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Michael Doise

Square Cash for Android with Talkback

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Square Cash app icon

Last week I had the chance to play with Square Cash for Android. Square Cash is an app for iOS and Android that lets its users send money between users without each party incurring a fee. Cash for iOS has been relatively accessible, allowing blind and low vision users the ability to send money effectively with VoiceOver, but can people do the same with Android and Talkback? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Accessibility issues

Talkback for Android works very much like Talkback for iOS, but it can’t work with everything. iOS has a very strict development cycle and apps can either be native apps or web based apps. Companies can make inaccessible apps for iOS with custom controls, but they literally have to work at it to make apps really unaccessible. Unfortunately, Android in its design, encourages fragmentation. This means that developers are encouraged to build apps in as many ways they can imagine, and many developers don’t realize that when they do this they don’t allow for Talkback to find all elements in their app, which is the problem with Square Cash.

Cash does contain elements that Talkback can find, but when you see a number pad to enter your phone number, and eventually the amount to send Talkback just sees an empty area. This is because an edit field is active, and a keyboard is expected. Talkback on the device I was using could only see the edit field and that was it. Talkback could not find the custom buttons Cash uses to enter numbers, so that means that a person with no vision would not be able to set up their Cash app, or be able to send or request money from people.

Conclusion

While apps and technology continue to improve there are still apps that we just can’t use with screen readers at this point. Square Cash is one of these apps on the Android side, and hopefully SquareUp will work to make this app more accessible in the future, or Talkback will be updated to support the custom controls in the Cash app.

Square Cash – Google Play

Echo Accessibility

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Image of Amazon Echo

In 2014, Amazon released the beta version of its Echo device that lets users speak and get answers to questions. The Echo seems to be Amazon’s version of Siri, but with a few features Siri does not have.

I just purchased an Echo, and have loved my experience with this device. The Echo will always listen to what’s going on, and it will listen to the code word that is set. I kept mine set to Alexa. I can say things like, “Alexa, what is the weather today?” or, “Alexa, continue reading my book.” which would then have Alexa continue reading my Kindle book. This is one of my favorite features, because I like getting books for my Kindle Voyage, but I sometimes would just like to listen to the book, and Alexa makes this possible. It does get a bit annoying as they promote Audible each time you start reading a Kindle book, but it doesn’t take long before Alexa starts reading again.

The one thing that Amazon could do better with this device is to create a better Echo app. You have to do all setup in the Echo app, but the app layout could be made better especially in the skills section.

Conclusion

While there are many personal assistants out there, the Amazon Echo stands above the rest with its features and personality. They also have a great speech synthesizer built in that provides more inflection to words that make the device have some of the best human sounding speech that is out on the market right now.

#iACast 14: Wi-Pi

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Raspberry Pi Logo

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Episode notes

ON this episode of iA Cast we discuss the latest Apple news, and we talk about the new version of the Raspberry Pi, a $35 computer that can fit in your pocket We discuss that Sony is bringing their streaming PlayStation game playing service to the Mac, and the latest in gaming news.

We hope you enjoy iA Cast. Please use our social links to leave us feedback about the podcast, and please rate us in the iTunes Store, or wherever you listen to our podcast.

#iACast 13: Apple Problems

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iPad Classroom iOS 9.3

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Episode Show Notes

On this episode of iA Cast we discuss the following

  • Discussed the Apple VS FBI case. To learn more, visit http://www.apple.com/customer-letter
  • Discussed the Uber driver tragedy and how this could effect Lyft and Uber.
  • Discussed new releases from Mobile World Congress this week.
  • Discussed New betas and features in new Apple beta software which will be released in early march.

We hope you are enjoying iA Cast. Please rate our podcast in iTunes or in your favorite Podcatcher.

#iACast 12 – Digital Accessible Art!

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Image of Apple Pencil being used with iPad Pro on flat surface

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Episode Notes

It has been since December since we recorded a new podcast, so here is what we have covered this week.

  • We discussed the updates that have been made here at iAccessibility concerning the podcast and our website.
  • Review of the new iPhone 6s battery case
  • Discuss the pros and cons of removing the iPhone headphone jack in the iPhone 7
  • Discuss error 53 and what it means. We also touch on the new iOS date bug.
  • We discuss the latest news about iOS 9.3 which will come out to everyone in March
  • Apple is rumored to release the iPhone 5se next month, and we talk about what features it should have and if people want a 4 inch iPhone
  • We discuss the New Apple TV and if people still use it
  • Facebook is a modern name in browsing the web, but do we really need the app on our devices to use their services?
  • We discuss the latest in entertainment news, which include movies, gaming and books
  • The Apple Pencil is a new way to draw on a tablet screen, and you can learn how to pair it and draw with it by listening to this episode

We will continue this podcast each week now and all episodes have been migrated over to this site. If you do not see episodes 11 and 12 in your podcast app of choice then please unsubscribe and re-subscribe to our podcast and you should see the new episodes there.

iAccessibility is on slack at iaccessibildtyslack.slack.com We encourage everyone who wants to communicate on what we discuss to contact us and we can add you to the accessibility Slack community.

Slack is accessible and it will work with all modern screen readers on any platform.

Please email Michael Doise if you have any questions or suggestions for this podcast. You may also find us online at the social links below these show notes.

We hope you have enjoyed this podcast and will listen next week.

#iACast 11 – What’s With the Hump?

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Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone

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Episode Notes

On this episode of iA Cast recorded on December 21, 2015, I discuss the following topics.

  • Changes to iAccessibility’s home page and why there have not been podcast episodes.
  • The iPhone 6s battery case and why people #lovethehump or #hatethehump.
  • Problems with Apple Music and previous libraries.

#iACast 10 – The Apple Waiting Game

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iAccessibility Logo

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This week on the iA Cast, we discuss the following topics.

  1. Michael’s confusion about the iPhone reservation process
  2. The New Apple TV, and how it works
  3. Release date of iOS 9 and Mac OS X El Capitan
  4. Discussion of BlindSquare and AroundMe apps
  5. Discussion of state of Android accessibility
  6. Apple TV will support MFI game controllers Apple TV to support MFi-based game controllers … – iMore
  7. Destiny The Taken King comes out on September 15
  8. World of Warcraft has new accessibility features for color blind and low vision users
  9. Prime Time shows to return to network television this month you will be able to ask Siri to play that episode on the new Apple TV
  10. Check out Blind Bargains
  11. Check out AppleVis

Upcoming Events

  1. iOS 9 release, September 16
  2. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launch, September 25
  3. Photography Non-visually, September 26

Speculation: Penciling in OS X?

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Image of Apple Pencil being used with iPad Pro on flat surface

Many writers at iMore have stated that Mac OS X is not designed to be a touch based operating system. This is because the programs are not built to work with a touch interface, but what if a team were to build apps for iOS that did the same as Mac OS X but for iOS? If these apps were built for the iPad, then the user could use the pencil for an easier touch experience in selecting files rather than using their finger. The Apple Pencil offers a very precise tool for manipulating objects on the iPad Pro, and it would be logical to speculate that it would be an essential tool for bringing full Mac OS support to an iPad or iPad Pro near you.

Pairing Apple Pencil with iPad Pro

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Image of Apple Pencil being used with iPad Pro on flat surface

This weekend I received my Apple Pencil, and the first thing I did was get my iPad Pro and pair it with the Apple Pencil. The process is very simple and will take less than a minute. Here is how you pair the two devices.

Pairing the Apple Pencil

The Apple Pencil has a magnetic cap on the end opposite the nib. You will feel a metal ring, and the cap will be above that ring. Simply pull the cap off the back of the pencil and you will see a Lightning connector. You can pair your Pencil by either plugging that lightning connector into the iPad Pro and have it stick out the bottom of your iPad, or by using the adapter that comes with the pencil. This will allow you to plug a lightning cable into the pencil, and then into the iPad. This will make sure you don’t hit the pencil breaking the lightning connector on it. This would be the best for charging, but to pair it is just simple to plug the pencil right into the iPad for a few seconds.

Once you plug the Pencil into the iPad Pro, you just have to wait until a pairing dialog appears. Once it does, double tap on the pair button to pair your Apple Pencil, and you will be ready to write in the Notes app or other apps that work with the device. When the battery gets low on the pencil, the iPad will tell you to charge the pencil by using a method mentioned above.

We will soon have an article here on iAccessibility’s website discussing how to do more with the Apple Pencil with VoiceOver, so keep checking back to learn more about this amazing device. We will discuss how to use it with drawing apps, and how to navigate the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil.

Low Vision Reading with Kindle Voyage

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Image of Kindle Voyage

Amazon has created many devices over the years for reading books, but their latest Kindle devices have proven to be very successful. This week I upgraded from the Kindle Paperwhite to the Kindle Voyage which has new features and better low vision accessibility improvements. Here is what you can expect from the Voyage.

Form Factor of the Kindle Voyage

The Kindle Voyage is a small 6 inch e-reader with a glass screen and a magnesium back with the Amazon logo on it. The Voyage has a button on the back and a Micro-USB charging port on the bottom of the device. There is no speaker on this device, so it does not support speech, but there are apps for iOS and Android to help with reading e-books with speech. The Voyage contains a back light like the Kindle Paperwhite, but the Voyage can adjust the backlight to fit the reading environment that you are in. The Voyage also has a screen that is glass instead of plastic, and the glass goes all the way to the edges unlike the paper white where the screen is inset into the case.

Software and Accessibility

The Voyage contains the same Kindle software and operating System as other kindle devices, but since it is running on the Voyage it has a higher resolution and better backlight, so text is sharper, and with Amazon’s new Bookerly font you get a nice clear reading experience. The Kindle software allows for the reader to enlarge the text to be very large, in fact you can make the device only show a few words at a time.

Conclusion

While the Kindle Voyage does not work for all users, especially those requiring speech, it does work if you are seeking a device for reading if you have low vision. I would suggest though that you purchase your books on your mobile device, or from a computer and then sync them to the Voyage as the bookstore does not zoom in on the Voyage.

More Details – Kindle Voyage

Is the new Smart Battery Case worth a hump?

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Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone

Late last year, Apple released the new Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s. This battery was created for the iPhone 6s only as the 6s Plus contains 1/3 more battery power than the smaller phone. So is this case worth spending $100 for better battery life, and is it worth the hump on its back?

Smart Battery Case Dimensions and Characteristics

The iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case comes in at a size similar with the 6s, but adds a small amount of space at the bottom that contains its own lightning port, and puts the speaker on the front along with the microphone. The headphone jack is still on the bottom as well.

The case also contains a hump on the back that contains the battery pack. This is a change compared to the Mophi cases as the Mophi cases make the back of the phone the same thickness throughout the design where there is no hump on the phone or case.  The hump really doesn’t add much of a difference how you hold the phone, in fact, the hump on the back adds extra grip for the iPhone which can help some hold their phones better.

The color of the Smart Battery Case comes in either charcoal or White, which limits you to how your phone would look, so if you have the space grey phone then I would go with the charcoal, but it is up to you to customize your phone as you like it.

Performance

The Smart Battery Case promises 18 hours of web browsing and 20 hours of video watching, which is nearly doubled the amount that is offered on the built in battery on the 6s. The way this case works is that you use the battery on the case first and then your phone will then use its battery. You can even see your case’s battery in Notification Center under the batteries notification widget. When you plug your phone in to charge your phone will charge first, and then the case will finish charging.

Conclusion

While the iPhone 6s Plus has more battery built in, it is still a big phone, and not everyone needs a big phone. If a smaller phone is for you then this case adds a new way to keep your phone charged and is officially from Apple. If you do have the 6s then I highly recommend this case if you don’t already have a way to keep your phone charged as the 6s does burn through battery life fairly quickly.

Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6s from Apple.com

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