On this episode of the iA Cast, Michael, Aleeha, Jason, Matt, Anne and Meaghan discuss the current status of artificial intelligence in consumer technology products.
On this episode of the iA Cast, Michael, Jason, Aleeha, Dan, Matt and Anne discuss the different music streaming services and which ones everyone uses and why. Here is the list of services.
On this episode of the iA DemoCast, Matt goes through the steps in setting up Apple Music on an iOS device. After setup is complete, Matt goes through the basics of finding and adding music to Apple music in the Music app.
On this episode of the iA Cast Aleeha, Michael, Jason, Aaron and T. J. discuss the latest news from Apple’s yearly WWDC conference. Here is what was covered in the episode.
Each year, Apple announces their latest software at their Worldwide Developer Conference, and WWDC 2017 starts today. the management staff here at iAccessibility has written down what they would like to see, and is written below.
Matt’s wishlist
Monday, June 5 is Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) where we will most likely see some new hardware and software. Here are a few of my hopes for tomorrow’s conference announcements.
iOS
Updated Braille translation support – I should be able to type quickly on my Braille display without waiting for the operating system/display to sync with each other.
Siri – Hopefully in iOS 11, Siri will be able to support more third party applications with Siri kit. I would love to be able to say, “Hey Siri, Play podcasts with Overcast,” or, “Hey Siri, play my Audible Book.” Also, while using Hey Siri, you should be able to continue to speak to Siri after you’ve asked it a question. This should be true for which ever device, especially if the rumour is true about Apple releasing a Siri speaker.
MacOS
No more lag — personally, there shouldn’t be any lag when moving with VO, whether it be in Safari, Pages or Textedit. At the moment there is also a lag when switching activities with both apple voices and Vocalizer voices.
“Hey Siri,” – Apple is always about the “universal experience across devices.” Hopefully in the next version of both MacOS and TVOS we see “hey Siri” added.
These are just a few things I would love to see at today’s event. It will be great to see what’s added in the upcoming operating systems.
Jason’s Wishlist
As we all know, Apple’s WWDC conference is happening on June fifth. Here are some things I’d like to see.
iOS
I’d like to see Apple put the “Pro” into iPad Pro. From Apple’s website: “iPad Pro is more than the next generation of iPad — it’s an uncompromising vision of personal computing for the modern world. It puts incredible power that leaps past most portable PCs at your fingertips. It makes even complex work as natural as touching, swiping, or writing with a pencil. And whether you choose the 12.9-inch model or the 9.7-inch model, iPad Pro is more capable, versatile, and portable than anything that’s come before. In a word, super.”
For me, two things come to mind that would make the iPad “super.” 1. Finder for iOS, and 2. xCode for iOS. If apple wants the iPad Pro to be an “uncompromising vision of personal computing,” adding those two features to iOS would, I think, really help Apple meet that goal.
Siri
I’d like to see Siri get smarter, and more capable.
More app categories being added to Siri kit would be nice, especially if Apple is indeed going to announce a Siri speaker.
I think Siri needs to have a more natural conversation stile than it currently does, and that stile should be hands-free. We can already say something like “Hey Siri. What’s the weather?” And it’ll respond. But if you want to ask something else, you would keep having to say “Hey Siri.”
Maybe Siri could listen for a couple seconds to see if you have something else to ask before waiting for the “Hey Siri” command again?
I can already see a downside to my idea, but it leads me to the last thing I’d like to see for Siri, and that would be to improve Siri’s ability to only respond to your specific voice.
Conclusion
These are just a few things I’d like to see announced at WWDC. Will they happen? Well, all I can say is it’s going to be fun to watch it and find out.
Michael’s Wishlist
WWDC is one of my favorite announcements of the year, and I can’t wait to see what Apple brings us today. There is so many things that I would like to see them release today, so I will separate them out by OS.
iOS
I have to agree with what Jason said about the iPad Pro. I would really like to see this become more of a Pro device for dev and others.
I would like to see a full file system come to iOS
I would like to see full audio support come to iOS where multiple media types can play at the same time, so I could have TeamTalk and music playing at the same time, or have recording from multiple inputs work.
Better support for Siri to learn new skills
Removal of Apple Music Cache files. You can do this on Android, so iOS should have this as well.
less use of iTunes to get items like Ringtones on your device.
macOS
Support for, “Hey Siri”
Support for touch screen macs
WatchOS
Allow the watch to unpaid and pair with different phones.
Speed improvements
Siri Improvements
Windows
Support for iMessage for Windows
Android
Support for iMessage
Support for Apple Watch
iCloud contacts and sync for Android
While I am sure much of my list will not be on the list for today’s event I can hope that some things will make it to reality.
Conclusion
I think our team has put together some awesome ideas of things we would like to see today at WWDC, and we will see what we get in an hour.
CSUN 2017 hashtag changed from #CSUN17 to #CSUNATC2107
Blind Bargains app updated for iOS
Blind Bargains Android app announced
We will have one more episode this week and then we will have new content fresh from the CSUN 2017 conference
We are looking for new ways to bring you into the conversation, and we encourage people to join us for the podcast recording on TeamTalk at teamtalk.iaccessibility.net. We only ask that you mute while we record the podcast.
We hope that you have enjoyed this episode. Please email us at feedback@iaccessibility.net for suggestions or to leave comments or feedbac.
Welcome to the very first iA DemoCast! In this episode, Matt Dierckens will walk you through updating software on macOS Sierra, using Apple’s built-in screen reader, VoiceOver. We hope you find this demonstration useful; if you have topics you would like to see covered on the DemoCast, please let us know! As always, thank you for listening!
In this episode of the #iACast, which was recorded on January 11, 2017, join Michael, Daniel, Ashley, Jason, and Matt as they discuss the impact Apple’s iPhone has had on the world, and on their lives.
A Note about Capacitive Touch Screens
There was some confusion about how capacitive touch screens work. Touch input on the iPhone has nothing to do with body heat; instead, capacitive touch screens can work with anything that holds an electrical charge, including human skin. When you touch your iPhone’s screen, an electrical circuit is completed, and then the coordinates of that touch are translated by the iPhone. For more information, check out this helpful article: Okay, but how do touch screens actually work?
Jessica’s iPhone Story
In this episode, everyone explained how they found out about the iPhone, and their journey as it relates to smartphones. Since I, Jessica, was not on the podcast, the group asked me to detail my experiences in the show notes.
When I first heard about the iPhone, I thought people were silly for running out and paying a bunch of money for a slab of glass. I couldn’t understand how anyone would want to use a touch screen phone, much less someone, like myself, who is low vision. I figured it would register a bunch of accidental touches, and that I would struggle to see the interface. I only knew one person with the first iPhone, and I had a brief experience with it when she showed me some pictures. As I swiped through the pictures, pinching to zoom in and out as needed, I briefly considered it as an option. However, that thought quickly vanished when I remembered how expensive the phone was, and that it was not available on Verizon. So, I continued for nearly 4 years on my quest to find a cell phone that would meet my needs as a low vision user. I constantly looked on Verizon’s website for new phones, and watched phone reviews on YouTube, looking for what might be my dream phone. I had flip phones, and messaging phones, and I even owned a couple of Windows Mobile smartphones. They all fell short. In 2009, when I heard the iPhone had a screen reader, I was blown away. I still couldn’t see how anyone who was low vision or blind would want to use it, but I was intrigued. I hunted down some podcasts, and listened to some demonstrations of people using VoiceOver. It seemed neat, but typing seemed slow and time consuming. Nevertheless, I purchased a 3rd Generation iPod Touch in November of 2009. I was slow to catch on, but by the end of 2010, I carried it with me everywhere. Then, it happened – Verizon got the iPhone in 2011, and I immediately upgraded to the iPhone 4. I’ve had an iPhone ever sense, and it has, without a doubt, changed my life. Thanks to zoom and VoiceOver, I can easily use my phone for anything and everything a fully-sighted person can do. I text, take pictures, send and receive email, use social media, and so much more. It is amazing! It has also made the world around me more accessible. I use it as a magnifier, to read my mail and cooking instructions, and I even use it to set my thermostat. I can use it to see things that are far away from me, and if I need some help seeing something, family members and friends are a FaceTime call away! The iPhone is a game changer for those of us with disabilities, and for the world as a whole.
iPhone Announcement
Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Mac World on January 9, 2007. He said it was a phone, an iPod, and an internet communication device. Check out that announcement below.
As always, thank you for checking out #iACast! We hope you’ve enjoyed this episode! Please share it with friends, and come back to iAccessibility.net for more of your accessible technology needs!
Join Michael, Jessica, Rich, and Daniel as they discuss Apple’s AirPods, and hear Daniel and Michael unbox theirs live on the podcast! Get the scoop on what it’s like to setup and use these new wireless headphones. Are their any issues? Are the AirPods worth the hype? You’ll find out in this episode, which was recorded on December 22, 2016. Enjoy!
This podcast was recorded on December 1, 2016, and it is hosted by Michael Doise. Accompanying Michael on this episode is Jason Earls, and Jessica Smith.
This episode covers the following topics:
Black Friday/Cyber Monday DealsIn this segment, we discuss our holiday spending and deals we found interesting.
W1-Enabled HeadphonesIn this segment, we discuss Beats and Apple’s AirPods.
Directv NowAll three of us subscribed to AT&T’s new Directv Now service. Listen to us compare its accessibility and ease-of-use to other services, and hear our opinion on the service as a whole.
Why Unlimited Data isn’t Always GoodIf you can stream Directv Now as much a you want as an AT&T cellular subscriber, why isn’t that good for consumers? What about consumers with other networks? What about other services that want to compete with Directv Now? Hear us discuss these issues and more.
iAccessibility NewsCheck out iAccessibility.net for all the details on app betas, our training program, and more.
We sincerely hope you enjoy the content covered in this episode of our podcast! We have more content in the editing process, and we can’t wait to share it all with you soon! Thank you for listening!
iAccessibility saw tremendous growth in 2016, when compared to previous years. For this, we would like to thank you all for reading our articles, sharing our posts, listening to our podcasts, and following us on social media. To celebrate, we would like to share with you the posts that received the most traffic in 2016! That’s right, here are your favorite articles.
Note: This list is in reverse order, with the most popular post appearing last on the list.
There you have it – the most popular posts, as chosen by you, our readers! What do you think? Is this list accurate, or do you have a favorite that did not appear on this list? Let us know! And once again, thank you all for your support! We look forward to bringing you more content throughout 2017 and beyond!
