For some individuals with mobility impairments, “simple” taps and swipes on a smartphone screen can be quite challenging. Samsung Electronics has come up with a potential solution to help make their smartphones more accessible to these users, an application called DOWELL. DOWELL is an app that will allow said users to operate their smartphones with existing assistive computer products such as trackballs, head mouse devices, and more!
Though accessibility features may be found on all high-end smartphones, the DOWELL application . Professor Sang-Mook Lee of Seoul National University, who helped in developing DOWELL, noted, “The hardest part of using smartphones for people with severe disabilities, including myself, is the touch control aspect. In fact, DOWELL all but eliminates this problem, opening up many possibilities for the future.”
To operate DOWELL, you must download the app, connect your smartphone to a USB-type computer assistive device, and then you can use the upper and lower portions of the smartphone screen. “In the upper screen, users can opt to tap, drag and use other touch commands, while on the lower part of the screen the user can access the menu, home screen, back function and other keys on a Galaxy smartphone.”
This app will work on Samsung Galaxy devices, from the Galaxy S3 to the most recent devices including its newest releases, Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Samsung is planning on releasing DOWELL this fall.