Back when I was seven, many things were accessible, and if they weren’t, my grandmother would help make them so.

Not being able to see, my primary way of learning was through reading, touching objects, and listening to explanations. Of course, all my other remaining senses came into play, but hearing and touch were, and are, my primary link to the world not constructed by books.

Even though I had never heard the word Accessibility, I was an early adopter of its concept.

One day, my grandmother took me to a museum that was new in town. It was different from the ones we frequented, and I was very eager to feel exotic artefacts under my fingertips, and experience paintings through verbal descriptions given to me via headset. I eagerly speed-walked with my grandmother into the museum, my stomach full with butterflies over the soon-to-be.

When the tour started, I could sense the body heat of a dozen people beside me. I waited for my grandmother to take me to the artefact so I could explore it. She didn’t. I began to tune into the many exclamations beside me describing how wonderful the artefact was. Why was it so wonderful? I wanted to know too! I wanted to feel it and see what people were talking about. I soon began to cry, and people’s feet shuffled as they turned and stared at me. With steely resolve, my grandmother picked me up and pushed her way to the front of the crowd with my white cane dangling in my grip. When she reached the front, she ducked under the rope and placed my hand on the elegant statue carved with dynamic symbols. People started complaining that a sign said ‘Don’t Touch’. Soon, a stern sounding man cleared his throat next to me.

“Miss? I’m the manager here.”

I felt the air whoosh as my grandmother whipped around. With slicing syllables, she told the manager:

“If you tell my blind grandson to take his hands off this statue, I will take every ‘Don’t Touch’ sign down and burn them all. I will then tell the police what I did and sue you for lack of accessibility.”

nineteen years have passed since then, and I have heard and witnessed countless instances in which companies and people just don’t exert any will to include the blind and the visually impaired whatsoever, unless forced by law.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was a huge breakthrough for our inclusion, but it didn’t merge us with the sighted world. People didn’t want to include us, so often we had to go to special groups, events, and even jobs for the blind. We also had to fight for education as well. Entertainment was, and still is an issue accompanying all the other accessibility barriers.

It took a law in 2010 to make Audio Description available on television. Before the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, we couldn’t watch movies, TV shows, or any visual media with audio description as frequently as today. Audio Description is as important to us as closed captioning is for the Deaf. It opens up a whole new mode of entertainment that we’ve never been able to experience before.

However, there are still a lot of companies that don’t want to offer it, and are not forced to by law. Many of these companies reside in the internet realm, a place the law hasn’t even scratched yet. Audio Description is available on TV, and more DVDs, and even more movie theatres. The law applies to the top 25 TV networks now but will increase.

But even with all this inclusion, no Video on Demand service, such as Netflix and Hulu, has Audio Description.

I’ve wondered why Netflix won’t provide Audio Description, or even accessible interfaces so that our adaptive software can interact with their website and web player fully. I’ve examined this through all different angles, even finding out for myself the cost of describers, and other production costs. It’s not all about cost however. The BBC has shown that cost doesn’t matter when it comes to Accessibility, offering an Audio Description On Demand service through the BBC iPlayer. Many other companies and organisations also show that having audio description on the web is not hard at all. All of these can be found on our audio description on demand page.

It wouldn’t be hard at all to include Audio Description on Netflix. Two methods could be done to achieve this. Closed Audio Description, where the viewers would need to select a language track, requiring less bandwidth and less server space on Netflix’s part. There would definitely be downsides to this as well, such as that Audio Description wouldn’t be able to be available on every Netflix compatible device, such as the Nintendo Wii, as the Wii even has a hard time with closed captions.

Another way is to have a separate blind version of the same movie or TV show, like iTunes has it. But this will require that the film or TV show be uploaded twice. From a technical point of view, this would be the easier thing to do, but who knows, the servers might buckle.

For years, the blind community has asked and even begged Netflix to make their site and service accessible, with accessible web design and Audio Description, but Netflix have said “No” repeatedly, and eventually the blindness advocacy groups just give up.

I refuse to give up though. Which is why I started the Accessible Netflix Project.

Our aim for the project:

Netflix is a popular internet streaming and rental service that streams TV shows as well as movies. It also allows subscribers to rent DVDs. The Netflix platform isn’t accessible and that’s what this project aims to change. With the help of the community we will make Netflix a truly accessible place for everyone to enjoy.

The Purpose (Mission)

1. To provide accessible software and interface to Netflix users

Implement and ensure future accessibility practices and consideration

1. Ensure that relatively all types of disability are taken into careful consideration at all times

These are the targets we want to meet

1. Provide a screen reader friendly experience to all Netflix functions on the PC and mobile devices with all screen readers

Provide an easily navigable interface for the mobility impaired using adaptive technology.

1. Provide easy access to audio described content for the blind and the visually impaired on streaming services as well as DVD selection currently and in the future.

Regardless if it’s inconvenient or costly, Netflix should provide Accessibility solutions. Many blind people pay for a service they can barely use, whether they are a novice or advanced Screen Reader user.

It has been a long 2 years since I began the project. So far, they have told us “No”, directly, nine times and counting.

Determined to have the freedom to enjoy Audio Description on the Internet, a place that has become a utility for my work and entertainment needs, I decided to ask them why they said no. The first time, they said that:

“We don’t have control over the content that makes the Audio Description, so we’re not the people who you should be contacting.”

So, I started contacting studios for the next three months, often going through back door connections to get to producers, and explaining the situation. Seth MacFarlane, the producer of Family Guy, a show that has Audio Description on TV, was one of these connections. I wanted to make it as cheap as possible for Netflix, so I asked these producers if they would simply give the Audio Descriptions to Netflix at no charge. Many, including Seth, agreed to this.

I replied to Netflix with the fantastic news, and this was their response:

Hi Robert,

Thank you for being a Netflix fan and for being so passionate about making Netflix more accessible. At this point we have no immediate plans to add Audio Descriptions to our service. We continuously evaluate this and we will let you know if there’s a change, but don’t expect it to come in the near future.

I don’t understand why they’d say no. Even after contacting 56 different people in the company, they all said the same – don’t expect it anytime soon, even with the studio support.

It deeply disappoints and frustrates me that access to a service that’s so accessible to my wallet is impossible for me to use independently, simply because I require adaptive technology. I can’t even manage the site independently, no matter how many advanced keystrokes I learn or new Screen Reader tricks. Blind and visually impaired people shouldn’t be banished to outside sources to get described content. We are millions and millions strong, and our revenue would help grow Netflix. And, small aside, they’d surely be given excellent publicity for being the first mainstream company to do this.

The accessible Netflix project has grown and, with it, we have dedicated team members who will ensure equal access to entertainment simply because it should have been done a very long time ago. There isn’t an excuse anymore as to why this can’t happen. My team and I are here for entertainment equality and we will continue to be for years ahead.

The ADA was meant to include and not divide. Blind people should have reasons to spend their income. We should be able to laugh with glee with our family, enjoying an Audio-Described comedy. We should be able to proudly call ourselves a Netflix customer. My team and I will do whatever we can to ensure everybody gets past the unnecessary velvet rope and touch an accessible Video on Demand service that is accessible to everybody else. I don’t understand why Netflix doesn’t want to give us that inclusion, and I possibly never will, but I do understand one thing for certain – it should happen. It will happen, with our leadership.

The SPN team has a lot to be proud of–hundreds of hours of content, some great interviews–but most of all, we value you, our listeners. We take this special opportunity to recognize the love you have shown to us and try to return that love and appreciation in a very small way. This SPN special salutes you, our listeners. Thank you all for everything you have done for us!

Activate this link to sign up for a new account on Audible and get one free book.

Our recommended book for this episode of the podcast is Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs written by Yukari Iwatani Kane.

Listen to Lisa Salinger’s demo of setting up a new Audible account using System Access.

We thank Audible for sponsoring this episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

Jamie, Ricky and Joe are back for another round of news stories in this week’s podcast. After the news, Buddy Brannan sits down with veteran journalist Art Schreiber to talk about his friendship with the Beatles, the current state of the news industry and his new book Out of Sight – Blind & Doing All Right.

Topics covered in this week’s podcast include:

Independence Day

And the audio version of this story is here.

Microsoft Had To Blindfold Me To See The Future

Cities Unlocked: Lighting up the world through sound – YouTube

: Braille printer leads $62m Intel injection for 16 startups

Listen to Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee, on SeroTalk Podcast 188.

3 Tips for Teaching Young Children with a Visual Impairment How to Become Strong Readers

Braille and Large Print Menus Bring Dining with Dignity

Spread the word and the holiday cheer – @BraillePress has print/braille holiday cards on sale now.

Skype 6.22 JAWS scripts released, typing indicator fixes and over ten more things.

BBC iPlayer Now withAudio Description

Switching From iOS to Android

Eloquence v1.1.7 released

The first phone with Android 5.0 Lollipop is… the 2014 Moto X?!

Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker With a Siri-Like Voice Assistant

Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know

CBS brings a round-the-clock streaming news network to cord cutters

Shaking off Spotify is easy for Taylor Swift; for everyone else, it’s complicated

The top 20 catchiest songs of all time, according to science

Mailbag

From @blind_educator
Good MailBag, good MailBag, you’re back home. YOu were a good MailBag.

Hey there Ms. Enger, Mr. Pauls, and Mr. Steinkamp,

I return MailBag to you nice and clean. I brushed MailBag’s teeth, cleaned behind the ears, and got MailBag ready for the winter. We both had a wonderful time, MailBag tried sharing some Sero Tek secrets, but told MailBag it wasn’t a good thing giving out secrets when someone is trusting MailBag to keep them. We talked about what was good and bad, and MailBag seems to understand. I have no idea why Ms. Enger is the only person that MailBag behaves somewhat. A lot better then Mr. Steinkamp or Mr. Pauls. But I guess MailBag is star stricken because of the Rock Star from EOLShow.

By the way, Mr. Steinkamp if there are some charges on your credit card. MailBag share your card with me. We wanted to see if ApplePay is accessible. So I have it as part of my ApplePay. I have Triple Click Home folks and That Android Show peeps coming over for lunch. Between MailBag and myself, we’re going to see if they can start playing nice and stop the bashing between the 2 shows. I promise not to go over $1,000. Unless MailBag gets really hungry. Please, please, do not over feed MailBag over the holidays, and get all that is on MailBag’s Christmas list. Or wise, MailBag will start acting up again.

Have a good one. Awesome show, keep it up. Really enjoy the trio.

Blog comment from Steven Whiteker:

Thanks again for a wonderful podcast! I agree that when you have a guide dog or a service dog, you need to comply with all laws and also be a responsible person

From Pam Francis:

Hi folks,
As a young child, I was very fortunate to have had a sight-saving teacher take an interest in me & my ability to read as a student of the Missouri school for the blind.
At the time, my vision was considerably less than it is now; yet no one knew the course it would take. Therefore I was taught both braille & print simultaneously. Though I spent most of my school day in a braille atmosphere, I had minimally an hour a day with a sight-saving class working with the print alphabet. I could not read large print at the time. My teacher took a purple crayon to copy stories on to the cream colored paper we had with light green lines.. I was to read that story & come back the next morning explaining what I had read.
I did not realize how valuable that resource would be until I was mainstreamed in the middle of my 4th grade year through the end of my 7th grade year.
I basically did double homework. I learned to type & spell without braille contractions in order to turn my work in to my sighted teachers while making a copy for myself in braille in order to follow along with the class.
My Father spent time in Federal prison. While incarcerated, he took it upon himself to learn braille in order to communicate with me. He initially learned on a slate & stylus. More than once I had to translate many backwards lines of braille in his letters. He finally got a lavender braille writer. We all know how crappy they were.He ultimately got pretty good. He took it upon himself to teach other inmates as a resource they could use on the outside to help break down the communication barriers between the blind & sighted community.

I also had an experience with a pre-school class attempting to explain braille.
I wrote the print letter on a chalkboard with its braille counterpart underneath, explaining how the dots worked. We had a project of baking heart-shaped cookies; as it was near Valentine’s day. As a means for the kids to find their cooky, we used small cinnamon beads to form their names in braille in the cooky dough. They had to pick out their cooky with their names written in braille.
Pam Francis

Roundabout

Why Are Elections on Tuesdays?

Richard Bernstein to Become First Blind State Supreme Court Justice

A great scene from the West Wing for election day, “Do you know if I have to be preregistered or something?”

Titles
Cranky Cortana
Low-vision Ranch
Joe Steinkamp for President
Audible book: The Haunted Empire
Out of sight: Blind but doing all right
blindart@samobile.net
artschreiber.com

Everyone on the podcast team survived Seroween … erm … Halloween with plenty of candy to go around. Jamie, Ricky and Joe take a look at this week’s news, mailbag gets a makeover, and Jamie visits with award-winning contemporary Christian artist Ginny Owens about her new project “I Know A Secret”. You can listen to “No Borders,” the first single from her album and pre-order the entire project on Amazon or iTunes. Visit Ginny’s Website to learn more about what she is up to.

A T Talk

Audio Defence : Zombie Arena | AppleVis

Get a sense of what Audio Defence is like with this gameplay trailer.

An Indecent Proposal for Halloween – FamilyConnect: for parents of children with visual impairments

Braille: What It Is and What It Is Not

Beginning Braille Skills | WonderBaby.org

The updated Bookshare website is live! Learn what’s new and take the video tour.

JAWS 16 has officially been released! Details can be found on our homepage under “Featured News”

My Complaint with Freedom Scientific

Apps, the web, and productivity

Play it by ear: Baseball for the blind

Mainstream Matters

Starbucks just announced big news about delivery

Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health: The $199 all-platform fitness band

Google’s Massive Android Update Will Come With A New ‘Smart’ Lock Screen

Amazon exec: Fire Phone was overpriced

Samsung will ‘fundamentally reform’ its smartphones after dire earnings report

Dabbling in the future of payment: A week of Apple Pay and Google Wallet

MCX’s CurrentC, the infamous Apple Pay competitor, says its already been hacked

Meijer is first MCX member to break ranks, continuing to support Apple Pay

The guy behind Google Wallet is back to change payments all over again

Mailbag

From Jenine Stanley:

You all know I couldn’t stay silent on this one so let me explain the various legally allowable types of animals in public and then the reality.

Under federal law, specifically the ADA, Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act and Rehabilitation Act, there are two categories of animal that someone may be accompanied by and for which that person may have access rights.

“Service animals”, as of March 2011, are classified as dogs only with some exceptions for miniature horses. People who partner with service animals have access rights under all of the above laws. A service animal must, and this is the key, do work or perform tasks to be considered as such. An animal that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you pet it doesn’t perform a task. Also, tasks and work must be reliable and able to be duplicated.

Emotional Support Animals can be of just about any species or size, save for air travel where there are restrictions on species. The animal generally has no trained tasks but must be house broken and must conform to standard behavior expected of pets in public places.

The only laws that specifically mention rights for people with Emotional Support animals are the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Both of these laws allow people to bring their Emotional Support animals with them on planes and in housing situations. Under both cases, the animal must be prescribed by a mental health professional. This documentation must be presented in very specific ways and the team does not have public access rights.

Where this all gets slippery is when dogs do work such as seizure detection or some of the tasks associated with psychiatric disabilities. If they do tasks that can be repeated and controlled, then they are service animals. If it’s just a random thing the dog, in most cases, does, then it’s not a service animal.

One example in an article I read was of a family who had a lovely and well behaved German Shepherd who helped keep the kids together on family walks. They wanted to take the dog with them into other public spaces so got a service dog vest and called her a service dog. No one in the family had a disability per say. That family admitted to their fraud, sadly most don’t.

I could obviously go on and on about this but technically there’s no difference in access rights between the guide dog and the dog trained to alert someone to low blood sugar or perform a task related to PTSD such as focused grounding when the dog will actively touch or stop the person so he can refocus and shift attention from the distraction to the dog.

The final two thing I do want to note are:

1. With great rights come great responsibilities. This point is all too often ignored by many people, fraudulent or not. If my experienced guide dog is out of control in a public place, I can be asked to leave just the same as if the pocket Poodle yapping at the waitress yet being touted as a service dog, can be removed.

2. Aggression or personal defense has no place in service or emotional support animal work or presence. A lot of people want a dog for such protection and think a little growl is OK now and then. Granted, dogs in and of themselves are deterrents in many cases but specific aggressive behaviors are just not allowed under any access law.

Hope that helps sort of clear things up. the truly frustrating part is that we as guide dog handlers have had to behave and toe the line for nearly 90 years now while all manner of service dog comes along and people just assume they have rights with little responsibilities included. It really drives a rift between disability groups.
Jenine Stanley
jeninems@wowway.com

Blog comment from Dominique

Alan Wheeler well said. That makes lots of since. Prioritize as they say… First, think of saving yourself first, then fun apps after. Otherwise, you’d not be here to play said fun games if you didn’t.

Roundabout

10 Words With Spooky Etymologies

We Are All Confident Idiots

The Blind at Work in an Unusual and Demanding Profession

Welcome to this week’s edition of the podcast which manages to combine electronics, food and airplanes all into one show. How do Jamie Ricky, Joe and Mailbag manage this? You’ll just have to listen for yourself in order to appreciate the amazing artistry involved! After the news, Mike Bullis, Executive Director of the Image Center of Maryland, talks with Jamie Pauls about the Aging and Disability Skills Gateway, an ambitious new project that endeavors to fundamentally change how people with all types of disabilities obtain knowledge on how to accomplish ordinary and not-so-ordinary tasks. Stories covered in this episode include:

iOS8.1 is here. @AppleVis has the details on what got fixed for VoiceOver users

Emirates innovates with inflight entertainment for the visually impaired

Touchable Memories allows visually impaired to “see”

Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

Registration now open for FREE Web Accessibility Training for Developers

Verizon unveils National Accessibility Customer Service (NACS): 888-262-1999

Hospitality, Accessibility and the ADA

Accessibility features on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Nexus 9 hands-on and first impressions

4 Reasons Amazon’s Fire Phone Was a Flop

First major update to Windows 10 Preview, delivered through Windows Update

Why the Mac momentum may just be starting

How to set up and troubleshoot Apple Pay

Apple Pay for Travel: Very Far from Great, or Even Good

Google Is Making Some More Noise About Google Wallet

Roundabout

NASA has a new SoundCloud page FULL of mission, spacecraft, and historic audio…an immensely compelling listen.

ever hear the sound of northern lights?

Unconventional Orchestras and Bone Conduction Headphones

Activate this link to sign up for a new account on Audible and get one free book.

Our recommended book for this episode of the podcast is Ready Player One written by Ernest Cline and Narrated by Wil Wheaton.

We thank Audible for sponsoring this episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

There is lots to cover in this week’s podcast including the top news stories of the week and an interview with Ioannis Verdelis of Fleksy. Stories discussed in this podcast include:

Windows Technical Preview is Microsoft’s Alchemy Moment

Keyboard Shortcuts in the Windows 10 Technical Preview

Bye, Bing: Microsoft’s Windows apps rebranded as MSN

Microsoft starts rolling out its new Office 365 small and mid-size business plans

Google Launches Drive For Education With Unlimited Storage

Android L 5 release date, preview, features & rumours

Facebook apologizes for manipulating news feeds in psychology experiment

Facebook seeks entry into health care

Apple event reportedly set for October 16 with new iPads, Macs

The Complete Newbie’s Guide to iPhone and iOS

Third-party iOS 8 keyboards offer choice, but Apple limits functionality

MBraille 1.0 for Android is out! Features file management, dropbox support, spell check, direct emails,… coming up for iOS also.

HIMS and Diotek Announce Plans to Enhance and Expand Technologies for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Novasentis and HumanWare Join Forces to Bring Radically New Sensory Experiences to the Visually Impaired

Students developing low-cost, portable Braille printer

Introducing ZoomText Remote Training!

Introducing Leasey Advanced!

if your using the qube again, a new feature list is here

Roundabout

13 Things You Never Knew About Pop-Tarts

The Sound So Loud That It Circled the Earth Four Times

Building a monument to wounded warriors

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe for this week’s edition of the podcast where they sip Apple juice and talk about all things iOS 8. If you’re tired of hearing about Apple, never fear; there are other stories in this week’s show as well. After the news, Buddy Brannan visits with Jim Gashel about the new release of the KNFB Reader app for iOS. Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Release of KNFB Reader iPhone App

iOS 8 Adoption Lags Behind Past Upgrades — So Far

What’s New in iOS 8 Accessibility for Blind, Low-Vision, and Deaf-Blind Users

The Accessibility Bugs in iOS 8: From Serious To Minor

Apple Confirms HealthKit Bug, Promises Fix by End of September

BlindSquare: Acapela Voices Temporarily Not Available in iOS 8

Braille Moves Forward in iOS 8

Apple TV updated w/ Beats Music channel, refreshed design, Family Sharing, & iCloud Photos

new Victor Reader 2 Update now live

New audio channel makes fashion accessible for people with disabilities

Fred Gissoni

Code Factory becomes global! Check our new website

New TalkBack for Android released. Check the release notes to see what’s new

New Kindle Voyager docking soon

New Amazon Fire Kids Edition

The 3MT Reader Android app is a simple, intuitive way for blind users to read epub and txt books

Microsoft confirms Windows 9 event for September 30, Technical Preview to follow soon after

The new Ken Burns PBS series, The Roosevelts available on the Web with Audio description

Roundabout

Intel Unveils Connected Wheelchair

The 12-y.o. Hero Behind the Lego-Braille Printer: A Not Impossible Original

Here is a link to SeroTalk Podcast 188 featuring Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee

The Tough MudderExperience

Lisa Salinger joins Jamie Pauls and Joe Steinkamp to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Buddy Brannan visits with Hoby Wedler, a blind chemist and wine taster. Find out how chemistry and wine tasting come together and discover what happens when a young person doesn’t take no for an answer! Stories covered in this podcast include:

ACB 2014 SPN Special 1

ACB 2014 SPN Special 2

ACB 2014 SPN Special 3

SeroSpectives presents our ACB NFB 2014 Convention Wrap-Up Special

SPN Special: A portion of the NFB 2014 Assistive Technology Trainers Division meeting

ACB coverage from Main Menu

2014 ACB Convention Archives from ACB Radio

David Lepofsky’s American Council Of The Blind banquet speech

2014 National Convention Highlights

AppleVis Extra #23: KNFBReader Mobile

An Open Letter to Mark Riccobono

iOS 8 Is Coming: And We’re Here To Get You Ready With The Master Pack from Fedora Outlier, LLC

Free iBook: Mastering the Macintosh with VoiceOver

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations—Movie Theaters

BlindCoolTechArchive

Apple’s Latest Earnings Report Hints at New Products

Apple seen inching closer to a mobile-payment service

How to Safely Install the OS X Yosemite Beta

Windows 8.1 update 2 reportedly will land August 12

Windows 9 image leaks shows the start menu is back

Nadella Merges Windows Phone, Windows

New Google Maps for Android and iOS Takes a Jab at Foursquare

Fleksy Debuts Version 3.0 On Android, With A Complete Redesign And New Premium Features

Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?

Roundabout

What’s Up With That: Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired?

BBC News – Blind singer learns visual art of conducting a choir

While Jamie and Mailbag were both busy in Vegas, Joe Steinkamp, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger were back at home recording another podcast. After the news, Lisa demonstrates some of the new features found in the latest update of iBlink Radio.

Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

iBlink Radio updates live, Amazon Fire support added

SPN Special: Eight Interviews From NFB 2014

NFB 2014 Interview Special 2

NFB 2014 Interview Special 3

HIMS Part 1

HIMS Part 2

New Access World for July 13, 2014

DAISY Consortium is looking for a new CEO

A grant and new hire means A more certain future for free screen reader NVDA

Job Access With Bugs?

Easter Seals Crossroads on full page Braille tablet and more

Zoomtext for Mac Free v1.1.3 Update released. Adds smooth panning and tracking changes

APH releases Visual Brailer app

Access Note has gone free

Career Connect for iOS released

Happy Anniversary to Seeing Eye GPS app! To celebrate we have a new release. By popular request, users now have the option of Google maps.

Ios 7.1.2 changes

KNFB Reader for iOS at end of August, $99 and audioboo demo

Comments on Resolution 12 from President Rickabono

NFB says Apple has done more for access than others

Apple urged to increase accessibility for the blind and deaf

The power and promise of accessibility

Apple does more for accessibility, Android users frustrated

Accessibility in Google Apps – an overview

Roundabout

The potato salad Kickstarter is “the Woodstock of our generation”

This is the sound of electric cars racing

D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules Free Download

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

Join Jamie, Ricky and Buddy for this week’s episode of the podcast as they discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie talks with Joshua Loya and Mario Schapp about the San Diego Blind Community Center’s Tekio Jutsu martial arts program designed with the visually impaired student in mind. Stories covered in this podcast include:

Feds to distribute “currency readers” for visually impaired people

NEW! VarioUltra

2014 National Convention Exhibitors

Slate & Stylish: What NOT to Wear: Convention Edition

Uber and service animals controversy

Fire phone Accessibility

What’s right (and wrong) with the Amazon Fire Phone

Amazon Fire Phone vs. Samsung Galaxy S5: Specs Compared

What iOS 8 tells us about the next iPhones and iPads

Why the time for an iWatch is finally almost here

It’s impossible to upgrade the entry-level iMac’s 8GB of RAM

Apple settles ebook case, agrees to pay consumers over price-fixing

Roundabout

75 Years of AFB and Talking Books

APH: The History of the American Printing House for the Blind: A Chronology

THE WAR OF THE DOTS

RIP Greg Brayton

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. The news of the week, your feedback, a book recommendation and an interview with author Shelly Brisbin about her new book IOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch are just some of the things you will hear on this week’s show. Topics covered in this podcast include:

A T Talk

Braille Sense v8.2 Released with Features YOU Asked For!

Book Trade Announcements – Dolly Parton Presents Braille Book To Blind Child

GrabPak introduces line of Braille First Aid Kits

eBay and The National Federation of the Blind Team to Optimize Accessibility of Site, Apps

When Just Listening Is Not Enough: Google Falls Short on Accessibility for the Blind

What Will It Take for Google to Find Its Voice

Comparing the Windows Computer with the Mac

As Technology Marches Forward, Who Gets Left Behind?

Verizon Says It Wants to Kill Net Neutrality to Help Blind, Deaf, and Disabled People

Mainstream Matters

Report corroborates Apple planning to announce new wearable product in October

Apple’s new Lightning spec allows for smarter, better-sounding headphones

Rumor: NFC, wireless charging, improved LTE slated for iPhone 6

Starbucks to Start Offering Wireless Charging in San Francisco

Amazon Prime Subscriber? You Just Got Free Streaming Music

Roundabout

The Top 24 Summer Books of 2014

Vessyl smart cup can tell Coke from Pepsi

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson » E3 2014 Binaural Audio Experiment :

Ricky recommends Room: A Novel Written by Emma Donoghue

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

The news of the week, a wayward mailbag and elocution lessons are all a part of this week’s podcast, and our interview with The National Federation of the Blind’s Curtis Chong is the icing on the cake. Topics covered in this week’s episode include:

A T Talk

Walgreens Now Offers Talking Prescription Labels for Blind Customers

Assistive Technology Design for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired Survey

CiscoVision Wiki | Main / 2014 Semester 2 Course Offerings

iOS Access for All | Your comprehensive guide to accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. by Shelly Brisbin

Learn to Use the Mac with VoiceOver (MAC)

Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not

My comments on the Braille Monitor Article concerning the iPhone | Thoughts from David Goldfield

GWKB2058 – McAfee Found to Block Important Functionality in Window-Eyes

Unexpected loss of ZoomText activation

Mainstream Matters

Apple’s HealthKit Is a Huge Headache for One Startup

iOS 8 will let you scan credit cards via the camera

What Android 4.4.3 could mean about the future of Android updates

Microsoft stock price hits 52-week high, suggests market approves of Nadella

Why an Amazon Phone Makes Sense

Roundabout

Blind? Listen to this 9-year-old: ‘Accept it and live life as is’

No Barriers Grand Canyon Expedition 2014 Jamie mentioned that he plans to read Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story by Erik Weihenmayer.

19 Rare Recordings of Famous Authors

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of This Month in Tech for May

Jeff Bishop is an IT Accessibility Analyst at the University of Arizona. He describes himself as a “Developer, technologist, Window-Eyes scripter, Broadcaster and family oriented guy” and is probably best known for his broadcasts on various community radio stations.

Janet Ingber has been writing for AccessWorld since 2005, and cohosts two podcasts on How to be Blind. Her new book, “Learn to use the Mac With VoiceOver” is now available from National Braille Press. Janet has a Masters Degree in Music Therapy and provides services for adults who have developmental disabilities. Additionally, she is certified as a special education teacher. Janet lives in New York City with her husband, daughter and guide dog, Jack.

Byron Lee is a Ham Radio Operator (KC9EEK), Broadcast Personality, Audio Engineer, Voice Over Artist, Web Designer, IT Professional, and most importantly, a huge geek! He is currently employed by Horizons for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and is currently working on the DirectionsForMe project, a one stop source for accessible packaging information. In addition, Byron hosts two Internet radio shows. The Talk Zone is a two hour program about adaptive technology, disability rights, science fiction, pop-culture, and just about any other topic. The Fun Zone is a one hour program featuring comedy music. His shows are simulcast on ACB Radio Mainstream, and several other online radio stations. Byron has also been involved in other radio shows and podcasts, and is a frequent contributor on the SeroTalk Podcast Network. Find out more about Byron on his website or take a look at his newest project, the Low Vision Rants Website.

In the Community

HIMS Inc. Releases New Pocket-sized Media Player that Gives Blind and Visually Impaired Near-Instant Access to Printed Text

The Penguin Random House/Bookshare Partnership

BlindSquare celebrates two years; releases Version 2.0.

General Tech

Amazon, Twitter link up for easy shopping through #AmazonCart

Text-to-911 is here, but it isn’t everything you might think

Windows Phone 8.1 Launching June 24

WWDC

Information on iOS 8 now added to the Apple website

Information on OS X Yosemite now added to the Apple website

Apple publishes Swift programing language guide on iBooks

32 Hidden Features in Apple iOS 8

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Welcome to the 200th episode of the SeroTalk podcast. Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the new theme music that you will hear on the SeroTalk Podcast from this point forward. Jamie, Ricky and Joe reflect on how far the SeroTalk Podcast and SPN have come over the years. We also discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Lisa Salinger reviews Status Report, an iOS app that lets you read the most recent 100 status updates from your favorite social media services. Finally, Jamie Pauls, Patrick Purdue and Buddy Brannan take a look at the Bradley timepiece. Stories discussed in this episode of the podcast include:

48 billion bucks later, ATnT buys Directtv

Google takes Twitch for YouTube

Peace in our time, Apple V Google

Apple Releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.3

Seven Unsung Built-In Gems of Mac OS X

Apple’s iCloud punishes you for being a good customer

Why high bit-rate and HD audio are all about marketing, not music

iPhone Calls Sound Weird? Try Turning Off Phone Noise Cancelation in iOS

New update to BlindSquare.

Back In The Game

New Access World for may

My Initial Thoughts on the RNIB Navigator App

Foursquare’s Swarm And The Rise Of The Invisible App

Pay for Google Play stuff with PayPal around the world

Psst! Wearable Devices Could Make Big Tech Leaps, Into Your Ear

The Next Big Thing You Missed: One Day, You’ll Google the Physical World With a Scanner Like This

The Trick That Makes Google’s Self-Driving Cars Work

New Urgency for Tighter Drone Rules After Near Crash

a nod to the past, Robot Guide Dogs?

Text-to-911 is here, but it isn’t everything you might think

Windows Phone 8.1 Launching June 24

Microsoft sticking to its guns so far, leaving XP unpatched and exploited

Roundabout

Got Gas? It Could Mean You’ve Got Healthy Gut Microbes

The Utopian Origins of Restroom Symbols

After 32 years, town lifts arcade game ban

A visit to Galloping Ghost, the largest video game arcade in the USA

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit http://www.a11y.tv/ to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Welcome to episode 199 of the SeroTalk podcast. Jamie Pauls, Lisa Salinger and Buddy Brannan sit down to discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie talks with author Scott Duck about his first novel, In Full View. Stories covered in this episode include:

A T Talk

Sendero Group and RNIB Partner to Release Full-Featured GPS App for UK Users

CAVI is looking at offering a short course on NVDA in June for $60 if they get ten students or more

The National Federation of the Blind’s Free Slate Program – YouTube

WAI-ARIA for screen reader users: An overview of things you can find in some mainstream web apps today

Why iPad is the Ideal Learning Tool for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Enlighten Me: Inmates produce braille textbooks for visually impaired

Mainstream Matters

Drop that remote: Nuance to bring voice control to home appliances

Amazon makes 15 more cities eligible for Sunday delivery

Amazon, Twitter link up for easy shopping through #AmazonCart

Google Maps 8 brings lane guidance, Uber integration, and more

Apple iOS 8 Preview: Everything We’re Expecting

Apple hiring efforts point to medical tech integration

Why Beats Music matters: Streaming music services are the future

Roundabout

‘Firenado’: Wind Whips Up Wicked Whirl in Missouri Field – NBC News.com

Burger King offers burgers for breakfast

This Makeup Printer Could Destroy The Cosmetics Industry

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe for yet another episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. After a look at the top news stories of the week, Jamie reviews the new generation Victor Reader Stream from Humanware. Topics discussed in this episode include:

A T Talk

Blind protesters rally against alleged discrimination

What the Shift to Mobile Means for Blind News Consumers

A disappointing TV breakthrough

Hiring Blind: The Misconceptions Facing America’s Visually Impaired Workforce

New Story Explores Braille’s Role and Use in Accessible Technology and the Digital Age

the afb 2014 helen keller achievement awards

Michigan man among 1st in US to get ‘bionic eye’

Six iPhone microphones, and a look at iOS noise reduction by BorrisInABox

The Sharp Talking Time (80’s talking clock) played with an orchestra, but not for long. This is why

Drone rock: Robotics company creates a flying, musical band

Mainstream Matters

Google Glass becomes available to everyone, promptly sells out

The end is nigh for Google Glass

Fixing a broken Google Glass

Apple releases iOS 7.1.1 update with Touch ID, keyboard improvements, bug fixes

Apple Opens Up OS X Beta Testing to All Users

Tim Cook’s game with Wall Street: Underpromise and overdeliver

Microsoft Surface Mini to debut in mid-May?

Amazon Prime Pantry: 45 Pounds of Groceries Delivered for $6

Roundabout

Detroit’s Airport Just Installed a $75,000 Indoor Dog Bathroom

Parents Stunned by ‘Big and Beautiful’ 14-Pound Newborn

IT’S A SMALL WORLD: THE MOVIE directed by Jon Turteltaub is a real thing Disney wants to make!

Welcome to this week’s edition of the SeroTalk podcast where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie visits with Hope Paulos of Fedora Outlier about all the exciting learning opportunities available from the company. Whether it’s iOS, Mac or Windows, they’ve got you covered. Also, be sure to check out their Delivering Access podcast which is also available on iBlink Radio. Topics discussed in this week’s podcast include:

Why the Windows 8.1 Update probably means no more Service Packs for Windows

Why I can live without Office for iPad

Windows Phone 8.1 Review

Purported iPhone 6 cases suggest design changes afoot

An Amazon Phone for Everyone—FREE!

Smartphone Makers Agree on ‘Kill Switch’ to Deter Thefts

5 ways Graphene material will change gadgets forever

5 myths about Heartbleed you shouldn’t believe

19-Year-Old Canadian Arrested for Heartbleed Hack

Apple says Heartbleed security flaw did not affect its software or services

Attention Pandora users! Pandora Radio 5.3 has broken some VoiceOver functionality. Read more:

Apple Patents Indoor Navigation System Based On Existing Wi-Fi Access Points

Apple Patents Graphical Interface For The Visually Impaired

Google Patents Tiny Cameras Embedded In Contact Lenses

The Rise and Fall of AIM, the Breakthrough AOL Never Wanted

Mailbag

From Brett Wilhelm:

Hi Serotalk. After listening to podcast 195, I wanted to comment on the issue of Braille notetakers versus IOS devices. Before I do, I will say that I am a proud owner of both of an Iphone 4s and BrailleNote Apex BT. I feel I have the best of both worlds, and can be more productive as a result. I’ll now discuss the areas I think my Apex docs best, followed by the things IOS does best.

Apex advantages 1. Instant start-up. The Apex powers on and is ready to work faster. 2. The battery. The Apex has a longer battery life and its batteries are user replaceable. And let’s not forget its longer battery life. 3. The Apex remembers its place in documents. 4. No need for Bluetooth. Unless I need to use it as a Braille display with IOS, there’s no need to use batter-draining bluetooth just to get Braille access to the device. 5. One keyboard, one device. I only need to touch one device.
I never need to move my hands off a keyboard and interact with a touch screen.

IOS advantages 1. The Iphone can be charged via USB, allowing it to be charged from a laptop even when no outlet is available. 2. More stability. Though Humanware has been constantly improving the stability of the Apex since its release, I find myself having to press its reset button on an almost daily basis. 3. App support. As great as the Keysoft operating system is on the Apex, it is not possible for users to design software for it.
With so many great IOS apps, it’s not always necessary to wait for software updates before the device gains more capabilities.

So, I think that IOS and notetakers still have a place in the blind community. I don’t see the disappearance of the notetaker or of blindness-spacific technology completely disappearing anytime soon. I hope you find this email informative and I look forward to more great podcasts from SeroTalk. Thanks, Brett Wilhelm

Blog comment from Jessica Rickards:

Keep up the great work guys! Excellent show, and quite an informative interview!

From Luis:

Hi SeroTalk hosts,

After listening to podcast 195, I wanted to reply about a couple of things mentioned.

First, I do have to agree with Mr. Steinkamp about fragmentation on iOS. It’s funny that he keeps on bringing up the original iPad which stopped receiving updates since iOS5.1.1. However, I did a full comparisons of fragmentation between Android and iOS. I was going to share the direct link. That I posted on a forum that I created over at SAMNet. And sadly because it was over 6 months ago, the post has fallen off the forum. But Apple has fragmented their OS since iOS2 with the introduction to appstore. Where the original iPhone back in 2007 came out. That phone couldn’t nor wouldn’t support iOS2.

Second, the comment about NoteTakers, has been around since 2010. Or even maybe earlier. I know the former CEO of Sero Tek has been against and I quote, “Blind Ghetto Products”, end of quote. But just recently I heard someone mentioning that he himself is now using a BrailleSense U2 Mini. And I know you will have a lot of people writing in about this. So, I’ll try to keep it short. The NoteTaker is as good as the user. If someone doesn’t know all about what the product can do, Then yes the product will be a waste of money. Like an Android or iPhone. Where I work sighted people have smartphones for there everyday tasks. But when I ask how is this feature working out for you? They stay quiet because they didn’t knew their phone was able to do that or they couldn’t figure out how to do it. So they just use the phone, email, and to watch YouTube or play games. While when I asked a student who used an MPower BrailleNote and is now using an Apex. He mentioned he preferred the Apex because it had more features. When I asked him like what or how are you using these features? His reply was, I don’t know I just know I like the Apex because it has more features. And for those who say, it’s just a waste of money. Since Main Stream devices are now accessible right out of the box. The device is, but the apps are only as accessible as the developers make them to be. Then, you’re at the mercy of them until they get around to fixing what they broke in accessibility. So, there is room for both, specially if you rely on Braille displays. Where on iOS Apple may break the ability to communicate with your Braille display as they have done on the last 2-3 OS updates. Or Google which according to an interview from That Android Show. It’s up to to the maker of the display to get it to communicate to your device.

Third, I don’t understand the hate on the front facing camera on the Nexas7, it did a pretty good job when I had to use it with Google Goggles. It was able to identify mostly everything I put in front of it. The same results that I get with my Nexas7 2013 model that has a back facing camera.

And forth, I am with Mr. Steinkamp about the Dice World posts. I rarely will post the generic tweet. More often then not. I will change the tweet to something random so not to bug my followers. Unless I beat Richard Wells. Then I have to brag about that great victory. As a matter of fact, I encourage anybody playing Bupster. To beat him in any and all Dice World games you play with him. He really enjoys giving gold to all.

Great podcast as always.

From Jake:

Hello all. I just wanted to say great job as always! I just had to comment on “It’s a Small World” turning 50. I vividly remember when I was a toddler, my parents and I went to DisneyWorld. This ended up being one of several trips that my family and I would take there. But my parents put me on that boat ride, and I can remember crying my eyes out from hearing that darn song so much. Obviously I got off the ride eventually, but I don’t remember the exact sequence of events that day. I have since grown to love DisneyWorld and Epcott Center. I haven’t been to either in several years, and I don’t believe I was ever at DisneyLand in California. I have also since grown to like that song. One other thing I remember is listening to a record my mom had in her vast collection, and I was fascinated at hearing the song in all the different languages. I definitely agree that the song has a good message. Well, thanks again for another good episode, and keep ‘em coming!

Best wishes, Jake

Roundabout

When Things Look Dark, Country Music Gets Sunnier

The science of seasonal allergies — and why they’re so awful

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they reconvene after a bit of an absence to discuss the top news stories of the week. Following the news, we bring you one last interview from CSUN as Joe visits with Chet of Ability Magazine about all they have to offer.

All of Google’s Jokes for April Fools’ Day 2014

SeroTalk Podcast 193: News for April 1, 2014

Triple-click Home Episode 28: Turn Right On “A” Street

That Android Show Episode 26: Your Android Is Not My Android

The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference

If you missed last week’s HadleySchool seminar by ricky Enger on exploring the Socializer, catch the archive here.

The “Re-Invention” of Braille Card Games

Avoiding BT keyboard issues in iOS 7.1

Boston Marathon Visually Impaired Participants Increases to Most Ever

Amazon’s Fire TV Is Powerful, but Voice Search Limitations Hamper User Experience

Amazon Fire TV vs. Chromecast vs. Roku vs. Apple TV

Amazon’s Fire TV: It’s about the off-Prime engagement, e-commerce

Mouse and keyboard-friendly Windows 8.1 update arrives April 8

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Review

Windows 9 ‘Threshold’: Rumors, Release Date, News, Features and More

iBeacons and airports: Results from a real-world test

inMarket lets specific brands, not just retailers, target shoppers using iBeacons in-store

United Nations uses iBeacons to simulate a minefield & raise awareness at NY museum

Mailbag

From Brett:

Hi SeroTalk.

I was listening to podcast 191, and I wanted to comment on some reasons I believe so many people are still using Windows XP. First, I’ll cover some reasons why some blind users still insist on using XP. Games (such as those written by Robert Betz don’t run on more modern operating systems. Other games (such as Grizzly Gulch and Chillingham from Bavisoft) will work on newer operating systems, but users who run them on a modern OS will experience stability issues.

The biggest reason why people (both blind and sighted) insist on staying with XP in my opinion is that they simply don’t believe/understand the security risks. Some users feel that Microsoft is simply trying to snatch their money by scaring them, and that as long as antivirus software is supported, everything will be fine. Also, I believe that more computer users then we might expect don’t understand the importance of Windows Update and the security patches Microsoft releases for supported operating systems. There you have the reasons I was given by friends and family members still insisting on using Windows XP. I’ve done my best to encourage my friends and family members to upgrade. Sadly, some XP users will likely have to face the consequences of staying on XP after support ends, not upgrading until after they’ve experienced malware and data theft. XP’s popularity will then sink, just as WINDOWS 98’s did. I hope you’ve found these comments useful, and thanks for producing such a great podcast.

Roundabout

Helen Keller Letter on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony Goes Viral

How I heard for the first time

Why You Shouldn’t Share Those Emotional ‘Deaf Person Hears for the First Time’ Videos

BBC News – Stolen Gauguin painting ‘hung on factory worker’s wall’

Wheelchair Users Can Go Down Stairs with New Invention

About Our Presenters

Shelly Brisbin is a writer, editor, podcaster, and cocktail enthusiast. Her current project is iOS Access for All, a comprehensive guide to accessibility for Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Shelly’s career in tech journalism spans 25 years, 12 books, hundreds of articles and blog posts for leading tech publications, and several stints on the editorial staffs of leading trade publications and Web sites. She served as editor-in-chief of Blogger & Podcaster Magazine, networking editor for MacUser Magazine, and online editor for online learning company, Powered, Inc. and Hoover’s Web sites. Her podcasts include the award-winning Shelly’s Podcast, and App Store Pundit, an iOS app review show. Her cocktail writing appears on this blog, and at the sadly departed The Spirit World. When she’s not working, Shelly spends time with her husband and cats in Austin, Texas, watches ancient movies, and reads books. You can follow Shelly on Twitter, or get updates about her book.

Liam Erven is best known for the computer games he produces for blind users. Games are released via his company, LWorks. His latest endeavor, Audio Archery, is now free for Android and iOS. Follow Liam or LWorks on Twitter for the latest updates.

Rick Harmon manages various email lists related to blindness and technology. He also runs the Blind Geek Zone website and Podcast. Since their launch in 2006, the site and podcast have served as portals to hundreds of free tutorials and demonstrations for the blind community. While he did the majority of these, he has selected high-quality submissions by others for inclusion as well. In 2007, Rick began offering paid training and support services, both in person in his local area, and by phone. Follow Rick on Twitter.

In The Community

A closer look at iOS 7.1’s accessibility changes

Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 7: An Introduction for Blind Users

Battery drain problems in iOS 7.1, and how to fix them

Announcing the release of Sendero GPS 2014 products!

Solo DX Announces That They’re Closing Their Doors

Speaking of CSUN

New Tech Doctor Podcast: CSUN 2014

NosillaCast #463 Travel Tech, Boom, Omnigraffle, ChargeDr, Tack-Tiles, BigGrips, UbiDuo, WHILL, CSUN Disability Expo

The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN Conference.

Audio coverage from CSUN by BlindBargains

SeroTalk’s CSUN coverage,

Sponsored by HIMS.

Mainstream Tech

Google drops its Drive storage pricing significantly, puts pressure on Apple to improve iCloud prices

Amazon ups Prime fee to $99 from $79: Customers likely to absorb it

Finally, Microsoft brings Office to the iPad

Two worlds collide on this week’s SeroTalk podcast as Jamie Pauls, Buddy Brannan and Alena Roberts–all part of the Triple-click Home team–host this week’s SeroTalk podcast. After the news, Jamie reviews the Braille Edge, the incredibly popular 40-cell refreshable Braille display from HIMS Inc. Visit the Tech Access DemoCast to hear Erin Edgar’s in-depth podcasts on the Braille Edge. Stories covered in this week’s episode include:

A T Talk

A closer look at iOS 7.1’s accessibility changes

Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 7:An Introduction for Blind Users (IPHONE-IOS7)

My top 4 app picks for Braille Users of iDevices in news

Announcing the release of Sendero GPS 2014 products!

Samsung Focuses On Accessibility With An Ultrasonic Case, A Text-Reading Stand And Voice Labels

Made in India: LECHAL, a Bluetooth connected shoe that guides wearers with directions

Senate Bill Updates SSI and Would Help Elderly Poor

Music By Ear

My Son’s Experience with the Perkins SMART Brailler

Mainstream Matters

Chromebooks and education: A perfect match

Google drops its Drive storage pricing significantly, puts pressure on Apple to improve iCloud prices

Amazon ups Prime fee to $99 from $79: Customers likely to absorb it

Starbucks test will let mobile users order items ahead of time

Alena recommends mint.com for managing your finances.

Toyota: Apple CarPlay, yes. When? Not saying, actually

Report: iOS 8 to Include Transit-Heavy Apple Maps Overhaul

iOS 8: Apple considers Notification Center + Messages tweaks, removing Game Center app

New Version of Microsoft Office for Mac Slated for 2014 Release

Concept Video Tips 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 ‘Air’

How to access the combination list/month view on iOS 7.1

How to manually control when Siri listens to you with iOS 7.1

Mailbag

From Jenine:

Hi Serotalk Gang,

You know I had to comment on this one. I had to in part because my employer has invested a lot of time and energy into this show on many levels.

As you probably have read if you’ve read anything about the background of the show, it is based on a real person who got his first dog from GDF back in 1980. His son has made several Youtube videos talking about the making of the show and the concept. One of the things he says is that the show is not meant to represent every blind person or every guide dog team but to tell the story of his family.

His father, who is still around and still uses guide dogs but not from GDF, is one of these larger than life people who can get away with doing things like what you see on the show.

There are a couple places I think where we all have disconnects with the show. the first one is that we are all so excited to see “one of us” in a network TV show that we put a lot of pressure on the show to live up to every concept we have of our group, regardless of the story. A friend asked me recently if African Americans felt the same way about Bill Cosby in the 1980’s when he played Dr. Huxtable. That wasn’t reality for many African americans at that time. It was the story of one family though in one set of circumstances.

Another disconnect with the show is the time frame. the son, D.J. Nash, is trying to adapt stories from his family that happened back when blind people did not have the technology they have now, and because of story telling conventions, Growing Up Fisher is set in the present. Will Mel have an iPhone on one episode? Who knows? Also, and any of us who are long-time guide dog handlers know this, what was acceptable behavior for a guide dog back in 1980 is not acceptable today in some very subtle ways. Yes the general tennants of good behavior are still there but I remember a lot more barking and such being tolerated back in the day. Now if a guide dog barks, the entire room of blind people will start yelling at the handler. Convention Trauma!

I honestly was very worried when I first heard about the show last June. I thought, “Oh crap. How many ways can this go wrong?” Way too many. Our community can be hyper judgmental about these things and it won’t matter what the general public thinks.

I, like Joe, don’t think NBC will keep the show around long enough to have a chance but if it did, how would our attitudes change? I do know that the producers consulted with GDF and local guide dog handlers in the LA area but even then, dramatic license is what it is.

I honestly also have not watched the show beyond the pilot episode yet. I hate network television. 5 minutes of show, 5 minutes of commercial. I liked the banter between the family as it mirros my own whacky family banter. As for the guide dog interactions not always being completely politically correct, let’s be brutally honest. We can all cite times when we’ve done things with our dogs or allowed our dogs to do things that are less than by the book. We even tell stories and laugh about them amongst ourselves. Let someone outside of our community portray that though and it gets uncomfortable.

Finally, I wanted to address the issue of the main character’s “passing” for sighted on the show. Believe it or not, this still happens and people will still try to be sighted when they are clearly not. I see it often when people come to guide dog class. They interview just fine. they look good getting around. then they come to spend 2 weeks or 3 weeks with a bunch of other blind people and they self destruct because OMG, they’ve never had to face their own blindness before in such a public way. they may never have been around real blind people in all their variations.

I see this at blindness consumer conventions too. We as a group tend to have some social behaviors that aren’t quite what you’d expect. Granted, the social conventions work when we’re in big groups, loud voices, training to get places, that is, making a train of people to get places, some of us not being as well groomed or observant of others’ social cues as one might expect. That all can freak people out the first time they experience it. And now they are one of “US”.

Most of the people who “pass” have some remaining vision. I don’t know about the character in Growing Up Fisher, just how “blind” he is. I do know that people can do amazing things in pursuit of denial. I did growing up. Gee, grown up partial? My youngest sister faked her entire last year of high school. No one knew she was totally blind by then because she had good friends who propped her up, and she was good at faking it by then. They knew she had vision problems but …

so the whole plot line of the main character faking being sighted for years is totally plausible. Less so I think back in 1980 than now with the technology but none the less, still going on.

Thanks for discussing the show in a very even manner. I know some people really hate it for a variety of reasons. Is it an ideal portrayal of blind people and guide dogs? probably not. It’s not meant to be though. It’s the story of a family that happens to have a blind father with a guide dog. Novel concept.
Jenine Stanley

From Greg Wocher:

Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing well. I had some comments about episode 191.
First if you listen to the Security Now podcast you will find out that Steve Gibson, security guru, will not be updating his XP machines to something later. His reason is that there was a recent study that found if you run as a local limited user instead of an administrator on your XP machine you can eliminate nearly all vulnerabilities. If you want to hear more about this listen to the last couple of episodes of SN. So if you still want to run XP give your admin account a good password and always run as a local limited user instead. Secondly in this weeks and next weeks Security Now podcasts they are talking about how well Apple has done its security. It is really amazing what they have done. It is almost enough to make me switch back from Android. Now if they could get rid of that blasted iTunes software I just might switch back. LOL.

Thanks,
Greg Wocher

From Dominique:

Hey guys, listening to episode 190, and lol why not make your own Serotek phone? Just think of it. Aah, the SamNet phone! Buy it today!!! lolz. Just a thought, oh, and it could have the Ricke voice as the Speech TTS. I’d also be willing to give you my voice for that project. Just a thought. Talk later.

Blog comment from Amanda:

Hi,
I love tuning into the podcast and listening to the great stories and news you guys tell. I just have a comment about the show Growing Up Fisher. I have been watching the show and I really like it. I don’t think it’s a bad show at all. I am a guide dog user myself. I sure wouldn’t give my dog to someone when the harness is on either. The creater of this show has a dad who is blind. Don’t know if you guys knew that. I am on Twitter. Ricky and Buddy follow me as well as Joe. I also enjoy listening to Triple Clikc Home. Keep up the great work!

Roundabout

“Tastes Like Happiness”: Why Chocolate Fried Chicken Might Be The Future Of Fast Food

Want to boost your brain power? Walk more

HERO CENTRAL: Girl dials 911 with deactivated phone

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger are joined by Lisa Salinger to discuss the news of the week. Then, Lisa interviews Jamie about his work as a music therapist.

A T Talk

Blind Bargains: NVDA 14.1 Beta Release is Now Available with Powerpoint 2013 Support, More

ZoomText Mac 1.0.7 is Released

More Accessibility enhancements coming to A Dark Room for iOS in March

Blind Bargains: Fedora Outlier Starts a New Weekly Series Called There’s An App For That

AppleVisPodcast audio Digitize Your Vinyl Records With Amadeus Pro for the Mac

AFB: Take our quick survey & be eligible to win an iPad mini!

SPN Special: An Interview with Jim Kutsch

VIP Talk: Microsoft is not Last in Accessibility

Mainstream Matters

WhatsApp: the Bomb That Hit Silicon Valley

Google offered to buy WhatsApp for $10 billion

WhatsApp CEO Is Against Whatever Facebook Is For

OneDrive branding rolls out with new clients and new features

Windows XP is at death’s door and users need to move on

Apple eyes smart magnets to attach accessories to your iPad

Third-party SDK for iOS lets you replace Apple’s keyboard with Fleksy’s

Amazon’s long-rumored Apple TV competitor to launch next month?

Roundabout

New York company says it can beam free OUTERNET Wi-fi to every person on Earth

Blind man wins free McDonalds for a year after sinking three-pointer

Listen to the sound of a public street in 1928

Bernie Krause: The voice of the natural world

In this week’s episode, Ricky Enger is joined by Lisa Salinger and special guest Alena Roberts of the Tripple-click Home Podcast. After the news, Jamie Pauls talks with Kevin Reeves about his new album Remember to Forget.

A T Talk

FDA clears first drug for blindness sleep disorder

Appcessible.net

Talking Apps Podcast

The New Generation Stream: Wireless access to over 36,000 radio station + Rich Media Content

Latest Chicken Nugget adds a bunch, changes behavior of reply command

Kevin Reeves: Remember to Forget

Technology Extends Theater’s Thrills to Blind Patrons

Switching back to Windows

Mainstream Matters

Forget the iWatch, Apple’s next big thing is health

Will iBeacon Change the Way We Shop?

Olympic Athletes Requested to Cover Apple Logos During Opening Ceremony Because of Samsung Sponsorship

Will Satya Nadella Spin Off Xbox, Nokia, and Surface?

Microsoft invests $15 million in Foursquare

Newegg’s answer to Amazon Prime: $50 per year for expedited shipping

How we ruin social networks, Facebook specifically

Stream the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics

Mailbag

From Jenine Stanley:

I was going to just do an I-Report about this topic but then I just had way too much to say. Surprise.

I could not agree with Joe and Buddy more on this topic of learning adaptive technology, or any technology for that matter. I was very lucky to have been taught by two people who came into adaptive tech as programmers and had their learning styles influenced by that world in which you learn concepts, not keystrokes.

My first computer instructor was someone many old time assistive tech people will know, Clayton Hutchinson who wrote the Verbal Operating System screen reader for DOS. He was very big on people learning concepts and how programs worked. The first thing I was taught to do when opening a new program in DOS was to go through the menus. What were my options? What were the hot keys if any?

Even before that though, I had to know how to do things like read a line, read a character, move from word to word, search for text on a page. Notice these were not things taught by key command but by concept. I had to then learn the key command.

Sequences might go like this:

I need to know what to do when X happens. read the current line to see what the computer is telling you to do. (Not, press X keys to hear what to do.) Now move up one line to see if there’s any other info available.

That method worked really well for me and before long I was a tech trainer, showing people how to use Word Perfect. I found it very frustrating when the majority of people I worked with would rather just be told what to do each time than try to figure things out using the basics. They were terrified to explore and try out keystrokes and just wanted to know what keys to hit when. This did not help them advance in their jobs as I had to come back every time they had to do a new task.

Years passed and we moved from DOS to the Windows environment. I met my husband who is also an old Unix programmer. Although he had already begun his journey into assistive tech using screen magnifiers, he did not understand screen readers. we both went into Windows relying on our “transfer of skills and knowledge”.

One of his favorite phrases is “You don’t have to go back to Driver’s Ed every time you buy a new car do you?”

I truly do think this approach of just focusing on key strokes is incredibly harmful on so many levels. I see people who don’t even know how to find the info that tells you which of those magical key strokes to use. They would rather ask their sighted family or coworkers to tell them or do it for them. This is not helpful in a job situation.

I have a wonderfully caring and talented coworker who is convinced she can’t understand computers and has to just be told the keystrokes. I know better and have seen her do so much more. finally when she was moved to an office where she could not readily ask people every time she got stuck, she began ever so slowly to figure things out. She’s still terrified to make a mistake but now we are looking at changing her screen reader and she is sort of like a deer in the headlights. I keep telling her it’s no big deal. Both screen readers do basically the same things, just different ways. Focus on what you want to do, not the exact keys to get there.

I also truly believe this way of learning is what eased my transition from my Windows desktop machine to the Mac. When I’d get overwhelmed with commands, I would back up to what I really needed to do. Now, after about 2 weeks of owning this MacBook Pro, it’s my primary computer and I love it. does it do everything as easily as my windows machine? Not quite. It’s different. It does not crash every day though nor does the screen reader just stop working for no reason. Does it read things as easily? Not yet but only because I can’t remember the commands to do so quickly enough.

what I truly don’t understand about so many people I encounter using assistive tech is their fear of trying things. I see people who are paralyzed in front of their machines, afraid to even press a key without being told exactly what to do. then they need so much encouragement afterward to try the next thing. That’s what ended my career as a tech trainer for office tasks. I just couldn’t stand that kind of behavior.

So people, try things. explore. If you screw it up and it stops talking, turn it off and try again. No one will die. Trust me.

From Jane:

Re: Microsoft Superbowl ad: What actually happens in that ad? When I watched it, I just heard a lot of voices, but I had no clear sense of what was happening, except for … a phone call? Or someone getting hearing back, or something near the end. I watched it on YouTube after the fact. (I never watch the Superbowl since the two times I watched and my team lost. I am a curse on football.)

Programming as a foreign language: When I read the article last weekend, my first reaction was “No way!” But then I had to stop and think. I am fluent in Spanish, know a little French, and where have those skills gotten me? Currently unemployed, hoping to get a job in customer service answering phones. I really wish I had worked on computer programming in high school and college. Any free courses out there that you can point to?

More power to a state that wants to help their young people be future-proofed and able to adapt.

BTW, I do not intend to whine or complain. I am at leas tin the door for this job, and I’m better off in that respect than many people, blind or otherwise, I’m sure.

Jane

Roundabout

Red Hot Chili Peppers explain why they faked Super Bowl performance

GoDaddy quitter: My boss was stunned

Police: Art thief among 2 held in violin heist

About Our Presenters

Erin Edgar is a lawyer currently working for Legal Aid, which is a non-profit lawfirm that assists low-income clients with various issues. She and her husband, Rodney, co-host a podcast called Tech Access Weekly which focuses on news and events  in assistive and mainstream technology. She also co-hosts the Book Hoarders Annonymous Podcast, which is dedicated to book lovers of all persuasions. Follow her on Twitter, or reach her via email.

Jason Meddaugh is a cofounder of BlindBargains.com, one of the most popular deals and news websites for the blind and visually impaired. He also manages A T Guys, a website featuring low-cost tech gadgets and accessories. He is also a cohost on That Android Show. Follow him on Twitter.

Jamie Pauls, [Producer and host of the SeroTalk Podcast, plays keyboard professionally, and has shared the stage several times with current X Factor winner Tate Stevens. He is a music therapist who has worked with both the elderly and children, and teaches a music Appreciation class one evening a week at a community college. In the current setting, he is best known for his work as Content Director for Serotek. You can follow him on Twitter.

Joe Steinkamp is cohost of the SeroTalk Podcast as well as several other SPN podcasts. You can follow him on Twitter, and can read his personal Top Ten list on his blog.

Top Stories — 6-10

Story 10: X+Y = Math Access

SeroTalk Podcast, including an interview on the T84 Calculator

Story 9: A Tasty Google Treat

That Android Show

Story 8: Real Potential in Access to Set Top Boxes

Comcast Website

Stories 7 and 6: A Tie! Between two A T Giants

Victor Reader Stream: Second Generation

Sendero GPS

This Year at Serotek

Introducing Our New, Redesigned Website

Serotek Ambassadors’ Club is Launched

Serotek Podcast Network Reaches Highest Listener Count Yet

Serotek Launches the Newly Updated Socializer

The Top Five Stories

Story 5: You Down with UEB?

Unified English Braille to become official code in 2016

Story 4: Love Em or Hate em, Apple Gets People Talking

Apple iOS 7 Page

Triple Click Home

Story 3: The Tap Tap See Controversy

Tap Tap See Review

Triple Click Home Interview

Story 2: The Holy Grail of iPhone Apps

Story 1: Amazon Helps and Fights A T in the Same Breath

Kindle Fire HDX Product Page

Kindle Fire HDX: Usable By the Blind At Last?

By Buddy Brannan

Anyone who has been following the Serotek blog, SeroTalk, or even just me, will know that Amazon has taken a fair bit of heat over the Kindle and its halfhearted, lackluster, token efforts toward making Kindle content usable by people who are blind or visually impaired. It’s probably fair to say that many of us thought that Amazon wouldn’t ever make its content available to us in any meaningful way; its seeming unwillingness to do so in the face of complaints, demonstrations, and lawsuits against some of its institutions using its Kindle readers in pilot programs bolstered our belief that some miracle would have to happen before we were able to use Amazon Kindle content in any meaningful way. Sure, there was some rudimentary text-to-speech capabilities in some Kindle models. However, it wasn’t possible to independently activate it, some content didn’t read with it, and even if a book you wanted to read did work, access to many of the platform’s other options were unavailable. Moreover, enough detail, such as word or single letter navigation, was unavailable, making use for more than pleasure reading impossible.

Enter the Kindle app for iOS. I used to joke that it was 99% accessible. The only thing that didn’t work was the actual book reading, but everything else worked perfectly. All of that changed just a few months ago when, one fine day, we all received a pleasant surprise: a Kindle reading app that would read Kindle content and gave blind people the ability to use most if not all Kindle functions. The community was ecstatic! Finally, we would have access to the couple million titles available to everyone else. This, we said, was our Gutenberg. We hoped that this newly realized access to ebooks heralded Amazon’s turning the corner, and we would at last see even better access to Kindle hardware next.

Imagine our delight when we read the announcement that the Kindle Fire HDX would be coming, with new features, a higher res display, and by the way, it would have features for people with print impairments. Anticipation, excitement, and yes, still some skepticism. After all, a leopard can’t change its spots, right? What would we really get? Would it be more of the same, or would we see something like what we got with the iOS app? Being one who was very critical of Amazon’s efforts (or lack thereof) in this arena, not to mention being a gadget freak, I picked up a Kindle Fire HDX myself just a couple weeks after its release. So how does it stack up? Are we going to be pleased or sorely disappointed? To be fair, I haven’t explored everything about the device. There is plenty I don’t know about it. Even so, it leaves a decent first impression. It’s a good solid start, understanding that there’s plenty of room for improvement. Bottom line: I don’t hate it, which is, let’s be honest, about as close to a ringing endorsement as one can expect. And it’s a lot better than we’ve gotten in past years.

Physical Description

The Kindle Fire HDX is about the size of a paperback book, though of course, a lot thinner. Officially, it’s 7.3″ X 5.0″ X 0.35″ (186 X 128 X 9.0mm) and weighs 10.7 ounces, or masses 303 grams. (The cellular capable version is slightly heavier.) I don’t know about any of you, but official specs don’t usually mean a lot to me. If you’ve seen an iPad Mini, The Kindle Fire HDX is slightly smaller and slightly thicker than the Mini. The back edges are beveled. With the tablet in landscape mode (sideways), you’ll find stereo speakers at either end of the top back beveled edge. On the left edge, near the corner where the speaker is, you will find a single button, which locks the unit or powers it on and off. Directly opposite, on the right edge, again near the speaker, are two buttons, one above the other. These are the volume up and down buttons. Having control buttons on the edges, in the back panel around the beveled edges, seems a little strange at first glance, but it really does work out all right. It does seem a bit strange to have the on off button at the bottom of the tablet while in portrait, and the volume up button to the left of volume down, again in portrait mode, but with the tablet held in landscape mode with the speakers toward the top, the arrangement makes sense. Again with the tablet in landscape mode with the speakers facing away from you, the left edge has a micro USB port for charging or plugging into a computer, while the right edge has a stereo headphone jack. The front of the Kindle is all touch screen, with no physical buttons at all.

Setting Up

The first question in my mind was whether or not I could set up the Kindle Fire HDX without sighted assistance. This is indeed possible. Once the tablet powers on, hold the power button until you hear three piano notes. This is the power off screen. Simply hold two fingers on the screen, spread slightly apart. If you’ve done it correctly, you’ll be advised to hold your fingers a bit longer on the screen, and then Talkback will start. The first thing you get is a tutorial on the basic gestures used to navigate the interface. This is pretty much straight up Talkback, so if you’re an Android user,, it is likely you’ll feel right at home. It is possible to turn on the screen reader at any time, not just on initial startup. This is done as mentioned above, from the power off screen. One thing though, if you temporarily disable the screen reader as documented, you can’t easily turn it back on. So if you’re going to hand it to a friend who doesn’t need a talking tablet, go through the accessibility settings and disabled the screen reader completely. You’ll then be able to turn it back on much more easily than you would if you just disabled it.

Typing took a bit of getting used to. It seems you have to lift your finger pretty well dead center on a key, or it won’t register, giving you a high-pitched beep. This beep lets you know that doing a swipe up will bring up some other interface element, but to me it just said “I didn’t get that letter”.

The Home Screen

The home screen is divided into five parts:

The status bar has the time and battery percentage if you turn that on. You can do a three finger swipe down from this to bring up notifications and change settings. * A row of buttons to select different kinds of content, such as apps, books, audiobooks, music, and so forth. All the buttons don’t fit, so this area scrolls left and right as you swipe through it. * The carousel is a big area that rotates through all of the available books, apps, music, and documents. The most recently accessed ones are first. Swipe to the left or right to change to different items. * The home screen: This is a grid of applications or other content that you always want to be available. You can add to or subtract from this grid with a tap and hold on any item. This brings up a context menu to allow you to add or remove or delete entirely. If you want this to take up your screen and make the carousel disappear, you can do so by scrolling up from the home screen grid. * The menu bar usually has buttons on it for search, menu, and back.

Usage

I was able to read books, play music, watch movies, and install and use apps. I was also able to browse the web, though the built-in browser isn’t nearly as easy to use as Mozilla Firefox is. You’ll have to get Firefox from a third party app site though, more on that in a minute. You are supposed to be able to read a book continuously, or you can review it in any amount of detail. Reading continuously with the latest update was a bit hit and miss, and the most I was able to get the Kindle to read nonstop was a chapter. Reviewing is done by dragging your finger around the screen. In one way, this is great, since you can really get a good idea of how a page, or a book, or an app, is visually laid out. Getting the exact information you want, such as a specific word, will take some practice, maybe even a lot of practice. Also, note that, unlike with Voiceover, if other audio is playing (such as music or a movie), screen reader output does not cause your other audio to duck. This may make some things difficult to do while listening to audio content. Some gestures are a little difficult to get used to. For instance, some actions require you to draw a circle in order to select a specific action, or a level of navigation granularity. Fortunately, it’s not picky about how perfect your circle is. Also, of course, with auto rotate turned on (the default behavior), the gestures are relative to the tablet orientation. I also found that some gestures, such as the home or back gesture, or the swipe down to get the status display, had to be quite exaggerated in order to properly register. One thing that made using the Kindle Fire HDX easier for me was to turn the autorotate feature off and lock the orientation into portrait mode. It really is OK to do this, as apps such as Netflix or Amazon Instant Video, which require a landscape orientation, will automatically rotate to accommodate. In all other cases though, the screen stays the way you lock it. I’ve been asked about how usable the Netflix app was. I’m pleased to say that one can select content and watch movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, I was unable to do anything more than start a show and watch all the way through. Part of this was because of the absence of audio ducking, and part was due to not being able to find the player controls. I also started an Amazon Prime video, but truthfully, I didn’t play with it much more than to determine that I could start and play and pause a movie. For the record, it was “Contact”. I do have to say that audio was quite good, considering the Kindle Fire HDX’s compact size. I was also able to navigate my Amazon music library, select tracks, and play them. This could be a great little music player for those of you with a lot of music purchased from Amazon. Again, all content is available from the carousel. It is also available from the category buttons at the top of the home screen.

Speaking of categories, There was one thing that was unclear to me when I first started with the Kindle Fire HDX. That was determining what was displayed and what was not when viewing content by category. For instance, I couldn’t figure out why some third party apps I installed were shown as installed but weren’t showing in my list of apps. It turns out you can display content that is either locally installed or available from the cloud. Some stuff available from the cloud also happens to be on your local device, but the reverse isn’t always true, especially when you’re talking about third party stuff. And speaking of third party apps

Amazon has an Android marketplace, it’s true. However, apps there may not be the same version available from other places. I saw, for instance, a later version of ES File Explorer than was available on the Amazon app store. For this, you may want to install a third party app store. Google Play is not supported, although there is at least one article that tells one how to at least get some Google services. This is an exercise left to the reader. I installed another app store called 1Mobile, from which I was able to find lots of free apps. These installed fine on the Kindle Fire HDX, although you have to be sure to set your security settings to allow this. Again, exercise for the reader. I definitely recommend Mozilla’s Firefox browser. Browsing with the built in browsers possible, though I admit to not spending a lot of time with it. I admit to a certain bias against Web browsers that reside on tablets and phones, but I’ll use them if I don’t have a desktop or notebook computer easily at hand.

Things To Improve

As I’ve said before, Amazon has a good start on providing an accessible reading experience on their hardware. I have not tried pairing with a braille display, nor have I tried pairing with a bluetooth keyboard,but I understand both are possible. Anyway, as with all things in their first run, there is still room for improvement. For the screen reader, a greater speed range would be something I’d like to see, and I think others would agree. I have mine set to the fastest speed, and it’s comfortable for me, though I wouldn’t mind a bit more. I know others would like more than a bit more. The Ivona voices are quite nice. I don’t know if other voices, like Espeak, or Acapella, or Realspeak, are available or not, but I’m sure that everyone has preferences in this regard.

The voice for reading books now seems to agree with the voice for the screen reader, which is to say, they’re the same. While this is true, it’s possible to make the book reading voice go a lot faster than the screen reader voice. The fact that the voice itself is the same for both book reading and screen reading is good. The speed choices need to likewise agree. I’d like to see the previous granularity gesture introduced again, or allow a choice. Selecting the menu,then drawing a circle to find the right granularity, seems overly complicated to me, especially for something that may well need to be done often.

Duck other audio when it’s playing and the screen reader is talking. Maybe this is a wanna have rather than a gotta have, but sometimes audiobooks or music really do compete in volume with the voice, and it isn’t possible to adjust them individually.

Things I haven’t Done

I haven’t used the Amazon app to buy anything, nor have I purchased from the Kindle store on the Kindle Fire HDX. I have purchased Kindle content from the computer, and it shows up beautifully on the tablet. This is true both of Audible books and Kindle books. I haven’t done a lot of Web browsing, certainly no more than necessary. See my above bias against tablet browsing.

I haven’t completed a kindle book, though I have lots of them to work on.

Bottom Line

I don’t hate it. I don’t love it yet either, but I could, given a bit more time and a bit more polish. The audio from the speakers is quite good, not to mention pretty punchy. I could easily see watching movies on this, or listening to audiobooks. Once automatic continuous read works reliably, I could even see reading Kindle books with it. With a bit of practice, I think I could get to where I was looking up words, highlighting, making notes, and the rest. I’m not nearly as comfortable editing or typing on it, but I expect that would come with more time as well. I’m not sure I’d recommend it for a new computer user, or for someone who needed to use it as a serious productivity tool, at least, not yet. I still believe that it has potential though, and I will be watching updates and improvements eagerly.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the SeroTalk Podcast. Once again, Jamie, Ricky and Joe pontificate about the news of the week. Then, Jamie sits down with Mike Calvo, director of the AIR Foundation to discuss his recent trip to Columbia and the foundation’s efforts to provide tablets to blind school children in that country. Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

News in A T

National Federation of the Blind Receives Grant from National Science Foundation

Latest from fleksy about the problem which has caused the app to become unusable

Delivery drones are coming: Jeff Bezos promises half-hour shipping with Amazon Prime Air

Thinking Outside the (Gift) Box

ATU131 – Holiday Shopping Special Episode – Part 1

Online Shopping – Tips from Online Shopaholics

Guide for Individuals with Vision Impairments

FSCast Episode 84, November 2013

This Blog Post is just FREEQING Awesome!

More from the “Comings and Goings” department. My departure from Mushroom FM

The End of an Era, Reflections and Explanations re #MushroomFM

Ringing in the Holidays with a Special Promotion!

Mainstream Matters

Holiday shopping season begins on Thanksgiving

How Shopping Malls Are Adapting In An Online World

Tablets dwarf other holiday tech gifts in CNET survey

30 Days with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2: It’s a Keeper

The Everything Store, review: The rise and rise of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

Android KitKat: It’s not so sweet for Nexus 4 users

Google chairman Eric Schmidt writes an Android switching guide

What is (still) wrong with Microsoft’s Windows Phone strategy

BlackBerry’s COO and CMO Are Leaving in Executive Shuffle

Mailbag

Blog comment from Mike

I’ve been listening to your show for quite a while, and I really love both the range of subjects and the format. However, halfway through this show I couldn’t help but wonder what got into you. Why do you provide a platform for a person who apparently feels the need to insult every person who for whatever reason takes a more critical position to TapTap See’s latest move, apparently beleiving that anybody who disagrees with his ridiculously oversimplified interpretation of the criticism just has to be mentally ill.

I find this sort of thing completely unacceptable. I’m not going to go into the underlying discussion, you covered a lot of it in the relevant podcast, but I would appreciate it if in the future I could listen to your show without becoming a target of the unreflected ragings of some Monday-morning-football-coach. In my opinion, mutual respect is essential in a public forum, and when you turn from people voicing their opinions to people raging at the rest of the world for not agreeing with their own point of view, then there’s not much point in listening any more. And at least for this episode I definitely lost my taste for it.

From Mario:

I think it’s worth mentioning that there is a petition to help Winamp stay alive, whether thru AOL making it open source via GPL3+, or improving/continuing it’s legacy. http://savewinamp.com/

there is a link to sign the petition. first/last name, email address, street address (or PO Box), city, state, zipcode are required and a comments area is optional.

allot of blind and sighted users I know use Winamp for more than just playing audio/video files.

Roundabout

From Top Tech Tidbits – Dinosaur Discs: Folk Music in America

Check out @Dreamy_lyrics: Screen Locked, Screen Locked

App Saves the Day after Student Robbed at Gunpoint

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top stories of the week. Topics included in this episode include:

News in A T

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Landmark Ruling in Authors Guild v. Google

2013 Holiday Gift Ideas for Children and Adults with Vision Loss

NVDA 2013.3rc1 released for testing!

The new release of the Voice Dream app is out! Now supporting DAISY 2.02 audiobooks, zipped mp3 files, better PDF text extraction and large library

Sendero GPS LookAround for iOS gets a nice update and goes free:

iTunes Store Now Accepting Donations for Philippine Typhoon Relief

Mainstream Matters

BlackBerry interim CEO: It’s time to reclaim our success, not dwelling on the past

Internet Explorer chief is stepping aside for ‘something new.’ IE will now be run by Windows Phone lead Joe Belfiore

Best Buy halts all HP Chromebook 11 sales, other retailers ‘out of stock’

Facebook Pushes Password Resets After Adobe Hack

Apple releases iOS 7.0.4 with fix for FaceTime call drops

Amazon to Offer Sunday Delivery Via USPS for Prime Members

Nexus 5 Review: The Best Android Can Offer Especially For the Price

Android 4.4 KitKat review: designed by Google, for Google

An iPhone user’s guide to experimenting with a Nexus 5

Mailbag

Blog comment from Dave (

I for one wasn’t surprised by the clamour about Taptapsee going subscription. Many of the common accusations are right on. Yes, it should have been subscription from the start. Simply saying no one knew how popular it would become doesn’t wash. No one knew how popular Jaws would become, and it’s always been a commercial product. I’ll grant that this trick is somewhat new to the tech world, but it isn’t new especially to the blind world. I’ve lost count of the various small startup phone access solutions that have been popularised over the years simply because they were free. All of them have followed the free gaging popularity model before going subscription, after which, of course, popularity dropped precipitously to nonexistence. No, sighted people don’t have to pay, but then again, they wouldn’t even bother with it in the first place because they have no need for it. Yes, disabilities are expensive, so it’s equally true there ain’t no free lunch. I can remember my first experience
downloading Jaws. It was 15 Megs in size and took two hours to download with a dialup connection. I will eventually subscribe to taptapsee both because I need it and because it’s the right thing to do. But would be entreprenewers should take notice also, that simply using the free model to promote a product will only work until people feel they’ve been burned too many times by effectively falling into a trap that they made. For me, it is easier and more justifiable to afford taptapsee than it is a Netflix subscription that offers no audio description.

From Pam Francis

Hi folks,
I would like to take issue with Ricky & her statement of being blind is more expensive.
Serotek as a company has championed accessibility on all levels.
You have your own subscription service that has been subscription based from its inception. I have no issue with it being subscription based. You had the foresight of what it would cost to maintain servers etc. I only wish I could use it. As a mac user, to my knowledge, you don’t support Macs. However, back to my initial comments.
Philanthropy is nice, yet, for a company to develop a service that could be very essential to a blind person’s independence, making it free, then per there own lack of foresight having to charge a subscription is truly disingenuous to those who have grown to depend on the service.
I can’t imagine there isn’t some sort of grant available for this service’s maintenance in order to maintain the service as a free service for the sake of equality.
We all make choices as to what we pay for per month for our given lifestyle. However, with the advent of technology, we are able to buy or subscribe to most anything our sighted counterparts have access to. By the grace of God, I don’t need it for general pictures per the little vision I have. However, I can see a use for reading appliance screens etc.
It hasn’t been that long ago we as blind people were dependent on state agencies to fork over thousands of dollars for equipment related solely to employment. For those who chose to stay home & raise a family, for the most part, mainline accessibility was a dream.
I continue to support your podcasts & appreciate all of your hard work.

Sincerely,
Pam Francis

From Mike Arrigo

Well, I am glad I have found favor with the mail bag and that my messages do appear regularly on the show, smile.
I have actually purchased the swype keyboard, it’s well worth the $3.99. For the android users on the show, I guess that would be Ricky and Joe, I’m curious if you have experienced the issue with the default google keyboard where you find a letter, you lift your finger and that letter is not typed. The google keyboard is very picky about having your finger in exactly the right spot. The swype keyboard is much better about that, I have set it as my default keyboard and have not looked back. The speech recognition also works very well. Find the option to switch to voice input and lift your finger to dictate, then double tap the bottom part of the screen when you are done. It also announces when the keyboard is opening and closing. Also, if you have the suggestion feature enabled, you can slide your finger above the letters and move in a circle to read the suggestions, when you lift your finger, that word is inserted. It’s well worth the purchase in my opinion, I really cannot think of anything bad to say about it.
I was also disappointed at some of the comments on the email lists about tap tap see becoming subscription based. Come on people, it’s not like they are charging several hundred dollars, what they are charging is very reasonable, it drives me nuts when people expect to have everything handed to them for free. I agree with being treated like everyone else, and I don’t think we should have to pay extra to make a product accessible. But this is a bit different, Tap Tap See is providing a service, it’s not required to use the device, but something extra. The people that develop and make the service work need to make a living too. I think these people who are making a big deal out of this need to step back and look at the big picture for what it is.

Roundabout

Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think

Why It’s So Hard To Crack Down On Distracted Driving

Terminally ill boy, whose hometown celebrated an early Christmas to fulfill his last wish, has died

San Francisco to call on ‘Batkid’ to fight crime

Batkid saves the day in San Francisco

Join Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger as they discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered in this episode include:

News in A T

TapTapSee Goes Subscription-based

ONExSENSE: Michael Curran & James Teh at TEDxBrisbane

Mosen Consulting eBook, Tweeting Blind

A List of New iOS 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

David Woodbridge: Main new features of Mavericks using VoiceOver on the Mac air

Click here to report accessibility bugs with Apple products.

Accessible apps for news junkies, no rehab needed

Assistive Technology: A Necessity for Student Success | Matthew Lynch, Ed.D.

ZoomText Mac Tips & Tricks – Installing in Mavericks

Digital Accessible Books for Disabled Veterans

It Began in Colombia

Mainstream Matters

Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 is all about performance

Mysterious Google Barge Is ‘Interactive Space’

New BlackBerry boss John Chen out to prove skeptics wrong

Apple is still shipping Macs with Mountain Lion, not Mavericks

Apple promises to restore some iWork features within six months

Apple Rolls Out Mavericks Update to Fix Email Glitch

Mailbag

From Aaron Linson

As a blind person in college, I use both mainstream and dedicated aka blindnesss specific devices. I am a big believer in braille and have been using a braille note since the first one was introduced in 2000. I use it for a lot of music braille reading and since Preview on the Mac is a pain to use for pdf’s I read those in braille as well. I also have the gps on the braille note apex and also the Samsung Galaxy S4 I have nearby explorer. I think that there are always going to be people who say well you’re not one of us because you don’t use device x or y but, we just need to say that’s your opinion and move on. Thanks, Aaron Linson Producer of The Cast Podcast

From Mike Arrigo

Great show. Regarding the experience on Android that Ricky mentioned, you can actually navigate by web element in chrome using talkback, but the way you do it is not as obvious. Open the local context menu and you will have a navigation option, choosing that will allow you to navigate by web element. I agree that using firefox probably offers the best web experience. There are some interesting changes in android 4.4, I’m actually thinking of getting the nexus 5, not sure yet. For one thing, web views in applications are now handled by the chrome browser. Also, apparently you can set what are called live regions which will bipass explore by touch, this would be very useful for applications such as fleksy. I have not installed mavericks yet, I prefer to wait until at least the first major update so any major bugs can be fixed. Glad Buddy is enjoying his new kindle fire HDX. Hopefully the stand alone kindle app will become accessible as well.

And also from Mike

Ricky and Joe will probably be the most interested in this. The swype keyboard from nuance is now accessible on android. There is a trial if you want to play with it before purchasing it. You can read the corrections, and, if you want to dictate, you can using dragon’s speech recognition, which is the same dictation that is used on IOS. Pretty cool for sure.

Roundabout

San Francisco Will Become Gotham City to Make Child’s Wish of Being ‘Batkid’ Come True

Million-Year Data Storage Disk Unveiled

It’s the official end of an era: Blockbuster just threw in the towel

Welcome to this froggy edition of the podcast where show host Jamie Pauls fights with a scratchy throat but prevails nonetheless. Ricky and Joe lend their support as the team talks about the top news stories of the week. Then, a less raspy Jamie Pauls visits with Buddy Brannan about his experiences using the new Kindle Fire HDX with built-in Accessibility. Stories covered in this episode include:

Papa Sangre II on the App Store on iTunes

FSCast Episode 83, October 2013

ZoomText 10.1.2 is Released!

Announcing: Braille Sense U2 MINI

A Demonstration of Some of the English TTS Voices Available to VoiceOver users in OS X Mavericks

A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words

FCC adopts TV rules for blind and deaf

Beyond a gadget: Google Glass is a boon to disabled

Which Android smartphones and tablets will get the KitKat upgrade?

Apple testing Mail update for OS X Mavericks to fix Gmail, stability, and smart mailbox issues

The case against Gmail

Google donates 17,000 Nexus 7s to Hurricane Sandy communities

Apple admits iPhone 5S battery problem, replaces phones

Southwest & Dish to provide passengers in-flight entertainment via Apple’s iPad 2

Amazon increases free shipping minimum to $35

Amazon Offers Low-Cost Kindle Versions of Print Books with “MatchBook”

Amazon will now donate part of your purchase to charity

Roundabout

The Adventure Blog: Blind Adventurer Erik Weihenmayer Temporarily Detained In Peru

The Blind Have A Hard Time Getting Jobs Because Of Social Stigma

Dell has been selling Ultrabooks that smell like cat urine

Welcome to SeroTalk Podcast 173, where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered in this episode include:

Shutdown Slams Blind Merchants

2013 Employment Resources for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

ReadIt Air Now Shipping Vision Air International

GWSocialEyes Price Change Coming Soon

Turn on Accessibility Features on your Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire HDX:

Review of the Kindle Fire HDX

Eye surgeon Anthony Vipin Das has created shoes that see for the blind

Disney invents touchscreen that lets you feel textures

Apps on iPhone 5S more crash-prone than other models

Apple reportedly cutting iPhone 5C production in half

Apple’s iPad event reportedly set for October 22

Twitter to let you watch TV through a tweet

Samsung import ban in effect after President Obama declines to veto ITC order

Leaked Doc Provides More Nexus 5 Details

Android 4.4 KitKat: The seven things we know so far

PayPal Lets You Pay With QR Codes

On Kickstarters and Sandwiches

Mailbag

Hi SeroTalk Podcast Team (whoever you may be this week), My name is Kelsey and I live in England. As a listener to your show for almost a year now (wow!), this is my first time contributing to the show. Whilst sitting on the train earlier last week, a rather interesting thought came to me. Android, as we all know, is skinned by hardware and software developers. For example, HTC phones and Nexus devices, besides their hardware, look completely different. Of course, many blind people know this due to the frustration of inaccessible UIs. Well, I was thinking, do you think creators of Windows 8 tablets may start to introduce this? With the Surfaces (Surfi?) being the equivalent of a Google Nexus with Android and then other manufacturers (Acer, Del etc) skinning Windows to make it unique. With MicroSoft’s cooperation, there is a strong possibility that Windows may start heading this way. How do you think this would effect accessibility? Do you think it would begin to fragment the same way TalkBack does on several Android phones and tablets? Moving a little further into this fantasy Android meets the all-mighty Windows, could the desktop, for want of a better word, die? Could the Windows 8 start screen take over and the desktop vanish? Personally, I believe that laptop/desktop computers should have the desktop and the new start screen however the tablet version of Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT should just have an all-inclusive start screen and scrap the desktop.
This would likely start a we hate MicroSoft uprising in the mainstream community because, as we know, the start screen has not been adopted with the open arms that MicroSoft were obviously hoping for. As a user of Windows 8 for over a year now (I got it the day it came out), I have fallen in love with the new UI and think this is a great plan for the future of desktop computing. Yes, a few tweaks here and there are required for an optimal experience but for those people who are not ready for a fully touch-based experience just yet, Windows 8 is still a lovely operating system. Really, I believe that tablet computing is the future of consumer business and over here, laptops and desktops alike are not yet becoming extinct but they’re not as popular as they were say three or four years back. Many people do have a love hate relationship with Windows 8 and I understand that fully. I’m sure in 2015 – 2016 everyone will find something else to moan about, we’ll all be used to the start screen, MicroSoft will change it again based on the complaints of 2012 – 2013 and we’ll all moan once more! I love your show and hope you keep up the good work for years to come where you can talk about new technologies as it comes along. Thanks, Kelsey

P S: Jo, I can’t wait for the next Apple event (potentially scheduled for October apparently). I’m sure you’re as excited as I am!

Roundabout

Colorado sixth-grader’s beer-making experiment headed for space

My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

Welcome to what turned out to be one of the longest SeroTalk podcasts ever. Jamie, Ricky and Joe had a lot to say about this week’s news. Also, Alena Roberts brings us an interview with the developers of the iOS game CodeName Cygnus. Of course, your feedback is the icing on the cake and we have a lot of mail for you to read this month. Let’s get started, shall we?

Blind Bargains: The New Kindle Fire Has New Accessibility Features , Perhaps for Real This Time

Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX Tablets, Fire OS 3.0

2013: The Year of Books for Blinks

Sony Walkman Range Updated With New Android 4.1 Equipped Devices

Reading Kindle Books on Your iOS Device: A Quick Reference Guide

Bookshare now available through the CNIB Library!

Please upgrade to FaceBook version 6.5.1 to get notifications read back with VoiceOver on iOS.

Disney tightens up resort disability program

Stevie Wonder Speaks Up For Children With Disabilities

Blind Bargains: NBC Announces Over 100 Hours of Coverage for the 2014 and 2016 Paralympics

Web Engineer: “Help Apple shape the future of UI interaction patterns and accessibility on the Web.”

Talking Windows 7 Pre-installation Environment

Unveiling the Serotek Ambassadors’ Club

Accessible Games

New RPG puts players in the shoes of a blind hero

? Three Monkeys Development Trailer

Three Monkeys – Yoska Monologue

Wewrite

Papa Sangre Sequel To Star None Other Than Famed English Actor Sean Bean

Valve fires up SteamOS, its bid for living room PC gaming

Valve’s Steam Machine prototype to ship early to 300 lucky players

Gaming with the kids is gaining popularity according to new report

T-Mobile dropping BlackBerry from in-store retail selection

BlackBerry Accepts $4.7 Billion Buyout Offer

Unofficial iMessage app for Android appears, likely unsafe

Bill Gates: ‘Control+Alt+Delete’ Was a Mistake

Mailbag

Mike Arrigo writes:

Lots of good stuff covered in this show. I do hope the NLS app comes to android soon as well. I’ve heard rumors that the company they contracted with to develop the app really messed things up, so it could be a while, but I hope that’s not the case, but I do wish they would have released them both at the same time. Since I got my iphone 5 in July, I will not be upgrading. My next phone will probably be a galaxy s 3, the s 4 still costs more than I am willing to pay but the 3 has great hardware specs still. I upgraded to IOS 7 the day it came out, it is working fine on my iphone 5. I agree with Jamie about the new app switcher, it’s much better I think. Really though, if this was an overhall of the platform, I don’t notice anything really major. Itunes radio is nice. Admitedly, I’m disappointed that some of the limitations were not removed. You still cannot change your default keyboard, I was really hoping that would be permitted. You still cannot install other system voices, I will talk more about voices in a minute, and there is still no file management, this is something every other operating system, whether mobile or desktop provides. I’m not saying I want IOS to become Android, but I do want the ability to customize my device the way I want it, and I don’t want a brick wall between me and it’s files. Transferring content to an iphone is still much more difficult than it needs to be. Ok, regarding voices. The reason there are some differences is because IOS 7 is using a new version of the vocalizer TTS engine. Previous versions used what is called vocalizer automotive, IOS 7 uses the newest version, it’s called vocalizer expressive. For some languages, the voices are totally different now, and some users are not happy with the new voices. I read the post of one user who is actually thinking about switching to android because the voice in his language is awful. He likes the acapela voices for his language, but again, you cannot install those as system voices like you can in Android.

From Jordan Gallacher

Hello, A couple of comments about iOS 7 after listening to your most recent podcast. First, I am happy to say there was an update to the Facebook app that fixed the problem of not being able to get to the notifications. Here are the things I don’t like about iOS 7. First, for some strange reason, my e-mail messages are all now starting at the end of iPhone for my signature. I liked it better when it would automatically start at the top on the first blank line. Here is my two biggest problems I have noticed with my bluetooth keyboard. As you mentioned, the Control key does not stop the speech like it used to. My other issue is that my F11 key is not working as it was in iOS 6 to get back to the Home screen and open the App Switcher. Annoyes me that I now really can’t be across the room from my phone and get back to the Home screen using my bluetooth keyboard. Other than those issues, I have been quite happy with iOS 7. Hopefully enough people complain about the things that are not working right that Apple will have to fix them, especially the bluetooth keyboard issues. Regards, Jordan

Jenine Stanley says:

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for the Echo demo. You succeeded in either bringing back memories or inducing PTSD, not sure which at the moment.

I got my first computer back in 1988 and I agree with Ricki about the sheer novelty of having a thing that echoed your keystrokes and that you could actually, in some cases, manipulate faster than a sighted person.

I was fascinated with linguistics at that point in my life and began taking classes at Ohio State with the hope of working on synthetic speech. Of course the Linguistics Department was not exactly aware of synthetic speech back then and directed me toward the computer folks who didn’t know about it either. Ah, once again way ahead of my time.

Then I went to work for a company called Computer Conversations which made the Verbal Operating System VOS. We also worked on a speech synthesizer called the Verbette. Yes, that really was the name and no I did not come up with it.

The speech was based on the same chip set used in most of the synthesizers at that time, I believe the SSI1 chip. What we did that was slightly different was to add controls for articulation and inflection which were soon added to synthesizers like the Artic products. It was also a parallel port device about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I still have one of the first run models in my computer junk museum box.

Part of my job on that project was to go through the pronunciation tables to correct or tweak anything to give the speech a more Midwestern accent as opposed to East Coast or Valley Girl.

From there I was sparked to find more, different and better speech synthesizers. OK, don’t shoot me but I loved the Double Talk and Triple Talk. Yes, they could be annoying but for the time, they offered a much more fluid, natural sounding speech. I don’t speed speech up much but I do mess with pitch and tone.

Then we got to the point where software based speech was not only possible but varied. Yay! I must own a ton of software synthesizer programs from the really good, Ivona and Nuance, to the really scary, too numerous to mention. My current favorite, which has been on my desktop PC for a couple years now, is Ivona’s Kendra. Ivona’s Joey is on my work laptop.

I really like the male Siri voice with the new inflection. Oh how I wish that one was available for Voice Over. I’m using the Irish English Voice Over for now, though I do like the South African voice.

And yes, I too loath Samantha! She sounds way too much like a former coworker at another job whom I could not stand.

I can only imagine the voice actors convention, a bit like running into NLS narrators at national conventions. You stand there in the elevator listening and think, “Hey, that guy sounds familiar. Who is he?”

Then you realize you’re staring at Jack Fox. Oops. Luckily he found it funny.

Then you run into a voice you can’t stand and say so, not knowing said narrator is standing about 3 feet away. Again, oops.

My final foot-in-mouth moment happened when I was browsing the APH booth at a convention a while back and asked one of the people his name. Roy Avers spoke up and I blubbered that he sounded nothing like he did when reading. I got the feeling he heard that a lot because he just sighed and went on processing my order. Gee, even telling him he was the voice of Isaac Asimov didn’t help. Imagine that?

Jenine Stanley

Bob Reid says:

Hi once again. If you look deep into the comments on the Youtube video, it is suggested that Susan C. Bennett is the old voice of Siri and Samantha and not Allison Dufty as so many are assuming. Apparently, Steve Jobs chose her personally. This could very well be the case as Susan’s lower register matches Samantha, “s’s” included. Check out the demos on her website. http://www.susancbennett.com/ Bob.

Wayne Mills writes in to say:

Hi Ricky, Jamie, Patrick and Joe,

I’m not really prone to sending mails (except for my other one) but I felt I should write because I was really worried about you all after this podcast. What has happened ? It seemed like I had entered an IOS twilight zone where I didn’t recognised what you were all saying about IOS7. It felt as though you had all woken up on chrismas day and didn’t get the Christmas present you thought you were going to get!

I thought I should offer a bit of support for IOS7. After reading my own mail though, I realise I sound like an Apple fan boy but I’m not really – just saying what my actual experience was on installing IOS7. I do say that I am a loyal customer though simply because of the huge difference the iPone and Mac has made to my independent lifestyle. It essentially has reached the status of being a personal assistant in many respects.

I’m using the 4S and I’m not really able to say that there is any significant slowing of my phone. Possibly ever so slightly spongy on the odd app but nothing significant. It is certainly not creaking and cracking under the strain of IOS 7. I wonder if almost full memory may be responsible for the slowing that others have reported on their devices.

Having said that, I do wonder if there might be a deliberate attempt to slow the OS slightly as mentioned in order to encourage an upgrade to the 5S. The Os was not a significant installation size and I don’t see anything that I would think would be taxing on the hardware really that ought to result in some people’s reported experience. §.

Patrick, I want to put your mind at ease in relation to Daniel’s voice. That nasty voice that starts on initialising IOS7 is just an initialisation voice. Once configured, you simply choose the high quality voices you want to use. don’t forget, the blind community were asking to be able to choose multiple voices and Apple have provided that. I have chosen the English; Irish; Australian and French high quality voices that all work perfectly well. I have had no stuttering or difficulty. I can change them through the rotor for the material I am reading.

Do remember, the compact voice for IOs 6 was also not pleasant to listen to unless you were using the high quality voice for the region you are in. .

What about the improvements in Siri? The voice recognition is much improved. You can ask Siri to read your mails as a group; by subject or by sender’s name or date received. You can send an e-mail interactively. You can also perform these tasks for messages. Because the voice recognition is much more accurate, it is a much smoother activity and not quite the fight we used to have at times in IOS 6.

Siri will also get information from Widipedia when you want to know about a particular subject and this feature often provides the immediate answer to many questions. You can go to the full article if you need to.

What about the handwriting feature? Of course, many blind people have acquired their sight issues later in life. the handwriting feature allows a person who has difficulty with a touch keyboard to handwrite their pass code; their mail or text message. Even a letter if they wished. The handwriting feature can also teach a blind child about the shapes of print for signature etc. In my case, I have used a mixture of all three input options. the handwriting option is really helpful to input the passcode because it does not announce the key press. Great when I’m in a public place. ll

I am a blind user of the phone so don’t know much about the low vision issues but I believe there are options to increase contrast and boldness in the accessibility settings and that these do offer significant improvement to the standard screen. That may help some people with the visual issues of the screen depending on their eye condition. I’d be interested in knowing if these options do offer any significant improvement generally.

Joe, I do like you and you are a bonnie lad but I think you are developing your very own Android distortion field – it might be the same Apple distortion field that has mutated and infected your space ! I think Apple ring tones seem to bother you a bit but like other devices, you can just download some more if you’d like you know. Just like other mobiles.

I know you like to evangelise about Talkback and how its open source contributions mean that there are advantages in the updating of its software. Of course that is true but only to an extent. The updates you refer to have been developing for some years now and they are still not equal to the OS integration of voiceover. Having said that, I am really pleased that there is competition for its own sake in terms of building our opportunities for mainstream inclusion in design.

I also have to say that it is not quite fair to say that there is closed communication in the Apple environment.I have e-mailed developers and Apple on a number of occasions and have found all to be open and willing to respond to concerns and interest. Apple developers do seem to be keen on responding to accessibility issues when they are made aware of them and an Apple market means that they can direct accessibility to a clearly identified disability group re: their time and intellectual investment..

Anyway, just throwing a thought into the ring just to get Joe to bite …

Thanks to you all for your show, always good to listen to at triple speed on downcast !

Warm regards Wayne

Roundabout

Maybe You Get Bad Customer Service Because You’re a Bad Customer

Audioboo / brief demo of Milton, an electronic memory game

Blind man’s guide dog dies after pushing young boy from path of speeding car

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

This week, Jamie, Ricky and Joe return to their familiar places on the podcast. Topics discussed in this week’s episode include:

Extra Extra, Read all About it: the NLS Bard Mobile app is on its way!

JAWS 15 Public Beta

NCBI Podcast #16 Features Sendero GPS, the Serotek Socializer, and more

Amazon.com: Out of the Whirlpool: A Memoir of Remorse and Reconciliation eBook: Sue Wiygul Martin: Kindle Store

ATI Seminar Subscription

Keyboard shortcuts – Perform common Firefox tasks quickly

Homophones are Not Mistaken in Braille

Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying

National Federation of the Blind Comments on Gun Ownership by Blind Individuals

Apple launches iPhone 5C: Color, costs aimed at emerging markets

2015: 64-bit ARM chips in iPhone 5S serve up taste of Intel-free future for Apple

Apple provides details on Touch ID’s privacy features

What’s right (and wrong) with the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s

10 new iOS 7 features for the enterprise

iCloud Keychain Removed in iOS 7 GM

OS X 10.8.5 update more than doubles 802.11ac file transfer speeds

Blast Processing

Microsoft’s Cortana shapes up to take on Siri, Google Now

Facebook suddenly deletes Social Fixer’s Facebook pages

Facebook testing videos that autoplay in mobile News Feed

Mailbag

From Luis

Hi Jamie, Joe, Ricky, or whom ever else that will join this week’s podcast,

After just finishing listening to Podcast 168 and listening to RoundAbout. The last story covered about the Simpson’s creator finding funny with his cancer fight. It reminds me about a story on CBS’s Today show back in February. On how creative a cancer survivor became with his wealth. Here’s the story that I got back then from a Houston morning show. By the way, as far as I know, no one has located the treasure yet, but be aware. That people have needed to be rescued when trying to follow the clues. Enjoy.

This Riddle Will Lead You To Millions! If You Can Solve It! Sarah Pepper February 28, 2013 A man was dying of cancer and so he hid a box with jewels and treasure in it! He wrote a riddle and if you can solve it the treasure is yours! I know, sounds like “The Goonies” but it is legit, it was on the “Today Show”! Here is the riddle. “The Thrill of the Chase”. As I have gone alone in there And with my treasures bold, I can keep my secret where, And hint of riches new and old. Begin it where warm waters halt And take it in the canyon down, Not far, but too far to walk. Put in below the home of Brown. From there it’s no place for the meek, The end is drawing ever nigh; There’ll be no paddle up your creek, Just heavy loads and water high. If you’ve been wise and found the blaze, Look quickly down, your quest to cease But tarry scant with marvel gaze, Just take the chest and go in peace. So why is it that I must go And leave my trove for all to seek? The answers I already know I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak So hear me all and listen good, Your effort will be worth the cold. If you are brave and in the wood I give you title to the gold. Happy hunting!

From Mike Arrigo

The plextalk update is really good. Samantha actually sounds decent now, that was a change that is long overdue. I used to have a tech net subscription and I’m also sorry to see this disappear. It was a great way to get access to Microsoft software at a good price, and it’s how I got windows 7. I don’t know, some of the decisions Microsoft is making these days do not seem to be in their best interest. I have yet to hear anyone say that they really like windows 8, now they’re purchasing Nokia’s hardware division, and they’re discontinuing a service that is clearly still in demand. they are going to have to rethink some things if they intend to remain competitive.

Roundabout

First Blind Solo Kayaker Goes Down Entire Length of Grand Canyon

Why Do We Clap?

Surgeon live-streams knee repair with Google Glass

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

If there is one thing that can be said about a SeroTalk Podcast, it is that you never know what you’re going to get. Petting cheetah cubs, riding in self-driving cars and rapping about science are just a few of the stories we cover on this week’s episode. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that the SeroTalk podcast team will get you where you need to go all in one piece. Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top stories of the week including:

The Next Chapter

A Review of the Socializer System Access Mobile Network App from Serotek

Entertainment Apps For The Blind And Visually Impaired

Papa Sangre II

Blind games: The next battleground in accessibility

Blind Bargains: Introducing the Cosmo Braille Writer

Life – A tactile comic for the blind

Using the Victor Reader Stream as an audible teleprompter

Now Hear This! Musings of a Blind Hearing Aid wearer

From Fedora Outlier: Managing Your Wireless Settings On Windows & Mac

Campaign for a more accessible Netflix

New release of the Kindle app for iOS adds Accessibility Quick Reference to the FAQ section in Settings

Amazon and Sony Don’t Want to Build E-Readers for the Blind

Blind Bargains: Amazon and Sony Are Requesting That The Accessibility Requirement Be Waived for E-Book Readers

Dropbox Folder Management Using JAWS for Windows

Screen Reader Failure: Innovation, Deterioration, Despair

Roundabout

H E A R and There Audio Magazine: Petting Cheetah Cubs at the Cincinnati Zoo

Science Rap B.A.T.T.L.E.S. Bring Hip-Hop Into The Classroom

What it’s like to ride in a self-driving car

Join Lisa Salinger on August 19 at 8 PM in the Pat Price Tech Talk Training room over at Accessible World to discuss our exciting new SAMNet Socializer. We look forward to seeing you there.

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

In this special discussing the state of technology, Ricky Enger is joined by Mike Calvo and Joe Orozco to explore happenings in mainstream and assistive technology.

The talk begins by exploring Serotek’s view on the screen reader in general, and expands to cover specifics about System Access as well as free screen readers such as Voiceover, Narrator and NVDA. The team then discusses the role that the SeroTalk Podcast Network plays in bringing unbiased news about mainstream and assistive technology to the community, and provides a way for AT companies to work together for the benefit of all.

The community talk continues with a discussion of Serotek’s new Socializer, available with a SAMNet or Accessibility Anywhere subscription. After that, the discussion turns to updates in mainstream technology, focusing on accessibility of and availability of ebooks. The Amazon Kindle app was discussed in detail, along with the Nook and iBooks apps. Bookshare, Audible and NLS are discussed, and the group explores what it means for the blindness community to have access to more books than ever before. The group closes with Mike Calvo giving a brief glimpse of the future of Serotek as well as a look at the future of mainstream and assistive technology in the blindness community.

This week’s podcast is packed with a lot of great content. After Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week, Jamie visits with Duyahn Walker about a recent television interview where he talks about playing video games from a low-vision perspective.

Facebook announces video on Instagram

Facebook’s Video Ads Now Likely Delayed Until Fall

Amazon adds group gift cards to Facebook

Microsoft on Xbox One reversal: Dude, E3 held us up

LG phone to sport always-on voice commands in 2014

Big Apple TV update adds HBO GO, WatchESPN, Sky News and more

Apple Updates Siri’s Response To Possible Suicide Risks

What’s Wrong with the iOS 7 Icons? by Ian Storm Taylor

OS X Mavericks First Impressions: A Little Good Going a Long Way

Introducing MBraille, the most feature-rich braille app on the app store.

Outdoor Play Tips for Toddlers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Blind Bargains: Buy Your Version of Chicken Nugget Today

Blind Bargains: Purchase “Record Tech Demos Like A Pro” by Jonathan Mosen for $19.95

Vocalizer for NVDA driver 3.0.5 is available.

AN objective look: iOS vs. Android for the visually impaired.

Google Glass Already Banned In Many Places Months Ahead Of Release

One year later, the Nexus 7 has gone from the best to worst tablet I’ve ever owned

Feedly Launches New Cloud Platform to Replace Google Reader Ahead of July Shutdown

Google Fiber spawns startup renaissance in Kansas City

Roundabout

Google Patents Image-Capturing Walking Sticks

Edgbaston Queen Elizabeth Hospital offers doggy daycare for blind patients

Internet Taxation Coming Soon to a Link Near You Syria cut off from the Internet once again No joke: The Onion tells how Syrian Electronic Army hacked its Twitter Twitter API v 1 retirement date extended to June 11 Don’t throw dirt on the grave of Windows 8 just yet Microsoft confirms public preview of Windows 8 in late June What’s new about Windows Blue Windows Start button could make a comeback, Microsoft exec says Tablets devastate laptop market T-Mobile USA moves half million iPhone 5’s in first month, spurs first subscriber growth since 2009 New Apple patent suggests that future iPhones could sport invisible buttons Apple closes in on 50 billion app downloads, offers $10,000 to the person who hits it David Woodbridge: Review of the Accessible Kindle app with VoiceOver NFB Grading of Kindle Accessibility on iOS Chris Danielsen from NFB comments on Buddy’s Kindle opinion post. “Poisoning the Treaty for the Blind” Blind advocates: Hollywood lobbying threatens deal for accessible books Here is a related article from Matt Campbell about HTML5, W3C and DRM Serotek blog post: Consumer Tip: Protect Yourself from Bill Shock A user review of NVDA in the Braille Monitor: My Constant Search for Accessibility The 2013.1rc2 version of NVDA has been released [ChromeVox 27 Released! Math support, ChromeVox context menu, and more] Viber more accessible on iOS but not PC and Mac Looktel Money Reader Gains New Currencies Join CathyAnne on May 18, 4:00 PM for An Introduction to Word 2013

Roundabout

Poll: 90% of parents admit to multitasking while behind the wheel, even with kids in the car Typing with Brain Waves Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

Amazon Bringing New Accessibility Features to Free Kindle Reading Apps

Kindle for iOS Can Make Siri Read Your Books Aloud (Sort of)

Did you know you can send documents you’ve scanned using DocuScan Plus directly to your Kindle hardware or iOS app?

Amazon Kindle for iOS Now Accessible to VoiceOver Users by Justin Romack

National Federation of the Blind Comments on Amazon Kindle App

Amazon Kindle Accessibility: What?!

How to get the Kindle for iOS Accessibility Gestures – Quick Reference Guide

New update for Fleksy

Personality, Android and iOS

ChangeReaction 2 Is Released for Windows Operating Systems

Top Reader

Free Webinar: NetEcho by Internet Speech

Five Things I Didn’t Know About Writing a Book

iOS Success: Making the iPad Accessible, A Guide for Teachers and Parents

The Human Error with Humanware

Here are the results of a March 2013 survey of computer users with low vision conducted by WebAIM:

Freedom Scientific Announces Departure of Jonathan Mosen

Eric Schmidt Is Right, Using Google Glass Is Weird — Here’s My Experience

Google joins FIDO’s crusade to replace passwords | Security & Privacy

Google’s virtual assistant invades Siri’s turf

Microsoft ‘Mohoro’ Could Be A Whole New Way To Use Windows

Bloomberg: Jony Ive said to be considering ‘more dramatic’ changes to email and calendar amid iOS 7

How much is too much to pay for coffee with Tim Cook?

Roundabout

I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

Happy birthday, Web! Public Internet turns 20

Sky News: Blind people ‘have better memories’

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

About Our Presenters Amy Billman is an east to west coast transplant, happily calling California her home for the past four years. She has a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, and a master’s in human resource management; and her passions lie in both music and HR.

Prior to moving to California, she was fortunate to have a job working in the nonprofit sector, where one of her many responsibilities, was helping clients with disabilities become job ready.

Amy is currently employed as a freelance transcription specialist; where she provides transcription services to clients in the market research industry.

She has owned and operated SpeedDots with her partner Doug, since 2011, and gets to use both her managing skills, and marketing background to run their company. “Our mission and goal,” she says, is to see that all who use iOS devices can truly, “type With Confidence.” It’s not just a slogan! I love educating people on how they can be even more productive with these already awesome and fully accessible devices. “In my spare time, you can usually find me in pursuit of my other passion: kitchen therapy! I enjoy cooking, and feeding people!”

You can follow her on twitter. Or, contact her via email. Visit SpeedDots for more information about our products.

Byron Lee is a Ham Radio Operator (KC9EEK), Broadcast Personality, Audio Engineer, Voice Over Artist, Web Designer, IT Professional, and most importantly, a huge geek! When asked about Byron, people often say “He’s just this guy, ya’ know?”

He is currently employed by Horizons for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and is currently working on the DirectionsForMe project, a one stop source for accessible packaging information.

In addition, Byron hosts two Internet radio shows. The Talk Zone is a two hour program about adaptive technology, disability rights, science fiction, pop-culture, and just about any other topic. The Fun Zone is a one hour program featuring comedy music. His shows are simulcast on ACB Radio Mainstream, Radio Free Dishnuts, The Beyond Radio Network, and Dementia Radio. He has also been involved in other radio shows and podcasts such as End of Line, a SeroTalk Podcast.

Justin Romack is a husband, daddy, marketing consultant, drummer and percussionist, and a ranting and raving fan of Texas Rangers baseball, much to the chagrin of his Twitter followers.

Justin owns Ontempo Ideas, a digital marketing agency delivering social media management, email marketing, search engine optimization and copywriting services to brands, businesses and organizations. He’s also the director of marketing and community for Fedora Outlier, LLC, a nationally-recognized provider of consulting, teaching and support for Apple’s array of accessible technologies.

Connect, heckle or stalk Justin online by following @JustinRomack on Twitter, finding Ontempo Ideas on Facebook, circling him on Google+, or connecting to his network on LinkedIn.

US Federal Reserve to introduce new $100 bill, first time with some accessibility.

WebAIM: Survey of Users with Low Vision Results

University of Bath (UK) study finds that congenitally blind people have better memories than sighted

Personality, Android and iOS

High Contrast Episode 10 Reviews Nexus 7 and iPad Mini

Directions for Me is seeking donations.

Amazon Bringing New Accessibility Features to Free Kindle Reading Apps

Did you know you can send documents you’ve scanned using DocuScan Plus directly to your #Kindle hardware or iOS app?

You can read about some of the crowd-sourcing features of the Kindle app–as well as directions to highlight sections and create notes within text–by clicking this link.

Google Now available for iPhone and iPad

The Old Hat Guide to iPhone Accessibility is now available.

Twitter Launches Twitter music App and Service

EasyChirp and SoloDX turn to crowd-funding, and meet their goals.

Sense Notetaker v8.0 Released – HIMS Inc

Zombies, Run! Season 2 is…Live?

We are delighted and proud to announce The Nightjar game — featuring Benedict Cumberbatch — is now on sale

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top news stories of the week which include:

Facebook invades Android’s Home

Report: Google Prepping Cheaper Nexus 7 for Summer Release

Countdown clock: Microsoft marches toward its Messenger phase-out

Microsoft’s Windows Blue looks to be named Windows 8.1

SkyDrive app is Microsoft’s ‘new normal’

Amazon extends AutoRip to vinyl records

Amazon Hires Former Windows Phone Exec to Work on ‘Something Secret’

Rumor has it that Apple’s iOS 7 development is delayed

Steve Jobs Shaped Next Two iPhones

Tim Cook’s apology did its job. Apple earns respect in China.

The first call from a cell phone was made 40 years ago today

April Fools’ 2013: From Twttr to Google Nose to Nokia’s microwave

Serotek Introduces TrikeTech For Tots

A BlindBargains Exclusive: Milieu Smartphone for the Blind Community

SeroTalk April Fools Podcast

Dropbox 2.0.4 adds workaround for screen readers

Walmart Expands Program to Provide Talking Prescription Containers

J-Tools will be re-released and will be free!

Rebuttal to Mike Calvo on WSJ Live

Aftershocks

Looking for headphones with a safer open ear design so you can still talk with others around you or hear your environment? Aftershokz Headphones utilize Bone Conduction audio that lets you listen to your favorite tunes, or SeroTalk network podcasts, yet still be able to hear your nearby surroundings. You can get 40% off if you use the promotional code SPN40 at the checkout area on the Aftershokz website just for being a listener of this very podcast!

To learn more about these amazing headphones, and to read about the new Bluez with wireless options, visit Aftershokz.com. You can also catch SPN’s own Mike Calvo, from last year, reviewing a pair of the Aftershocks that he uses in his daily work.

Mailbag

From Jake:

Hello Jamie, Ricky and Joe. I just got through listening to your April Fool’s Day podcast and loved it. I do indeed remember Vocal-Eyes, although I used it a few years prior to 2003 at a Jesuit college I attended which is no longer in existence. Vocal-Eyes was a great screen reader though. I can remember I had an Audapter speech box and how cool it was playing with all the parameters. I cannot remember what make the computer was, but obviously I used DOS. It is indeed amazing to think how far we’ve come in terms of assistive technology. Happy 4/1/13 to Serotek!

Jake

Blog comment: Aleeha Dudley

Wonderful podcast as usual! Let’s see: cn 2003 I was 10 years old and used borrowed computers running Windows XP. I used a Braille N’ Speak in classes and that was the extent of it. I now own a Windows 7 Dell laptop, an iPhone, iPad mini, iPod Shuffle, BrailleNote Apex, BookSense and Brailliant display. Thank you Apple for not staying in the accessibility dark ages. I don’t know what I’d do without my Apple stuff. Once again, a great podcast as always and I look forward to more awesome content from the SeroTalk team!<

Roundabout

Guided By Touch: Indianapolis Museum of Art Tours

Google Glass Early Adopters Want To Build Learning, Healthcare, Accessibility & Safety Apps

About Our Presenters

Anna Dresner has written a number of publications for National Braille Press, and is perhaps best known for her work on the books about the iPhone. She also provides part-time technical support for BARD. She homeschools her son, and does a children’s show on Mushroom FM. When she can, she enjoys squeezing in some time for singing and guitar and flute playing. You can email her or follow her on Twitter.

Erin Edgar is a lawyer currently working for Legal Aid, which is a non-profit lawfirm that assists low-income clients with various issues. She and her husband, Rodney, co-host a podcast called Tech Access Weekly which focuses on news and events  in assistive and mainstream technology. She also co-hosts the Book Hoarders Annonymous Podcast, which is dedicated to book lovers of all persuasions. Follow her on Twitter, or reach her via email.

Allison Hilliker lives in Tempe Arizona, and has a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from Arizona State University West. She currently works for Benetech, the nonprofit company that runs Bookshare. She has worked there for over five years in the collection development department. When she’s not working, Allison does assistive technology related podcasts on the Blind Access Journal website. The site covers a variety of tech topics, but it has a strong focus on iOS devices. You may email Allison, or follow her on Twitter.

General Computing

Dropbox 2.0 brings functional drop-down menus to Mac and Windows

Windows Blue confirmed as Microsoft hints at yearly updates

Mike Calvo appears on the Wall Street Journal’s Lunch Break Live

The Court of Public Opinion is Not the Last Resort

Aftershokz

Looking for headphones with a safer open ear design so you can still talk with others around you or hear your environment? Aftershokz is pleased to offer a 40 percent discount to SPN listeners. Please be aware that the code is case sensitive, so make sure you enter it correctly during checkout. The code is SPN40 .

Click here to visit the Aftershokz website.

Want to learn more? Listen to or read the transcript: Jamie Pauls interviews Mike Calvo and Buddy Brannan about their experiences with Aftershockz headphones.

Mobile Technology

A keyboard that rises up from flat touch screens

Talkback v3.0 released

Apple introduces two-factor verification for Apple IDs

VoiceOver saved in Apple, Samsung patent battle

From National Braille Press: iOS 6 Updates

What’s New in iOS6?

Navigation

What, exactly, WiFiSLAM is, and why Apple acquired it.

Navigating Your Environment Using Sight Compass

Assistive Tech

The passing of Mark Marvel

American Foundation for the Blind Introduces Described TV Listings

Live from CSUN 2013: Serotek brings opinions and interviews.

While Ricky and Joe were scurrying around at this year’s CSUN conference, gathering excellent interviews for your listening pleasure, Jamie, Lisa and Buddy sat down together and did the podcast thing. We trust that you will enjoy the results of our musings.

CSUN: It Won’t be Hard to Access BARD with the Upcoming iOS App from NLS

Ananse Productions Gets Fancy with Letter Clever for iOS and Android

LookTel VoiceOver Tutorial

Making Zombies, Run! 2 accessible

Netflix Agrees to Caption All Videos by 2014

Solo-DX

What Will Sequestration Mean for People with Disabilities?

Microsoft’s Office 365: Business users’ top questions (and answers)

Amazon launches Cloud Player app for iPad, iPad Mini

As sink Nook sales, so slumps B&N’s fiscal health

Google’s Andy Rubin: ‘No plans’ to open Android stores

iPad Mini to bury 9.7-inch iPad in 2013, says DisplaySearch

iCloud nearly back to normal after early morning outage

Tim Cook doesn’t like Apple’s falling share price, either

iTunes U crosses 1 billion downloads—have you used it?

Prepaid Carrier Could Be Stuck With $100 Million Worth of Unsold iPhones

Bloody well time, Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7

Mailbag

From Robert Carter:

Hi,

In podcast 143, Rodny said that 1password did not allow passwords to be stored in the cloud. This is incorrect. 1password uses Dropbox to store an ncrypted database of your passwords. This allows one to access passwords across platForms and from multiple devices.

I have been working with the developers of 1password to make it fully VoiceOver compatible.

Robert Carter

Typed with BrailleTouch

Sent from my iPhone

From Chelsea Cook

Hi Serotalk Team,

Once again, another great, thought-provoking,  and funny podcast! I listen to SPN every week.

I had some general comments about this week’s show. Regarding the rats seeing in different spectrums, I think that is super cool. As a physics and astronomy student, I get asked all the time how I can do astronomy when blind. What people don’t realize is that optical observations account for very little these days; major things happening in the universe  are usually always in spectrums the human eye cannot process anyway. Once viewed from this perspective, people seem to think it is the coolest thing ever. But imagine if I could look into the night sky and see in a different spectrum than my sighted peers? What do you mean, you can’t see that X-ray binary?

I think fingerprinting the human voice would make dictation a lot more accurate than it already is. At least for me, the conversations with Siri break down when I am tired.

Technology keeps changing. Like Joe, I really, really want an Apple watch. Imagine breadcrumbing your place in a crowded room with your bag, iPhone neatly tucked away inside? then, when you wanted to come back to your spot, you could tell the watch to locate the phone and play the hot and cold game until both devices had found each other and subsequently your seat? Vibrations? Bluetooth? NFC? These are the reasons I write realistic science fiction; wouldn’t it be cool to see ideas come to life that fifty years ago were just dreams? And still no hover car as of yet. Darn!

Regards,

Chelsea

PS. You guys should start a “shownotes book list.” I can never remember all your recommendations

From Michael

Dear SeroTalk land,

I am an avid listener who hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Regarding Podcast 142 on what Ricky mentioned; I find it fascinating how Apple once used unreliable voiceprint technology in Mac OS 9.2 as an account login option, than compared to the technology now days being used for Dictation and Siri.

Alos, I don’t know if people are aware of the iOS app called “Braille Pad” (student or pro). Even though I haven’t had the opportunity to try it myself, I believe it allows six key entry via keyboard and I’m not sure about touch input. I encourage other visually impaired/blind iOS users to give it a try.

However, I am familiar with the Mac version of it, which is called “Braille Writer” (student or pro). Braille Writer Pro makes a descent substitution for Perky Duck on a Mac, but found it currently incompatible with VoiceOver navigation.

Anyways, that is all I wanted to say and hope this is somewhat interesting.

Great job with the podcasting and am looking forward to hearing next week’s episode.

From Michael

————————-

P.S.    I tried to leave an iReport from my iPad, but couldn’t find an Info button, or any other button to create and submit a report, otherwise I would have loved to talk about what I wrote.

Michael’s World

Visually Impaired Student

www.mts.net/~wefour

From James Mannion

Hi everyone,

I really enjoy many of the podcasts on SPN including both That Android show and Triple Click Home. I listened to Serotalk 143 and really appreciated Mike’s comments concerning the horrable inconsiderate selfish Samsung suit. I completely agreed with Mike’s assessment, but find myself looking for anything if there is truly something to go on at this point that gives us reason to be confident that they are not going to have success either there and then here in the US or launch the same thing in the US with or without their success in Germany. Yes it is wrong on every moral and technical level when you consider that the end result they are asking for is for Apple not to be allowed to provide us access and possibly for no one to be able to. Do we necessarily have confidence that judges care about that though. I use my phone for a lot every day and it makes me sick to think that maybe just around the cornor Samsung is going to be taking that away from me in their own selfish inconsiderate persuit of more billions of dollars. I also understand that they are just using us as a pon in that persuit as well. I find myself quite concerned about it wishing I had reason to be confident it is dead and put in its rightful place.

Jim

Another email from James Mannion

Hi,

I have a speaker recommendation for Mike Calvo to check out and review. They are the Vanatoo Transparent one speakers. They are sold on amazon and on their own site, http://www.vanatoo.com/ I have been using them for a while now as computer speakers and I also have an airport express hooked up to them as well for airplay streaming. I would give them a 9 out of 10 for sound for sure. They have numerous connectivity options that prove very convenient. They look fantastic. I sold my Bose Companion 20 speakers after coming across these in a store and buying them that day. The Bose sounded pretty good some of the time, other than when something was playing that hit on that 60 hz bass hump they had and if you could ignore their constant club echo sound. Yes the bose companion 20 sounded amazing for their size, but I didn’t care they were smaller than they could have been and those sound characteristics took something away from them. You might want to check out these Vanatoo speakers. They are pretty cool.

Roundabout

Why Did Bach Go Blind?

Virtual boy teaches autistic children social skills

Blindness not stopping ex-cop

Recommended Reading

As promised, here is a link to the excellent book Beethoven’s Hair by Russell Martin that Jamie mentioned during our Roundabout segment.

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.