As an FYI for those who might be interested

Posted on November 27, 2012 by John

I am posting the following announcement in case it might be of interest or help to folks. Anna Dresner writes very useful and helpful books, and this is another one.

An iMessaging guide from NBP!

A Quick Guide to iMessages with VoiceOver
by Anna Dresner
In braille, eBraille, and Word, $6.00

Everybody is texting — sending one another text messages. Texting is so popular because if the other person is available, you can communicate in real-time, but if your friend isn’t around, you can still convey important information quickly. And if you have an Apple device (an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS 5 or later or a Mac running Mountain Lion), you can text anyone else with one of these devices for free using a service called iMessage. A Quick Guide to iMessaging tells you how to text and use iMessage on all your Apple devices. You’ll learn how to send and receive messages and delete the ones you no longer want. If several people in your family share an Apple ID for buying apps and music but each have their own devices, you’ll also learn to configure iCloud so that you can iMessage each other. Buy this book, and start iMessaging today!

Order at:
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/IMESSAGE.html

See also:
Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS5 for Blind Users, $22
Twenty-one iPhone Apps We Can’t Live Without, $9
iPhone Tactile Screenshot Quick Reference Guide, $27

******
To order any books, send payment to:
NBP, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115-4302
Or call and charge it: toll-free (800) 548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 ext 520.
Or order any of our books online at
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html.

Posted in Accessibility, iOS Devices, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, OS Mountain Lion | Leave a comment

A good podcast episode to listen to

Posted on November 24, 2012 by John

The Tech Doctor podcast is one I have mentioned before here and have a link to on the
Links page
of the site. Dr. Robert Carter’s latest episode is highlighted with a good interview with Darcy Burnard, one of the early Mac accessible proponents back when I began to switch to the Mac. With his partner, Holly Anderson, they have been doing the
Screenless Switchers podcast.
for about seven years now.

It’s a great interview, and it can be found,
here.

Posted in Accessibility, General, iOS Devices, Updates | Leave a comment

Updates, 11/11/12

Posted on November 11, 2012 by John

Now that we are recovering from the back to back storms that hammered the North-East and I have my power back, I am back in business. I have added a new page to the site that is under the resource sections called
Technical Corner
This will be a section in which interested folks can contribute articles or tutorials that go beyond the “how to” or “tips and tricks” variety of information. I have place three separate articles as a start. I welcome anyone to please contact me should they have something they think they’d like to add.

Posted in Accessibility, Updates | Leave a comment

The new iPod Nano, Worth the Money for Sure!

Posted on October 28, 2012 by John

Like the iPhone 3GS when it was announced that it would be accessible with VoiceOver, I had purchased the 4th generation iPod Nano at the time it had come out. I honestly don’t recall how many years ago that was, but it surely has been a good four plus. I can still remember how great it was to have a music player that I could use without having to install any third party software onto it to make it accessible for me, and I can say that i used the heck out of it over the time I have owned it.

For those who know or who can remember, the original iPod Nano with accessibility used the system voice you set for your computer as the speech used for the device. Additionally, not all of the settings were accessible, and, thus, we didn’t have access to things like the clock and some advanced settings. Still, one could access playlists, audio books, videos, etc, and it was certainly a very usable device. It went with me to California a couple of times and various other places across the United States, as well as having been a companion for countless hours while working out or just relaxing. Continue reading →

Posted in Accessibility, General, iOS Devices | Leave a comment

The iPhone 5, my thoughts and Opinions

Posted on October 17, 2012 by John

The iPhone 5 has been out for almost a month now and I have had mine for a good three weeks at this point. I wanted to give my impressions and, as usual, spout off a couple of opinions that have come to my mind as the weeks have passed and so many things have been written about in regard to the iPhone 5 features and comments by some technical online sites. Of course, these are my personal reactions and like any matter of opinion, you can take it all for what it’s worth.

Simply Cool

I will say flat out that I loved my iPhone 4S. It was a great phone, and with SIRI, it became like a good friend over the year I had it. If you have one or can rather afford it over the iPhone 5, I’d certainly recommend it. It got the job done for me during the time I owned it, and I have no regrets in the world for having upgraded from the 3GS to the 4S.

With that said, however, Simply Cool, is all I can think of when it comes to describing the iPhone 5. It’s noticeably smaller and thinner, and is also faster than the 4S. I practically fell in love with it the moment I opened its package and examined it for the first time. When I had heard it described as being 20 percent thinner and lighter, I really hadn’t been able to imagine that, but trust me when I say that it makes a difference.

Setting up the iPhone 5 went as smooth as silk. I restored the phone from an iCloud backup and also synced the phone to my computer for a few odds and ends I was told needed to be done by way of a direct connection to my Mac. It took less than twenty minutes between the time I turned on the iPhone 5 for the first time and hit the home button three times to start VoiceOver to actually using the phone. Continue reading →

Posted in Accessibility, General, iPhone | 1 Comment

Helping a VoiceOver friendly developer

Posted on October 15, 2012 by John

I have neglected in writing about this, as I have gotten caught up in other distractions. However, I’d like to follow up on an item about a developer named, Marco Arment, Maccessibility posted about and who we talked about on the podcast a few weeks ago. The Maccessibility story is
here,
and I recommend to read it.

It is a great thing when you have a mainstream developer talk about VoiceOver on one of his podcasts and to take other developers to task for not making their applications accessible for iOS devices. The episode of the podcast I am speaking of can be found
by going here.

In addition, Marco also released a magazine app as well. I believe in supporting those who do the right things for us, and I would recommend checking it out.
Here
is the link for the magazine.

Please show Marco our support.

Posted in Accessibility, General, iOS Devices | Leave a comment

Updates, 10/12/12

Posted on October 12, 2012 by John

I have added a few items to the site that I hope will be of help.

First the 3rd part of my audio demonstration on using the Finder, Episode 20, has been added to the
Demonstrations section of the site.Hopefully, all 3 parts will help you become more comfortable in using Finder from how the window appears, your choice of views, navigating your files and folders, and copying and moving items to using the Sidebar.

Additionally, in the
Documentation section of the site,
I have added a document that contains Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts for Mountain Lion, which was taken from an Apple knowledge base article. Also, the user guide for the iPod Nano 7th generation model is also now available.

Posted in Accessibility, General, iOS Devices, OS Mountain Lion, Updates | Leave a comment

Firefox Gains some VoiceOver Support

Posted on October 10, 2012 by John

Mozilla released Firefox 16 yesterday, and one of the new and exciting additions to the web browser is some initial support for VoiceOver. It is far from perfect, but it is certainly a continues step forward towards full accessibility. I wouldn’t say it’s a version you would want to try to use daily, as it can be sluggish using VO, but I surely recommend to download and try it. Also, let the Mozilla people know that we are glad to see them moving towards making Firefox accessible on the mac. This would give us another alternative to go with Safari, Chrome, Lightning and Omni Web, as we browser that work with VoiceOver.

You can download Firefox 16
from here.

Posted in Accessibility, General, Updates | Leave a comment

Laugh for Site

Posted on October 7, 2012 by John

Obviously, this website is dedicated for resources for users of the Mac or iDevices, both beginners and experienced alike. I don’t often present off topic posts, but I wanted to post a message from a good friend of mine in regard to the organization he represents. Many of you live outside of New York, but please spread the word and repost this in as many places as you can. It would be much appreciated.

Thank You

Greetings all,

I wanted to let you know that tickets are now on sale for Laugh For Sight NYC on Monday, October 29, 2012 at Gotham Comedy Club. We are thrilled to announce that Bonnie Bernstein of ESPN will be this year’s Celebrity Host, and joined by Legendary Comedian, Robert Klein, Eddie Brill, Bonnie McFarlane, Paul Mecurio, Jim Norton, Rich Vos, and more! This year’s Silent Auction will start at 7pm followed by the Comedy Show at 830PM. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.gothamcomedyclub.com, and clicking on the date 10/29, calling 212-367-9000, or by clicking on this link directlyhttp://gothamcomedyclub.com/show.cfm?id=191886&cart

General Admission is $35 and VIP Reserved Seating is $75 both ticket prices are plus a two drink/item minimum. All attendees are invited to the Silent Auction. Donors to the silent auction include The Daily show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Jimmy Fallon Show, Comedy Central, Eli Manning, Rock of Ages, Felix rey, Susan Michel Limited, and much more. For up to the minute updates make sure to follow Laugh For Sight on Twitter at @LaughForSight

Hope to see you there, or in a lot of our cases hear ya!

Best,

Brian Fischler
www.laughforsight.com
Brian Fischler
President
brian@laughforsight.com

www.laughforsight.com

Posted in General | Leave a comment

A Year Since the Passing of Steve Jobs

Posted on October 5, 2012 by John

It is a year today since Steve Jobs passed away from cancer. He was a man taken far before his time, and one of the true heroes I have had in my lifetime.

I can still remember the shock and sadness I felt when I first heard the news that he had died. I was at a friend’s house, and I can still recall sitting back on her couch feeling the complete sense of shock and disappointment. It was, unfortunately, something many had suspected would occur, but the reality of it happening was still stunning and very much like a bad dream come to life.

Today, on
Apple’s website
there is a short tribute to Steve Jobs and a message from Tim Cook. Hearing Steve’s voice again brought chills to me, and the moments you will hear replayed were a few of his greatest.

The contributions of Steve Jobs will continue to be felt and enjoyed for years to come, and his effect on the world of technology will echo throughout eternity. Today and for the rest of my life, Mr. Jobs will continue to be missed.

In Memory of Steven P. Jobs, one year since his untimely death
.

Posted in General | 1 Comment