Samsung Galaxy S5: Company Highlights Accessibility Features Of Its New Flagship Phone

After explaining the 10 hidden features of the new Galaxy S5 smartphone last week, Samsung Electronics Co. (KRX:005935) took to its official blog on Monday to highlight the new accessibility features of its latest flagship smartphone, which was released globally on April 11.

The Galaxy S5's accessibility features are explained in three categories, including features “For People with Visual Impairments,” “For the hearing-impaired” and “For those physically challenged.” And, according to the company, the utilities included in the Galaxy S5 make the device “truly a smartphone that is for everyone.”

“When Samsung announced Galaxy S5, some of the key phrases here are, ‘what matters most’, ‘refined experience’, ‘day-to-day use’, and, most importantly, ‘consumers’,” Samsung said in the blog post. “This applies to everyone, no matter who you are or what your abilities are.”

Users can enable the accessibility features by pressing the Home button three times from any screen. Here are some details of the Samsung Galaxy S5's accessibility features:

For People With Visual Impairments

1. TalkBack: The Galaxy S5 comes with a TalkBack feature, which reads out instructions on the screen for people with poor vision. If TalkBack is turned on when a user wants to take a photo, the smartphone will tell the user if the subject is in focus. And, if a photo's subject has been determined, the smartphone will guide the user to move the camera so that the subject's face is in the screen's center.

2. Dark Screen: This feature allows users to operate the Galaxy S5 even with the screen turned off, to help protect privacy, so that people with visual impairments can use the Galaxy easily in public places without the screen being visible to others.

3. Font Size And Color Adjustment: The Galaxy S5 also comes with seven different font sizes, making it easier for users to read the font in a size that works best for them. The phone's users can also set their color preferences in the screen settings.

For The Hearing-Impaired

1. Baby Crying Detector: The Galaxy S5 features a Baby Crying Detector, which notifies users through a series of vibrations. The feature also works with wearable devices such as the Gear smart watch.

2. Auto Haptic: This feature allows users to feel the phone's sounds through vibrations.

3. Flash Notification: The Galaxy S5 has a flash notification mode, which turns on the camera flash to notify users of incoming notifications, calls or alarms.

For Those Physically Challenged

1. Assistant Menu: The Galaxy S5 features a virtual mouse pad that helps physically challenged users access their favorite menus. The size of the touch pad, cursor and the cursor speed can also be adjusted.

2. Air Wake Up: Users can turn on the smartphone by waving their hand in front of the screen.

3. Interaction Control: Users can choose how they wish to use the keyboard and features such as Touch Screen Input, Auto Display Rotation and Hard Key Function can be turned off to avoid unintentional use.