The Future of the Android Operating System for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Abstract

Abstract We have experienced one of the most remarkable years in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The iPad, along with the iPhone, redefined mobile communications and personal computing technology. In the ensuing 9 months after the iPad's release, more than 50 non-iPad tablets have been developed and demonstrated at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and are ready for the consumer market. For the AAC consumer, the proliferation of these mainstream technologies will result in increasingly inexpensive hardware and software, availability of alternative access methods, opportunity to use standard software applications, and availability of applications that meet the specific needs of individual consumers. Because the Android platform is still in its infancy—especially with respect to AAC—we will focus on the potential effects this operating system could have on AAC. We will describe Android, its current offerings, and future possibilities. The emergence of iOS and Android has disrupted the AAC field, transforming the ways that we look at, purchase, and use technology.