Apple has confirmed that this years WWDC keynote will be live streamed for those who cannot attend, which means just about everyone with the exception of a select few over in San Jose, California.
The Read Read: An Interactive Tool That Makes Learning Braille Easy.
Alex Tavares has developed an interactive device that helps anyone learn braille. Working at Harvard’s Innovation Lab, Alex created a device that uses tiles with braille letters on each tile. When touching the tile, it responds exactly like a touch screen device. The Read Read will speak the braille letter, speak the dots used to create the letter, and even phonetically read back entire words. The Read Read was tested at the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts with very positive results.
I believe this is the first device that allows a child or first time braille user the ability to learn braille in an interactive way without a specialized instructor present.
VIP: In With the New, Out With the Old
The Cool Blind Tech team is on top of the news in the world of accessible technology. This week, Joel, Jessica and Nelson discuss the latest happenings from Google, NVDA and say goodbye to an old friend. Make sure to download the podcast or press play to listen to this week’s information filled show.
Android O: New Accessibility Features in TalkBack 6.0.0.
The over the air update for the Android O developer preview has arrived, and there are some very interesting new features for those of us who use TalkBack.
Listen to this podcast to find out what accessibility improvements are on the way.
If you are considering installing the developer preview of Android O, make sure that you backup your device before enrolling in the Android Beta program, and downloading the update. Listen to this podcast on how too backup and enroll an Android device in the Beta program, if you need a step by step guide on how to do it.
Zoomtext Fusion Released: Combining the Power of Zoomtext and JAWS.
The VFO Group has released Zoomtext Fusion, which combines Zoomtext and JAWS in one product release. Now blind and visually impaired people can have access to magnification software, screen reading software, and braille display support all in one package. Many people have ever changing vision, and also see better in certain situations or on better on certain days. This software solution makes it easier to have access to all of the accessibility tools that can provide feedback of the information on the screen.
Listen to our interview with the VFO Group at CSUN earlier this year on Zoomtext Fusion.
NVDA Update Supports Audio Ducking and Microsoft Edge.
NVDA 2017.2rc1 is available for download, and includes several updates for the popular Windows screen reader. NVDA now supports audio ducking in the Windows 10 Creator’s Update. Audio ducking automatically lowers the volume of media content so that a visually impaired user can still hear the speech generated by the screen reader.
NVDA has also made improvements on how the screen reader works when using Microsoft Edge, and it has corrected some selection problems that occur when using browse mode with NVDA.
If you would like to go ahead and download the latest version of NVDA, you can do so here.
Amazon Echo Look App is Now Available!
The new app for the Amazon Echo Look is here, and you can download it from the Play Store.
Echo Look on the App Store.
The app was designed in order to help you get your fashion advice while on the go. Not only can the app help you setup your Amazon Echo Look, but it can also show you pictures of the outfits you previously wore. It also gives you a live preview picture of whatever you want to photograph before you actually take it.
Cool Picks: May 21, 2017
This week the Cool Blind Tech team gives us some of their latest Cool Picks in the world of accessible technology. It’s another jam-packed show that can’t be missed.
Get a Fresh Start With Your Brand New Computer By Removing Preinstalled Bloatware
See if this sounds familiar: you get a brand new computer with the latest specs. You’re certain that it will perform very fast. When you turn it on for the first time however, you are disappointed to find that not only there is a lot of unwanted preinstalled software, but the computer is much slower than you imagined. What can you do?
How To Cast Audio From Your Android Device To Google Home
Google Home shares a lot of aspects with Google’s Chromecast devices, including what essentially equates to having a Chromecast Audio inside of the device. Just like with a Chromecast Audio, you can push audio from a smartphone or tablet directly to Google Home in a number of ways.
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