NaviRec User's Manual

Preface: How to Read This Manual with VoiceOver

When you flick once to the right on NaviRec's first screen, VoiceOver announces the item "How to Use". Double-tap to display this manual on the screen. While the manual is being displayed, flick the screen to the left or right with one finger to move the reading position. If you flick from the top to the bottom with two fingers, VoiceOver will start reading the manual aloud continuously from the current position. You can touch the screen with two fingers to pause or resume reading. Flick the screen up or down with one finger to move the reading position forward or backward by the preset amount of text, such as words or headlines. To change the shifting amount of text, rotate two fingers on the screen as if you are turning a dial. You can go back to the initial screen by double-tapping the back button on the upper left of the screen. If it is difficult to find the back button, move to it by touching the upper part of the screen with four fingers.

Table of Contents

1. Guide Selection Screen

When NaviRec is launched, it first shows the Guide Selection screen. A guide is a set of audio directions on how to go to a certain place. In the Guide Selection screen, you can not only select a guide to use, but also do the following:

In the initial state of NaviRec, no guides are registered. So please download some guides from the "Find Guide". You can also create guides yourself. For details, refer to the Recorder Mode section.

1-1. Find Guide

When you choose the "Find Guide" in the Guide Selection screen, NaviRec opens the screen for finding and downloading guides which are published on the guide-download site "Navi Hiroba". You can operate this screen in the same way as Safari. Open the page of the guide you want to download and select the "Download This Guide" link and the guide will be registered in NaviRec.

You can download up to 100 guides in NaviRec. If you download more than 100 guides, an oldest guide are automatically deleted.

To go back to the previous "Navi Hiroba" page, press the back button at the top left of the screen. To close the Find Guides on the Web screen and go back to the Guide Selection screen, press the close button at the top right of the screen.

You can start a voice search of the published guides by pressing the voice search button next to the close button. When you press the voice search button, a sound is played to indicate the start of voice input. Then, speak a keyword you want to search into your iPhone's microphone. When NaviRec recognizes a keyword, a search button will be displayed along with the recognized keyword on the screen. Then, you can execute the search by pressing the button.

1-2. Guide Detail Screen

When you choose a guide in the Guide Selection screen, the Guide Detail screen appears. In the Guide Detail screen, you can do the following:

For details on "Player mode", "Guide mode" and "Share", please refer to the sections 2-1. Player Mode, 2-2. Guide Mode, 3. How to Share Guides respectively.

Switching screens by Swiping left or right with three fingers

When VoiceOver is enabled, you can switch between the three screens Guide Detail Player Mode Guide Mode by swiping to the left or right with three fingers. NaviRec has three modes: Player mode, Guide mode and Recorder mode. The "Player mode", like a music player, plays the audio descriptions recorded on guides. Use this mode to check the contents of the guide before going out. "Guide mode" plays the audio descriptions based on the location obtained from GPS. Use this mode when you are out using the guidance. "Recorder Mode" "Recorder mode" records audio and locations. Use this mode when you create your own guides. The following is a detailed explanation of the three modes.

2-1. Player Mode

When you choose the "Start Playback" in the Guide Selection screen, NaviRec enters the "Player mode" and it starts playing back the explanation of the route. By tapping with two fingers on the screen, you can stop and resume reading. If you use VoiceOver, you need to tap twice. The Player mode screen has the following buttons:

Play / Pause

Press the Play button to start the guide playback. Press the button again while playback to pause. You can do the same by tapping with two fingers on the screen once, or twice when using VoiceOver.

Move by Point

The point is the position on the map recorded in the guide. Press the Previous Point button / Next Point button to move the playback position to the previous point / next point and listen to the audio description of the point. If you continue touching the screen after pressing one of the buttons, NaviRec will be in the rewind / fast forward state. Swiping up or down with three fingers produces the result of pressing the buttons to go to the previous/following points. You can swipe up or down with three fingers to move to the previous or next point also in Guide Mode.

Move by Checkpoint

Checkpoints may be attached to important points in the guide. If a guide with checkpoints is being played, you can move to checkpoints with the Previous Checkpoint button / Next Checkpoint button. If you continue touching the screen after pressing, NaviRec will be in the rewind / fast forward by mark units.

Supplementary Description Playback

The NaviRec guide may have special audio descriptions called "Supplementary Descriptions". Since supplementary descriptions don't relate to positions on the map, they are played only in the Player mode and not in the Guide mode. Supplementary descriptions are used to add long audio descriptions that might annoy you while walking (in the Guide mode). In Player Mode, Supplementary descriptions are read in a lower voice than when playing ordinary descriptions.

Quit Player Mode

Press the Guidance button at the bottom of the screen to stop playback and open the current guide in guide mode. Press the Guide Detail button to return to the guide detail screen.

When VoiceOver is enabled, swipe left or right with three fingers to switch to the guide mode or guide detail screen. If you write a Z with two fingers on the screen, you will go back to the Guide Selection Screen.

2-2. Guide Mode

Choose the "Start Guiding" in the Guide Selection screen, NaviRec enters the Guide mode.

In the Guide mode, the following information is provided and you can do the following:

Report of passing points

When you pass a point, a sound indicating passage will be played and you will hear the recorded information associated with such point. If the point is a checkpoint, NaviRec plays a special sound and then it plays the recorded information in the same way as in the case of normal points.
About location information accuracy
NaviRec may play the same explanatory audio repeatedly. This is due to a lack of accuracy of the location information obtained from GPS. And, if NaviRec can not get location information from GPS such as when you are inside a building, NaviRec keeps playing a sound slowly repeatedly. In the meantime, you can not receive any guidance that require location information, such as reports of passing points.

How to stop or replay the explanation

To stop the explanation, tap the Current Location button again or shake your iPhone left and right. To replay the last passing point's message, tap the screen with two fingers, or double-tap it when using VoiceOver.

Indication of direction of next mark through Vibrations

When you do not know in which direction to continue walking, try holding the iPhone horizontally and direct its top side toward various directions. The iPhone will vibrate when its head is directed toward the next checkpoint on the guide.
About settings of direction indication
You may change settings to make NaviRec to vibrate to indicate the direction to the previous/next mark, or to make it vibrate to indicate directions even when it is on a vertical position. For details, please refer to sections Direction to indicate with Vibrations and iPhone Orientation in 4. NaviRec Settings.

Current Location Button

When you think you got lost, tap the Current Location button at the bottom of the guidance screen, in order to find out the current location. NaviRec will report the information about the nearest checkpoint. To find the nearest checkpoint in a certain direction, hold the iPhone horizontally and direct its head toward that direction, then tap the Current Location button.

Quit Guide Mode

When VoiceOver is enabled, swipe to the left with three fingers and you will return to the Guide Detail Screen. If you swipe to the right with three fingers, the mode will change from Guide Mode to Player Mode and playback will resume from the current position. This is convenient, because you can listen to supplementary information when you stop walking and stay in a safe place.

By drawing a Z with two fingers, you can return to the Guide Selection Screen.

2-3. Recorder Mode

When you choose the "Record New Guide" in the Guide Selection screen, NaviRec enters the Recorder Mode. It shows the start of the recording with a rising sound. It then starts recording audio and registering your iPhone's locations on the map continuously until you stop it. The recording of the first five seconds will be registered as the audio title of the guide. You may change this audio title later.

How to set checkpoints

During recording, the Checkpoint button is shown at the bottom of the screen. When it is pressed, the current location is recorded as a checkpoint. Checkpoints placed at crossroads, key buildings or stores can be very useful when the guide is used in Guide Mode. You can place as many checkpoints as you wish.

How to stop recording

When the screen is double-tapped with two fingers recording is temporarily suspended. Choose the "Finish recording" button on the screen to finish the current recording and go back to the Guide Selection screen. The recorded guide is stored in the record storage box.
Tips
When VoiceOver is enabled, you can go to the Recording Suspension screen by swiping the screen to right or left with three fingers.

3. How to Share Guides

By using the guide-sharing function, you can use the guide you recorded using NaviRec on other iPhones with NaviRec installed or edit your guide, using NaviEdit, which is an application to edit guides on PCs.

Select a guide in the Guide Selection screen. The Guide Detail Screen will appear. Tap the Share button. an operation list for sharing the guide with other devices will be displayed.

Example of sharing operation

Notice: Sharing guide data with BlindSquare
If the BlindSquare app is installed on your iPhone, "Copy to BlindSquare" will appear, but the guide data of NaviRec can not be used with BlindSquare.

Import a guide

To import a guide opened on another app into NaviRec, choose the "Copy to NaviRec" on the app. This operation differs depending on the app. Please refer to the corresponding app manual for details.

4. NaviRec Settings

To open the Settings screen, tap the Settings button at the top right corner of the Guide Selection screen. The following options are available:

Current Location Button indications (for Guide mode)

Specifies the items to be notified when the Current Location Button is pressed.

Choices (multiple choices are allowed)

Default

Nearest Checkpoint

Direction to indicate with Vibrations (for Guide mode)

Specifies when the iPhone vibrates while pointing with the device.

Choices

Default

NextCheckPoint

iPhone Orientation (for Guide mode)

To notify direction. Specifies which side of the iPhone to be treated as "front side".

Choices

Default

Parallel to the ground

Playback speed (for Player Mode)

Sets the speed of the audio explanation

Choices

from 0.5 (half speed) to 2 (double)

Default

Speed 1

Notifications on Resume

Sets the items to be notified when restarting playback.

Choices (multiple choices are allowed)

Default

Point Number

Notifications on Move-Point

Sets the items to be notified after moving by points.

Choices (multiple choices are allowed)

Default

Point Number

Notifications on Move-Checkpoint

Sets the items to be notified after moving by checkpoints.

Choices (multiple choices are allowed)

Default

Point Number, Distance from Start Point

Checkpoint Audio Clip (for Recorder mode)

Specifies the range of audio clip played near a Checkpoint. The specified range of time is used from the exact moment of a Checkpoint being added.

Choices

Default

From the time of the mark operation

Guide List Order (for Guide Selection screen)

Specifies the display order of the guides.

Choices

Default

Nearest

Sounds (Fixed)

For listening to the sounds used in the Guide mode and the Player mode. You can not change these settings.

Reset All Settings

Resets all the setting items appearing on the screen to their initial state.
Notice
Only settings are reset; the guides are not deleted. To delete all the guides stored, re-install NaviRec.

5. Caution

Please pay close attention to the surroundings when using NaviRec outside. In case of using headphones, you should use bone-conducting headphones that do not cover the entire ears.

NaviRec uses GPS for obtaining its location information. The accuracy of GPS varies a lot depending on its surrounding buildings, and sometimes there is a big difference between the location shown by NaviRec and the actual location.