Bottom line: A text-only AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app for those with speech disabilities. Easy to use and customize. The app comes with four Acapela voices, five keyboards, and text prediction that was based on an analysis of 9 million tweets — all of which can be adjusted to users' physical needs and abilities.
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My youngest son uses AAC, so I've had the chance to check out my share of apps for that purpose.
Overall, RocketKeys, from developer MyVoice, is a good one.
One of the first things I do when looking at a new AAC app is to try out the voices. RocketKeys comes with the popular Acapela voice choices of Ryan (U.S. adult male), Tracy (U.S. adult female), Nelly and Kenny (child voices). Users can adjust volume, speed and pitch, but the extra feature available here is the ability to choose separate settings for primary voice (what is spoken on the message bar), secondary voice (what is spoken when a key is pressed), and hover (what is spoken when sliding the cursor over keys). The option to turn off secondary and hover voices is also available and clearly displayed. There are no additional options for recording or purchasing other voices. The option to turn off the secondary and hover voices will be welcomed by folks who don’t need the constant chatter, but having them available can be necessary for folks who have issues with motor skills, such as those with cerebral palsy or stroke victims.
The next thing I like to play with is text prediction, and the prediction is outstanding inRocketKeys. The iTunes description states that their prediction capabilities came from analyzing nine million Twitter tweets, and that effort really paid off. Word prediction is a large part of making it possible for my son to get the most from apps like this, and a simple tap or two to get the ball rolling was all he needed to start getting the necessary help with communication. RocketKeys can be customized by the number of words displayed (one through seven, if enabled) and sorted either by relevance or alphabetically. The text prediction bar can be moved up or down on the display or turned off.
After voices and prediction, I examine appearance and operations that fall outside the areas already
tested. RocketKeys is very simple to navigate. All settings have clear explanations about their functions and are easy to adjust. This is the first AAC app I have looked at that does not come with a help section or links to tutorials, and in this case, that’s okay — the set-up is clean and intuitive. There are three choices for color scheme: classic (blue and gray), black and white, and Florida (blue, green, yellow, red), so there are good choices for accommodating users with visual impairments as well as visual preferences. The keyboard options include QWERTY, Optimus, ABC, Common words and Blank (which is an option to fully customize from scratch). I had a lot of fun tinkering with the blank keyboard option. I was able to create a keyboard full of simple words we use around the home like “TV” and “Nick Jr.” and “playground,” and what was more impressive than an easily created keyboard was that the prediction worked fabulously with the custom words. When I clicked on my created key of “homework,” the app presented me with “and, for, to, done, is, but, time” — plenty of choices to move forward with what I wanted to say.
I have an “updates wishlist” for RocketKeys, even though it is a solid app as-is. With all of these
settings, I was disappointed with the inability to change the placement of the spacebar. It is located on the lower right side, which threw my little guy off quite a few times because he is used to the traditional bottom placement. I would also like it to be a little more difficult to access the settings — working for an hour creating the perfect keyboard can be undone fairly easily by the happy fingers of a six-year-old. Finally, I would like the option of sharing keyboards on multiple devices since I try to keep the same AAC choices on my iPad as my son has on his. Overall though, I was impressed with the prediction capabilities, ease-of-use and custom options available with RocketKeys.
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Cynthia's kids have worn her out this week. She is considering using RocketKeys herself because she is too tired to talk. SmartAppsForKids.com received a free copy of this app for review purposes. No other compensation was provided.
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