At this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup, a team from Hungary developed a glove that has a refreshable braille cell built into the index finger of the glove. The GlovEye works with an app on your smart phone. Just point the phone’s camera at some text, and braille will appear on the glove.
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Smart Cane Uses Image Recognition and Voice Feedback to Provide a More Accurate Description.
At this year’s Microsoft Imagine Cup, Team Titamas from Japan designed a smart cane that is different from the ultrasonic and laser canes that we have seen in the past. The team recognized that it is important that a blind person not only know that there is an object in their path, but also what the object is, where it is, and does it pose a danger to the user.
The Walky uses image recognition to identify the object in real time. It then uses directional voice feedback to communicate that information to the user.
Amazon Echo Can Now Notify You When Your Package Ships
You’re probably aware of Alexa’s ability to let you know when you receive calls and messages on your Amazon Echo. Amazon has recently decided to expand Alexa’s capabilities to notify you when your order has shipped. Before, you were only able to ask your echo for the status of your order.
Apple’s HomePod Comes with VoiceOver.
A recent firmware update to Apple’s HomePod shows that accessibility support has been added to the operating system, and that includes VoiceOver. The device is voice activated, but it does have a touch surface that allows the user to long press Siri and adjust the volume. With VoiceOver included, this touch surface will be accessible to the visually impaired.
For now, the device does not support third parties or extensions, but that could change before the release of the HomePod in December.
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Cool Picks: July 27, 2017
This week the CBT Team returns with special guest host from the AT Banter podcast Ryan Fleury to discuss their Cool Picks. Make sure to check out their site and download this week’s VIP for all the fun CBT Banter.
Cool Picks: July 20, 2017
The Cool Blind Tech team has some great fun discussing their Cool Picks. Make sure to download this latest episode or press play to listen along!
Portable Power in Your Pocket
Pockets are very useful things! We keep everything in there from spare change, to our keys, to lint, to an old dryer sheet we forgot to use, to well … everything! Yep, I know, I purposely didn’t say what everyone was thinking: “Uh, you forgot about my phone!”
An astute reader you are! for, in fact, I didn’t include that. Because, with the phone, isn’t there something else you wish you had, but maybe you didn’t know you wish you had? that is, a battery!
Sure, there are battery cases, external batteries, cables galore, at any length you could want — but cables and external batteries don’t fit in your pocket. when you charge a battery case, (which, yes, I hear you, you voracious and astute reader saying, “A battery case fits in your pocket.”), and to that, you would be correct! But then there’s this little issue of, forgetting to charge the case!
CBT is celebrating 1 million downloads!
We here at Cool Blind Tech are excited to announce that we have reached 1,000,000 downloads of our podcasts, and we have done this in just four years. But we couldn’t have done it without the support of our guests and loyal listeners.
You Can WIN A $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD!
Update: congratulations to Natalie Martiniello!
Path Guide from Microsoft has Great Potential: If It Were Made Accessible.
Microsoft has developed a new indoor navigation system that does not rely on GPS positioning, Wi-Fi signals, or Bluetooth beacons. The app, available for Android devices, allows anyone to record a path from one point to another point and then upload it to the cloud. Other Path Guide users can then access that information and follow the path to reach their location. The app also allows the users to attach text, audio, and photos to the original path. For example, a person can show how to get from an entrance to an office. They can also include text instructions, audio instructions, and photos that can help identify points of interest. This information can also be posted on websites and sent by email.
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