I know that sounds really drastic but it is true. Why should we care though? Because, fact is, disabled people need the internet.

There are a lot of things that make me want to question all humanity, simply because it seems that common sense is becoming more and more a luxury than anything else today. Why? Today, I read an article that’s just promoting nothing more than false intentions.

I’m on twitter a lot and I read what my followers post a great deal. When I saw the article about the notion that Verizon was fighting against Net Neutrality to benefit the disabled populace, I didn’t have anything clever to say. I didn’t have a retort to utter. I didn’t even have a tweet to formulate in wake of this. Ladies and gents, there’s simply no other word to describe what they are claiming and the propositions that they claim, other than one. It’s a word that fits all, I believe, given this context and the huge array of just false debauchery that Verizon is trying to cook up.

LIES.

If you have not heard about the FCC and their latest plan to destroy the internet do a Google search for FCC and net neutrality. You will get some really interesting articles that basically outline what their new rules will entail.

It’s a proposal that would ban Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

It sounds good on paper and in a simple sentence like that. It’s not. I will briefly explain why.

Anything can be abused, including this new law. Internet service providers (ISPs), like Comcast or AT&T—believe that, as providers of internet access, they should be able to distribute bandwidth differently depending on the service.

They’d prefer, for example, to create tiers of internet service that’s more about paying for priority access than for bandwidth speeds. As such, in theory, they could charge high-bandwidth services—like Netflix, for example—extra money, since their service costs more for Comcast to provide to its customers—or they could charge users, like you and me, extra to access Netflix. They can also provide certain services to you at different speeds.

For example, perhaps your ISP might give preferential treatment to Hulu, so it streams Hulu videos quickly and for free, while Netflix is stuck running slowly (or we have to pay extra to access it). If you don’t think that won’t wrack up a huge bill, you are wrong.

How many people use cell phones and access Facebook, twitter, Netflix, ETC. This will affect everything that’s connected to the internet and they can all have a separate charge attached for that device to access websites and content.

This will also affect your tablets, game systems, ANYTHING that is hooked up to the internet. Knowing the USA, those fees can be taxed. enough said.

Imagine that Verizon or AT&T don’t like the idea of Google Voice, because it allows you to send text messages for free using your data connection. Your cellphone carrier could block access to Google Voice from your smartphone so you’re forced to pay for a texting plan from them. Or, they see that a lot of people are using Facebook on their smartphone, so even if they have the bandwidth to carry that traffic, they decide to charge you extra to access Facebook, just because they know it’s in high demand and that they can make a profit.

Obviously this will be great for people who have money spilling outa their pockets and who live in a financial bubble ignorant of the rest of us but I don’t think the FCC remembers that not everyone has money, If this rueling gets past it will ban some disabled people from using the internet. Let’s be real here.

Take SSI. How much is your internet bill per year now and how often do people on SSI rely on the internet and websites that host special content like Facebook, for social collaboration and school websites that often hold YouTube videos, which can have a steep price on it too on top of your internet bill if net neutrality is killed.

People on SSI or even SSDI won’t be able to pay all of that, given the fact that disabled people use the internet more than anything else for more than just socializing. People host teleconferences on Facebook, promote goods on blogs, the list goes on and I should not even have to point these out.

These ISP;s certainly won’t remember that not everyone has money because they want to have the money and they will want to have the money that they think they should have any way that they can get it, including charging people like you and I to use an email provider that isn’t with your default ISP like, for example, if you’re using Comcast and you look at your Gmail. Comcast could charge you to access Gmail even though Gmail is free.

The reason why blind people use Gmail is that it offers a lot of customization. For example, it offers free IMAP and POP3 access to mail clients. Yahoo does not.

This is why I say that Verizon is spewing illogical banter. There’s a stereotype about us Americans that say, frankly, we are greedy.

Verizon and Comcast really want to have this new rueling passed just so they can get more money and the fact that Verizon is using disabled people as a valuable excuse to justify why they want to kill Net Neutrality just so they can have more money really makes me, well, disappointed at my own country.

Hears the claim Verizon makes. Without a fast lane, disabled Americans could get stuck with subpar service as Internet traffic increases.

The issue that’s a constant problem isn’t even about the speed of access but, rather, the simple act of accessing something. I don’t understand how this will help us access something such as a website that isn’t designed to be accessible or obtaining some key information that’s in an accessible element on the inaccessible or partially accessible website. Since the internet often has inaccessible websites, even today, we would just turn to the phone, or, in my case, text one of my minions to look something up for me, adding a winking smiley at the end just because. The issue of speed doesn’t even culminate into a logical fit within this particular claim, if people really knew about screen readers and magnifiers and such. Instead of slower speeds dolling out a subpar service it’s the incomplete and botched content that we cannot access because developers didn’t make whatever accessible.

If there were, indeed, a way for ISPs to create two lanes of internet access, one slow, with costs to use all these demanding sites like Netflix and such, and one fast, combined with services like Facebook, it would ban a lot of disabled people from accessing some very key information all together all because of costs that would be designated by the ISP and then that would be yet another contender blind and visually impaired activists would have to constantly advocate for.

State rehabilitation will not pay for internet as is, and that’s just one monthly cost to access all websites and services. If this were to actually be enforced people with disabilities wouldn’t have access to certain sites at all because of the high costs that will, without a doubt, be determined by the ISP.

This could lead to loss of employment, fewer educational opportunities because this will affect schools too, and overall fewer productivity and would make the unemployment rate for disabled people increase because a lot of disabled people work from home, using many sites and services every day that wouldn’t be able to be accessed because, oh no! The bill is really high!

Speed is not the issue and it infuriates me that Verizon even uses that as a claim. If people know about screen readers, magnifiers, and accessibility issues with software and sites then they will see right through this fallacy. If they don’t know about disabled people and access technology it would be a simple conclusion that would make sense in their minds even though its hugely false, that speed would help us.

Access is an issue but the irony is access would be an even bigger issue, coupled with taxes and stuff, I’m sure, will be added onto these extra speed costs and costs to access content, thereby bridging the disabled homeless and otherwise on an even wider separation all because of money. Access won’t be an issue, it will morph into a barrier, one that will always be up.

This is just for work. Could you only imagine how disabled people wouldn’t have access to sites like twitter, where news is happening all day, every day? Oh my god!I don’t even want to entertain that nightmare.

I just cannot believe that Verizon would even say such a disingenuous thing. It won’t help disabled people at all. It would ban some from even using the internet, even some who are not disabled. I don’t think people who work at these companies know that not everyone works at Verizon or otherwise, but hey, in America, it’s all about the money. It’s all about the money.

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

When Apple launched the original iPhone, there wasn’t anything quite like it. iOS transformed the way that consumers interacted with cell phones, and the App Store unleashed an unprecedented wave of developer creativity. This creativity and ingenuity has lead to leaps forward in accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Independent Living Resource Center Of San Francisco, in partnership with The Serotek Corporation, will be providing live commentary on today’s Apple event.

Please note this is not an in-person event.

Various community leaders including Mike Calvo, Founder of Serotek, Derek Zarda, Assistive Technology Educator, and Jessie Lorenz Executive Director of ILRCSF will be providing commentary on what may be the most accessible version of iOS yet. Please join us today at 1 PM Eastern as we continue the dream of Steve Jobs, who had a vision of a world where technology erases limitations. Live tweeting and bloggers welcome!

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.

Last December, Serotek’s own Buddy Brannan had the opportunity to join HIMS Inc. in New York City where they took part in the dedication of the very first UN Accessibility Center. While Buddy was in the neighborhood, he paid a visit to The Seeing Eye. He brought back a lot of audio from that trip, and we are pleased to bring you the second installment. Buddy had the opportunity to record a tour of the school. This is a high-quality stereo recording, so a good pair of headphones are recommended.

We would like to thank Jim Kutsch, the president of the school along with other members of the staff for making this tour one that our listeners will never forget.

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

Replay the Accessible Event archive of SeroSpectives: This Month in Tech for January

About Our Presenters

Jeff Bishop 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.

Dr. Robert Carter is a psychologist at Texas A&M University. Before coming to Texas in 1989, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Florida.

As a graduate assistant, Dr. Carter ran an accessible computer lab where he taught blind people to use the Apple II. In his doctoral dissertation, he studied the decision-making process that rehabilitation counselors go through when they select access technology for their clients.

Since 1975, Dr. Carter has been involved in the testing and development of dozens of access technology products. He frequently speaks publicly about access technology.

At present, Dr. Carter is the host of “The Tech Doctor” podcast where he helps his listeners make sense of the ever-changing and complex landscape of accessible technology. You can keep up with him by following him on Twitter.

Rodney Edgar is a low vision IT Professional in the banking industry. In 2009 he co-founded the Tech Access Weekly podcast which discusses a variety of accessible technologies. He is also the host of High Contrast on SPN, technical director of Tech Access DemoCast, and shameless promoter of the Book Hoarders Anonymous podcast.

General Tech

12 Buzzwords You’ll Hear in 2013

Ticketmaster dumps ‘hated’ Captcha verification system

Amazon’s latest acquisition could bring dictation back to Kindle devices

Facebook

New Facebook Graph Search gives users power to slice and dice info from friends

How The New Facebook Search Is Different & Unique From Google Search

Microsoft

Microsoft Messenger Service not going anywhere just yet

Microsoft Office 2013: What to expect on the pricing front

Microsoft Office 2013 review: Designed for tablets, but great for everyone

Google

Google looks to ditch passwords for good with NFC-based replacement

Report: Samsung Galaxy S4 will debut in April

Blackberry

BlackBerry Z10 review: a new life, or life support?

Apple

Apple iPad jumps to 128GB, starting at $799

Apple releases iOS 6.1 with more LTE carrier support, Siri/Fandango movie ticket purchasing, iTunes Match song downloading

? AppleTV 5.2 Update Brings Accessibility Changes

Access Tech

Volunteers describe Rose Parade to blind spectators.

New BookShare Tools Announced at ATIA 2013

Announcing the release of BookSense 3.0.

HumanWare – The all new Victor Reader Stream

AFB’s AccessNote for iOS has been released.

BrailleTouch has been released

Detailed image descriptions now available

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

In Podcast 140, Ricky Enger, Lisa Salinger and Joe Steinkamp discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered include:

BlackBerry Z10 review: a new life, or life support?

U.S. Carriers Rally Around BlackBerry 10

Ticketmaster dumps ‘hated’ Captcha verification system

Microsoft Office 2013 review: Designed for tablets, but great for everyone

Windows Weekly 297 discussing Office 2013

Is Windows 8 a bad OS for tablets? It’s time to decide…

Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB comes with only 23GB of available storage space

Apple iPad jumps to 128GB, starting at $799

Apple releases iOS 6.1 with more LTE carrier support, Siri/Fandango movie ticket purchasing, iTunes Match song downloading

★ AppleTV 5.2 Update Brings Accessibility Changes

Barnes & Noble Plans to Eliminate 30% of Stores Over Next 10 Years

Serotek has a shiny new Web site

Triple-click Home Episode 14: “Now Peter”

SPN Special: 2012 Outtakes

New BookShare Tools Announced at ATIA 2013

Announcing the release of BookSense 3.0.

Braille Sense U2 and U2 QWERTY are available at a promotional price of $5,595 (plus $45 shipping) through June 30th.

HumanWare – The all new Victor Reader Stream

AFB’s AccessNote for iOS has been released.

BrailleTouch has been released

Facebook Accessibility is now on Twitter

White House Announces Audio Descriptions for Public Tours

Detailed image descriptions now available

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo:

I’m not sure how many consumers actually attempt to unlock their phones. Most people do not know what an unlocked phone is when I mention it. People should do their research more, as I have mentioned previously, the benefits of unlocked phones are many. I think making unlocking cell phones other than through your carrier gives carriers too much power. There are no laws that require carriers to unlock their phones, so if they decide they don’t want to do this, you are stuck.

All the more reason to purchase unlocked phones in the first place.

Many countries have laws requiring carriers to unlock your phone once your contract is complete, unfortunately the United States is not one of them.

I agree with Ricky about Google’s NFC thing. I don’t like the idea of replacing my passwords with some kind of chip.

Blog comment from Sue:

Hello. Love the podcasts as usual. Jamie, you mentioned that you have a drawer filled with floppy disks, and so do I, Well a few months back I got a windows7 computer and love it. Well I do have a lot of stuff on floppy disk about 40 of them. I needed an external one and I got one on Amazon the HDE external floppy disk drive was I think around 10 dollars or so. I just installed it and it is quite easy to use. It comes with a small disk and some paper instructions, but for me I plugged it in to one of the usb ports on the computer and it just works. So thought I would recommend it it for anyone who still has a bunch of floppy disks around and still use them.

Roundabout

Kids See Through the Challenges of Blindness

The Experiences of a Guide Dog owner and his dog on their first cruise

Staying in touch with the home front: Technology in the midst of war

Here is a link to the Blinded Veterans Association Web site

Here is a Wikipedia article on Paradigm Shift

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

Lisa Salinger joins Jamie Pauls and Joe Steinkamp as they discuss this week’s crop of stories, including the big one that prompted the title of this podcast. Finally, Joe and Jamie have a surprise for those who listen in past the credits at the end.

New Facebook Graph Search gives users power to slice and dice info from friends

How Facebook Graph Search Can Help Journalists

How The New Facebook Search Is Different & Unique From Google Search

Why Facebook doesn’t need its own phone

Microsoft Office 2013: What to expect on the pricing front

Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet is expected to arrive in ‘weeks’

Microsoft’s Surface needs a reboot: Here’s how

Another top retail executive leaves as Apple looks for new head

Specs leak: BlackBerry 10 L-Series shows multiple variants, decent horsepower

RIM Attracts 15,000 Apps For BlackBerry 10 In 2 Days

A User’s Perspective on the Insignia Narrator Talking HD Radio

UEB & You: What You Need to Know About Unified English Braille

Nexus 7 Screen Protectors Survey

Verizon Wireless Introduces Mobile Accessibility App For Customers Who Are Visually Impaired

Mobile Accessibility Survey

Book Review: All You Need and Want to Know about iMessaging

HIMS is Pleased to Release Sense Notetaker v7.0 patch 2 featuring Support for Learning Ally

Download KeySoft 9.2.2 today!

2013 Rose Parade with Audio Description Now Available for Download

ZoomText 10.06

J-Say 11

Time to enroll in CAVI courses

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo:

Great show as always.

Skype on the Mac is much more accessible than in windows. It has built in features to notify you of things such as receiving messages and when contacts sign in and out. The chat window is an html view so it’s fully accessible. I’ve merged my messenger and skype accounts, and I think this is a great thing. I don’t think text chat is dead yet, just like on a mobile phone, if you want to tell someone something very quickly, text messaging is quicker, and it also allows you to multitask and do other things while having an on going chat.

Regarding the iphone for straight talk, you have to pay full price for the phone I think. I wonder if it’s unlocked. I sure hope so, to pay the price they are charging for a phone that is locked is nothing but a rip off.

Regarding blackberry 10, I wonder if that will be accessible or if it will join the ranks of windows phone 8.

I agree with Ricky about the specialized smart phone. There’s simply no reason for that. The main stream phones that are available are accessible, assuming they use an accessible platform. People need to bite the bullet and learn how to use them the same as everyone else.

From: Ali

Hello,

I enjoyed listening to podcast 137. You guys provided a good perspective.

As far as backing up an iOS device, I still prefer backing up in iTunes, that way, you are certain all your content is completely backed up, and software updates are quicker.

Is there a difference between the Mac and windows version of iTunes? I have only used the Windows version.

Best regards, Ali

Roundabout

1928 video of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, captioned and audio described

What could possibly be better than a parade? How about a parade with audio description? Can it get any better than that? As a matter of fact, it can. On January 1 of this year, the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service planned to provide two live streams of audio description for this year’s 124^th Tournament of Roses Parade. One stream was intended specifically for patrons of the reading service and the other was geared more toward people listening to the parade as their family members watched on HGTV. The SeroTalk Podcast Network intended to rebroadcast the HGTV stream on iBlink Radio, but we were unable to carry that stream at the time of broadcast. We instead carried the audio description that was heard on the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service’s regular stream. As it happened, the HGTV stream was in fact recorded, and the audio you will here in this archive is that broadcast. Whether you listened to our coverage on the day of the parade or whether you are hearing it for the first time, there is plenty for you to enjoy. Our thanks go out to all the great people who made the original broadcast and subsequent archive available to all of us.

In our first podcast of the new year, Jamie, Ricky and Joe ring out the old year and bring in the new with a few surprises thrown in along the way. Stories addressed in this episode include:

SeroSpectives: This year in Assistive Tech for 2012

That Android Show Episode 13: A Long Look At The Nexus 7

The 100 tech trends of 2012, ranked in order

12 Buzzwords You’ll Hear in 2013

Mossberg’s predictions. 2013: Talk Gets Cheaper, TV Gets Smarter

Android in 2013: What to expect  

Twitter Now Valued at $11 Billion, Analyst Says

Foursquare Updates Privacy Policy to Display Full Names

Apple Says ‘Do Not Disturb’ Bug to Resolve Itself on Monday, January 7th

Apple is already testing the iPhone 6 

Is Apple Plotting A Route To A Waze Acquisition? Rumours On The Road Point To Yes

iPad Mini 2 rumors have already begun to spread. Don’t expect them to die down 

What iPad Mini owners hate about the iPad Mini

The netbook may be dead, but there’s no escaping its legacy

Volunteers describe Rose Parade to blind spectators.

New York Times for iPhone Updated with Improved Accessibility

Pat Pound updates her list of 70+ accessible iPhone apps

Mailbag

From Mike Arigo

Hey, merry Christmas to everyone!

I also think the Kindle app needs to be accessible on all platforms, I don’t think anyone will be opposed to that. Joe is right, to say that something is accessible on the platform you use is sufficient is narrow minded to say the least.

Regarding the new mobile accessibility, about the only thing it may provide now for a jellybean user is better braille display support.

Google has released a beta of braille back that now provides grade 2 braille, so that is covered. Other than that, I can’t think of any reason to spend $100 on it. Jellybean provides everything that mobile accessibility provides. If someone still has a phone running gingerbread, it might be worth considering. Since I had purchased it previously, I tried it, the screen reader part of it does work with jellybean gestures now so that’s a good thing. I ended up uninstalling it though because it didn’t offer any advantage.

Blog Comment: Niral Sheth

ITunes 11 has some challenges.

It is impossible to get to the universal access button through the summery tab in iTunes 11.  I was on the phone with a senior level technitian for over an hour and we got no where. Finally I decided to just restore back from my previous settings.  Please get on Apple and tell them that we need to see the universal button in a easier way.<

Roundabout

Samsung’s latest robot vacuum could make its official debut at CES 

The Blind Dog and His Seeing-Eye Cat

All who regularly listen to the SeroTalk Podcast Network have come to expect extensive convention coverage each summer. This year, we went the extra mile and brought back something extra special from this year’s ACB convention. Jamie Pauls had the privilege of touring the American Printing House for the Blind with museum director Mike Hudson. Not only did Jamie take the tour, but he recorded the event. The result is over 90 minutes of audio that will take you from the 19^th century to the present day and even into the future. The only way this experience could be any better is if you were there yourself. If you ever get the chance, we urge you to take the APH Factory and Museum tour in person. You won’t regret it!

Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger welcome Joe Steinkamp back to this week’s podcast. After a brief discussion about Joe’s recent computer problems, the three of them tackle the news of the week.

Smartphones

Why Apple should abandon its ‘thermonuclear’ war against Android

iPhone Vs. Android Phones, Which One is Dominating the Market?

Feature Writer Steve Famiglietti – A Personal Journey Through the iPhone 4S

Hospitals Warn Smartphones Could Distract Doctors

iPad

Apple ‘Must Fix’ iPad Battery Issue, Study Warns

Apple: iPad charging fine, keep it plugged in

General Tech

Is HTC prepping an iPod Touch rival?

AT&T striving to retain customers through new loyalty program

Twitter bug makes it seem you’re unfollowing people

Google Drive due as soon as April

Harry Potter Flies Onto eReaders as Pottermore Store Opens

Windows 8 Release Candidate rumored for June, retail release in October

AT

windows 8 narrator, provides hype and not hope

Volunteer for Exciting New Image Description Project!

A screen reader for everyone: why the world needs NVDA | Media Access Australia

Electroactive polymer key to durable full-screen Braille displays

Roundabout

Self-Driving Car Test: Steve Mahan (Audio Described) – YouTube

The audio archive of the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade with audio description is now available for your listening pleasure. Our thanks go out to the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service for bringing this event to us. We would also like to thank all of the listeners to SamNet Radio who so enthusiastically spread the word about the broadcast via Twitter as the event took place. Regardless of whether you are listening to the parade for the first time or listening again in order to recapture the moment, we trust that you will enjoy this podcast download of the event.