[Q] Custom Android GUI with simple text menus and voice output - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys,
we will have to buy a new phone for my visually impaired sister during next year (or maybe much earlier), because she is currently unable to use her simple Nokia (unable to read SMS messages on display etc.).
I tried to find any simple phone with voice output for her, but the only one possible candidate was Samsung Haven, which was only available for U.S. mobile networks and not for european GSM (and did not have Czech language support, but this was minor in this case).
She needs only a simple phone to perform standard voice calls and SMS messages. Current approach here is to use some smartphone – symbian with Mobilespeak or Android with Code Factory or some other a11y suite. OK, why not, but this aims to make a accessible smartphone, while many people need only accessible phone (which is not available).
So this také me to following idea:
if Android uses a modified linux kernel and GUI via Java virtual machine Dalvik, then it should be possible to use alternative simple menu with something like linux console voice output instead of the standard GUI and so make it much quicker.
This menu could be very easy – only to provide functions similar to „normal“ cellphones like the old good Nokia 3310 only with voice output. I know that it sounds very stupid to degrade a smartphone to a simple cellphone, but I do not know other way.
I think, that such trimmed off custom ROM with this sort of text menu and only basic functions (calls, SMS, phone book, calendar and clock with alarm) combined with a voice output could be able to run on cheap and relatively weak devices like Huawei Boulder for example so final solution could be comparable with normal cellphones. We need something with physical keyboard, so we could use HTC Cha Cha or if possible, the much cheaper Huawei which are both available from official distribution.
Are there any initiatives or attempts to create something similar?
Thanks much
PS: we are ready to sacrifice wireless internet and lack of Google services for better performance.

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[Q] Security framework aproach (ROM for Kids)? APP or ROM?

Hello.
I am here seeking for help and advice on how to approach the development of a security framework (via APP or via hacked Android ROM to be used by kids, that could be monitored by adults (parents or legal tutors).
The idea would be to develop a (white hat) hacked ROM, that would allow the kids to communicate with their friends, but also would allow their parents to supervise/monitor in real time what their children are doing, who are they communicating with and that way protect their children. The thing is not to spy on our kids, but to be able to check regularly if there is anything wrong going on with our kids (mobbing, insults or harassment). Kids aged (10-14) could be influenced by other kids, adults, or adults simulating being kids, and on some occasions they can be tricked to do things without their parents consent/knowledge that can lead to a tricky situation.
When I was a kid, we had the telephone (wired telephone, of course) on the middle of the hallway, so all our conversations were basically family-public. The truth is that there are not many secret things a 10yo kid could/should talk about, but nowadays, it could be a little bit worrying to lend a smartphone to a kid. I think it's just as letting a kid drive a car; he can do it right, or not be able to evaluate the whole consequences of driving a car.
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APP An APP could be easily downloaded and installed but would require a rooted phone, and I don't see it clearly if an APP could resolve all the needed issues (access to communications for example) and could be fairly easily uninstalled too.
ROM On the other hand, a ROM would be trickier to uninstall (basically flashing another ROM) but wouldn't be as easy to install as an APP (though the installer model of cyanogenmod could be kind of a solution). There could be an universal (if possible) independent flashable module, over whatever android ROM, or an entire ROM solution.
Features that I want to develop in this ROM (by the way, I call it 'Vigilante ROM'):
Suitable for as many devices as possible
Web interface for parents available to see device-related information
Some hack-proof measures to avoid kids bypassing the ROM's security
Alerts triggered on some events (offensive words, whatever)
Position of the mobile -just in case-
Suitable for as many devices as possible
The first thing I though was what platform should be used for this ROM. To select Android over others (iOS, Blackberry, W7) was a no-brainer. Now, the question is should we use pure Android or make a CyanogenMod fork?
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CyanogenMod already works with a wide number of devices (and a wider one if you count the unofficial supported devices), I think CyanogenMod should be the base of this ROM. If all the 'things' needed could be flash on top of any Android device, would be even better, but technically I need help with this one.
I understand that basically there should be an internal proxy setup, so that all the communications go through this internal proxy, and based on the kind of communication, we could log whatever we need. For example:
Visited URLs
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I know the Whatsapp protocol because I'm familiar with a project called WhatAPI. The key point to be able to intercept whatsapp messaging is a key generated and exchanged during the app install (although there are ways to later ask the Whatsapp server to renegotiate this keyword) and that's used later to encrypt all the messages between the phone and the whatsapp server.
Web interface for parents available to see device-related information
Behind every kid with a smartphone there should be a responsible adult supervising the kid -even if it's remotely-. In my idea, logs of messaging activity, incoming/outgoing calls/SMS and even the position should be available to the supervisor through a web interface.
Some hack-proof measures to avoid kids bypassing the ROM's security
That's an easy one. CRC checks on some keyfiles would guarantee that the device is not being 'counter-hacked'. Some kids are also very techie, and we should make some defences against kids trying to hack (counter-hack?) the phone.
Alerts triggered on some events (offensive words, whatever)
It could be interesting if somehow the supervisor could receive a notification whenever the kid sends/receives and offensive word, or tries to enter some special tagged website.

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