So, you have finally finished developing your dream application, and you are ready to release it out in the wild. But have you checked to see if it is accessible for people using assistive technology, like a screen reader? Do you even know what a screen reader is? Do you need to download a screen reader and check for accessibility, and would you even know how to?
Thanks to IBM’s Accessibility Probe, AccProbe for short, you don’t need to do anything but run the checker and make the suggested corrections before releasing your app to the public.
Transfer Money with Facebook Messenger.
TransferWise has created a bot for Facebook Messenger that allows you to transfer money by talking to a bot. The service is available for TransferWise customers, no charge to join, and it works in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and Europe. The bot will convert the exchange rate, and can even be setup to transfer the money when the exchange rate is most optimal. The fee for the transfer is 1%, which is much lower than many other services.
Amazon’s Alexa Voice Activated Assistant is now Available on Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
A new app called, Reverb, brings Alexa to your Apple devices. The app is free to download, and it allows you to activate the Alexa voice assistant by clicking and holding on a blue ring that is on your desktop. The iOS app works in a similar manner. You will need to sign in with your Amazon account, but all the Alexa features are available except for music. You can even enable skills by voice, or enable them on your Alexa app.
This is a great way to enjoy Alexa without an Echo device, or even a new way to use Alexa when you are not near your Echo speaker.
Accessibility Makes Itself Known at this Year’s Game Developers Conference.
For far too long, the developers and manufacturers of games have assumed that people with disabilities can’t play games and therefore have no interest in video games. Well, I say to those developers, you know what happens when you assume?
But that is starting to change. At this year’s, Game Developers Conference, also called GDC 2017, held at the Moscone Conference Center in Sanfrancisco California from February 27 to March 3, there will be several presentations on accessibility and gaming. I will provide the list below.
How to Shop for Things Using Just Your Voice on Your Google Home.
Google has just enabled a new feature that allows you to enter your credit card and delivery address into your Google Assistant. This allows you to order items through Google Express on both your Google Home and Pixel phone.
For example; if you say, “ok Google,” “Shop for paper towels.” The Assistant will present you a list of choices. The choices include brand name, item description, provider, and price. You are asked if you want to buy an item after all the details are read to you. Saying yes will have the item purchased and sent to you. Saying no will have the Assistant move on to the next item. For some strange reason, quickly saying no twice places an item in your shopping cart.
To enable this new feature, follow these instructions.
IBM Research Works with Partners to Develop Indoor/Outdoor Navigation System for the Blind.
IBM research is working with civil engineering and general contracting firm Shimizu Corporation and real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan to conduct a voice navigation field experiment. The test is being conducted in COREDO Muromachi shopping park in Tokyo Japan.
The field test utilizes 224 beacons that have been strategically placed throughout the shopping park. It then uses the IBM-Carnegie Mellon University pilot smartphone app called NavCog, which was developed to help people with visual impairments, wheelchair use, and language barriers.
The user can then tell their smart phone where they want to go, and the app will begin to give the user voice directions to their location. It also keeps in mind what obstacles might be a problem NavCog, for the user, depending on the user’s disability.
Orcam Glasses Help the Blind Read any Printed Material and Even Recognize Faces.
Orcam is a device that sits on the side of what appear to be a regular pair of reading-glasses, but it is so much more. The Orcam device contains a miniature camera and computer which runs OCR software. The device can read any printed material and can even recognize faces of individuals that you tell it to remember. You use the device by looking at what you want to read. You can then either click a button on the side of the device, or activate it by pointing at what you want it to read. Orcam then reads the print back to you through an ear-piece.
It works well with labels, the mail, restaurant menus, money, and credit cards. The more that you program into the Orcam, the quicker and more accurate its responses. If you tell it to remember your friend Susan’s face, the next time you run into Susan, Orcam will announce her name in your ear-piece. No more trying to put a voice with a name.
Reviewing TalkBack Settings in Android Nougat on a Google Pixel Phone.
In this episode, we look at the TalkBack settings on a Google Pixel running Android Nougat 7.1.1. James Oates gives a brief overview of accessibility settings while primarily focusing on the settings for TalkcBack 5.1. He also shows us Moves, which are specialized gestures for Android that can be toggled on or off, depending on your preferences.
Although James is new to Android, he is very impressed with the Google Pixel, and looks forward to bringing more Android content to our listeners.
How to Automatically Generate Captions for Videos on Your Facebook Page.
The accessibility team at Facebook has developed a method for generating automatic captioning of your Facebook videos. You can utilize this function at the time you upload the video, or you can add captions to an existing video. Currently, automatic captions are only generated in U.S. English, but you can upload your own custom made captions in the language of your choice. If the viewer has audio turned off, captions will appear automatically, otherwise, they will need to enable captions.
How to Enable TalkBack on Your Android Watch.
The TalkBack screen reader is now available for Android watches, and it can be enabled without sighted assistance. If you have a watch with a speaker, and you are running Android Wear 2.0, you can enable TalkBack by powering on the watch while holding two fingers on the screen of your watch. This is the same way you enable TalkBack on your phone. Currently, the new LG Sport and LG Style watches from LG and Google come already running Android Wear 2.0, but you will need to see if the watch you are purchasing comes with Android Wear 2.0, or can be upgraded to the new operating system.
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