Tuesday 20 December 2016

Talking Tech for December 20 2016

As I said last week, I would confirm the pairing of Focus Blue displays from FS with the newly released iOs 10.2 which is now confirmed.  Following is a technical support bulletin from FS.

 

http://www.freedomscientific.com/Support/TechnicalSupport/Bulletin/1625 

 

Speaking of iOS: besides iOS 10.2 being released, you’ll find updates for watch os, Apple TV os, and Mac OS: no accessibility improvements to note as yet.

 

Olitech Mobile Phone

 

Just a reminder to folks that the Olitech is a large print mobile phone suitable for folks with low vision, not for people who are blind or who use speech output: only the keypad speaks, not the menus of the phone.

 

Windows 10 upcoming release in Spring (US) 2017 has a number of accessibility improvements including finally support for refreshable Braille displays:

 

https://www.slashgear.com/windows-10-creators-update-to-include-new-accessibility-features-for-braille-narration-03466255/

 

Microsoft continues its excellent development work in accessibility improvements for Word on Mac, iPhone and iPad:

 

https://support.office.com/en-US/article/What-s-new-in-accessibility-for-Word-for-Mac-iPhone-and-iPad-c681eb25-549e-4d1d-a970-e52450c701de

 

AccessWorld for December 2016

 

In this issue, these articles caught my attention: Microsoft Word with NVDA Training Guide, Game Review - Timecrest: The Door, Accessible Recipes for Cooking and Entertaining, and What is NEW in Mac Sierra and the New MacBooks.

 

http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw171201

 

AirPods arrived, but no chance to put them through their paces, will report back in the new year with a podcast.

 

In case you don’t want to wait for my podcast, here is a guide on the use of the AirPods from iMore:

 

http://www.imore.com/airpods-ultimate-guide

 

Similarly, I have now got my hands on a loan MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, and will report what I think in the new year.

 

Dr Robert Carter who produces the Tech doctor Blog and Podcast has done an excellent job of overviewing the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar:

 

http://www.dr-carter.com

 

For those that may need a bit of help with their Apple products over the Christmas/new year period from an accessibility point of view, the Apple Accessibility Helpdesk is only closed in the US on Christmas and New Years day, so you can still contact them outside of these days on 1300 365 083.

 

I haven’t checked the operational hours for the Disability Helpdesk from Microsoft: but they can be contacted on 1800 280 300.

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Talking Tech for December 13 2016

Vision Australia and Vision Telco now Selling Mobile Phones and Plans

 

http://www.visiontelco.com.au

 

The Telstra 2G Network is now Closed

 

https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Telstra-Product-Exits/Our-2G-Network-has-closed/ba-p/440992

 

Podcast from me: My Podcasting and work Set-up at Home

 

https://s59.podbean.com/pb/65c51471a8a1952d3511286a49029a9a/584c9094/data2/fs54/339150/uploads/My_Podcast_and_Work_home_setup.mp3

 

Braille On display

 

https://soundcloud.com/theblindsidepodcast/episode18

 

A Blind Legend Comes to the Mac

 

https://s65.podbean.com/pb/a6999bb55a08389dfcc86695915c0604/584ca773/data1/fs54/339150/uploads/A_Blind_Legend.mp3

 

Netflix Adds Offline Viewing for iOS

 

http://tidbits.com/article/16924?rss=&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=tidbits

 

How Major Tech Company’s are Improving Accessibility for People with Disabilities

 

http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/how-major-technology-companies-are-improving-accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-352105.html?utm_source=rhs_tagbased

 

Fake Apple Chargers are worse Than you Think

 

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/12/fake-apple-chargers-are-even-more-dangerous-than-you-think/

 


Saturday 10 December 2016

Talking Tech for Dec 6 2016

Saying Good Bye to the Mac by Jonathan Mosen

 

Jonathan makes some valid points in this article all of which I agree with.  As Jonathan states this his personal point of view to leave and its my personal point of view smile that I’m still staying with the Mac.

 

http://mosen.org/saying-goodbye-to-the-mac/

 

Make a Speaker Call Using Siri

 

Hey Siri call David Woodbridge Using Speaker: great if you want to make a call hands free and be able to hear it.

 

https://twitter.com/dwoodbridge/status/802275779954569216

 

Attenborough Story of Life from the BBC

 

Over 1000 hours of video clips from Sir David Attenborough’s 60 years of documentaries.

 

http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/entertainment/attenborough-story-life

 

Wikipedia Audio

 

Great website where the article’s are spoken out with text to speech.

 

http://wikipediaaudio.com/?platform=hootsuite

 

Electric Cars and Hybrids Will Soon Have to Announce Their Presence

 

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/239465-nhtsa-evs-hybrids-quiet-car-noise