Home / Blog / iA Cast

#iACast 27 – Backdoor

iAccessibility Logo

Hello, and welcome to another delayed edition of our podcast! We are hopeful that our schedule will be a little more regular soon, so we hope you all are sticking with us. In this episode, which was recorded on November 16, 2016, we cover the following topics:

  • A Backdoor to ChinaHow would you feel if you found out that your text messages, location data, and private information were being sent to China for analysis? Unfortunately, if you own a cheaper android phone, or if you are an international customer, this could be a reality for you. The worst part is you may never know if your phone is affected, and the software that does this was put there on purpose by the manufacturer. Whoa!Your User Data is Secretly Sent to China Through a Backdoor on Some US Android Phones
  • Microsoft Joins Linux FoundationThis surprised a few members of our team. Apparently, Microsoft is reversing course on its opinion of Linux. This is especially interesting, because some of Microsoft’s choices still contradict the choice to join the Linux Foundation. We think it will be interesting to see what the future holds in this regard.Microsoft – Yes, Microsoft – Joins the Linux Foundation
  • Visual Studio Invades the MacNow developers can develop cross-platform applications using Visual Studio on macOS. Although our group finds Xcode to be the best IDE for developing Mac and iOS apps, we believe choice is always good. Hopefully this will allow more developers more flexibility in how and which operating system they use while developing apps.Announcing the new Visual Studio for Mac
  • MacBook Pro with Touch Bar ReviewsIt’s all pretty mixed! Some think the Touch Bar is useful, while others think a touch screen would make more sense. We believe the usefulness of the Touch Bar depends on how you use your computer, and which apps support it. We think it will become more useful over time as mor uses are found for it, and the price will decrease as well. You should definitely feel free to check out reviews online, and if you have a store nearby, check out these new machines in an Apple Store.The Reviews are in — Here’s What People are Saying About Apple’s Latest Laptop
  • First Impressions of Apple’s AirPodsWhat will it be like to use the long-awaited Airpods? What is latency like? Will they work well with VoiceOver? Well, most of us have yet to find out any of this first-hand, since the AirPods have not been released! However, lucky members of the media have been testing AirPods, and we have read a little information from one of our favorite websites, iMore. Here’s the link!AirPods First Impressions
  • We’re All About the TV AppListen to us discuss what it’s like to use theupcoming TV app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. We think this is a great addition to our TV-watching experience. We find it frustrating that some services, like Netflix, refuse to participate. However, it’s a great start, and we can’t wait to see how it improves in the near future.3 Ways Apple’s New TV App Will Change the Viewing Experience on Apple TV
  • Prevention is Always Better Than Reaction: Twitter is Finally Getting the PictureFinally, Twitter is introducing new features to help users prevent abuse. Muting keywords, usernames, and conversations is now a little easier. We think this is a good step in the right direction, but that Twitter should be doing more to help users have a more positive experience on the social network.Twitter is Adding New Filtering Tools in an Effort to Curb Abuse
  • Is the Google Home worth Ditching the Echo?On our website, you will find Rich’s impressions of the new Google Home smart speaker. He immediately returned his. Would you have done the same? Do you think it replaces the Amazon Echo? Overall, we think it sounds neat, but it is very much a first-generation product. We think it could still be an option for users who are in the Google ecosystem, but if the Echo meets your needs, we recommend sticking with Alexa.Google Home First impressions
  • VO Starter – Public Beta!We welcome anyone who wants to join us in testing version 3.0 of the VO Starter application for iOS. It is a great resource for blind an low vision users who are new to iOS, and you could help us help them learn to use VoiceOver.VO Starter 3.0 Public Beta

Thank you all for checking out our podcast! Please share it with others, and tweet using the hashtag #IACast. Please visit us online at iaccessibility.net, and check out all we have to offer!

#iACast 26 – Dial It Up

Image of Surface Dial on top of a touch screen displaying the time.

Welcome to episode 26 of the #IACast! This episode was recorded on November 9, 2016. Listen to this podcast to hear Michael, Jessica, Daniel, and Jason discuss the following topics:

  • Accessible VotingAre you over 18 and a United States citizen? If so, we hope you voted in this year’s election. If you did not, because you were afraid of accessibility issues, we have great news for you! Several of us voted, and we have a lot of information for you about what you can expect when voting.
  • Microsoft Surface Studio and 2016 Apple MacBook Pro First ImpressionsMichael recently made his way to the Microsoft store and the Apple Store – check out what he thought of the Surface Studio, Surface Dial, and the MacBook Pro.
  • Google Home Now AvailableThose of us on the podcast this week have not yet seen the recently released Google Home, but someone on the iAccessibility team has! We cannot wait to bring you more information about the Google Home, but here’s what we’ve heard about the device so far.
  • Slack AccessibilitySlack is a service used to communicate with groups of people, in what are called teams. You may need to use this app if you join an organization, beta test, or even work for some companies. Recently, the iOS app was updated to work much better with VoiceOver. We are really happy about this!

As always, if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with friends! Also, you can reach us on social media, or email us with feedback! Thank you for listening!

#iACast 25 – Fruit or Flop?

Apple invite for its Hello Again event.

We apologize for the delay in uploading the podcast, but we hope you will enjoy hearing our coverage of the recent Microsoft and Apple Events. The Microsoft Event took place on Wednesday, October 26, and the Apple Event took place on Thursday, October 27.

For information about what was released at Microsoft’s Windows 10 Event, check out this link from BGR.

Microsoft Event October 2016: Announcement recap – everything unveiled

For detailed coverage of the Apple event, check out this great page from MacRumors.

Apple Shares Full Video of Today’s MacBook Pro Event [Update: iTunes Version Available]

At iAccessibility, we have some useful posts about using the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro as low vision or blind users.

VoiceOver at the Bar

Zooming in on the Touch Bar

As always, thank you for listening! If you enjoy our podcast, please share it with others and rate us in your podcast app. For feedback and suggestions, please email feedback@iaccessibility.net

#iACast 24 – Silence!!! I Kill the Internet!

A map showing that much of Friday's Internet outage was over the US.

Thanks for checking out the #IACast. This episode was recorded on Tuesday, October 25, 2016, and uploaded on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. Let’s get right down to what happened this week!

Like our show? Let us know by tweeting using the hashtag #IACast, and of course share our podcast with friends! Thank you for listening!

#iACast 23 – Hello Again

Apple invite for its Hello Again event.

Thank you for checking out #IACast, episode 23! In this episode, we discuss the following:

Love our podcast? Please share it with friends! Thank you!

#iACast 22 – Burn Notice

Picture of fire proof Samsung Note 7 box with fire resistant gloves.

Welcome to another episode of the #IACast podcast! A lot has happened since episode 21, so let’s get right to it!

Like our podcast? Please share it with others! Have a suggestion, feel free to send us an email, mention @iAccessibility1 on Twitter, and use the hashtag #IACast on Twitter. As always, thanks for listening!

#iACast 21 – Pixelation

Image showing front, side and back shots of the Really Blue Google Pixel

Hello, and welcome to IA Cast, episode 21! A lot has happened in the last week, including:

Thank you for checking out our podcast! If you like what we’re doing, please share our podcast with others!

#iACast 19 – Not Just Any Hole Will Do

Image showing iPhone 7 being drilled in to for non existent headphone jack.

Welcome to the latest episode of IA Cast. In this episode, we discuss the latest news, including:

  • Some iPhone 7 owners are drilling 3.5mm holes into their new phones, because a YouTuber told them to do it! Say what?iPhone 7 users are drilling holes into their devices
  • Separate, Not EqualFind out what we think about companies that create separate interfaces and feature sets for users, depending on the assistive technology they use.on iAccessibility.net, we have an article about Twitter’s new “night mode” on iOS, but it turns out VoiceOver users can’t access this feature.
  • Now Disney wants to buy Twitter, too?It looks like Twitter is looking to be bought out! Who will win? What will that mean for us? What do we think of Disney owning Twitter?Why Disney is unlikely to buy Twitter
  • Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 STILL the most explosive smartphone?If you thought Samsung’s exploding battery troubles were over, think again. In the last few days, there have been reports of replacement Galaxy Note 7s overheating, and even catching fire! What happened to these new replacements being safe?Galaxy Note 7 replacement batteries catch fire, too
  • Team Tactile and Their Low-Cost Braille DeviceWe could not resist sharing this story! Not only is this group made up of young women, which is very rare in the technology industry, but they are developing a device that could literally change lives. This group of women aims to help blind and visually impaired people gain access to braille on-the-go with their braille translation device. Their target is for it to cost $100, so we can’t wait to see this device mature.How six scrappy young inventors built a breakthrough text-to-Braille translator device
  • What will home automation look like with multiple home hubs?Everyone knows about the Amazon Echo; it is clearly the gadget to beat in this space. However, Google is about to release its connected speaker, Home, and Apple is said to be working on their own speaker with Siri integration. How will these devices work together, if at all?Google Home vs. Amazon Echo: AI is Coming To Your Home

    Apple Stepping Up Plans for Amazon Echo-Style Smart-Home Device

#iACast 18 – UnboxCast Part 2

image showing three views of the same Apple Watch Series 2

On this episode of the iA Cast, Rich Cavallaro unboxes his new iPhone 7 Plus, and Michael Doise unboxes the new Apple Watch series 2. We set up these devices, and we take a look at the differences between load times on the Apple Watch series 2 compared to the original Apple Watch commonly known as the series 0 version.

#iACast 17 – UnboxCast Part 1

Picture showing iPhone 7 box with black iPhone picture on top

On this episode of iA Cast, Daniel Miller and Jessica Smith unbox their new iPhone 7 Plus phones and we discuss the latest news over the weekend. Here is what was discussed.

  1. Latest information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall
  2. We discuss the latest news of HissGate and what it is.
  3. We discuss the latest version of macOS Sierra.
  4. Then Daniel and Jessica unbox their new shiny iPhones and discuss what they like and don’t like about their devices.

Contributors this episode are:

  • Michael Doise
  • Daniel Miller
  • Jessica Smith
  • Ashley Coleman

#iACast 16 – AirBoom

Image of Apple Airpods sitting on top of Rose Gold iPhone 7

On this episode of iA Cast, we cover the following topics.

  1. iOS 10 has been released. Apple iOS 10
  2. iPhone 7 and 7 Plus announced.
  3. Apple Watch Series 2 announced. Apple Watch Series 2
  4. Pokemon Go announced for Apple Watch.
  5. Apple Announces AirPods bluetooth earphones. Apple AirPods
  6. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recalled due to safety issues. Galaxy Note 7 Recall

Show contributors on this episode are:

  • Michael Doise
  • Jessica Smith
  • Matt Dierckens
  • Jason Earls
  • Chad Blanco
  • Daniel Miller
  • Rich Cavallaro
  • Ashley Coleman

iA Cast Copyright 2016 iAccessibility and Michael Doise

Back to Top