It is not often that I am contacted directly by a developer of an application for the blind or for low vision users. Recently, though, Renaud Boisjoly of Lagente contacted me about an application called, PinPoint. I am a totally blind user of the Mac, but in reading about the application and from email exchanges with Renaud, I believe this is something that would benefit a number of users out there. I know I have had conversations with a few low vision users who have had trouble seeing the mouse pointer itself, so that is what also caught my attention.
Please take the time to check out the app and spread the word. These guys are certainly interested in feedback. In addition, they have offered some product codes for me to give away to some users. I haven’t quite decided how I am going to go about doing this, so I’d also be interested in any ideas or if you find the app useful and helpful, to please contact me.
Here is some information on PinPoint:
PinPoint is an app for Mac OS X which displays a graphic element around the Mac’s mouse pointer. This graphical element can be a simple shape to make the pointer more visible, such as a circle, a larger arrow or special shapes like targets or an image of your choice. It also offers a selection of animated shapes, to make the pointer even more visible. Some of these are particularly visible for those with macular degeneration or specific blind spots as they can display a custom image and have it rotate on itself at a specific position around the mouse pointer. There are many options which can help users with specific vision problems. Some of the pointers pulse or offer visible feedback when the mouse button is clicked. Then, there are many options to have the effect be visible only when the mouse is moved or when it is idle, or toggled by a keyboard shortcut. Another useful feature is the visible keys which display what is typed on the keyboard in a heads-up display of adjustable size. PinPoint is available on the Mac App Store for $4.99US and you can learn more about it on Lagente’s web site:
here.