On May 31, Mike May and Kim Casey of Goodmaps, Erin Lauridsen of the San Francisco Lighthouse and J.J. Meddaugh of A. T. Guys joined over 40 people on a Zoom session to compare various audio configurations among the participants. We heard a range of headsets, microphones, and other setups at a variety of price points, and gave feedback on everyone's sound along with tips for using Zoom and other chat systems effectively.

Like just about everything else these days, Apple's worldwide developers conference has switched to a virtual format for 2020. But a variety of new features have been announced across Apple's line of devices, including some new VoiceOver improvements.

Windows 10 version 2004, the first major update for Windows this decade, is here, and while the updates are smaller, there are a variety of new features and bug fixes included.

There are times that necessitate that this site reaches beyond the scope of blindness and technology because of issues that are greater than any accessibility challenge. This is one of those times.

Android is poised to get a whole new set of accessibility commands, if the developer documentation for Android R is any indication. Over 20 new multi-tap gestures are listed, more than doubling the current offerings which largely involved one finger.

Join Mike May and Kim Casey of Access Explorer, Erin Lauridsen of the San Francisco Lighthouse and J.J. Meddaugh of A. T. Guys on a Zoom session to compare various audio configurations among the participants. Have you heard others on calls and wondered why they sound so good? Let s find out by comparing audio online. We will edit the recording and provide it after this session so you can hear what you sound like. Kim will provide feedback to those who wish on your video presence.

Google's latest drive update adds the option to secure your files with touch ID or Face ID.

Tired of all your devices responding at once after saying the wake phrase? Google has implemented a new feature to help differentiate which devices in your home are most likely to respond.

Google has begun to roll out a feature to adjust the sensitivity of each device in your home to the wake phrase. This is useful both in noisy environments and in cases where multiple google devices are in the home, and you prefer for one to be more likely to respond.

The feature first began rolling out in late April, and should be available to most devices in the United States by this point.

The setting can be adjusted by ensuring that your google home iOS or Android app is up to date, clicking on the name of your device, going to settings, device settings, hey/okay google sensitivity, adjust the slider to your desired sensitivity (the higher the slider, the more sensitive your device), then back out and repeat for any other devices you wish to edit.

This is a much needed feature that should hopefully cut down on both unintended Google device responses and having to yell at your devices.

Have you tried this feature? How well does it work? Please let us know in the comments.

From now to December 28, buy all Voice Dream apps, reader, writer, and scanner, for 50 percent off or more.

From now until January 3, Aira credit can now be purchased for yourself or someone else.

Amazon.com has the Rubik's Tactile Cube for $11.28. Shipping is free for Amazon prime members. This accessible version of the Rubik's Cube adds tactile shapes to each of the 6 sides, allowing you to solve the classic toy by touch.

The summer brings the heat and the box fans out from their hiding places from within the closet. We have been laying low to stay cool. And there is nothing like lying under the ceiling fan on a lazy summer day with a big pile of Braille to keep you company. In this episode, courtesy of J.J., you will find two demos and an interview with Jared Rimer discussing Braille Translation. Grab a cool beverage and relax in your best outdoor lawn furniture while you enjoy BBQ 212.

Apple filmed their annual keynote for WWDC in Apple Park, not in front of a live studio audience, where many upcoming changes were announced for software and hardware. J.J., taking time out from gathering requests for Orbit Writer Braille Keyboard Smartphone Companion Preorders, and Joe, trying to steal back the PS4 controller from Ricky so he can play the Blind friendly The Last Of Us 2 , asked Jamie Pauls, who was editing a new episode of the Eyes Free Sports Podcast , to join them in this summary of the event s big news. Expect there to be info dumps a plenty as this is a wrap up show after all. And be sure to learn more about what was discussed in the copious pile of links down below.

It is time for another BBQ Bite, or Byte as we have not really settled on that yet, as we keep delving back into our pile of holiday tech gifts to talk about on the show. In this episode Ricky will talk about what Joe gave her, Sennheiser Ambeoes, and Joe will converse with Ricky about the Bose Frames she provided him. There is a whole lot of moving in stereo in this virtual audio extravaganza. And you may want to listen in a good pair of headphones for the full effect of the cat and construction. Confused? Tune in and all will be revealed in 3d audio.

usually our first "In Studio" episode after convention coverage is the traditional wrap up show where we dissect and discuss a particular event 20 minutes longer than we really should. But, as you already know, these are strange times and we find ourselves amongst the BBQ Crew reflecting on life after CSUN instead of our normal post con conversation. J.J. and Shelly talk about their return travel adventures while Joe remarks what it was like to watch the goings on from home. We do talk some tech this week, however, it is scattered throughout the run time of the show in between tips and musings about what has to be considered for future gatherings within the Blind and Low Vision communities. Sound Off and the Last Word find their way in towards the end of the program. So, we did not deviate too far from the norm. Or at least our version of that.

As J.J. says early on during his interview with Brandon Biggs, Engineer with the Smith-Kettlewell | Eye Research Institute, "There's a lot to unpack here". The pair even commandeered an entire Platinum Ballroom, okay CSUN wasn't using it honest, to talk about indoor navigation and mapping techniques. Tune in, or read the transcript below, to hear how audio games like "A Hero's Call" can pioneer a tested user experience for providing and effective way to perform indoor navigation tasks. Also, hear a demo and learn how the term XR came about for describing hybrid reality experiences. To learn more about this technology, visit the Smith-Kettlewell | Eye Research Institute website

CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.

For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

A running theme throughout our CSUN 2020 coverage has been how strange the event has been due to restrictions on travel that were falling into place at the time of these recordings. Some Exhibitors were unable to attend and props to John Palmer, President of Patriot Vision Industries for showing some , of TrySight's products at their table as a friendly gesture. In this interview Shelly gets her hands on the Patriot Pro, mentioned during our ATIA 2020 coverage last month, and she gets a product overview of the newly announced Patriot Voice EZ. To learn more about the products mentioned in this interview, visit the Patriot Vision Industries website

CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.

For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

If you do these convention coverage events long enough, well, you end up having some compromising audio and photos being taken of you as a result. Somewhere out there are pictures of Joe with his interview microphone near an odd place on eBot the Robot's chassis. And now the BBQ Crew has a few funny pictures of J.J. thanks to Blindspot Consulting, Inc. and their Accessible Photo Booth. Leah Shaull and Scott Tate walk J.J. through the process of taking the photos while they chat about the company's web remediation, kiosk access design and other services that they provide. Currently the Podcast Team is working out the demands of J.J.'s blackmail and what it would take not to release these photos. But in the meantime, you can find out more on the subject of Blindspot Consulting, by visiting their website

CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.

For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

It has been almost a year since we had Karthik Kannan, Cofounder and Chief Engineer of Envision AI, on the program to talk about pricing plans and the release of the Android version of the app. So, with a new product announcement and pre-order campaign underway, Shelly swung by the booth at the emptier than normal CSUN Exhibit Hall floor to test out the new Envision AI Glasses. The interview covers topics such as why Google Glass v2 was chosen as the first delivery system outside of smartphones, how the company is taking a platform agnostic approach to future versions of the app and the drive to work with others in the A.T. space to adopt more wearable tech approaches. And don't miss Shelly's real time demo using the glasses to read nearby objects and text. To learn more about the Glasses, or the app for iOS and Android, visit the Envision AI website

CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.

For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.