One limitation of any application that uses custom fonts is that that font cannot be copied or used in any other app on an iOS device. Due to some research, this limitation can be overcome. Now, Braille can be copied between apps on all iOS devices.
Look for the AppBraille technology In all future releases of VisualBraille, VisualBraille Lite, PocketBraille Reference, and PocketBraille Lite. Plus some new AppBraille specific apps that include AppBraille Explorerer, and AppBraille editor.
If you would like to keep up with how the ATSource project is going, then keep checking back here, but you can now follow @ATSourceApp on Twitter for the most up to date information. I will have at atsource.info up soon as well, and then the iOS and Android versions will follow.
Netflix just updated their app yesterday with two neat things. First is pretty obvious. Netflix now works with the retina display on the new iPad, but the second thing is the best for those who are blind. Netflix adds on their change screen for their update that they have added better support for VoiceOver users. I am not sure what that means, but it sounds like they have made netflix work with VoiceOver again on iDevices. I would love to hear readers thoughts on this or if they have seen it work better now.
Now that the first version of Blind Bargains for iOS is complete, I think the next project on the table for me will be a project I have wanted to make for a while, which is ATSource. ATSource will be a resource that lets blind, visually impaired, and sighted users find resources online for accessibility for mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and all variants of Android based devices. I will be asking many organizations content they would like to provide or contribute to this app, so if you are a provider of assistive technology, or are someone in the area of helping blind users work with their mobile device, then I m looking for you.
What will this app provide?
1) First, we will provide app links to many different assistive technology resource apps on these devices.
2) We will provide rss feeds to other resources on the net that will bring you the latest in blindness and assistive technology news.
3) We will give you links to organizations that sell products for the blind and visually impaired.
4) We will provide links to social outlets of these companies so you may connect with them to learn more and to contact someone for more information.
I hope everyone enjoys this new app when it is complete. I will have a better description up at the new home of ATSource at www.atsource.info
A few days ago, Blind Bargains from the A T Guys just released their new application for iOS and Android that brings excellent content for the blind and visually impaired to iOS and Android devices. As the developer, I really enjoy this app myself due to the content that these guys provide to the blind community. The app is accessible on both platforms, and as the developer for the iOS version, I too use and enjoy this app on a daily basis.
I urge everyone that is blind or visually impaired that uses one of these device types to download this new app from the iOS App Store or from the Google Play.
So it is finally out and people have the new iPad. Today I just received mine as well, and I am writing this blog post on the device. So I am sure many of you reading this blog would like to know how this device impacts accessibility. The truth is it doesn’t at this point. So why buy this device if there are no benefits to those who are visually impaired?
First let’s look at what we already know about the iPad. As everyone knows, the iPad is the most accessible tablet on the market today, and has been this way since it was released in 2010. Many devices have come out since the original iPad that run android, but none have presented the accessibility that has been presented on each iPad modal. The new iPad continues with this tradition by keeping the same accessibility features from the iPad 2 and iPad. Voiceover works exactly the same but there are some additions to the zooming aspect of the device.
While the new iPad is zoomed in, the picture quality and the text quality is greatly improved due to the enhanced screen size and pixel density. This makes viewing the screen with magnification a lot easier to do and see because of enhanced clarity.
The camera also received a great upgrade as well. One thing this allows a person to do is take better pictures instead of using the camera on their phone. This is more preferable because the iPad screen can be used as a viewfinder instead of the 3 inch size of an iPhone or android phone’s screen. This new enhanced camera can also help totally blind users by presenting them the ability to better use OCR scanning solutions such as Prismo.
The next thing I want to talk about is the new feature that was previously on the iPhone and now on the iPad is dictation. I have personally used dictation many times on the iPhone to get small amounts of text written. On this new iPad, I use dictation quite frequently on Twitter and I’m currently using it to write this blog post. Many blind users have a hard time using the touch keyboard to type text. With dictation on the iPad a user must only speak , and Apple will convert the spoken word to text. Keep in mind that there is still some error and accuracy issues but at the most it is a great way of entering text if you do not like using the keyboard.
My thoughts on LTE are mixed. I would have gotten an iPad with LTE if there were better cellular data plans in the United States. Because of this, I went ahead and stuck with the Wi-Fi only iPad. If you’re willing to pay for the LTE plans I urge you to get that service. this is because LTE is a great and speedy Internet connection that works on your iPad built-in. LTE currently has the fastest 4G Internet offered on any cellular network. The drawback of this is that LTE also allows users to Reser data plan caps very quickly, so this can be an issue for many users.
so if you are a blind or visually impaired 6ser I would look at what you actually use an iPad for and then determine if this new device is right for you. I would not go out and buy one if you have an iPad 2 and you really don’t use anything more than voiceover and basic device functions.
Please leave comments if you think of any other possible way this new iPad can be used by accessible users or if there’s other reasons for blind or visually impaired users to buy the new iPad.
I know it has been a great long while since I have written a review of an app but I am back to review one of my favorite apps for iOS for accessibility, and its name is FlipBoard. The question here is, if FlipBoard is accessible with VoiceOver on the iPhone and iPad.
What is Flipboard?
Currently, there are several news apps out for iOS, but none are as graphically stunning as clipboard. On the iPad, Flipboard works like a book. When the app opens you are presented with a cover page that shows the highlights of your personalized FlipBoard experience. When you want to go on, simply take a finger and flick left to turn the page. On the second page you can set up FaceBook and Twitter to display in this nice book like view. Flipboard will arrange your posts, pictures, and media in a way that looks wonderful to the eye. On the iPhone, Flipboard does the same thing, but a little differently. Instead of turning the pages of a book, you flick up like a note pad or calendar to reveal each page.Users can also add individual twitter, Facebook and blogs to their main FlipBoard sections for more detailed viewing.
Is it accessible?
In short the answer is NO! Not just no, but NO! Flipboard is not accessible what so ever. A user can not turn a page, click the settings button, or even click on each section. Very few buttons work, and when they do they just say, “button.” This is on both iPhone/iPod versions and the iPad version as well.
Conclusion
I constantly use clipboard having some vision, but if I were to need a news app and I was totally blind or had worse vision than I do now, I would not get this app. There is no accessibility, and there is not a way for anyone who is visually impaired to use this app. I really wish that the developers would work on this, and I urge everyone to get this out there and get some demand for accessibility in Flipboard so everyone can use it.
Good evening everyone. I hope everyone had a great holiday, and I hope everyone has a good new year this weekend. I am glad to see everyone downloading and taking advantage of my apps in the iOS App Store. I just wanted to mention one thing about the App Store. One thing that helps us developers is when users of our apps such as yourselves, rate our apps on the App Store from your computer or your iOS device. Please go to the App Store and if you own any of the PocketBraille or VisualBraille apps please give us some feedback. This helps us determine if we are doing good or bad, and it also lets other users know more about these apps. I would really appreciate it if we get some ratings on each program.
I would also like to thank everyone who uses these apps, and I promise to keep the updates coming. plus I have some new apps on the way.
I am proud to announce that PocketBraille Lite is now available in the App Store. Now you can learn the Braille alphabet and punctuation for free, so go check it out!
