Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the new Apple Event coming up for Halloween, and listeners chime in on their thoughts on whether Steven should buy the new iMac or not. Also, there's the perennial discussion on Android vs Apple and questions about whether a new mobile operating system could gain traction in between the two major players. Plus, Steven lays out his thoughts on upgrading to the new version of Outlook. Spoiler alert: He uses the word "avoid" a lot! Get in touch with the D...
Oct 30, 2023•56 min
Today on the Express, Steven and Shaun dive into the news headlines courtesy of Grace Scofield, including a shocking story about the mishandling of a wheelchair in Vancouver, a new accessibility training course for web developers, and rumours ahead of Apple's big "Scary Fast" event on Monday 30th October. There's also a chance to revisit Negative Julian's comments on a refurbished PC he has just bought. And there's the chance to hear from the co-founder of the original Microsoft Soundscape app, ...
Oct 28, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the evolution of Braille devices following our recent conversation with Adi Kushner from Access Mind. Dan writes in with questions about the long-term viability of a device such as the Optima laptop and queries about long-term support from companies like Orbit and Vispero. Also, there's news of a new online Braille learning tool called Braille Brain from American Printing House for the Blind. Listener Lena shares her thoughts. And there's more of your ...
Oct 27, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the latest updates from Apple for iPhone, Mac and Watch, including the new Double Tap feature that lets you activate items on your watch with just a double tap of your thumb and forefinger. Also, as X rolls out a new audio and video calling feature, is this a privacy concern or the price of being on the app? And, Negative Julian gets in touch with the news of his purchase of a refurbished computer. How much can you get for around $250 CAD? Julian tells...
Oct 26, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the recently announced Apple Event called "Scary Fast," that will be taking place on Monday 30th October at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET/1 a.m. GMT. Plus there's more of your feedback, including a question on whether we should debate one device versus the other at all, and why listener Eleanor prefers her Lady G to her Lady A. And there's thoughtful discussion around blindness and, what can be for some, its merits. Liz writes in with her thoughts and we have a ...
Oct 25, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun delve into the Inbox to find out your thoughts on what we've been discussing here on Double Tap over the past few weeks. As always, your comments create a lot of conversation, in particular on the subject of whether or not to update to the new version of Outlook on the PC. Plus, Grumpy John (his choice of name, honest) complains about many of the bugs he has found, as a VoiceOver user, in MacOS Sonoma. Plus, Andy from the UK weighs in on the chat around iPhone...
Oct 24, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun are joined by three special guests to discuss the future of a popular orientation and mobility app for people who are blind. Since Soundscape was "sunset" by Microsoft earlier this year, many have rushed to recreate the app using the source code the company provided, and one of those groups has been led in part by the app's original co-founder, Jarnail Chudge. Today on Double Tap we meet Jarnail, along with two members of the NCBI (The National Council for the...
Oct 23, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun review the new tech companies Steven met at CES Unveiled in Amsterdam on the 12th of October 2023. Among them include a company that is using the latest camera technology and smartphones to prevent vision loss, a company offering smart remote monitoring to allow people who live alone or are elderly to remain living in their own homes and a smartwatch designer who thinks he's found the perfect idea to marry wellness and technology in our everyday lives. Get in ...
Oct 21, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun delve into the Inbox once again to read through more of your comments, including one from friend of the show, Greg in Pennsylvania, who gets Steven a little hot under the collar. But what's new there! Also, Steven meets the company behind a new smartwatch that doesn't feature a screen; it's called the Nowatch and is intended for a better and healthier connection to smart tech. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doub...
Oct 20, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the best headsets out there for people who are blind using screen readers and PCs or Macs. But what one did Steven finally opt for? Plus, we learn about a company in the Netherlands that can use the latest remote monitoring technology to allow people to stay in their own homes. And there's more of your feedback. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 020...
Oct 19, 2023•55 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the sad news of the closure of the company behind Sunu band, a mobility aid that used sonar and was worn on the wrist to help someone navigate their surroundings while using a cane or guide dog. We feature a statement from their founder. Also, there's a slew of accessibility updates to talk through, from Google and Xbox. Read more from Paul Thurrott's blog: https://www.thurrott.com/google/291115/google-and-xbox-announce-new-accessibility-features And t...
Oct 18, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss an email from listener Jonathon who got in touch to ask about upgrading his computer. The guys get into an in-depth discussion about the options available and what blind people should consider. Also, there's a chance to learn about the work of RetinaScope following Steven's trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Amsterdam. And there are rumours of new iPads and even a new Apple Pencil. But are those rumours right? Get in touch with the Double Tappers...
Oct 17, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, it's another packed episode with Steven and Shaun discussing the latest update to Seeing AI, with a demo of its new features from contributor Thomas Domville. Also, there are two contributions today from listener Lena, who shows off the Smithsonian app on her iPhone and also has a response to those asking for screen readers to be slowed down during reviews. To download the Smithsonian app here are the links (not available in all countries): App Store: (https://apps.apple.com/u...
Oct 16, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun are joined by Adi Kushnir, the man behind the company Access Mind, which has partnered with Orbit Research to build the Optima Braille Laptop. It’s a Windows-based system running the latest hardware and is customizable to your needs and contains a laptop-style QWERTY keyboard and a 40-cell Braille display. Adi has spent his career building and developing new technologies to advance people who are blind through education into the workplace and believes a differ...
Oct 14, 2023•51 min
In today's Double Tap, Shaun is joined once again by Michael Babcock, as well as Damash Thomas and Jeff Bishop. Together they'll show you all the tips and tricks you need in order to get your Windows or Mac computer working exactly the way you want it to. They discuss everything from how to get back up and running in record time after a fresh install or setting up a new computer, to Jeff's great guide to cleaning up the Edge browser. Here's a link to a detailed guide to some of the topics discus...
Oct 13, 2023•56 min
Today, Steven and Shaun talk about the latest in tech innovations as shown at the CES Unveiled event in Amsterdam, which Steven is attending today. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed Mastodon: @DoubleTapFind Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website --- Follow on: YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube X (formerl...
Oct 12, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the big news of the day: a new laptop bag that Steven has got. Is it smart? No. Is it connected? No. It's a bag. But Steven is at least excited. Also, Robin Christopherson is back with news of an easy-to-use RSS feed reader on Windows. Find out more and download it from the Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/accessible-rss-news-reader/9PBWNW4BLXTL And of course, there are more of your comments and emails. Get in touch with the Dou...
Oct 11, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss more of your feedback covering a wide range of topics as discussed over the past few weeks. We are also joined by David Ward, who hosts the popular Echo Tips podcast, to share his thoughts on the Amazon event; in particular, he wants to ask the guys' views on a couple of areas that he thinks we've missed. Does what David has heard suggest that the devices may become harder for blind people to use? Also, Lena gets in touch to share that there is a user ...
Oct 10, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun present a wide range of features, some featured during the week and some new features we didn't get to. Sometimes five hours is just not enough! Starting with the Double Tap News, Grace is back reporting on the Google Event this week, along with updates to Apple's iOS following complaints of overheating on iPhone 15 models. Also, there's an update from JAWS and Envision, and news on Spotify taking on Audible's audiobook library. Also, we have a new feature on ...
Oct 07, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the latest changes to X (formerly Twitter), which are making it less accessible for users who are blind. A recent change means any links added to a post will now appear only as an image to users without any clear indication it is a link. For users who are blind, this displays as "Link, image" on screen readers. Elon Musk says he wants to keep more users on the site and avoid people going elsewhere to view content. Also, we hear more of your feedback, i...
Oct 06, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the latest innovations from Google at their Made By Google Event held on the 4th of October. There's a lot of excitement in the mainstream press about the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, in particular, because of their stunning new camera arrays, but what is the big attraction to consumers who are blind? Also, the new Pixel Watch 2 was announced but will it be fast and responsive enough for us Talkback users? Plus there's more of your feedback incl...
Oct 05, 2023•56 min
Today's Double Tap is made by you, our amazing listeners, as we dive into your emails and voicemails. There are so many topics covered, but here are just a few: We kick off with a very interesting discussion on Braille displays and what we actually use them for, Darren shares his concerns regarding accessible dictaphones, Bev blows our minds with some "Did you know?" factoids, Linda explains how she is new to tech and wonders where to get help, and Camille tries to help Shaun with his email worr...
Oct 04, 2023•57 min
Today, Steven and Shaun are back after the long weekend! Inspired by Steven's story about wanting to get healthy, listener Lena is back with a list of her favourite YouTube channels and podcasts to help you in your fitness journey. Lena kindly prepared a YouTube playlist to easily get to all the content, which you can find here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy0HtF8OFyJZWCzjGnAikp-Rh7sF0hDUf&si=lYfO5ZLNeBLPqzoP Michael Babcock is back with his thoughts on a recent webinar held by Envisi...
Oct 03, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun wrap up another big week in tech featuring a roundup of the week's news, including the launch of Be My AI globally, Meta Connect's announcements and a lot of news about the world of podcasting. Plus, Steven shows off how to trim and edit short videos using QuickTime Player on the Mac. And we hear about the state of web accessibility in 2023 with The Blind Blogger Maxwell Ivey, following WordPress Accessibility Day which was held earlier this week. Get in touch...
Sep 30, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun review the latest announcements from Meta Connect, despite saying they wouldn't! The pair chat less about the new mixed reality headset and more about the new Ray-Ban Stories glasses that feature video-calling, audio and even AI capabilities (in the U.S. at first). But will the camera on the glasses be available to apps like Aira and Be My Eyes? Also, Steven presents a solution to the challenge he has had for a while, editing a video clip easily. He shows how ...
Sep 29, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss a news story that has been circulating suggesting the company might be about to put a price on Alexa. The company has been quoted as saying that, following new generative AI features announced last week, it may be time for a subscription model to be added to Alexa. Also, we hear a demo from listener Elijah in the voice of Amazon Polly showing off a smartwatch with a difference: it's running a full edition of Android software. The watch also features a ...
Sep 28, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss more of your feedback and comments from the Inbox. We also spend time with Maxwell Ivey, who is known online as the Blind Blogger. Max is an accessibility advisor who spoke at last year's WordPress Accessibility Day event and shares with us his feelings on the state of web accessibility in 2023, how we should combat inaccessibility, and how AI could play a part in making the web easier to navigate for all of us. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and...
Sep 27, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the launch of Be My AI to the world with Mike Buckley, the CEO of Be My Eyes. The three chat about the rise of the Open AI-enabled feature that allows people who are blind to investigate photos and learn more about the world around them. Also, Shaun reviews the new feature and demonstrates how it will work in practice for everyone. And there's more of your comments and feedback as always. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: ...
Sep 26, 2023•56 min
Today on the show, Steven and Shaun talk about the subjects you've been chatting about following the last week of Double Tap episodes. First up, it was all about the SoundCurtain, and Shaun's apparent dismissiveness of the feature. However, they were both corrected that it is a feature for people who use Braille displays, and also for those who are Deaf-blind and don't want their audio to be blasting out in public while they are unaware. There was much discussion on the use of iPads. Some prefer...
Sep 25, 2023•57 min
Starting with the big headlines from the week, Andy Frank (also known as Mr. F) joins us to share the announcements from Microsoft and Amazon this week, including big software and hardware news but also a spotlight was shone on accessibility; and we have all the news. Plus, Steven reviews the Kapsys SmartVision 3 mobile smartphone, which is a Google-certified device that runs full Android 11, has a touchscreen, but also a tactile T9 keypad. Steven puts it through its paces and gives you an idea ...
Sep 23, 2023•57 min
