In this Tech Doctor podcast, Allison and Robert describe the major announcements that were made during the 2015 WWDC keynote address.
While we hope that you find our highlights and opinions helpful and interesting, we encourage you to
view the keynote
presentation in its entirety.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, Allison and Robert talk with an iOS app developer named
Ray Mckaig.
Ray’s latest app called
Tell Me When
is a dream come true for book, music and video lovers. The app allows one to keep track of their favorite authors, musicians and videos. Tell me When lets you know when that new book or album comes out. The app can take you to the appropriate page to learn more about and even purchase the book or album.
Tell Me When works great with VoiceOver. This
AppleVis Podcast
will provide you with an excellent demonstration of Tell Me When.
You can
Email
Ray with questions and comments. If you prefer, you can contact Ray on twitter
@raymckaig
Thanks Ray, it was a pleasure to have you on the podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this Tech Doctor podcast, Robert Carter and David Woodbridge enthusiastically describe how they are already making extensive use of Apple Watch in their daily lives. They are amazed by and thrilled with the stability and maturity of VoiceOver access in this first version of the Apple Watch. Anyone who knows how to use VoiceOver on the iPhone can quickly transfer those skills to using VoiceOver on the Apple Watch.
While this podcast is a good general discussion of what the Apple Watch can do, Robert and David encourage everyone to listen to the more than thirty podcasts that David has produced demonstrating how to utilize all aspects of the watch with VoiceOver.
These excellent Apple Watch podcasts are available both
At The Applevis Website
and on
David’s personal podcast page.
Even in this version 1, we have found only miner bugs which can easily be worked around until they are fixed. This makes us comfortable recommending Apple Watch to anyone who is interested in enjoying this new and exciting wearable technology.
David and Robert encourage everyone to go to an Apple store and investigate the watch for yourself. We hope that you like it as much as we do. Regardless of whether or not the Apple Watch appeals to you personally, we can all agree that Apple is to be commended for creating the first fully accessible smart watch.
Unfortunately, Allison Hartley was unavailable to record with us. She will be discussing her Apple Watch experience on a future podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, Allison and Robert begin with a brief discussion of the Apple Watch. They describe their experience of ordering online in the middle of the night.
The remainder of the podcast focuses on the tools and strategies that Robert and Allison use to keep up with the ever-changing world of accessible Apple technology.
Robert briefly demonstrates speed listening with the popular podcasting client called
Overcast
Next, strategies for working with email lists are explored.
Twitter is next discussed as a major tool for keeping up with technology news.
Finally, Robert talks about RSS. Explaining what it is and how it works. He demonstrates an accessible RSS client for iOS called
Fiery Feeds.
Allison and Robert sincerely appreciate the excellent work that the Fiery Feeds developer did to make this app work fabulously with VoiceOver.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Allison and Robert have the pleasure of spending this hour with Jonathan Mosen.
We discuss Jonathan’s new audio tutorial
Become an Amadeus Pro Maestro
Amadeus Pro is a very accessible multitrack audio editor for the Mac. This application is excellent for producing everything from ring tones to an excellent podcasts. Jonathan starts with the basics but goes on to teach advanced audio editing skills. If you want to record and edit audio or even digitize your cassette or vinyl collection, this tutorial teaches you how.
Jonathan is an excellent instructor and a master at audio production. It is great to see just how much can really be done with Amadeus Pro and VoiceOver on the Mac.
Thanks Jonathan. We are thrilled that this tutorial is now available for Mac users.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, Allison and Robert talk with Anna Dresner about the latest edition of her book Getting Started with the iPhone which has been updated to cover version 8 of Apple’s iOS operating system. Anna provides the new user with a step-by-step approach to getting started. There is plenty in this book for the iPhone veteran as well. We spend time talking about the new Braille features and we look at how the new phones have changed the screen layout to include extra icons and even adds additional keys to the virtual keyboard. Anna discusses some of the bugs that were fixed in iOS 8 and we talk about how Apple accessibility is maturing.
Robert and Allison continue to believe that this is an essential book for any blind iPhone user who wants to get the most out of his or her phone. The book is available in several formats from
The National Braille Press.
Thanks Anna. We are grateful that you keep this book up-to-date.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this Tech Doctor podcast, Robert and Allison talk with Janet Ingber the author of
Everything You Need to Know to Use the Mac with Yosemite and VoiceOver
The book is available from National Braille Press.
While some of the information in this book was carried forward from Janet’s first book about learning the Mac, she specifically focuses on everything that is new in the latest Mac OS called Yosemite. There is enough new in Yosemite to justify purchasing this new book even if you have read the first one.
This book is ideal for anyone who wants to gain a clear understanding of what using the Mac with VoiceOver is all about. The book is appropriate for anyone who is considering a Mac as well as the already up and running Mac user who wants to learn the important details about working with Apple Mail, Safari, Text Edit, the Finder, the Notification Center and much more.
Robert and Allison agree that this is a very important book because anyone who follows Janet’s step-by-step instructions can successfully get up and running on the Mac with VoiceOver. It is exciting to finally have clear and thorough documentation on using VoiceOver with Yosemite.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Robert and Allison spend this podcast exploring the major announcements made by Apple at its March 9th, 2015 “Spring Forward” event.
The major announcements included a reduction in price of Apple TV and a new HBO Now package.
There was a new MacBook with a 12 inch retina display new keyboard and trackpad. It weighs two pounds and has excellent battery life. The MacBook has only one USB C port and a headphone jack.
Pricing and availability of the Apple Watch was announced as well.
Allison and Robert can’t wait to try these new products. They encourage everyone to go to the
Apple Events Page
and watch the event for yourself. Robert and Allison thought the event was fabulous.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Robert and Allison spend this podcast talking with Shelly Brisbin. Shelly is the author of iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch (iOS 8 Edition.
When Shelly uses the words access for all and comprehensive guide she means them. Chapters 3 and 4 cover access for people who are dealing with blindness and low vision. Chapter 5 deals with Siri and voice control. Chapter 6 is all about access for people who have a hearing impairment. Chapter 7 covers physical and learning access including an excellent explanation of switch controls. There are chapters which discuss accessible apps and the appendices list VoiceOver gestures, VoiceOver keyboard commands and VoiceOver Braille commands.
Allison and Robert share the opinion that this book is a must read for anyone who has an interest in really understanding Apple accessibility. The book is available in EPUB and PDF formats. We recommend EPUB. One can purchase the book directly from
Shelly’s Website
or from the
Apple iBook Store.
Thanks Shelly.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this Tech Doctor episode, Allison and Robert spend time discussing Rogue Amoeba’s
Audio Hijack 3
Mac application with Grant Farr the Rogue Amoeba developer responsible for the Audio Hijack user interface including the excellent VoiceOver support.
Audio Hijack 3 is a major redesign of this extremely popular audio capturing application. At first glance, one would suspect that the highly visual custom audio grid would be unusable by a blind person. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Grant Farr talks us through the interface and explains how he made it work with VoiceOver.
The effort and creativity that has gone into making Audio Hijack 3 fully accessible to the VoiceOver user is most appreciated. It is clear that Grant and Rogue Amoeba have made VoiceOver accessibility an integral part of the design and development of Audio Hijack 3. For those of us who use VoiceOver, it doesn’t get any better than this.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS