Assistive Technology Services of Maine

It’s that time again, one of the most magical times of the year. Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:08:09 +0000

Well folks it’s that time of the year again. That magical time looked forward to by people all over the globe. Yes, it’s a magical time, filled with wonder and anticipation, with hope and jubilation. Yep it’s been just about a year since the last one, the Apple WWDC keynote.

Every year, Apple announces or shows off its new products and innovations during their World Wide Developer conference and this year is no exception. With a new operating system for the Mac and new iPhone operating systems on the horizon, things are certainly going to get rather interesting in the next few months. So, what’s it all mean? And, will it be accessible?

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll discuss the announcements made during this week’s keynote. We’ll discuss what we know so far concerning accessibility and will explain what it all might mean for you. Although tonight’s show has a topic, I try and leave time during each program to discuss any other topics/questions participants might have.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesday evening between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT that’s 2300-0100, UTC. Where? For information on participating in the Assistive Technology show, please visit: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow . Want to listen on a phone/media player and don’t feel like going to the show’s home page? No problem, the live stream generally begins shortly before each program and can be found here: http://stream.atmaine.com:8214 .

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

Steve

Into the Cloud, the Assistive Technology show for June 1 2011, now available

Steve — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:17:22 +0000

On this week’s show, we look at the pros and cons of remote backup solutions and answer the question: just what is this cloud thing anyway? Services discussed include Carbonite, JungleDisk, CrashPlan and DropBox. If you’re considering backing up your data remotely, or just want to learn more about the options available, this week’s show is for you.

Into the Cloud, Tonight On the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:47:44 +0000

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll take a look at some cloud-based backup services and will discuss why they might be a good idea for you. What is this cloud thing anyway? How secure is data in the cloud? And of course, how accessible is all this stuff? For answers to these and many more questions, come join me for this week’s Assistive Technology show.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesday between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT, 2300-0100, UTC. For more information about the show, including ways to participate live, please see: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow . Also, if you would like to listen live on a mobile device, or other media player, you can use the following direct link: http://stream.atmaine.com:8214 .

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

Digitizing old recordings, Advances in Android, iOS4.3 released and much more – the Assistive Technology show for March 9, 2011 now available

Steve — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:20:50 +0000

On this week’s program, the following topics were discussed:
• Digitizing cassette tapes and other old recordings,
• Android, all kinds of things happening,
• Talking thermostats, decreasing prices, increasing independence.
• New app turns iPhone into money identifier: MoneyReader or Looktel.
• iOS4.3 released
• A new Chess-like game for iPhone and gaming on the iPhone in general,
• Want to hear over 2400 different bird songs? There’s an app for that and it’s accessible.
• The importance of making sure your home wireless network is secured,
And much more.

At long last, the Assistive Technology show live stream is back

Steve — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:28:16 +0000

It’s been a while, but at long last, it is again possible to listen to the show via a live stream. Although the show’s streaming address has not changed, the port number has. For those who prefer to listen to the program via a media player of some sort, including mobile devices, you can access the stream at: http://stream.atmaine.com:8214 . Note that the port has changed from 8213 to 8214, this is not a type-o.

I’ll be updating the listen live links on the show’s home page later on this evening to reflect this change. Thanks again for listening to the Assistive Technology show.

The Assistive Technology show for December 01, 2010

Steve — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:15:54 +0000

On tonight’s program, the following topics were discussed:
Explanation of Wifi leading to an interesting discussion of routers,
Take Control books, very accessible, very informative, very useful resources,
audible.com releases an update to its iPhone app,
Netflix, an accessible experience on iPhone,
Rogue Amoeba’s AirFoil, what it is, what it does and why it’s cool,
discussion of Headsets continued leading to a discussion of headphones,
The impressiveness of Serotek’s DocuScan Plus, Freedom Scientific’s newest OpenBook and other scanning solutions,
Is it worth getting iTunes before getting an iOS device?
Things possibly worth thinking about when considering whether to get iPhone, or Nokia N series,
Discussion of how bluetooth braille displays work with iPhone,
and much much more.

If Elvis had an iPod, the Assistive Technology show for December 15, 2010

Steve — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:54:54 +0000

The following topics were discussed on tonight’s show:
Thinkgeek offers new iPhone case with integrated bluetooth keyboard,
AVG antivirus 2011 released
Facebook questions
Discussion of Avast
iBooks and other iOS app updates
demo of Bing search with speech recognition
amber battery pro
Talking Communities popular tc5 client comes to Mac.
How to use Winamp to capture stream URLs
And much much more.

From my pocket to your ear, tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:40:58 +0000

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, I’ll attempt to do something we’ve never done before – bring you the show from my pocket. That’s right, from my pocket to your ear… or something like that. How? I’ll be using a neat little iPhone based Ventrilo client just recently released. Other than my attempt to host the show from my pocket, there is no specific topic for tonight’s program. All assistive technology related discussion is welcome though, so whether you have a question, have discovered a new gadget or service, or just want to learn something new, come join me for this evening’s edition of the Assistive Technology show.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT (2300-0100, UTC). For more information, including ways to participate in the program, 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

The Trials and Tribulations of Online SHopping, Tonight, On the Assistive Technology Show

Steve — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:26:38 +0000

E-Commerce has not only revolutionized the way we shop for products and services, but for many, it has provided an incredible degree of independence. Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we’ll discuss the challenges and rewards associated with online shopping — what challenges exist and what tips and tricks can make the experience more rewarding.

WHen? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesday evening, between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT (2300-0100, UTC). For more information about the show, including links to participate, or listen to the live stream, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow . Not able to join us, but have an experience or tip you’d like to share? Simply Email show@atmaine.com .

I look forward to bringing you this evening’s edition of The Assistive Technology show.

Steve

Canceling tonight’s show due to streaming server issues

Steve — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:28:51 +0000

Unfortunately, I am still experiencing issues with the streaming server used to live stream the Assistive Technology show. I am, therefore, canceling tonight’s program.

try to make the Assistive Technology show available in as many formats as possible, live streaming being an important one. I hope to have streaming up and running by next week, I’ll send out an announcement as soon as things are working.

Thanks for your patience.

Steve

Assistive Technology show cancelled for this evening

Steve — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:23:24 +0000

Due to illness, I will not be able to host this evening’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. The server will be available, however, so please feel free to log in and chat with one another. Thank you for your understanding, I look forward to bringing you the Assistive Technology show next week.

Steve

Apple introduces iOS 4.1 and in terms of accessibility, it ain’t all good

Steve — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:02:29 +0000

Earlier today, Apple released iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch devices. According to Apple, the major features in this update include:

Game center,
iTunes TV show rentals,
iTunes Ping,
HDR Photography,
HD Video uploads.

Nothing is mentioned about VoiceOver and accessibility, but that doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t focused on it as well. Indeed, Apple *has* focused on VoiceOver and the results are mixed. On the plus side, there are now two more audible cues, one indicating when a folder is opened and another indicating when a folder is closed. Personally, I like these new sounds and think they’re a nice touch. On the negative side, VoiceOver now cuts out certain syllables, such as the ending of certain characters when entering text, or when navigating the home screen. The letter ‘e’ is hardly spoken at all and without the automatic phonetic pronunciation, it might be difficult to distinguish it from other characters. Sadly, this particular bug presented itself a few updates back and was corrected; it’s a shame Apple has managed to reintroduce it yet again.

iOS4.1 has only been out for a few hours, so I’m sure more enhancements/bugs will be discovered in the next few days. if you notice anything different in terms of accessibility, please leave it in the comments and I’ll revise this post. For those wanting to see the official Apple announcement of iOS4.1 new features, it can be found here.

Apple event, Verizon’s new accessible cell phone and much more, the Assistive Technology show for September 1, 2010

Steve — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:21:28 +0000

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, the following topics were discussed:
• Wireless headsets
• Installation of Microsoft Security Essentials, a great free antivirus product.
• Wayfinder Access customers now entitles to a 300 UR, $380 USD refund per license.
• Twikini, an accessible Windows Mobile Twitter client is not being updated in the forseeable future making it more difficult for Windows Mobile users to access Twitter.
• Verizon releases the Samsung Haven, an inexpensive, mostly accessible cell phone.
• David discusses his podcast, “No Eyes Required.” http://www.techsavvypodcasts.com/
• Apple announces new iPod lineup, coming features in iOS 4.2 and much more.
• Airport Express and other ways to stream audio from your computer to other devices in your house.
• System Access and SATOGO with Eloquence and iTunes — it’s just awesome.

And much much more.

Music the way you want it, the Assistive Technology show for August 25, 2010 now available

Steve — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:19:27 +0000

Ever wish you could customize a radio station to play only the type of music that interests you? On tonight’s show, we look at two services, Last.fm and Pandora that essentially allow you to do just that. We also discuss a new internet radio appliance and much more.

Music the way you want it, tonight, on the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:23:13 +0000

Nothing will ever replace the personality of a DJ, however, services exist to provide you with just the type of music you want. In a nutshell, these services allow you to choose an artist or song from which similar music will be determined. A station is then created, a station that can just be sat back and listened to.

Tonight, on the Assistive Technology show, we look at a few of these services and discuss just how accessible they are. When? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesdays between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT, that’s 2300-0100, UTC. For more information including links for joining the show live, or listening a media player compatible stream, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page at http://www.atmaine.com .

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

Come join me for this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:41:44 +0000

Come join me for this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. There’s no specific topic for tonight’s program, but with much going on in the world of assistive tech, I’m sure there won’t be any shortage of topics to cover.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place Wednesday evenings between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT that’s 2300-0100 UTC. Where? For more information about the show including links to join the program or listen live, 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.

Assistive Technology show cancelled until August 4

Steve — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:08:12 +0000

Due to the time difference and an up-coming trip tomorrow, I unfortunately am unable to host this evening’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. I also need to cancel next week’s show as I will be making my way slowly and steadily back to Maine. I look forward to bringing you the Assistive Technology show again on August 4TH.

Steve

Live from Germany — the Assistive Technology show for July 14, 2010 now available

Steve — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:11:17 +0000

Tonight’s Assistive Technology show takes place live from Germany and despite the late hour, a lot of topics were discussed including:
NFB and ACB national conventions,
iPhone 4 antenna and incorrect bar count issues,
Making a Mac’s fan run at full speed to help with cooling,
Brief impressions of technology shown at NFB 2010 convention,
Freedom Scientific’s Perl is simply amazing,
Baum and the Pronto note taker recently announced in the US
And much more.

Live from Germany, this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:16:02 +0000

Come join me tonight as I bring you, live from Germany, this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. THat’s right, I’ll be bringing you tonight’s show live from Germany where I’m visiting a family crazy enough to have hosted me during an exchange student year in 1992.

Although there is no specific topic for this evening’s show, those often prove to be the most interesting as you never know what might be covered. So, whether you have a question about assistive technology, have an experience to share or just want to learn something new, come join me for this week’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. When? The Assistive Technology show takes place between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT. For more information about the show including directions for participating live or hearing the show via your favorite media player, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page at: http://www.atmaine.com/atshow

Come join me tonight, for the Assistive Technology show

Steve — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:19:52 +0000

Come join me for this evening’s edition of the Assistive Technology show. Although there’s no official topic for this evening’s program, I suspect Apple’s recently announced iPhone line, browser and other software will be a topic of discussion. Even if Apple’s not your thing, the Assistive Technology show is a great way to get information and to learn more about products and services that might be of interest.

When? The Assistive Technology show takes place this evening, between 7:00-9:00 PM, EDT. For more information, including links to join the show or listen to the show’s live stream, please visit the Assistive Technology show home page http://www.atmaine.com/atshow .

I look forward to bringing you another edition, of the Assistive Technology show.