We would like to thank HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights Braille Creations for sponsoring this year’s NFB convention coverage.

There are many new updates coming to NFB Newsline

Make your own drawings with Easy Tactile Graphics

Purchase talking watches and more from ILA

There is a wealth of reading available from National Braille Press

As the clock races toward Christmas day, are you still frantically racking your brain to figure out what to buy for that special person in your life? Once again, the Serotek team comes to the rescue with our annual holiday review special. As you listen to the podcast, be sure to follow the links below to learn more about the respective products discussed in this podcast–and Merry Christmas!

Lisa Salinger starts us off with a discussion of the FitBit One

She also mentions MyFitnessPal which has become more accessible of late.

Joe Steinkamp reviews the Keurig K75 Platinum Brewing System

The K 75 is a great gift for the person who wants a brewing system if, and this is a big IF!, they don’t mind memorizing menus and buttons. The unit sports a blue backlit screen with hard to see text. And it has a menu system for changing things like cup sizes and the like. Yet, for the package as a whole, it comes with lots of accessories and it has 72oz of coffee or tea at the ready. Its kind of big too, possibly due to the built in K-Cup tray underneath, so you can’t hide it behind the toaster. All and all, it’s a great gift to give someone [especially if you find it for under $149] but you may just want to stick with the Travel Keurig models if you want to avoid all the frills, menus and memorization.

He also recommends Lola Savannah Coffee – Cozy Winter’s Night (Whole Bean)

Next, Ricky Enger discusses four devices that will make your life easier in the kitchen.

Polder 6631-75 Stainless-Steel Sink Strainer with Extending Rubber-Grip Arms

Artisan (2 pk.) Non-Stick Silicon Baking Mat Set. 16 5/8″ x 11″

Edge of Glory Knife Sharpener

Alton Brown Salt Cellar

Buddy Brannan interviews the developer of The Bradley Braille Watch

Matt Campbell helps us be more productive with the Asus Transformer Book T100.

Richard Wells introduces us to Lee Oscar harmonicas.

Finally, Jamie Pauls reviews the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of the show

About Our Presenters

Luis Arellano is an instructional assistant for California School Districts and a regular, helpful participant in the SAMNet Community.

Jeff Bishop describes himself as “Developer, technologist, Window-Eyes scripter, Broadcaster and family oriented guy” and is probably best known for his broadcasts on various community radio stations.

Justin Romack is a digital marketing and brand management consultant from College Station, Texas, where he lives (and works) with his beautiful wife, Angela, and their adorable, ten-month old son, Tyson. Justin’s business, Ontempo Ideas, allows him the opportunity to handle online marketing, social media and public relations for local and regional brands and businesses.

Justin likes to play drums, discover new music, have silly time with his family, explore the world with his guide dog, Piper, read and get “super nerdy” with the latest tech, accessible or not. You’ll find him blogging all across the web, but most prominently at NoEyesNeeded.com and OntempoIdeas.com.

General Tech

The quest for the best search engine: Bing It On

”Six strikes” Internet warning system will come to US this year

1 in 4 tablet owners say it is now their primary computer

Microsoft

Microsoft pushes home users toward Office subscriptions—whether they like it or not

Microsoft confirms October 25 launch for Windows 8

iOS 6 and iPhone 5

iPhone 5 review: Finally, the iPhone we’ve always wanted

iOS 6: The must-have update you’ll barely notice review

Blind Bargains: What’s new in iOS 6 from an Accessibility Perspective

SPN Special: iPhone 5, iOS6, and Android Accessibility

FaceBook

Designing for Accessibility: Q&A with Jeff Wieland

Hadley Seminar: Accessing Facebook On Your iPhone

If you have Facebook, join the discussion on Amazon’s wall about the lack of Kindle accessibility.

In the Community

Blind and online: Progress, not perfection, for visually impaired tech users

Going blind in a digital world: The road to reclaiming my web sight

Winner Is Served: Christine Ha Takes Top Prize on MasterChef

indoor navigation solution for blind users? Check out Navatar

This week, Buddy Brannan joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger to discuss the news of the week. Stories discussed in this week’s podcast include:

Go Daddy: Sorry about the outage. And no, it wasn’t a hack

“Six strikes” Internet warning system will come to US this year

California passes driverless car bill

Global TV shipments down again as Samsung dominates

BlackBerry sinks to zero sales in ‘a meaningful number’ of stores

iOS 6 coming Sept 19, here’s what’s new

 Apple’s era of secrecy is over

Five reasons iPhone 5 disappoints

Five great things about iPhone 5

Get your iPhone ready for iOS 6

Verizon will enable iPhone’s FaceTime on all data plans, unlike AT&T

Google VP says Apple v Samsung verdict was a “wake-up call”

Blind and online: Progress, not perfection, for visually impaired tech users

Bionic revolution: The tech getting disabled people into work

New Tips for Amtrak Travel

Working To Improve Autocorrect, An App Finds An Unlikely Audience: The Blind

What’s New in JAWS 14 Public Beta

Roundabout

Winner Is Served: Christine Ha Takes Top Prize on MasterChef

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

Jamie Pauls, Lisa Salinger and Buddy Brannan sit down together and discuss this week’s top news stories. Among other things, here are the main stories covered:

Apple

132-page internal document shows how Samsung set out to copy the iPhone pixel by pixel

Apple vs. Samsung: Influence, or Copying?

Apple freezes AppleID password resets requested over the phone

An in-depth discussion of the above story can be heard on Security Now Episode 364

New iPhone’s Bigger Screen to Have 5th Row of Homescreen Icons?

Why a longer iPhone 5 screen needs to happen

General Tech

Verizon divulges high data plans under ‘Share Everything’

Starbucks aims to take Square, digital payments mainstream

Microsoft Office 2013: Goodbye to adds-in, bring on the apps

Online Radio Service TuneIn Comes To Tesla’s Model S, Now Available On 200 Platforms

Google’s Self-Driving Cars Complete 300K Miles Without Accident, Deemed Ready For Commuting

AT

A Ride in a Cab That’s Optimized for the Blind

Finding and Hiring a Driver

SeroSpectives Special: Mountain Lion

Super Egg Hunt Plus preordering is now live.

Christine Ha: MasterChef Contestant, Writer, and Cook

The Blind Cook – Sightless adventures of gastronomical proportions

Using your feedback to make Narrator work better with touch

A new version of Fleksy is out.

Roundabout

NASA: Your smartphone is as smart as the Curiosity rover

iPhone app aims to help visually impaired

Welcome back to another episode of the SeroTalk podcast. In this week’s episode, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp discuss all the news of the week. Following the news, Lisa Salinger demonstrates Voice Book VO, the new Facebook app discussed on last week’s podcast.

Microsoft

Attention all Windows users: patch your systems now

Nokia Maps to replace Bing Maps in Windows Phone 8, report says

Microsoft offers glimpse of Office 2013 on Windows RT tablet

General Tech

Verizon offers buckets of data with the Share Everything plan

Amazon Cloud Player

Facebook plugs in WordPress for social sharing

Now in Skype: Advertisements

Reality check: the self-driving car

‘MasterChef’ Blind Chef Contestant: The Judges Discuss Christine’s Unique Advantage

AT

Tech Sessions at the 2012 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention

AppleVis:  Welcome our New Team Member!

Jamie and Joe appear on ACB Radio’s Main Menu show.

Android (Still) Not Very Accessible

direct Download for 30-day trial of Kurzweil K1000 13.01

NVDA 2012.2.1 Released   

Networks Set To Launch Video Descriptions

Apple

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display  

Apple CEO says Mac Pro update to come ‘next year’

Here Are The Services, Businesses, And Markets Apple Just Shook Up 

Apple’s WWDC keynote: What we didn’t get

What iOS 6 tells us about the next iPhone

Apple selects TomTom as primary iOS 6 maps provider (update: confirmed)

Upcoming iOS 6 To Have Upgraded Accessibility Features

Apple could still strike Android, Windows Phone with iOS 6 zinger

How Garmin Failed to See the iPhone Threat

Roundabout

Blind Olympic torch bearer runs unguided, assisted only by smartphone

Background and Description

Bradley Smoker BS611

Accessible Manual for the BS611

Bradley Smoker Bisquettes

For recipes, forums, easy-to-follow videos, and much more, visit the Bradley Smoker Website.

For more recipe ideas, visit the Smoking Meat page.

Helpful Accessories

Duncan Euro Design 2-Piece Mitt and Hot Pad Set, Black

BETTY CROCKER DOUBLE SPATULA – SILICONE

Bayou Classic 5011 2-Ounce Stainless-Steel Seasoning Injector with Marinade Needles

iDevices iGrill 7685-IGLK Grilling/Cooking Barbecue Thermometer, Black

Safety Considerations

The VisionAware site has an excellent, comprehensive article on cooking and food safety.

The USDA has a detailed Factsheet on smoking meat and poultry.