make life a bit easier for you, let’s give you the list of letters corresponding to each number. Remember, you have to press the key a certain number of times to get to each letter, so read carefully. The “Number 1” goes through different punctuation. To insert a number, simply hold down the number you want to type. if you hold down the “# Key,” you will get a list of emojis. Simply pressing the “number” key switches between capital, lowercase, or numeric entry. “0” inserts a “Space,” or a “Number Sign.” The “Star key” has other special characters. Now, without any more backstory, let’s go through the numbers with their letters.
- 2: A, B, C
- 3: D, E, F
- 4: G, H, I
- 5: J, K, L
- 6: M, N, O
- 7: P, Q, R, S
- 8: T, U, V
- 9: W, X, Y, and Z
Dictation and Voice Control
Yes, the phone has a similar approach to the “Personal Assistant” that most phones have now a days. Simply press the “Side” button, located on the right edge of the phone to start talking to your phone. You can use this anywhere! When in text fields, you can press this same button to dictate text.
Operating System
The Blind Shell runs under the Android operating system. It is not clear which version of Android it is using, after looking deep in the “About” menus. One thing is for sure though, the company releases updates frequently to the phone’s special software which is a great thing to have! I’m sure if needed, they can update the operating system. Another nice thing about this phone is that you do NOT need a Google account to even operate it, which really makes it a phone to consider. We will take a look at the audience of this phone shortly on this review.
App Catalog
Blind Shell has a built-in, app catalog. Think of this feature as the “App store” or “Google play,” but ONLY with apps that will work with the Blind Shell. the developers have chosen apps that are considered accessible. Some of these apps had to be modified to work with the phone specifically, but again, the developers work with some app developers to make this possible. You will NOT see any inaccessible app on this catalog. this can be a good thing for some, but for others, this can be a problem. Let’s say a new app comes out. For Blind Shell users, you have to wait a bit longer for it to even be available on the catalog. This can vary between a couple of months, to a year or two, depending on the demand, and if the developers find it a good idea to port it over to this platform. Keep in mind, some app features may not be available on Blind Shell. For example, YouTube on the Blind Shell has literally been stripped down to just play music. It will not even let you sign in to your account, if you had any videos you wanted to watch from your playlists. All in all, the app catalog has some apps for entertainment, games, productivity, and much more. Explore the catalog at your leisure to discover everything it has to offer!
Visual Interpretation
One of the nice things about Blind Shell is its camera. This can be used for many purposes, aside from taking photos. For instance, Blind Shell comes with a built in color detector, and has a couple of blindness specific apps in their catalog such as “Google Lookout” and “AIRA” which is an app that lets you get virtual sighted assistance. You can also use apps such as “Wayaround,” which helps you label special tags with either text or voice, for things like cans or boxes. Use the camera to scan these tags. Recently, Blind Shell and Envision partnered up to make the Envision app accessible to this phone! Find outt what this app does right through here!
Web Browser
Honestly, the fact that a web browser can even exist on this kind of phone is remarkable! Yes, I always knew this can be done, but Blind Shell has made this specialized browser very easy to use, using just the menu system, and special commands to navigate by heading, link, etcetera. So if you ever need to do any kind of internet browsing, you can use the Blind Shell to get it done!
Accessories
Blind Shell sells a couple of accessories that you can use alongside it, which really makes it even more useful! You can purchase special beepers to locate objects. think of this as an AirTag, but for the Blind Shell. The companion app will let you play the sound, and thanks to bluetooth, you can hear where said beeper is located. You can also use NFC tags, which is another method of marking things for labeling. As the Blind Shell continues to evolve, I’m sure we’ll get more accessories alongside it. If you want to see all the line-up of accessories, go here.)
Pro’s and Cons
Now that we tackled the basics of the Blind Shell, it’s time to talk about what we think about it. So, let’s start off with Pro’s and Cons!
Pro’s
- has a well spaced out tactile keypad
- runs Android alongside special software to control it
- updated frequently
- has many productivity tools
- app catalog only has accessible apps
- customizeable interface with accessories
- minimal setup
Cons
- can only run on T-Mobile
- battery cover may be difficult to remove for some users
- new apps may take a while to appear on app catalog
- inconvenient micro SD and SIM slot placement
Rating and Final Thoughts
Overall, this unit is receiving, a 4 out of 5. While this device is definitely a good phone option, there are a couple of things that would make it even better. Definitely the placement of the SIM and Micro SD slots is one important one. It is understandable that these slots should be protected, but there may be people that are able to do this, and rather than inconveniently having to take out a battery by lifting a cover that requires practically a long nail to lift, just to get to the slots. Why not just create covers for the slots on each side below the buttons of the phone? For example, the SIM slots could be below the “Voice Control” button, and the SD slot could be below the “Volume” buttons. The battery cover, could be one that requires you to press on a lip to open the cover, or, even better, a battery built into the cover, and all you would do is slide a swittch to the left or rightt to remove it. When the time comes for a new battery, you would just get a new cover, dispose of the old one and boom! Easy fix!
The Audience
We mentioned at the beginning that Blind Shell claims that this phone is to “Make it easier for a blind or visually impaired person to use a phone.” While we understand this philosophy, we honestly feel that this phone is intended mostly for people that prefer not to, or cannot use a standard touch screen phone. Most blind people currently use either an iPhone or Android device. According to a 2021 Web Aim screen reader survey, out of 1568 people that took said survey, 71.5% are using iPhones. If you want more information about the results and wish to see for yourself, go here. The point of this is to show that we definitely commend Blind Shell on making a cell phone that brings back the old tactile feel of a keypad but adding modern technology to it. Also, consider the fact that Blind Shell has a “closed” platform, meaning that the apps you see in the app catalog, is all you get. However, if you have a smart phone, you can download apps from the respective store any time you wish. But over all, if you are looking for a phone that you know will receive updates constantly, requires minimal setup, and has a “safe,” accessible environment, then we recommend the Blind Shell. However, if you are looking for more “adventure,” consider getting an iPhone or Android. That, is a whole different situation that we’ll let you decide. For now, if you have any other questions, feel free to let us know! Happy communicating!