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For The Early Adopter In All Of Us, Here's A Whole bunch Of Information On Windows 10

Microsoft launched the next version of Windows on July 29th.
And the likelihood of you not hearing about this in the media, on the web or from that family member who calls you up at the most inopportune time to ask that tech question is virtually nill. MS hopes to have rolled out the new desktop operating system to one billion, that is billion with a big letter B, devices during the initial phase of the "Upgrade Your Life" blitz. The reviews for the new OS have been mostly positive and you might be wondering if you should take a dive with all the insane people who like loading new software on Day 1. To that end, and on Blind Bargains Qast 25, we offer a plethora of links to help you make that decision on whether to stay or to jump on, or off!, the electronic bandwagon. We even broke them out into sections in case you wanted to just read about Cortana or see what some of the Assistive Technology companies have on tap.

The following was submitted by Scott Davert.
It's been 3 years since Apple has released a new iPod touch, and it's an update I've been hoping for and mostly given up on seeing. There were rumors of a new iPod to be announced last year which proved to be untrue. At which point, many thought the iPod 5 was the final model. While I understand the need for iPads, and certainly the value they bring to some users, I really didn't see the point in having a larger touch screen for myself. It's less portable and I'm totally blind, so really the only advantage would be more text on each page of the screen when reading books that used to require page turning with braille displays. However, with iOS 8, this is no longer an issue, as VoiceOver now has the option to automatically turn pages when using a braille display. Although I had an iPod 5 for quite some time to offset the use of my iPhone, it was starting to get a little sluggish with iOS 8.0, particularly with regard to braille keyboard input, requests submitted through Siri, and the carrying out of functions such as OCR using the KNFB Reader. With some dismay, I had almost accepted that I may have to use an iPad Mini, when Apple announced the new iPod 6.

Jet.com is a different kind of online shopping experience that aims to change the mindset of how people shop online while giving some great deals to its customers. As a user during the beta test period for the store, I've been able to put the site through its paces and so far, there's a lot to like.

Whether it's locating the nearest pharmacy to the workplace or exploring a route from the living room couch, blind navigation enthusiasts have a myriad of GPS solutions available at their fingertips. Sendero Group is known for their GPS solutions for the iOS mobile platform and BrailleNote products from HumanWare. Sendero PC Maps, which has been around for a few years, receives periodic updates and enhancements, making it a viable solution for those seeking accessible and fully functional virtual navigation software for the Windows desktop environment.

A major update has been posted for the Duxbury Braille Translator for Windows. Version 11.3 includes improvements to UEB support including a way to convert older braille files to UEB. It also integrates with the TactileView graphics software. There's a whole host of changes, and we've included the info below.

It's often difficult to gain accurate information about blind users and their screen reader preferences. Companies rarely release sales numbers, and the industry's size makes it difficult to use standardized metrics. To this end, WebAIM has embarked on the sixth of their regular screen reader surveys, this one available through Friday, July 24. The one-page survey will take about 10 minutes to complete and asks basic questions about screen reader use and preferences. Follow the link on this post to take the survey.

Apple is making a rare public appearance at a blindness-related event. Sarah Herrlinger,Senior Product Manager for Accessibility at Apple will host a 75 minute session at this year's American Council of the Blind convention in Dallas on Tuesday, July 7. The session is free for convention attendees. We've included the session description below. Note that no meeting location was included with this announcement.

Accessible Apps has released a major release to QRead, its Windows-based file and book reader. The latest release includes direct Bookshare.org integration, support for tables using an embedded browser, improved support for modern Microsoft Office documents, Goodreads integration, and several bug fixes. The changelog is below. It's a free update for existing users. Read more at the QRead page on the Accessible Apps website.

Say Shopping, an app which allows you to order products online using your voice, is now available from the iTunes App store. We previously discussed the app with SayApps founder Chris Maury on Blind Bargains Qast 20 where you can hear an audio demo. Currently, the app interfaces with Target.com, with the possibility of other stores in the future.

Hartgen Consultancy is lining up some big discounts for convention season. Starting July 5, the Leasey add-on for Jaws along with other products including J-Dictate will be available for half off. You do not need to attend any of the conventions to receive this deal. Check the link on this post to learn more about these products. Deals end July 15.

Stop us if you've heard this one before. A team of researchers are developing a multiline braille display that could dramatically reduce the cost and increase braille literacy. This isn't a rerun, rather another in a growing list of projects aiming to combat the fall of braille adoption in recent years. Sile O’Modhrain and Brent Gillespie, two researchers from the University of Michigan will present their findings at the World Haptics Conference in Chicago on Tuesday.

According to an article from the Economist, The screen of the device includes a grid of pins the diameter of Braille dots. Normally, the tops of these pins are flush with the screen’s surface. When needed, though, they can be pushed upwards to create patterns representing Braille symbols. This is possible because each pin rests on a silicone-rubber membrane that sits above a small cavity. The cavity is, in turn, connected to a tiny pneumatic line and valve. When air is blown through the valve into the cavity, the membrane balloons up, pushing the pin above the screen’s surface."

The researchers anticipate that a display the size of a tablet, with 26 lines of 40 cells each, could be sold for under $1,000.

If you were waiting to drop $10,000 on a device which allows you to navigate using your tongue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just made your dreams come true. The BrainPort V100 uses a camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses, a remote control, and a small square device that rests on the users tongue. After training, users can navigate hallways, read short words, and even play darts. The device was approved in Europe in 2013 and is now making its way stateside after the FDA approval. Here's a 2011 BBC article on the technology. Check the link on this post for more info.

Tyler Spivey has done it again. Access to a popular text adventure on Game Boy may have been one of the last things that anyone thought was possible, but a new project has done just that. The Pokecrystal access project is a set of scripts which provide access to the game Pokémon Crystal using a Game Boy emulator and text-to-speech. As text is displayed on the screen, the scripts allow the user to read it, understand their surroundings, and play a game intended for a portable console. It's one of the few examples we've seen which gives access to a game on a mainstream gaming platform. Check the link on this post to get more details including a downloadable version that you can play.

Freedom Scientific is offering an unprecedented deal on JAWS 16, OpenBook, and MAGic at the upcoming NFB convention in Orlando. Members can visit the exhibit hall to obtain a new license of JAWS version 16 for $75, a 92 percent savings. Deals on Jaws upgrades, OpenBook version 9, and the MAGic screen magnification suite are also available. The screen reading landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years with the rise in popularity and functionality of NVDA and AI Squared's free copy of Window-Eyes for users of Microsoft Office. The complete announcement is below.

We recently acquired a new speaker in the office from Bem Wireless, the Bluetooth Speaker Wristband. I've always been a bit of a techie so naturally I was really excited to tare open one of these things and check it out.

Baum is continuing its strategy of opening regional sales offices, on the heels of its U.S. opening in 2014. BAUM Retec (UK) is slated to open on July 1 with Ian Bradburn at the helm. Ian is a former National Sales and Marketing Manager for Sight & Sound Technology and has more recently worked in the world of beef jerky. They're already on Twitter at @BAUMRetecUK. To gain some insight on what it's like when opening a new sales office, check out this interview with David Bradburn about the U.S. arm of Baum at CSUN in 2014. Thanks to Dave Williams for the tip.

Hims is now shipping two previously-announced products, the Blaze ET digital media player and the 14-cell Smart Beetle braille display. The Blaze ET is the second in the Blaze series and includes a numeric keypad for data entry, similar to the BookSense. In addition to the usual array of book and music playback options, it includes optical character recognition, a calculator, color identifier, and an optional dictionary. It's available now for $749. The Smart Beetle, which currently sells for $1,295,can connect to up to 6 devices at once (5 Bluetooth plus one USB and runs for up to 24 hours of continuous use. Both items are also available from our sister site, A T Guys

Efforts are continuing to determine the best solutions for making fitness equipment accessible, and a new survey seeks input to help guide further research. The survey is being conducted by the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and seeks both blind and sighted participants to complete a 10-15 minute survey on fitness equipment with electronic consoles. Check the link on this post to take the survey.

The Institute for Visualization and Interactive Systems at the University of Stuttgart is seeking feedback on how blind and visually impaired individuals use remote assistance apps such as Be My Eyes. They've created a short survey, which we've linked to on this post, intended for those who have used the service. This survey is not affiliated with the developers of the free Be My Eyes app.

Version 2015.2 of the free NVDA screen reader has been released. This version includes a variety of new features including enhanced support for charts in Microsoft Excel, support for the latest version of MathPlayer for reading mathematical equations, and a list of bug fixes including the errant echoing of characters in some search boxes such as on the Google website. The complete list of changes in this release is below.