Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, Issue #165, July 3, 2008

1) J.J. Meddaugh will figure prominently in this week’s Tidbits. He has launched a new site, accessiblephones.com, where people can find, purchase and download manuals for most of the accessible mobile phones available, both for U.S. users and increasingly for users throughout the world.
http://www.AccessiblePhones.com

2) Through his blindbargains.com site, J.J. is providing some audio coverage of the current NFB convention in dallas. For instance, this interview with Jonathan Josen discusses the soon-to-come version 6.1 of thePac Mate and gives some information about version 10 of JAWS which is scheduled to begin a public beta cycle later in the summer:
<http://www.blindbargains.com/redirect.php?redirect=3251>

3) We previously mentioned Mobile Geo, the forthcoming gps program which will run on Windows Mobile cell phones. Chris Grabowski from Sendero Group discusses the product and briefly demonstrates it in this interview:
<http://www.blindbargains.com/redirect.php?redirect=3252>

4) Finally, J.J. has joined the growing cadre of people producing scripts to enhance the functionality of Window-Eyes, or to use the program to perform tasks which were hitherto not possible. In this short demonstration, listen as he uses a bar code scanner and a Window-eyes script to identify packages and read product directions.
<http://www.blindbargains.com/redirect.php?redirect=3243>

5) A visit to Window-Eyes Script Central will reveal scripts, working under Window-Eyes beta version 7, to greatly enhance the functionality of Winamp, Skype, and iTunes, and to give Window-Eyes itself such functionality as progress bar indicators and the ability to provide a virtual text view of any window.
https://www.gwmicro.com/Script_Central/

6) Information Technology and Disabilities, June, 2008, the professional E-Journal from EASI, is now available for free reading.
<http://people.rit.edu/easi/itd.htm>

7) EASI will offer five free online webinar “snapshots” during the North American summer: Providing and Managing Accessible PDF Documents, Tuesday 8 July at 16:00 GMT; Making Accessible Online Surveys Tuesday, 8 July at 18:00 GMT; Making the Move to Vista: Things You Need to Know, Tuesday 15 July at 18:00 GMT; AMIS a Free Software DAISY Pllayer, Tuesday, Wednesday, 23 July at 18:00 GMT; and the Word-to-DAISY Add-in, Tuesday, 7 August at 18:00 GMT. Pre-registration is required, and also gives you a link to the archive when it becomes available:
<http://easi.cc/clinic.htm>
EASI also offers a number of fee-based courses during the summer:
<http://easi.cc/workshop.htm>

8) Serotek has announced an initiative, Keys for K-12, whereunder visually impaired students in the U.S. can receive a free annual renewable license for as long as they are in school to use System Access Mobile and download it into a thumb drive for easy use on any computer where they happen to be.
<http://www.serotek.com/kk12.html>

9) Humanware has released version 2 of the firmware for the Victor Reader Stream, enabling the versatile device to play files in Windows Media, contracted braille and rtf formats and incorporating other fixes. The Stream Companion software has also been updated to make transferring files to the Stream easier.
http://www.humanware.com

10) Humanware has now released the Trekker Breeze, the more simplified gps unit designed for those who need to follow a fixed route.
http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/gps

11) Adobe Reader version 9 is now available. By default, the download comes with some extras you may not want, so this page allows you to just download the reader software:
<http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/reader/>

12) One of the reasons many people like the Firefox web browser is its ability to be enhanced by add-ons. One such add-on is called Webvisum, and purports to make the browser more accessible to those with limited or no vision, for instance, by providing a means to solve CAPTCHA verification schemes. They’re looking for user feedback on the add-on.
http://www.webvisum.com/

Dean Martineau provides adaptive technology training by phone, online and in person, with flexible arrangements, and at affordable prices.

Feel free to forward individual Tidbits, or the entire tidbits issue, to interested people (but make sure they don’t already receive it; a lot do!) When doing this, please have the courtesy to cite your source, perhaps directing them to the tidbits web site (see below.)

tidbits is intentionally concise, but I know a lot of people don’t understand many of the items because little explanation is given. If a Tidbit brings up a question in your mind, feel free to ask, and I’ll answer as time, knowledge and inclination permit.

Visit the Tidbits page at www.topdotenterprises.com/tidbits.htm where you can subscribe to the rss feed and grab back issues. All that welcome information for future issues can come to me at dean@topdotenterprises.com.

People can subscribe to Tidbits via e-mail: tttt-join@topdotenterprises.com (make sure to get all 4 t’s into the address!)

HumanWare is proud to participate in the 2008 ACB Convention

 

 

 

HumanWare is proud to participate in the 47th Annual National Convention of the American Council of the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky July 4th through July 12th. We invite you to visit booth 51 through 54 to learn about exciting new innovative products, including the new Trekker Breeze. This product is designed to be easy to learn and use, providing talking GPS directions that help users know where they are and where they are going.

HumanWare will host scheduled Breeze walks during exhibit hours. Take this opportunity to learn how the Trekker Breeze can change the way you travel independently. Sign up at the booth and reserve your place quickly as these scheduled walks are sure to be popular!

HumanWare is hosting a variety of popular presentations and users group during the convention.

On Monday, July 7th, Jim Halliday will preview the new Deaf Blind Communicator at 1:30 PM in the Beckman Room. At 5 PM, a BrailleNote Presentation and Users Group will meet in the McCreary room.

On Tuesday, July 8th, a presentation and users group will meet for the very popular Victor Reader Stream at 5 PM in the McCreary Room. Learn about the new features of Version 2.

On Wednesday, July 9th HumanWare will premier the new Trekker Breeze talking GPS at 5 PM. Designed for ease of use, learn how the Breeze and Trekker allow for confidence and independence when traveling.

Special show promotions will be offered to convention attendees so be sure to visit us. We look forward to seeing everyone in Louisville for an exciting 2008 ACB Convention.

 

HumanWare

 

www.HumanWare.com 

This email was sent to KevinChao89@gmail.com.

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Mike Calvo Presents at the General Session of the 68th Annual NFB Convention

Mike Calvo gave a well-received talk at the July 3rd morning General Session of the 68th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind. Everyone is now invited to listen to an archive of this special event.

Affordable Technology Solutions Seminar

• Download the recording “affordable_seminar.mp3″ (42MB)
• Download “affordable_seminar_handouts.zip”

Be the first to see Sendero’s new developments, including Mobile Geo from Code Factory at an upcoming summer conference.

Be the first to see Sendero’s new developments, including Mobile Geo from Code Factory at an upcoming summer conference.
 
Davis, CA, July 1, 2008
 
Sendero traverses the globe to attend six conferences this summer.  We kick off the tour with NFB in Dallas TX where Mike May speaks to the General session on July 4 followed by Vision 2008 in Montreal Canada where Mike is the keynote speaker. Then we go back to the states for ACB in Louisville KY.  We next hop over the pond to Sight Village in Birmingham, England July 15 – 17.  Then back to the U.S. for AER in Chicago IL July 23 – 25 where Mike presents on Travel Tips and Tricks along with two colleagues.  And finally, we will attend the World Blind Union Info Vision 08 in Geneva Switzerland August 21 – 23.
 
New Product Highlights
 
Sendero GPS expands to another platform with the upcoming release of Mobile Geo.  Mobile Geo is a GPS navigation application for Windows Mobile-based Smartphones, Pocket PC phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to be released by Code Factory in a few months.  Combine the power of Sendero GPS with the convenience of your Windows mobile device.
 
Along with Mobile Geo, Sendero will be providing a sneak preview of Sendero GPS features in the next version. Sendero now powers accessible GPS on 3 platforms as well as distributing one other. It is no longer a matter of “should I have GPS”, it is a matter of, “which GPS is appropriate.” To learn which GPS is right for you or your client, come to a show or go to http://www.AccessibleGPS.com for information and links to all accessible GPS products.
Sendero Group  – The GPS company
Distributors of the mPower, PK, Braille Sense, Voice Sense, VictorReader Stream, KNFB Mobile Reader, Talks, Moble Speak, Miniguide and i.d. Mate
Toll Free Phone: 1-888-757-6810
http://www.SenderoGroup.com

 

Preorder Mobile Geo, a GPS solution for mainstream devices,and get a discount!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world in your pocket: Preorder Mobile Geo now and get a 100-dollar discount.

Discover Code Factory’s powerful, flexible and innovative GPS solution at the North American Summer conventions

Terrassa (Barcelona), June 30, 2008

Mobile Geo, the first GPS for the blind and visually impaired for mainstream Windows Mobile Smartphones and PDAS, will be shown at the NFB and ACB conventions. Scheduled for release in late summer, 2008, Mobile Geo will be sold at a price of $895. If you are in the USA or Canada, don’t miss the opportunity to get a discount: Preorder before September 1, and get $100 off the retail price. Moreover, you can get your company, school, agency or organization to place a request along with the preorder to evaluate a prerelease demo build in July.

Why is Mobile Geo unique?

* Unlimited Hardware compatibility

Mobile Geo is a software application that can be installed on more than 400 different models of mainstream Windows Mobile devices. Just some of the most popular include the HTC S710, HTC Fusion and HTC Advantage, the Motorola Q and Q9 phones, the HP iPAQ 500 and HW6900 series, the AT&T Tilt and Samsung Blackjack II, the T-Mobile Dash, Wing and Shadow, the PPC-6800 Mogul and Palm Treo 700WX from Sprint, the XV6800 and SMT-5800 from Verizon, as well as dozens of devices from Bell, Telus and Rogers Wireless in Canada. You can buy your smartphone or PDA and Bluetooth-compliant GPS receiver at your local electronics or telephone store and benefit from the latest technologies implemented by leading mobile device manufacturers. If you choose a compatible mobile phone with a built-in GPS receiver, you will have all of what you need in one device and be free to travel anywhere without having to carry many hardware components. Explore your world with what you already carry with you – your phone.

* Powerful and Intuitive

Mobile Geo is simple, convenient and powerful. You can:

- pinpoint your location and, if you wish to be reminded of it in the future, mark it as a point of interest (POI),

- learn about the POIs and intersections in your immediate vicinity while exploring that vicinity virtually on the GPS map,

- plan a route between specified points of origin and destination without having to walk the route first in order to record it and then use it next time,

- determine the pedestrian or vehicular route between two places, or just get announcements about your current heading and distance to your destination as you approach it, and

- get instructions on maneuvers to make as well as information about waypoints along a route that you are following.

* A truly worthwhile investment

Activated by Code Factory’s unique User-Centered Licensing system (

http://www.codefactory.es/UCL), the license to use the product can easily be transferred from one device to another anytime and at no extra cost. This allows a Mobile Geo user to upgrade to the latest in mainstream mobile technology whenever he/she likes, rather than when it is made available by a specialized vendor, as well, of course, as allowing the replacement of a broken or stolen device at little or no cost.

 

http://www.senderogroup.com- Vision Cue (USA): +1 888-318-2582, at.info@visioncue.com,

 

http://visioncue.com/MobileSpeak.html- HandyTech North America (USA): +1 651-636-5184, earle@handytech.us,

 

http://www.handytech.us- A.T. Guys (USA): +1 989-284-7915, support@atguys.com,

 

http:///www.atguys.com- Adaptive Technology Consulting (USA): +1 978-462-3817, gyarnall@adaptivetech.net,

 

http://adaptivetech.net- RL & Associates, Inc (USA): + 1 (415)512-1180, peterc@rla.com,

 

http://www.rla.com- FBC Solutions Foundation for Blind Children (USA): +1 (602)331-1470, mnelson@the-fbc.org,

 

http://www.the-fbc.org- Vision Dynamics (USA): +1 (203) 271-1944, george@visiondynamics.com,

 

http://visiondynamics.com- Beyond Sight (USA): +1 303-795-6455, support@beyondsight.com,

 

http://beyondsight.com- Aroga (Canada): +1 (604) 431-7997, sales@aroga.com,

 

http://www.aroga.comPlease note that this promotion is only available to the North American market. Stay tuned for other promotions that we will announce soon for other interested individuals and groups worldwide.

If the company, school, or organization you represent wishes to get a quote for bulk orders, please write to sales@codefactory.es.

To learn more about Mobile Geo:

* Attend a public demonstration at the NFB convention. On Monday, June 30, 2008, from 1:00 to 2:00 and 4:00 to 5:00 pm, in the Travertine Room, Atrium Mezzanine, Larry Lewis, President of Flying-Blind, will be demonstrating, along with representatives from the Sendero Group, Mobile Geo.

* Drop by the booth of Sendero Group at NFB (A71) or ACB (26).

* Visit

 

http://www.codefactory.es/MobileGeo.

 

http://www.senderogroup.comSendero Group – the GPS company – is the Developer of the first accessible GPS and talking map software. GPS products “Powered by Sendero” software provide access to detailed street and business location information. The blind traveler can now be a co-pilot, not just a passive passenger in a car.

He or she can keep the taxi driver honest, enjoy hearing about the sites and businesses being passed and know independently when to get off the bus.

Students can also chart custom routes across campus or hikers can do the same in the woods.

Sendero staff, most of whom are visually impaired, know from personal and professional experience that orientation and mobility skills and tools for blind folks are key to the enjoyment and success in all walks of life.

Sendero is first and foremost “the GPS company” as well as distributing other innovative adaptive technology.

About Code Factory

 

 

http://www.codefactory.esCode Factory is the leading provider of screen readers, screen magnifiers, and Braille interfaces for the widest range of mainstream mobile devices.

Our mission is to break down barriers to the accessibility of mobile technology for the blind and visually impaired. Making accessibility means not just simple opportunity but also flexibility and affordability!

Our accessible solutions are used in more than 50 countries and 30 languages. Among Code Factory’s customers are well known organizations for the blind such as ONCE, and carriers such as AT&T, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, and Vodafone. We’ve also built strong partnerships with mainstream companies like HP, Microsoft, and Nokia as well as leading AT companies like Baum, Bookshare.org, HumanWare, Optelec and Sendero.

 

 

 

Tracking the NFB Convention

For those who are wanting to follow the NFB conventionand all of the cool things that are taking place, I would direct you to:

 

http://www.blindbargains.com/

There is an interview with  Chris Grabowski, technical support specialist for Sendero Group, where Chris discusses Mobile Geo and  Jonathan Mosen, Vice President of Blindness Hardware Product Management for Freedom Scientific, where Jonathan talks about all that is to come in PAC Mate Omni 6.1.

 

http://therangerstation.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Discusses JAWS 10, Victor Reader Stream and  Trekker Breeze.

 

I would keep a close eye on the two above links as there will be many more things revealed as we continue through the NFB convention, go through ACB and Sight Village.

VICTOR READER STREAM THE PROVEN SUCCESS STORY, IS NOW EVEN BETTER WITH A FREE VERSION 2.0 SOFTWARE UPGRADE

Longueuil, Canada, June 30, 2008 — Victor Reader Stream, the pocket-sized portable MP3 player designed for blind and low-vision people has swept the world wide market place since its launch in September 2007. Heralded by its users as the most significant assistive technology in recent years, the Stream has already enhanced the life style of thousands of blind and low vision people world wide. In addition to the variety of audio formats (MP3, DAISY, and NISO books and music) supported by Victor Reader Stream, the new version 2 software will add even more media and text formats.

Victor Reader Stream version 2 will now play electronic Braille files with its built-in text-to-speech including multiple formats of English Braille encoded files, Unified English Braille, and non-English Braille formats. Version 2.0 also adds playback of Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Rich Text Format (RTF) files. , Further, the bookshelf feature has been extended to enhance the access and playback of all media types with special new features for Audible books, Podcast files, and music.

With the addition of the new media types of version 2.0 the Stream now provides a pocket size device that can play an impressive list of alternate format books and documents available to the print-disabled. IT will play the special navigable DAISY and NISO digital talking books produced by most libraries for the blind in the world. It can be authorized to play the AudioPlus digital books from Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) in the United States. It can play Bookshare.org digital books. It can be authorized to play the popular commercial audio books, newspapers, and magazines from Audible.com. It is optimized to integrate with Serotek.com who provide an extensive repository of digital multi-media content for blind and low vision people. It also plays MP3,, OGG Vorbis, WMA, Wav, AMR-WB+, SPX, and FLAC audio files. The built-in text-to-speech can play electronic text formats including BRF (Braille), HTML, RTF, TXT, and XML. In addition to its extensive digital player capabilities, it has a voice recording functionality for recording of voice notes, meetings, and lectures.

What Stream customers are saying:

“I love my Victor Reader Stream and it travels with me wherever I go.”

“This is one of the best products I have seen come along in a long time. It is well made, works right out of the box, and reads just about any kind of book you need read.”

“It’s one of the most impressive and well-planned and well-working pieces of equipment I have seen for a long time.”

“We appreciate the overwhelming enthusiasm of our customers and are pleased that we have been able to incorporate many of their suggested new features and improvements in the enhanced version 2 of the Stream”, says Gerry Chevalier, HumanWare Victor Reader Product Manager. “And the best news is that the latest version 2 software can be installed for free on all existing Victor Reader Streams.”

The Stream has extensive navigation features for moving through audio books and text files, including functions that allow you to move to the next chapter, section or page, or to set bookmarks. For all audio book and media formats the Stream provides a variable speed control with digital pitch correction which allows the reader to accurately listen at higher than normal playback speed.

The player is completely accessible by blind and low-vision users. All keys and messages are provided through audio feedback. The player has a built-in User Guide and a Key Describer mode.

 

Besides playing electronic text, the integrated text-to-speech voice announces the track names of music files. It uses an SD memory card to store books and music transferred from a computer.

Victor Reader Stream can be purchased online at

www.humanware.com (in USA). Current Victor Reader Stream users can upgrade their player to software version 2.0 online at www.humanware.com.

 

www.humanware.com) is the global leader in assistive technologies for the print disabled. HumanWare provides products to people who are blind and have low vision and students with learning disabilities. HumanWare offers a collection of innovative products include BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for the blind in education, business and for personal use; the Victor Reader product line, the world’s leading digital audiobook players, and SmartView Xtend, the first fully modular and upgradeable CCTV-based video magnifier.

 

HumanWare 2008 NFB Convention

 

HumanWare is proud to participate in the 68th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in Dallas, Texas June 29th through July 5th. We invite you to visit booth A92 to learn about innovative products, including the new Trekker Breeze. This product is designed to be easy to learn and use, providing talking GPS directions that help users know where they are and where they are going.

HumanWare will host Breeze walks on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon during exhibit hours. Take this opportunity to learn how the Trekker Breeze can change the way you travel independently. Sign up at the booth and reserve your place quickly as these scheduled walks are sure to be popular!

HumanWare is also hosting a variety of popular User Groups and Presentations on Sunday, June 29th from 1 PM to 5 PM in the Wyeth Room, Atrium Mezzanine. Refreshments and door prizes will be offered: The schedule is:

1 PM Preview and Presentation of the Deaf Blind Communicator

2 PM BrailleNote Discussion and Users Group

3 PM Victor Stream Users Group and What’s new with Version 2

4 PM Launch of the new Trekker Breeze GPS

We look forward to seeing everyone in Dallas and an exciting 2008 convention.

 

HumanWare

 

www.HumanWare.com 

 

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Press Release: The Trekker Breeze Is Now Available!

TREKKER BREEZE, THE EASY ALL-IN-ONE HANDHELD TALKING GPS IS NOW AVAILABLE

Longueuil, June 26, 2008 – HumanWare is now taking orders for the Trekker Breeze, a state-of-the-art talking GPS specially designed for the needs of visually impaired users. This simple orientation tool is designed for use when travelling in familiar surroundings or pre-defined routes. The product will also be appealing to people not comfortable with computers and screen readers. The new model is an addition to our popular Trekker and BrailleNote GPS systems, which have thousands of users worldwide. With this innovation, HumanWare will make GPS technology even more accessible to a greater number of people.

The Trekker Breeze is available for purchase at an affordable price of $895. In the fall of 2008, The Trekker Breeze will become available in other languages for European and Asian countries.

Like other GPS products from HumanWare, the Trekker Breeze provides talking GPS directions that help users know where they are, where they are going and what is around them.

Trekker Breeze offers the important benefits of GPS orientation tools. It enhances autonomy and confidence in travelling and makes learning new routes easier. Users can record routes as they walk them with sighted assistance. Routes can then be previewed and activated for future use. As they walk by, users receive audible information, such as street names, intersections and reference landmarks. In case they are lost, they can retrace their steps. They can also reach favorite destinations with turn-by-turn instructions from their current position. The product makes it easier to travel alone, and allows people to discover and enjoy their surroundings.

“GPS technology brings great benefits to visually impaired travellers. With this new addition to our product line, Humanware now offers GPS benefits to an even wider portion of the visually impaired population,” said Lucia Gomez, Product Manager. “Easy and intuitive, Trekker Breeze offers basic orientation functions in an all-in-one hand size device. It is also the most affordable GPS tool specially designed for the needs of users who are blind.”

HumanWare offers the most complete line of GPS tools for visually impaired people. The line includes the popular BrailleNote GPS and Trekker. BrailleNote GPS is a full-featured GPS tool that integrates seamlessly with Keysoft. It is available with any of the BrailleNote family of products. BrailleNote GPS benefits from the highly efficient and easy-to-learn Keysoft interface. Sleek and discreet, Trekker is a powerful GPS solution running on a mainstream palm-size PDA. Trekker is highly appealing to professionals and students already familiar with computers and screen readers.

“Trekker Breeze will make the potential of GPS technology even more accessible to the blind,” said Lucia Gomez.

The BrailleNote GPS and Trekker are currently available from HumanWare. For more information, please visit http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/gps

About HumanWare

HumanWare (www.humanware.com) is the global leader in assistive technologies for the print disabled. HumanWare provides products to people who are blind and have low vision and students with learning disabilities. HumanWare offers a collection of innovative products include BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for the blind in education, business and for personal use; the Victor Reader product line, the world’s leading digital audiobook players, and SmartView Xtend, the first fully modular and upgradeable CCTV-based video magnifier.

For more information:

HumanWare
Nicolas Lagace
Tel.:                (450) 463-1717        
E-mail: nicolas.lagace@humanware.com