Android Smartphone Apps Help Blind Navigate Around

When smart phones started coming out featuring their large touch screens that are like candy for the eyes, few thought that these devices would be useful to the blind. Turns out that all the technology inside can come together to provide quite a bit of independence for those that can’t see.
Two new Android phone apps have been released to help the visually impaired navigate new environments on their own. WalkyTalky from Eyes-Free Project uses Google’s Navigation to provide almost step by step directions to a destination while reading out street addresses, business names and other landmarks as you pass them. Intersection Explorer from Google itself speaks the names of what is around, but the user can also swipe the screen toward the direction that interests him and get back info about what’s ahead that way.
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(hat tip: LifeHacker)