Assistive Technology Services of Maine

No Assistive Technology show until March 10TH

Steve — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:07:04 +0000

I will be unable to host the Assistive Technology show both this week and next. Over this brief hiatus, I’ll be researching possible alternative technologies that might be used to enhance the conversational format of the show.

Although there is no show, the server will remain available and I would encourage you to log in and feel free to discuss technology with one another. After all, it is this sharing of ideas that helps us all become more proficient.

The Assistive Technology show will officially resume on March 10TH.

Thank you for your understanding,

Steve

HumanWare releases Stream 3.1 update

Steve — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:45:28 +0000

I’m posting the following announcement just received from HumanWare concerning their just released 3.1 update for the Victor Reader Stream. If you own a stream, you can update to 3.1 regardless of which version may currently be installed.

***begin content***
Dear Victor Reader Friends:

HumanWare is please to announce the release of new Stream 3.1 software. Stream 3.1 is a free release that responds to popular requests received from many Stream customers. New features include:

- Multi-level Talking Books bookshelf. The ability to create nested folders on the Other Books, Podcast, and Text File bookshelves introduced in version 3.0 has been extended to include the Talking Books bookshelf. You can now optionally create nested folders within the $VRDTB bookshelf folder and navigate the structure while browsing the Talking Books bookshelf.

- For our friends in Spain we now support the Spanish braille electronic text files with a file type of .BRA. At the time of this announcement the Spanish 3.1 is not yet available but we are working with our partner in Spain to release it as soon as possible.

- The popular percentage announcement on the Where Am I key that informs you how much of the book you have listened to has been extended to Talking Books and Audible books.

- When you set a start position for a Highlight bookmark the End position can now be set with a single key press of the Bookmark key.

- The navigation UNDO feature has been extended to the Go To Page function.

- We have introduced two shortcuts to reach the start or end of a book. To quickly jump to the beginning of a book press the Go To key once and then press the Rewind key once. To reach the end of the book press the Go To key and then the Fast Forward key.

- When you press Cancel to end a recording the Stream will now ask you to confirm. This prevents stopping a recording accidentally.

- Stream 3.1 will allow you to copy DAISY books from USB flash media such as flash memory sticks or the NLS cartridges used by the NLS library in the USA and the AFWA library in Western Australia. Each USB flash book must be in its own folder. When you attach a cartridge or flash media the Stream will automatically start playing the first DAISY book on the media. Once the book is playing you can optionally press key 3 to copy it to the Talking Books bookshelf of your SD card.

Stream 3.1 also includes several bug fixes. Please see the Release Notes for full details.

Both the software and Release Notes can be downloaded from the Stream support page at:

http://www.humanware.com/stream_support

Select the Software link on that page. You will find the Release Notes at the top of the English 3.1 software download links. You can choose from two English versions one with Samantha + Tom text-to-speech voices and another with Samantha + Daniel (UK) voices. You can upgrade to version 3.1 from any prior Stream version. To install the new software, follow these steps:

- Download the software zip file

- Unzip the single UPG upgrade file from the zip file. You do not need special unzip software. Simply press Enter to open the zip file and you can then select the UPG file.

- Copy this UPG file to the root of your Stream SD card.

- Disconnect the Stream from the computer, connect it to AC power and turn it on.

- The Stream will automatically start the update process which takes about 2 minutes during which time it will announce intermittent “please Wait” messages. The Stream will power off when the new software is installed.

- When you power back on the UPG file will be automatically removed from your SD card.

After the new software is installed, an html Release Notes document will also be available in a HumanWare sub-folder of your Text Bookshelf so you may read the Release Notes with your Stream. The html version allows you to navigate the Release Notes section by section using the 2/8 keys to select the level and keys 4 and 6 to move between sections.

With this announcement, version 3.1 is available in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, and Swedish. As other languages become available they will be posted on the same download page. We also are working on a new version of the Stream Companion software for Windows which will be announced on the Newswire when it is available.

HumanWare values your continued support of the Victor Reader Stream. We remain committed to our customers to make the Stream the most powerful, flexible, and enjoyable product used for listening to digital talking books, computer files, and music.

Thank you,

The HumanWare Team

Dolphin – Version 11.50, a major upgrade for Dolphin access tools

Steve — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:26:25 +0000

I’m always pleased to read about upgrades to Dolphin products as Dolphin’s Hal screen reader was the first Windows based screen reader I ever owned. Of course back then, 2.01 was the current version and now it’s 11.5. As they say, “we’ve come a long way baby.”

My thanks to Brian Hartgen who mentioned this announcement on Twitter. You can view the article in its entirety by clicking here.

***begin content***

A major upgrade for Dolphin Access Tools

18-Feb-2010

A free major upgrade for all version 11 users of SuperNova Reader Magnifier, Hal Screen Reader, Lunar Screen Magnifier and LunarPlus Enhanced Screen Magnifier is available today. Version 11 users will receive their free upgrade quickly and conveniently via the Dolphin Internet updater found in the Help menu of their Dolphin software.

The version 11.50 improvements are extensive and far reaching and are the culmination of more than 8 months intensive development work as Neil Hall, Low Vision Product Manager at Dolphin Computer Access explains:

“Our SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus customers are extremely loyal to Dolphin and the amount of feedback we received during Dolphin’s public beta test of version 11’s support for Windows 7 has more than demonstrated this. We are 100% committed to giving the very best support to all our international users and are delighted to be offering this major upgrade, free of charge to all version 11 users. It is our way of saying thank you for your feedback and your support.”

“Version 11.50 is a heavy weight upgrade and not only includes support for 32 and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, but also includes new, re-engineered support for Microsoft Word. This has resulted in faster, more robust performance in large Microsoft Word documents, 20 new quick navigation keys for moving around inside a Microsoft Word document, new meaningful announcements for 50 of the most popular Microsoft Word hot key functions such as bold, underline, italics, text alignment and more. We have also overhauled the Spell-checker support and added intelligent tab key announcements.”

However, the improvements, new features and extended application support reach further than just Microsoft Word. Support for Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Live Messenger and Skype has all been developed in version 11.50 for magnification, speech and Braille users.

More athletic, version 11.50 is not only quicker and more agile in Microsoft Office applications; it’s also quicker off the starting blocks when turning on your PC, thanks to superior speech synthesiser management. Neil Hall explains how version 11.50 has developments and innovations for Dolphin software users with all levels of sight loss:

“I know our speech users will also be eager to try the new spelling speed options, selecting the speed at which text is spelled independently of their standard voice speed preferences. A slower speed can make all the difference when clarifying the spelling of an unfamiliar or misspelt word. Other speech developments include voice pitch capital letter announcement options, improvements to word echo and four brand new speech verbosity schemes.”

“SuperNova, Lunar and LunarPlus magnification users can all now access applications such as Google Earth and Windows Photo Gallery, thanks to new support for OpenGL and Direct Draw/Direct 3D applications. There is also a new grey scale colour scheme that our users have been requesting, and some convenient high contrast mouse pointer schemes.”

SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 are all immediately available in UK, US and Australian English, Belgian Dutch, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish. A free 30 day trial of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 is immediately available for download from the Dolphin Computer Access website.

NextUp.com now offering stand alone SAPI voices

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:26:13 +0000

I’ve always liked the quality of Acapela speech and was therefore pleased to read in Nextup.com’s latest newsletter that many Acapela voices can be purchased as stand-alone SAPI compatible synthesizers. What this means is that Acapela speech may work with your existing screen reader, or access solution.

Click here for more information about Nextup.com’s Acapela offerings and an interactive demo of the various voices.

Petition to try and save Wayfinder Access, Symbian based GPS solution for the blind

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:27:53 +0000

Wayfinder Access is a Symbian based GPS solution designed to be both accessible and to work with either the Talks, or MobileSpeak screen readers. In January, Wayfinder Systems quietly announced their intention to halt future development on the Wayfinder line of products. Wayfinder Systems itself was then acquired by the phone giant, Vodafone.

Many functions of Wayfinder Access depend on its ability to connect to an online server. licensing information is verified via this server and map data itself is generally retrieved on demand. If Wayfinder Systems, or I guess now Vodafone were to take these servers offline, the product would become useless. This is very frustrating to the many who use the product on a daily basis, or to people like me who frankly spent quite a bit of money purchasing what we were told was a “life time” license.

Exactly what can be done about this unfortunate situation is hard to say, however, Talknav, a Wayfinder Access dealer in the UK has created an online petition with the goal of raising awareness of howe termination of Wayfinder Access development will impact the blind and vision impaired community.

I really applaud Talknav’s initiative and urge people to take a look at the online petition, even if you don’t own Wayfinder products.

Code Factory releases Mobile Geo 2.0

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:56:25 +0000

Code Factory has announced the release of its long anticipated Mobile Geo 2.0, GPS navigation product. Mobile Geo 2.0 was released as a public beta in late January and was officially released earlier today.

A short list of new features found in Mobile Geo 2.0 include:

Advanced address search which allows you to enter any part of the address to search for it faster.
Five times faster route creation when in Turns Only mode.
More accurate distances and estimated time of arrival calculations.
Improved heading averaging when walking in a big city with narrow streets and high buildings.
More information about the current street when using the where am I function, such as pedestrian only, split street, one-way, bridge, tunnel, etc.
Ability to look up alpha numeric address numbers. For example 23A Jones Street where 23A is the address number.

There are two press releases concerning this release, the first and more detailed describes the changes and new features since 1.5. The second, describes the official release and documents changes implemented since the public beta period.

Form-based announcement list subscription finally possible

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:37:48 +0000

As many of you are aware, I maintain an announcements list via which I send reminders for up-coming shows. This is a very low traffic list consisting of one, maybe two messages per week. Until now, anyone wanting to subscribe to this list needed to notify me via Email after which I would manually add the new subscriber. This was obviously a very silly and inefficient process. Now, thanks to some very awesome tutorials courtesy of my web hosting provider, there’s a subscribe/unsubscribe form on the Assistive Technology Services of Maine home page.

If you’re already subscribed to the announcements list, you don’t need to do a thing. If you’re not and would like to be subscribed, please visit the home page and complete the very simple form under the announcements list heading.

A T Maine introduces new commenting system

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:53:12 +0000

For a while now, I’ve been searching for a user friendlier way to allow people to comment on A T Maine posts and in Disqus, I believe I’ve found the best solution. I’ve been using Disqus on my personal Tumblr blog and really like the commenting options it provides. In a nut shell, if you want to comment on a post, you’ll be able to do so without needing to pre-register with A T Maine, without solving a ridiculous CAPTCHA, etc… You have the option of commenting anonymously, or better yet, can log in using your existing login on Disqus, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, OpenID and probably some other services I’ve already forgotten about. If someone responds to your comment, you should receive an Email notification. If you want to follow up that reply or contribute something else to the discussion, simply reply to the Email, no need to deal with another comment form.

Just because Disqus is working great for me, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work great for you. Certainly, if you encounter any difficulty, or if you have any questions, I want to know.

I hope you enjoy and make use of the new commenting system.

Steve

Consumer Guide to Eyes, Eye Care and Vision Correction

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:42:48 +0000

OK, the below resource isn’t technically assistive technology related, however, it contains so much useful information that I couldn’t resist posting. Whether you have questions concerning eye glasses, eye color, contact lenses or just about anything else eye related, this resource would be a good read.

Consumer Guide to Eyes, Eye Care and Vision Correction – LASIK, Contact Lenses and Eyeglasses: “”

CLARITY Releases an AFFORDABLE screen magnifier, WinZoom LITE! « AccessTech News

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:42:36 +0000

Looking for a low cost yet portable and versatile screen magnification solution? If so, WinZoom Lite described in the article linked below might be for you.

CLARITY Releases an AFFORDABLE screen magnifier, WinZoom LITE! « AccessTech News: “”

The Internet Archive: An Untapped Resource for the Blind

Steve — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:09:54 +0000

I’ve been playing around with the Internet Archive for a while now, so was very pleased to see the following article appear in the February issue of the Braille Monitor. For those wondering just what the Internet Archive is, it’s a project that attempts to, well, to record the Internet. This is accomplished by taking “snapshots” of web sites at various intervals. An Archive browser can then go back in time as it were, and view various web sites as they appeared in earlier times.

For anyone interested in the history of the Internet, or various sites on it, the below article is definitely worth a read.

Steve

The Internet Archive: An Untapped Resource for the Blind

Google working on language translating phone -

Steve — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:38:36 +0000

I’m very excited about the below article as this could inevitably lead to a low-cost reading solution while on the go. An excerpt from the article follows:

BARCELONA, Spain – Stumped by foreign languages when you’re travelling? Google is working on software that translates text captured by a phone camera.
At a demonstration during the Mobile World Congress, a cell phone trade show in Barcelona, an engineer shot a picture of a German dinner menu with a phone running Google’s Android software. An application on the phone sent the shot to Google’s servers, which sent a translation back to the phone. It translated “Fruhlingssalat mit Wildkrautern” as “Spring salad with wild herbs.” There was no word on when the software would be available.

Software that translates text from pictures is already available for some phones, but generally does the processing on the phone. By sending the image to its servers for processing, Google can apply a lot more computing power, for faster, more accurate results. The phone still won’t order for you, though – you’ll have to point at the menu.
***
Please see below link for entire article.

href=’http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10626716′>Google working on language translating phone – Technology – NZ Herald News.

Technology melt down during tonight’s show

Steve — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:59:49 +0000

I’d love to blame the weather, the government, or even my neighbor for the many technical issues that plagued tonight’s edition of the show, but truth is, I’m not exactly sure what happened. First the stream became unreachable with people getting “unable to locate server” errors. Then Ventrilo kicked me off for approximately three minutes, but somehow managed to buffer and repeat everything I said while I wasn’t there. And if you think you’re confused, think how I felt when people started commenting on things I was saying when in fact, I wasn’t saying anything at all.

Crazy though tonight’s show was, I feel a lot of information was shared and with a bit of editing, I think I can whip the podcast edition into shape.

I’d like to thank everyone for being patient this evening and for hanging in there while I attempted to get the show back on track.

Steve

The blog is mightier than the pen – this week, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:36:25 +0000

Whether you want to keep in touch with family members, share information with a group, or are passionate about fly fishing, blogging is a great way to get your thoughts out to the world. Blogging, or writing a blog may not be as complicated as you might think in fact, one relatively new blogging platform is so easy to use that you don’t even need to go to their web page to sign up.
This week, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll take a look at blogging, what is it and how can you do it. Many think that a degree of technical know-how is needed to write a blog, but the reality is the best blogs are often written by folks living every day life using tools no more complicated than Email.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesday between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT, that’s 2300-0100, UTC. For more information, including ways to participate in the program, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page at http://www.atmaine.com/atshow .

I look forward to bringing you this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show.

Steve

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s, well, we don’t know what it is – tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:21:21 +0000

After months of news and hype, it’s finally here. You know, Apple’s new iThingy, the one that fits in a shirt pocket, yet measures as large as an entire page. Its exclusive to A T&T, yet can work with any mobile carrier, runs the iPhone operating system .. or is it the Mac operating system, will allow you to watch TV can make your coffee and will generally revolutionize the civilized world. Truth is, we have no idea what Apple’s new iThingy is, but today, all speculation will finally come to an end as Apple holds a huge media event announcing whatever it is they’ve come out with. Regardless of what this iThingy is, the important question at least on my mind, is can we use it? Will it have integrated accessibility support, or will we need to wait a generation or two as was the case with the iPhone?

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll discuss what we know of Apple’s new iThingy, a device about which we’ve been hearing everything and yet know absolutely nothing. What will this new iThingy mean for us?

Come join me, tonight, between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT (2300-0100, UTC) for this evening’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. Whether you choose to participate live using Ventrilo, via the stream, or after the fact via the podcast, tonight’s program promises to be an interesting one. For more information about the show and more importantly how to participate, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow .

I look forward to bringing you this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show.

Steve

First apps, the Assistive Technology show for January 6, 2010, now available.

Steve — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:03:33 +0000

Every technology user remembers that first program, or first device which for them, really made a difference. Tonight, we discussed memories of these “firsts” including:

Windows 98
Braille ‘N Speak
DOS 3.3 .. and even earlier.
Windows 3.1/95/98
Early Apple products such as the Apple IIe
Versa-braille
ICQ and old-style text chat
300/100/2400 baud modems and the communication they made possible
Bulletin board systems
Infocom and other text adventures
Access to entire CD collections (mp3)
Kurzweil reading machine
Various clocks and calculators

And much much more.

First apps, tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:41:22 +0000

All of us who use computers have one application that for whatever reason, we will always remember. Maybe it’s the first application we ever used, maybe the first that made a difference in how we accomplish some task. Of course for some of us, those applications may no longer be around. Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we discuss these first apps, these apps which for you, have perhaps made the biggest difference.

When? THe Assistive Technology show takes place tonight, between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT. For more information including multiple ways to participate in this evening’s show, please visit the show’s home page: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow .

I look forward to again bringing you the Assistive Technology show.

Steve

Year in review, Assistive Technology show for Dec. 30, 2009 now available

Steve — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:51:37 +0000

What an exciting year 2009 has been in terms of assistive technology. Many new products and services have become available. We discussed many of these on tonight’s show including:
ipod/iphone,
GW Micro’s BookSense,
Apple’s Snow Leopard,
samnet radio,
Windows 7,
Freedom Scientific’s Jaws11,
GW Micro’s Window Eyes 7.11,
Amazon’s kindle and controversy concerning the Author’s Guild,
Orator, HumanWare’s screen reader for Blackberry which remains unreleased,
HumanWare’s new Apex,
Captain GPS,
APH announces BookPort +,
Pen friend,
NLS releases new talking book players,
Plextalk Pocket,
And of course much much more.

Year in review, tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:50:12 +0000

2009 has heralded many new products and services which have greatly improved the lives of many. Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll look back over the past year and discuss these various products and services and the differences they’ve made. So come join me, tonight, between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT, for this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. For more information about the show, including directions for joining, please visit the A T SHow home page: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow.

I look forward to seeing you tonight, for the year end edition of the Assistive Technology show.

Steve

The Assistive Technology show, CHristmas Adam edition

Steve — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:58:43 +0000

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, the following topics were discussed:
Ebay woes.
KNFB Reader releases update supporting additional phone models.
MobileSpeak licensing
New accessible Monopoly game in beta: http://is.gd/5zett
Read How you Want: resource for books in alternative formats: http://www.readhowyouwant.com
Brief discussion of the impending Google phone.
Skype for Symbian is out and is accessible.
Emoze, a service to push Email to your Symbian or Windows Mobile phone: http://www.emoze.com
Ways to install applications on mobile devices.
Akapela Surf’Nspeak RSS reader for iPhone: http://is.gd/5zePz
Latest FS Cast portrays the illustrious career of Jonathan Mosen.
And of course, we couldn’t have a CHristmas edition without some, well, unique Christmas music.