RealSAM Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

Your questions answered

General Information

RealSAM develop voice-controlled smartphones for people who are blind, visually impaired or who would simply find it easier to operate technology by voice. Our software, the RealSAM platform is installed on a Samsung mobile phone, becoming the main operating system (OS), and allowing the users to operate the device using their voice. 

With RealSAM Pocket, you will be able to use your voice to make calls, send messages, have messages read aloud to you, search for and stream books from 5 libraries, read today’s newspapers, get navigational guidance, sighted assistance, and so much more.

  • The handset – the actual device that you will use to make calls, send messages, manage contacts, access assistive apps, and play media such as books, newspapers, and podcasts. This will be an Android device, but instead of having direct access to Android, the RealSAM software is the main OS. 
  • The RealSAM software with AI – this is what lets you use your voice to tell the phone what you need it to do. The artificial intelligence engine AI, will respond with sound or with words and will find the information you’re asking for (like the latest newspaper) or perform the action you asked it to do, like making a call.
  • Network connection via Wifi or O2/Telefonica. 
  • A variety of content that can be streamed from the internet such as the RNIB Library.
  • A customer web portal that allows users, family, friends and carers to manage the account, contacts and update parts of the device. 

No. There’s no need to wait for the next version. All users get all updates, so no one ever misses out on features. Also, we don’t frequently upgrade handsets, we only do it every couple of years driven by changes with the manufacturers. 

Users have lots of options, including continuing on a month to month basis at a reduced price, replacing the handset and going onto a new plan or going WiFi only.

If you are experiencing an issue with your O2 network service, we recommend you review the O2 Coverage Checker for details of any service issues in your area. 

You can also report an O2 Network Fault by calling O2 on 0800 389 8094.

Yes! We have national and local organisations that you can contact to try out the RealSAM Pocket in person. You’ll find a list on our RealSAM Demonstrators page. You can also contact our customer support team; we’ll be happy to direct you to one of our demonstrators. 

Yes! Our customer support team would be happy to help you set up your new phone. In fact, when you purchase a RealSAM mobile phone, you automatically have two customer care sessions to help you connect to your Wi-Fi and get started using your new phone. 

Our Peterborough based team is available Monday to Friday between 9am and 5:30pm.

We’re happy to answer any questions you have by calling us on 0333 772 7708

Both the RealSAM Phone and the RealSAM Pocket are voice operated and accessible. Both have assistive tools that include navigation, built-in magnifier with object and text recognition, and sighted assistance with Be My Eyes. 

The RealSAM Phone is for those who prefer something simpler for everyday use like making calls, sending/receiving text messages and using assistive features to help with everyday tasks. 

Pocket has additional features that the RealSAM Phone does not have. These include informative and entertaining content that can be streamed from online, such as: newspapers, magazines, podcasts, radio stations, and thousands of books.

Our aim is to provide users with simple and friendly devices that can be fully operated by voice. As we continue to develop and incorporate applications, we want to ensure that it will be integrated to the RealSAM platform and be fully accessible to our users. Mainstream apps from the app store are not included, but we listen to our community’s feedback and aim to develop our products with what our users are seeking. 

Your questions answered

Reading a Book on Pocket

It’s easy to start reading books on Pocket. 

  1. Press ‘tap to talk’ and say any of these phrases:

‘Books.’

‘Find me a book.’

‘List Books.’

‘Read Books.’

  1. Choose one of the book sources Pocket lists. Pocket will ask you to choose from Recent Books, My Bookshelf, RNIB Library, Calibre Audio, The Torch Trust Library, LibriVox Audio, and Project Gutenberg. 
  2. Listen to Pocket list books available from the source you chose. 
  3. Follow the prompts Pocket gives you to select the book you want to listen to.

There’s no need to sift through tons of titles to find what you’re looking for. Just press the ‘tap to talk’ button and try out these phrases to find your book faster. 

 

Go directly to a book source.

E.G:: ‘Find me a book from RNIB Library.’

E.G: ‘Books from Calibre Audio.’ 

 

Look for books by keywords.

E.G: ‘Find me a book about dogs.’ 

E.G: ‘List books about World War II.’




Find books by author.

E.G: ‘List books by Agatha Christie.’

E.G: ‘Find me books by JK Rowling.’

 

Search for specific titles.

E.G: ‘Find me a book called Tuck Everlasting.’

RealSAM will guide you every step of the way with feedback, prompts to follow, and options to choose from. 

Except for eBooks from Project Gutenberg, you can navigate within audiobooks on Pocket. Jump forward or go back by seconds, minutes, and hours. 

Say something like, ‘Jump forward 3 minutes,’ or ‘Jump back 1 hour.’ When additional sections like parts and chapters are available, RealSAM will let you know and give you the options to jump to where you want to go.

Your questions answered

Using the Magnifier

It’s super easy to access the Magnifier on a RealSAM device. 

  1. Press the ‘tap to talk button’ and say, ‘Open Magnifier,’ or ‘Magnifier.’ 
  2. RealSAM will say, ‘Magnifier starting,’ and you’re ready to zoom in.

There are two ways to zoom in and out. 

  1. Open magnifier and pinch out (spread your index finger apart from your thumb) on the touch screen to zoom in. Pinch your fingers together on the touch screen to zoom out. 
  2. Open magnifier and hold your handset in landscape orientation. Touch the side of the screen closest to the lanyard. There will be three buttons on this side: the Zoom In button (+), the Freeze button, and the Zoom Out button (-). 

Tap the Zoom In (+) button and RealSAM will say, ‘Zoom in,’ as you zoom in. 

Tap the Zoom out (-) button and RealSAM will say, “Zoom out,’ as you zoom out. 

Pocket will tell you when you’ve reached the limit of zooming in or zooming out by saying, ‘limit reached.’

Open magnifier and tap anywhere on the middle of the screen. When you do this Pocket will say, ‘Focus.’ This will give you a clearer picture of what you’re looking at. 

When you press the Freeze button, the built-in magnifier will capture whatever you’re looking at, kind of like taking a temporary picture.

For example, if you were using your magnifier to read a label, you can press the Freeze button so you can read the label on the screen without having the handset pointed directly at it. 

When an image is frozen, you will be able to zoom in and out. You will also be able to increase and decrease the contrast and brightness and change the colour of the image to the one you can see best.

Press the button again and it will unfreeze and go back to normal view. Pocket will let you know when you Freeze and Unfreeze.

  1. While the image is frozen, hold the handset in portrait orientation with the lanyard at the bottom. 
  2. Locate the menu by sliding your finger on the touch screen towards the top left side. Listen for RealSAM to say, ‘Show menu.’ 
  3. Open the menu. When you hear RealSAM say, ‘Show menu,’ lift your finger off the screen and the options will appear. 
  4. Select what you would like to adjust from the menu. Slide your finger through the menu and listen as the options are read aloud. When you hear the one you want, select it by lifting your finger off the screen. The menu will automatically close, and the image will be adjusted. 

Repeat these steps to make additional adjustments to the image.  

With Text Recognition, RealSAM can read aloud text on everyday items like signs, labels, instructions, mail, and handwritten notes. You can access this feature from the built-in magnifier. 

  1. Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say, ‘Open magnifier.’ 
  2. Hold your handset about 15 – 20cm away from an object and point the camera towards the text you want read aloud, for example a Birthday card. 
  3. Press the Freeze button. RealSAM will say, ‘Frozen.’ 
  4. Locate the Action button. If you’re holding the handset in portrait orientation with the lanyard at the bottom, the Action button is on the top middle of the screen. Slide your finger towards the top middle of the screen until you hear RealSAM say, ‘Show action.’ Lift your finger off the screen and two options will appear. 
  5. Slide your finger down to the first option; you will hear the option ‘Text Recognition.’ Select it by lifting your finger off the screen.
  6. RealSAM will say, ‘Sending your request. Image is processing. Processing finished.’ Then it will start reading the text.
  7. You can reread, pause and resume the reading by tapping the screen. The text can be reread until you press the Unfreeze button.

With Object Recognition, Pocket can help you identify things and give you a sense of your surroundings. This feature can be accessed in the built-in magnifier. 

  1. Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say, ‘Open magnifier.’
  2. Hold your handset with Pocket’s camera pointing towards the object or the area you want to know about.
  3. Press the Freeze button. This button is located on the middle bottom of the screen if you are holding the phone in portrait orientation. If you’re holding the phone in landscape orientation, it will be on the right side where the lanyard is attached.  
  4. While on Frozen Mode, slide your finger up to the middle top where the Action button is located. When you hear RealSAM say, ‘Show actions,’ lift your finger off the screen and two options will appear. 
  5. Select the second option, Object Recognition, by lifting your finger off the screen. You will hear several objects identified. For example: ‘Furniture, wood, table, mug, beverage.’ 

Your questions answered

Using the Global Time & Date

Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say any of the following words or phrases:  

‘What time is it?’ 

‘What’s the time?’

‘Tell me the time.’

‘Time.’ 

Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say any of the following words or phrases:  

‘What is today’s date?’

‘What’s the date?’ 

‘Tell me the date.’

‘Date.’

With global time and date, you can find out what time it is anywhere in the world with your RealSAM mobile phone. Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say, ‘What time is it in…’ and include a popular city, state, province, or country, or a combination of city and country or state/province and country. For example:  

‘What time is it in Glasgow?’

‘What time is it in New Zealand?’

‘What time is it in Gifu, Japan?’

Your questions answered

Using the Global Weather & Forecast

Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say any of the following words or phrases: 

‘What is the weather today?’

‘What’s the weather?’

‘Tell me the weather.’

‘Weather.’

You can also ask for a 5-day weather forecast by saying any of the following phrases: 

‘What is the weather forecast?’

‘Tell me the weather forecast.’

‘Give me the weather forecast.’ 

‘Tell me the forecast?’

Press the ‘tap to talk’ button and say, ‘What’s the weather in…’ Include the name of the place. This will include the forecast for the day. For example:

‘What’s the weather in Sydney, Australia?’ 

‘What’s the weather in Liverpool, UK?’

If you want to find out the 5-day forecast for different places, just change the question to ‘What’s the forecast for…?’ For example: 

‘What’s the forecast for Los Angeles, California?’ 

‘What’s the forecast for Lisburn, Northern Ireland?’