Talking Tech show notes for March 19 2024 Product minute: Manual Braille Labeller. Nice to have around to simply label stuff in Braille. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/reizen-rl-350-braille-labeller.html My Concerns of Using Hable One with Android Some of the Hable One commands simply do not work on my Samsung Z Flip 3. Folks on the web have said it does work, and it doesn’t work on their Android devices, so I think it is one of those Android things where openness leads to issues. I would sugg...
Mar 19, 2024•15 min
Talking Tech for March 12 2024 Product Minute from the Vision Store Code Jumper - a great way to teach students coding through physical play. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/code-jumper.html A Reminder for CSUN 2024 Number 39 March 18 to 24 2024 I’m really looking forward to this years 39TH conference, especially in the realm of AI. https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/sessions/index.php/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi9fA3O3ghAMV0-MWBR1mrQO1EAAYASAAEgIbrvD_BwE Some Very Interesting JAWS, a...
Mar 12, 2024•15 min
My First Colouring Book Yes I no not Tech related grin. I’m really looking forward to trying this out with my Grandson. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/my-first-colouring-book-animals.html Loop Ear Buds Various ear buds for different Environments simply using acoustic filters. https://www.amazon.com.au/s?me=A1CVBR8PLBYTJC&marketplaceID=A39IBJ37TRP1C6 Amazon Echo Pop, new Echo No Thanks, simply not impressed. https://www.amazon.com.au/Introducing-sound-compact-speaker-Charcoal/dp/B09WXH9BH7 ...
Mar 05, 2024•15 min
Hable one Yes it is in the web shop now. Here are some notes I wrote about the Hable one, then you’ll find the link to the shop page. Product description: Hable One is an external braille keyboard designed for people who are blind or have low vision to use and navigate their smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android)with ease. No installation is needed – just pair it to your smart device via Bluetooth and start Brailling (Android or iOS will be auto detected if first time paired).. Physical descripti...
Feb 27, 2024•16 min
News From the Vision Store: Vision Store Parramatta Closed Feb 21 to April 22 Due to Building Renovations. As of February 29, Vision Store no longer selling Apple products. Product Spot Light: Mini Guide. One of my most longest used sonar type devices for obstacle detection. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/miniguide-ultrasonic-echo-location-detector.html Products that I will be investigating: Ultra Cane. Sonar Glasses. Object Detection with LIDAR on iPhone 12 Pro and Above Note I said Object De...
Feb 20, 2024•15 min
60 seconds Product spot: All Terrain Cane. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/all-terrain-cane.html With all the hype around AI/AR/VR etc, I thought it would be good to take a pause and look at the other tech trends that are important to us now and moving forward: 5G Expansion and Adoption: 5G networks will become more widespread, offering faster and more reliable connectivity. This will accelerate the development and adoption of IoT devices, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and other applicatio...
Feb 13, 2024•16 min
Talking Tech for Feb 6 2024 Product Minute - SensePlayer OCR 60 seconds for me to talk about some great VA Store stuff that I personally use. First cab off the rank is the SensePlayer OcR. Why I love it: FM Radio, Smart Keyboard to iPhone, Ability to Run Android Apps, and further development easily achievable. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/sense-player-ocr-et.html New Spot Where You Can Access Talking Tech From Last three episodes of talking tech now available on main shop Vision Australia we...
Feb 06, 2024•16 min
Tech that I use Myself Last week I talked about tech from the VA Store, this week this is a list of the tech I use for various reasons. Before I do that, an updated price for the BTSpeak and BTSpeak Pro: $795 and $1195 US respectively. Now to the tech list which I explain fully in the show. Tile Tag. AirTag. Steel Series 5 Gaming Head Set. Bluetooth transmitter. External USB Sound card. Zoom Podtrak P4. USBC port hug. External UsBC hard drive. Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https:/...
Jan 30, 2024•15 min
Talking Tech for Jan 23 2024 A reminder about the Web Aim Screen Reader Survey Closing 31 January 2024 https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey10/ VAR Studio One Interview My Interview On VA Radio Studio One About Tech that blind or low vision folks use. https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/technology-and-us Apple Vision Report Card for 2023 from AppleVis https://applevis.com/blog/apple-vision-accessibility-2023-applevis-report-card BTSpeak from Blazie Technology Yep, it’s the updated and improve...
Jan 23, 2024•15 min
Talking Tech for Jan 16 2024 Vision Pro Availability Announced by Apple In the US only, pre-order Jan 19, and available Feb 2024. Promo Video for the Vision Pro https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/01/09/apple-released-a-short-video-teasing-apple-vision-pro?utm_medium=rss Apple Quietly increased the Find My Limit from 16 to 32 as of iOS 16 https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/01/12/apple-quietly-increased-the-find-my-limit-to-32-items?utm_medium=rss Apple Releases Magic Keyboard Firmware Update ...
Jan 16, 2024•15 min
Celebrating World Braille Day for 2024, Vision Australia https://www.visionaustralia.org/community/news/2024-01-04-world-braille-day Webaim Screen Reader Survey number 10 - closing Jan 31 2024 https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey10/ Ban on Apple Watch series 9 and Apple Watch ultra two as of December 26, 2023 currently under appeal by Apple. Consumer electronics show CES Jan 9 to 12 2024 in Las Vegas https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/5/24025489/ces-2024-tv-transportation-laptops-smart-ho...
Jan 09, 2024•15 min
Things that caught my Attention in 2023 and looking Ahead in to 2024 2023 DotPad. Monarch (preview). Sinceplayer OCR ET. Brailliant BIX 20 or 40 software update that includes speech output with Daisy book reading. Victor Reader stream 3. iPhone 15 Pro (Actions button). Things to look forward to in 2024 Finally release hopefully of the Mountbatten Tutor from Quantum.: a couple of years overdue. Accessible cheaper basic feature mobile phones. DotPad comes through Quantum. Monarch perhaps at the en...
Jan 02, 2024•15 min
What is Computer Artificial Intelligence (AI) In simple terms, it is making computers think like Humans. Eg recognising speech, making decision, and recognising patterns etc. General examples of Computer AI Advanced Web Search Engines. Recommendation systems. Virtual assistance. Speech recognition. Automatic translation. Automatic audio translation. Automated speech synthesis. Smart home. Predictive maintenance. Natural language processing. Super play. Content creation. Image recognition. Automa...
Dec 26, 2023•15 min
New Telescopic Cane is Now Available from the Vision Store Ok, so not tech exactly, but this telescopic cane is excellent, light weight, easy to extend/retract, and just feels really really nice in the hand. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/kwf-54inch-138cm-telescopic-cane-button-style.html Sight Tech Global 2023 Held on Dec 6-7, an online 2 day conference about the trends in tech for blind/low vision, and of course this year, mainly all about AI. https://sighttechglobal.com Hable One Custom Key...
Dec 19, 2023•15 min
3 Interesting O&M apps to test your listening and navigation Skills On the App Store, search for EchoVis, and you’ll find 3 games: EchoVis Quest, EchoVis Game, and EchoVis Street. Seeing AI now Available on Android Be-My-Eyes Virtual AI Assistant beta rEquest Now Available on Android Audible and Kindle on the Mac Two surprises today The Audible.com iOS app works on my Apple Silicon Mac with some object windows to navigate with VO, and the Kindle app build from about 3 weeks ago, I can access...
Dec 12, 2023•15 min
Forza Motorsport Racing 2023 A chat with guest Michael Heart who has been playing the game for a while, and sounds great to play. https://access-ability.uk/2023/10/04/forza-motorsport-2023-accessibility-review/#:~:text=This%20initial%20menu%2C%20which%20features,on%20a%20series%20of%20default Using Head band Mounts for Smart Phones The $16 or so simple fabric band that I used sort of worked with my iPhone 12 Pro as it was the lightest phone I had. Not sure if it really does work as I wanted, but...
Dec 05, 2023•15 min
Apps that have caught my attention in 2023 Obstacle Detecter. Lire RSS. Mona. Spring. Be My Eyes AI Perplexity Bing Call Annie. Chat GPT. Reminder for Getting in Last Orders from the Vision Store before Christmas WA Dec 1, and rest of Australia Dec 8. https://shop.visionaustralia.org Outdoor Demo from me on Toys to Play/Use outside https://davidwoodbr.podbean.com/e/sounds-of-summer-from-the-vision-australia-vision-store/ Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.or...
Nov 28, 2023•15 min
Lets Talk about JAWS, Zoomtext, and Fusion for a Change Points JAWS screen reader, Zoomtext screen magnifier, and Fusion JAWS/Zoomtext running together. Compatible with Windows 10, and Windows 11. Around for over 25 years for JAWS, and Zoomtext. Fusion more recent.. Number one product used for Education and Employment for all 3 products.. JaWS Home edition and JAWS Professional. A large variety of Braille displays supported by JAWS. Many extra functions beyond usual functions of a screen reader ...
Nov 21, 2023•15 min
Update to the Final Ordering Dates from the Va Store 8 December except for WA which is the 1st of Dec to make sure you get your orders in by Christmas. Another Way to access the Va Library My Experience having more time with the daisy function in the Brailliant, especially accessing the Vision rare Australia Library. Obstacle Detecter App An interesting app using LIDAR for detecting distances from objects on the iPhone Pro or from front camera on other units. https://apps.apple.com/id/app/obstac...
Nov 14, 2023•15 min
Apple Scary Fast Event 31 October 2023 3 New M3 MacBooks, and a new M3 iMac 24 inch. https://www.apple.com.au Taking The All Terrain Cane for a Spin Over the Week End https://shop.visionaustralia.org/all-terrain-cane.html Brailliant BIX Update and Mantis Q40 New localised voices and daisy library’s. https://shop.visionaustralia.org/brailliant-bi-20x-cells.html Focus 14 verses the Brilliant BIX20 in Price Focus 14 $2900, and Brailliant BIX 20 $2945. Braille Doodle https://www.touchpadprofoundatio...
Nov 07, 2023•15 min
Apple October 31 Scary Fast Event Scary no, enjoyable yes. https://www.engadget.com/apple-confirms-scary-fast-event-for-the-night-of-october-30-164836214.html?src=rss&guccounter=1 Apple Releases Update of iTunes to Support Podcasts and Audio Books Odd, because I thought it already did this. https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/24/itunes-for-windows-12-13/ Schools in the US Join Growing Movement to Lock away Phones during School Hours Just like Australia. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/schools-no-...
Oct 31, 2023•15 min
A look in to the past for me of some of the tech which I wish was around today either in its original form as it would still work or updated to connect to modern day tech. Plus some of the tech that is still around. A look in to the past for me of some of the tech which I wish was around today either in its original form as it would still work or updated to connect to modern day tech. Accessible DECTalk. Artic Gizmo Pad. Audio Soccer Ball. Alva Braille Courier. Braille & Speak. Braille To Pr...
Oct 24, 2023•15 min
Monarch Hardware description, and current beta functionality. Released towards the end of 2024. Comments: pondering the difference between the Monarch and the DotPad results in very interesting discussions about Braille graphics. https://www.humanware.com/en-usa/monarch International White Cane Safety Day October 15 2023 - Clearing the Way - Guide Dogs Great reminder on how many obstacles Cane Users have to put up with. https://guidedogs.com.au/international-white-cane-day-2023/ The VewrsaSlate ...
Oct 17, 2023•15 min
Talking Tech for October 10 2023 Forza Motorsport - The Blind Accessibility Review (full accessible racing game) https://victordima.net/forza-motorsport-review/ JAWS, Fusion, and Zoomtext Public beta 2 2024 Release https://support.freedomscientific.com/Downloads/PublicBeta NVDA Access Public Beta 2023.3.4 https://www.nvaccess.org/post/nvda-2023-3beta4/ The New Pixel Phone, and Pixel Watch https://www.wired.com/story/google-october-2023-hardware-event-pixel-8-pixel-8-pro-pixel-watch-2/ Monarch Gr...
Oct 10, 2023•15 min
Royal Commission Report in to Violence against People with a Disability Accessible formats. https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report Be-My-Eyes AI Virtual Assistant Rolls Out World Wide Well, sort off, rolling out gradually to whole world over the next few weeks so as not to overload the system. Um, no more actual dialog warning for low battery on my iPhone 14 Pro Max Apparently this has been a thing for a while. To fix go in to Verbosity settings for Voiceover, and ch...
Oct 03, 2023•15 min
Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 26, 2023•15 min
Apple Keynote event. iOS 17 Main blind and low vision Accessibility Features Apple Keynote event. iPhone Design & display The Super Retina XDR display on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is great for watching content, and playing games. And, when it is sunny, peak outdoor brightness reaches up to 2000 nits — twice as bright as the previous generation. The all-new Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max replaces the single-function switch used to toggle between ring and silent, offer...
Sep 19, 2023•15 min
Some Suggested Places to Catch up with the New Hardware announced by Apple ON September 12 (US) 2023 Apple The Apple’s Events Page where you can watch the new and Recent Keynotes https://www.apple.com/au/apple-events/ AppleVis The Applevis Community page for blog articles about the September 2023 Announcements https://applevis.com Twit TV The TWiT TV Network Does a Great live/Podcast on the Apple Keynotes where they have commentary abut the Event https://twit.tv iMore I’ve always found the iMore...
Sep 12, 2023•15 min
NASA Sounds Alarm about the Deep Space Network https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/nasas-artemis-i-mission-nearly-broke-the-deep-space-network/ Space X Sending iPhone Emergency SOS Satellites in to Space https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/01/spacex-iphone-emergency-satellites-globalstar/ Nissan is Reusing Old Batterys from Electric Cars for portable Power sources. https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/nissan-reusing-batteries-leaf-electric-vehicles-make-portable-102828299 Anchor Just Announced ...
Sep 05, 2023•15 min
Sam Taylor Joins Vision Australia as an AT If you are wondering where Sam has gone from Pacific Vision, he is going the Technology Services team at VA as an ATS. How the EU’S New Battery Rule Could Change Your iPhone https://www.macworld.com/article/1993926/european-union-battery-regulation-removable-iphone-ipad-macbook-2.html The EU’s Digital Services ACT Goes into Effect https://www.theverge.com/23845672/eu-digital-services-act-explained Google Wants you to Search for a Song by Humming It http...
Aug 29, 2023•15 min
