The Google Assistant is Google’s new virtual assistant—as well as an improvement to Google Now. It can do most things you’d expect from a virtual assistant such as answering questions or performing a search. Just like with Alexa, there are even third-party skills being added to the Google Assistant—making it even smarter! It’s also one of many reasons Google hopes you will buy the Pixel phone. That’s right. Unfortunately, the Google Assistant is only officially available on the pixel and the pixel XL, as well as on the Google Home speaker.
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Cool Picks: February 24, 2017
Tune in to this jam packed show where James Oates with fellow hosts Joel Ramos and Nelson Régo let you in on their latest Cool Picks.
Cool Picks- February 20, 2017
Join Jessica Rickards, James Oates, and Nelson Régo this week with their Cool Picks.
X Marks the Spot with Google Maps
Ever wanted to plan a trip but didn’t know where to start? so many maps and GPS options to choose from. What if you’re reliant on public transit. How can you plan a trip that includes transit and schedules?
VIP: Is Science Fiction Our New Reality?
Join Jessica Rickards, James Oates, and Nelson Rego for this exciting VIP. It’s all about the future with these incredible stories. Here’s a look at what you can expect in this fun, yet educational episode.
Is good private wireless audio truly here yet? The State of the Headphone
When the iPhone 7 was released, many lamented the headphone jack. Since my own shameless adoption of this new phone, I have and certainly feel obliged to share a different perspective on the matter, one which I have been dabbling in a little. Since many rumors are swirling about the galaxy s8 and whether it will include one, or if other phones are about to adopt the trend like Motorola certainly has, this is quite important to look at. Apple is clearly trying to position their AirPods as the premier experience, especially for seamless connectivity among an ecosystem of many Apple devices. However, just as Belkin and others are benefitting from the new market of adapters capable of charging and 3.5 audio output on iPhones, other markets also get a boost.
Windows 10 Insiders Build 15025: Using a Braille Display with Narrator and New Mono-Audio Feature.
In November of 2016, Jenny Lay-Flurrie revealed to Cool Blind Tech, in an exclusive announcement, that braille support was coming to Narrator. Now the feature has rolled out in Windows 10 insiders build 15025. It is still in beta, but James Oates has decided to give us an early look at this new feature.
He also shows us the new mono-audio feature that has been added to Narrator.
Handheld Scanner Converts Text to 36Cell Refreshable Braille: Cost, About $100.
Six women, all undergraduate engineering students at MIT, won last year’s MakeMIT Hackathon by creating a device that can easily change the world for people who are blind.
They call themselves Team-Tactile, and they did something that should have been done a long time ago.
They created a device that is the size of a candy bar. It has a camera on the back, it runs OCR software, and it has 36cells of refreshable braille on the front. You just move the device, for now called Tactile, over printed text, and it is immediately displayed in braille on the front. Think about what an improvement this is over current methods of taking pictures, waiting for OCR software to convert to text, and then having to have a very expensive braille device connected to whatever you used to take the picture and convert to text.
The team only had 15 hours to create this device during the hackathon competition, and it only costs around one hundred dollars.
The problem in the braille display market is that no one has been motivated to create anything new and affordable. We are still using technology that is decades old, and the cost for these devices are in the thousands of dollars. It is about time that new options come to those who desperately need it. Only 10% of blind people can read braille, 70% of blind people are unemployed, and 80% of blind people who are employed can read braille. You do the math. Having easy access to braille material directly correlates to a more educated and productive blind community.
team-tactile-braille-display
Accessible Way to Take a Selfie Using TalkBack and Android Nougat 7.1.
Windows 10 Build 15025 Brings Braille Support for Narrator.
Today, Microsoft released Windows 10 build 15025 for those users participating in the insider program. I am happy to let you know that braille support for Narrator has finally arrived. Jenny Lay-Flurrie, in an exclusive announcement to Cool Blind Tech, revealed back in November that braille support for Narrator was coming to Windows 10, and now We can give it a test run. Dona Sarkar also revealed that mono audio mode has been added to Ease of Access which allows you to listen to audio content using only one earbud without missing out on any other content. Read the release note for accessibility improvements below.
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