Table 5.
Secondary selection feature summary of the evaluated communication apps (cApps; note: as the percentages were rounded, some categories may not add up to 100%.
| Secondary feature | 2015 review | 2017 replication review | Change over time, (%)d | ||||
|
|
AACa (n=23), n (%) | Translation (n=4), n (%) | AAC (n=25)b, n (%) | Translation (n=17)c, n (%) | AAC | Translation | |
| Cost in Can $ (low cost: app <Can $100 [US $75.5]) | |||||||
|
|
Free | 4 (17) | 2 (50) | 10 (40) | 15 (88) | 135 | 76 |
|
|
<$25 (US $18.9) | 2 (9) | 2 (50) | 6 (24) | 2 (12) | 167 | −76 |
|
|
$25-$49 (US $18.9-US $37) | 7 (30) | 0 (0) | 4 (16) | 0 (0) | −47 | 0 |
|
|
$50-$75 (US $18.9-US $37.8) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | −100 | 0 |
|
|
$75-$100 (US $37.8-US $75.5) | 3 (13) | 0 (0) | 1 (4) | 0 (0) | −69 | 0 |
|
|
>$100 (US $75.5) | 6 (26) | 0 (0) | 4 (16) | 0 (0) | −38 | 0 |
| In the marketplace for at least two years (longevity/stability)e | 18 (78) | 3 (75) | 19 (76) | 13 (76) | −3 | 1 | |
| Web and offline capabilitiesf | 13 (57) | 1 (25) | 25 (100) | 17 (100) | 75 | 300 | |
| Technical support (email, phone, web) | 22 (96) | 3 (75) | 25 (100) | 16 (94) | 4 | 25 | |
| Includes a translation function | 3 (13) | N/Ag | 1 (4) | N/A | −69 | N/A | |
| No cost/low cost for additional languages | N/A | 4 (100) | N/A | 17 (100) | N/A | 0 | |
aAAC: augmentative and alternative communication.
bIn total, 11 AAC apps were evaluated in both the 2015 review and in the 2017 review.
cIn total, 3 translation apps were evaluated in the 2015 review and in the 2017 review.
dA negative percentage indicates a decrease in the percentage of cApps with the secondary feature over the 2-year period.
eThe app copyright date was used to document marketplace longevity. In the absence of a copyright date, the oldest software update date was used.
fFunctions/features available offline may be limited compared with the features available during app use over the web.
gNot applicable.