All Cool Blind Tech Shows

Comics Empower is featured in this weeks Spotlight Interview. The online comic book shop that was created by Guy Hasson. who makes comics for the blind and the visually impaired! After more than 20 years writing for theatre, writing science fiction stories and books, and writing for film, Guy created the indie comic book company New Worlds Comics. Among other things, he initiated the Comics Empower Project, where real people told their real stories about how comics empowered, helped, or inspired them. The real stories showed him how deeply comics empower people for decades. This inspired the creation of the Comics Empower store, the comic book store for the blind and the visually impaired. More than that, it inspired the creation of the exclusive series, Aurora, an adventure sci-fi series with a blind hero. Useful links: First Timer's Ultimate Guide to Comics. Check out the writing competition for blind or visually impaired writers.

The grammar-precise side of me cringes a little when using the word "nexai," but from an accessibility perspective, it fits well! Join Me, Leo, and Quentin on a Marshmallow expedition in this edition of the VIP roundtable podcast, as Cool Blind Tech dissects the Google event and uncovers an array of nexus devices. First, we have the Nexus 5X. The device features a 5.2 inch screen at a resolution of 1080 x 1920, a Snapdragon 64-bit 808 processor, and 2 gigabytes of ram. It comes in 16 or 32 GB versions. Google also talked up their new always-on OK Google feature, but why not listen to the podcast to find out more? The phone starts at $379 USD. The other phone, The Nexus 6P features a larger 5.7 inch screen, a faster CPU, but at a higher $499 price point. Finally, we spoke of some of the features in Marshmallow, such as the new features for permissions. Find a list of features here, as posted on the Android website. Google also introduced a slew of Chromecast devices. One is the Regular $35 Chrome

In this podcast, Justin goes through how to use the 3D Touch features on the iPhone 6s. He shows us how to do this on the home screen, to peak into things as well as pop into them and finally the settings available for this new feature.

In this Spotlight interview we feature Akash Khanolkar the CEO of CrowdViz. CrowdViz is an iOS app that unites blind people with our trusted sighted assistants. Blind users can receive immediate sighted assistance by connecting to an assistant and it is as easy as a click of a single button.

At the very tail end of August, Voice Dream Reader, the wildly popular book reading app, launched on Android. This opens up a huge potential market, ranging from students who want to read college coursework on-the-go, to professionals who drive a lot and need an easy way of reading materials with high-quality voices. Because of the excellent price range of Android devices, you can now own a book reader for under $100. We've interview Winston Chen who developed the iOS application, which has now grown into a comprehensive app. Getting this to work on Android from scratch was a unique challenge, as it requires a great effort and collaboration between features and platforms. Michael Scott developed the Android version of Voice Dream Reader, and it has many of the same functionality as found on iOS: Bookmarks, various high quality voices from Acapela (at the moment, Ivona is expected in a future update), along with bookmarking support, DRM-free Epubs, bookshelf views, Bookshare, Dropbox,One drive integratio

Was your most favorite part of Windows 7 the handy search box that you first landed in when you opened it? Were you fighting against upgrading to Windows 8.1 because you could not be parted with your beloved search box companion? Well, not to worry, as Microsoft has heard you loud and clear. The new Windows 10 start menu combines the traditional look and feel of Windows 7 and merged it with many of the modern features of Windows 8. In this podcast, Cory demonstrates how NVDA is navigating the Windows 10 start menu and shows you how to quickly jump to various sections. Get the best of both the Windows 7 and Windows 8 worlds with the new Windows 10 start menu.

Just when we thought Microsoft’s new modern browser Edge would not be accessible, the folks over at NV Access had to show everyone that NVDA is literally on the Edge. While the functionality demonstrated here is only available at this time in the next release versions of the NVDA software and certainly is not recommended for production environments, the fact that it seems to be working very well gives us a very promising glimpse at what we can expect from Microsoft’s accessibility support and NVDA itself. Give this podcast a listen to hear how NVDA is successfully reading webpages in its virtual browser, just as it always has.

We are back to tell you the latest and greatest when it comes to Windows 10. Join us to hear our take on it and how you can best have an enjoyable experience with this revolutionary new version of Microsoft’s newest release. Cory Martin, Thomas Geczy and Leonid Prazdnik all welcome Quentin Christensen from 22 Point, a blogger and developer who also happens to be writing a book on Windows 10 from a blindness/low vision perspective. To view Quentin's excellent blog, click here. So pull up a chair and join us as we discuss our experiences thus far. Here are the highlights: Windows 10 will launch on July 29th. The release will be staggered releases starting with desktop/laptops, then phones and Xbox. The upgrade path for Windows 7/8 will be free if the upgrade offer is used within the first year, however a single user license is estimated at $129/£99/€135 to start. The free upgrade will be free for the duration of the lifecycle of the product it is running on. Windows 10 is expected to be the last version

If you are a fan of Android, you might be aware of how different the typing experience on most keyboard solutions can be for the platform. Samsung, LG, and even Google all design specific keyboards which differ in the way they present key layouts or even speak some of the names for keys. For some, typing on Android might also seem slower than on rival operating systems. Usually this sluggish behavior is noticed when your finger makes contact with the keys on the keyboard - it takes a few seconds for the screen reader to announce which key you have touched. Enter the Blind Accessibility Keyboard , a $3 app which is designed specifically for blind and low vision users. Unlike most other products, it announces the key your finger lands on by using the default TTS engine on your device. Other customization options, such as the height of the keyboard, labels for specific keys, and even a settings backup/ restore function are provided for advanced users. In our experience, the keyboard can be a hit or miss dep

In this podcast, Justin shows us how to add web pages to the home screen on iOS. He also demonstrates how to give the icons custom names and launch them. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

In this podcast, Yannick gives us an introduction to the new Samsung Galaxy S6, and its own screen reader named Galaxy Talkback. Feel free to send Yannick any comments or suggestions below or via twitter at @YPlassiard. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

The Nexus Root Toolkit is a very useful utility which can help you easily root your Google Nexus device. Despite its name however, this utility has much more to offer. It can lock or relock your bootloader, help you flash custom and stock roms, perform a backup and restore of your device among many other things. In this podcast, we walk you through the NRT interface and demonstrate a few of its features. Please keep in mind that NRT relies on ADB and Fastboot in order to work properly. Let us know which features you find most useful!

iOS has transformed the lives of many users with a range of physical and learning disabilities. Learn how to create apps that leverage the power and simplicity of Apple's assistive technologies to make them accessible to the broadest audience possible. Hear about the latest advancements in iOS accessibility and how you can take advantage of them today. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

Building on the strong accessibility support in iOS, Apple Watch offers assistive features like VoiceOver and Zoom. Gain insights into how these accessibility features work on Apple Watch, and how to make sure your app can be accessible to all users. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

What a busy week! We return with another VIP Roundtable podcast, with me as your host alongside Hugo, Nelson, and Justin. This year's WWDC event was a large one, as it is where Apple reveals to us its mysteries at their core. OK, maybe not quite, but we did gain a nice glimpse into what is coming down the pipe especially in terms of software. Join us as we talk about Mac OS 10.11 and how mature the platform might be, iOS 9 and its features or surprises, along with the Apple Watch which is becoming so much more, quicker than people have thought. The big push for Apple this year dealt with making iOS more aware of your routine and habits, while keeping your privacy intact. Can they pull it off? Will the new Apple Music be good enough to gain interest for people? We also talk about a new assistant on the block, which could seriously Hound both Apple and Google and their artificial intelligent creations. Cool picks: Tomi Brain Baths Nelson: Periscope ( Android Version is here) Justin: the WWDC a

Greg, Leo and Cory welcome a new crew member, Dan Mathis to the show to discuss what's new and up-coming with the world of Google and the latest from Google IO. First up was the newest version of Android, Internally Code Named: Macadamia Nut Cookie, which is focusing on polish and quality It was announced that Android M should be available for Q3 2015, September of this year. The newest version of Android will initially be Launched on most of the flagship Devices: Nexus 5, 6, 9 and player, though the Nexus 7 likely will not be supported. Not to be out-done, Google is launching Android Pay which is coming to any devices with NFC running KitKat or above. Android pay will allow a user to just unlock and place the device on a compatible terminal. Additionally, Android M will allow Android Pay to work with third party apps. Along with Google Pay, Fingerprint reader support will be globally be available in Android M. As part of the shiny new polish, Android M introduces Doze, which is a state of deep slee

When you improve your app's accessibility, you improve your product for everyone, including the billion people worldwide who live with a disability. This talk will introduce you to Android accessibility services and show how they make your app work in new ways for a wide range of users. You will learn some accessibility best practices, and get introduced to new automated testing tools that bring accessibility into your existing app development workflow.

Apple introduced NFC-based digital technology into their iPhone last year with the 6 and 6+, a technology which has been present in many other phones for a long time. The hardware allows you to make seamless purchases at supporting stores with only a touch of your finger on the home button. In this quick demo, we take a look at adding a card to the Apple Pay system, as well as making purchases at a sandwich store. Besides letting you enter in the details manually, there's another option that allows you to take a photo of your credit card when setting up payment sources. If it takes off in more places, Apple Pay could become a real threat to finger-happy purchases, while perhaps also shortening long lines in the process. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

In this first Cool Blind Tech podcast of mine, I give you a short review of the new Williams Legato Digital Piano. I do my best to explain the button layout and functions, and at the end there is a demonstration of the main piano instrument that I just sort of came up with on the spot. Enjoy, and feel free to send me any feedback. My email address is joseph.king2010@gmail.com We want to hear from you. Just leave a comment below to share your thoughts. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

In this tag team review of Uber for iOS, Hugo demonstrates his personal experience with the Uber services and finds out you don’t always get what you pay for. Justin follows with a quick demonstration of Uber on an Apple Watch. We want to hear from you on your experiences with Uber or similar taxi services. Just leave a comment below to share your thoughts with our community. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles. Here is the description from the developer: Uber is your private driver in more than 50 countries. ・ Request a ride using the app and get picked up within minutes. On-demand service means you always have a ride right when you need one. ・ Compare rates for different vehicles and get fare quotes in the app. Add a credit card to your secure account so y