All News and Views

The schedule has just been released for this year's Google IO, Google's conference for developers and programmers which also includes a flurry of product updates and launches. While there's likely to be more sessions added, this year's conference appears to hint at a new Android version among other announcements. As for accessibility, two sessions are being presented, focusing on showing developers the simple ways to make their apps accessible. One of these will also be live-streamed. We've listed the accessibility-related sessions below. Here's a link to the complete schedule.

Version 1.5 of the KNFB Reader app for iOS devices has just been posted to the iTunes App Store. This minor free update includes support for the 2nd generation iPad Air as well as a couple of VoiceOver-specific fixes. We've included the version 1.5 changelog below.

The Seeing Eye, a New Jersey-based guide dog school, is back with their popular annual auction. The 7th annual affair includes 425 items ranging from vacations to blindness products. Items are available to fit just about any budget, and proceeds benefit the school and its programs. Check the link on this post to view the auction, which ends May 8.

Amazon is now offering free-of-charge same day delivery to those who are subscribed to its Prime service. If you were lucky enough to already be using the same day delivery, the standard $5.99 fee that used to be applied has been dropped for those who currently subscribe to Prime.

Items on the Amazon website will be marked as being available for same day delivery. Customers need to checkout and pay for their order before 12 noon to get the item the same day; otherwise it will arrive the next working day. Qualifying orders must be more than $35 in total and delivery has to be in one of the 14 metropolitan areas that are part of the same-day delivery network.

Use the provided link and enter your zipcode to see if your city is included in the new service. Be sure to check back from time to time if your city is not part of the network, they'll be adding new cities as the program expands.

A simple sentence added to Apple's App Store Review Guidelines may have unintended consequences for deaf-blind users. The one sentence section 10.7 reads "Watch Apps whose primary function is telling time will be rejected". There's a fringe use case that Apple may not have thought of however.

Scent is one of the most powerful of our five senses. It can warn us of danger and trigger precious memories. According to the consumer market research firm NPD, 80 percent of men use some kind of scented product and 54 percent of men report using a fragrance on a daily basis. It can be overwhelming when purchasing cologne. You can't walk into a department store without being besieged by a barrage of competing scents. Below is some general information about fragrances which should help you when deciding on cologne.

A warning to you gentle reader, this post contains nothing but Apple Watch links. If you are tired, bored or just plain don't want to hear any more about the thing... you may want to skip this one. Some people are already on "burn out" at this early stage of the product's life cycle. After collecting more than 100 links on this accessory, I can honestly say, I'm a bit on overload about the subject myself. Therefore, the next edition will contain no Apple Watch news. Well, unless the devices turn peoples arms blue or allow them to become superheroes or something. Fat chance I could ignore stories like those. So, barring supernatural origin stories of the comic book variety, this post will have to do for those wanting news about Apple Watches. Oh, and listen to BBQ 14 because we talk about it in that show as well. Happy reading!

Netflix is beginning to deliver on its audio description promise quicker than many had expected. As of this post, a total of 39 titles including Netflix original serie and movies are now available with audio description. Of note, this list includes a variety of shows that are described by third parties. A new Audio Description link is available from the Netflix home page which shows the current list, which is currently expanding raplidly. Here's the 39 shows available as of this post.

Mantra Lingua is likely a company that most people haven't heard of, but you are probably familiar with one of their products, the PenFriend Voice Recorder Labeler. A few months back, the PenFriend was replaced by a new model, the PenFriend2. This new version includes 4GB of internal memory, a simpler recording process, a mode for using the unit as a simple MP3 player, and colored label tags. A new software program which allows users to back up and restore recordings is now also available. Overall, the new unit is slightly smaller and lighter than the original. It's available now from RNIB in the UK and several retailers in other countries including LS&S in the U.S. where it sells for $149.

The NVDA Remote crowdfunding campaign, which accepted donations for the past month for a new add-on which will add remote access support to the NVDA screen reader, has completed and beta testing is now in progress. The campaign crushed its $10,000 goal in the first 3 days of the campaign, which was organized by Christopher Toth and Tyler Spivey. A total of $13,546 was donated by 187 people during the campaign, an average donation of $72.44. Of these, 69 people claimed awards at the $100 or higher level which included beta test access and a year of free tech support. To follow the progress of the add-on, visit the NVDA Remote website

A free patch has been released for the Hims Blaze EZ Multiplayer, enabling direct downloading of NLS BARD titles. Still numbered as version 1.10, this release also includes improvements to the update process and the built-in web radio support. We've linked to the download page and included the release announcement below.

Blastbay Studios, makers of the Q9 action game, and VGStorm, makers of Paladin of the Sky, have teamed up to release the new Windows audio game Psycho Strike. According to the description, "Psycho Strike is a mix between an RPG, a first person shooter and an adventure game. It captures the best parts of each genre in order to create a truly unique and groundbreaking gaming experience. In Psycho Strike, you take the roll of a gangster leader. Throughout your adventure you will have the opportunity to collect weapons, recruit new criminals for your team of violent outlaws, collect more and more powerful items to fortify your base, and just terrorize the city in general."
A demo version is now available with the game retailing for $24.95. Check the link on this post for more info.

If you're lucky enough to have received your Baum VarioUltra, a free firmware has been released with some minor improvements. Version 1.2 includes a "Master Switch" mode to quickly jump between contracted and computer braille and also returns more quickly from suspend. Here's a link to the complete release notes. Check the link on this post to download the update.

The Android TalkBack team has rolled out a significant beta release to Android's default screen reader. The first beta of TalkBack 4.2 offers the ability to customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts, a built-in screen dimming feature, and various other improvements and bug fixes. To get the beta, you must opt-in to the beta test group and be a member of the Eyes-free Android list from an account also linked to your device. Here's the complete changelog, as posted by Google's Kristian Monsen:

• More gesture customization available. All gestures can now be customized with all actions. .
• Assignable keyboard shortcuts.
• Option to suspend and resume TalkBack by long pressing both volume buttons. This must be enabled in TalkBack settings.
• Optional new local and global context menus. These can be shown as a regular Android list, the default is the circle style in this release.
• Optional screen dimming. If enabled the screen brightness will be reduced to almost zero when TalkBack is on and not suspended. The first three minutes after screen dimming is enabled it can be turned off by quickly pressing both volume button three times. During this time there are instructions on the screen on how to disable screen dimming for users who are not familiar with TalkBack.
  All new features are opt in for this release.
  Minor fixes:
• Sliders, or SeekBars, can now be controlled with the volume keys like EditText.
• EditText movement with volume control has been improved. Volume keys will now move cursor in EditText if it either has accessibility focus or if it has input focus and there is no accessibility focus on the screen.
• Checkboxes in preferences should now announce the correct value on Android L.
• Autoscrolling have been tweaked and will not mostly scroll lists.

Brain hurts... too ... many Apple ... Watch ... links! Can't type sentences without ... ellipses. Can only post ... How Tos!

Another television network is piloting audio described content online, this time in Australia. ABC, no not that ABC, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, plans to post up to 14 hours of programming per week on its iview streaming platform. Programs will initially be available on its iPhone and ipad apps, with expansions to Android devices, computers, and high-definition televisions planned during the 15 month pilot project. You can learn more from Media Access Australia.

It's barely spring, but the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) wants you to think about submitting a paper for its 2016 conference. ATIA 2016 will be held February 2-6 in Orlando, and the call for papers is now open.
According to an Email, ATIA welcomes abstracts on the uses of assistive technology in a wide variety of settings - school, home, recreation, rehabilitation, university and workplace - from an equally wide group of qualified individuals including, but not limited to, accessibility professionals, administrators, advocates, AT specialists, communication specialist, consumers/individuals with disabilities, disability services, educators, government/non-profit agencies, IT professionals, occupational therapists, physical therapists, paraprofessionals, pre-service, professional development/training, rehab therapists, social workers, speech-language, pathologists, special education educators, visual impairment specialists and vocational rehab."
"Abstracts should cover the use of assistive technology from a practitioner or user perspective and may be in the form of a case study, demonstration, implementation study, panel discussion, poster session, research paper or tips and techniques workshop."
Submissions can be made through June 19, with a maximum of two submissions allowed per speaker. Accepted speakers will receive registration discounts.

As the release date nears for the first ever Apple Watch, there's been a lot of talk about what exactly is and is not possible when it comes to accessibility, especially when trying out demo units. Alex Jurgensen has done much of the dirty work and explains many of the watch basics in this post on Apple World Today. It includes a description of the watch layout, a list of many of the available gestures, and a workaround for getting the watch to function when it is in demo mode.

HumanWare has released the first in a series of snapshot videos highlighting features to be included in the next release of KeySoft for the BrailleNote and VoiceNote Apex. Version 9.5 will include an exam mode, which allows teachers to lock down most of the functions of the notetaker, essentially turning it into a refreshable braille display. With the proliferation of online standardized tests, a braille device which also includes a spell checker, calculator, and other features would likely not be allowed as an accommodation, so HumanWare is aiming to position the Apex as a suitable device for these exams. You can play the video to learn more about the feature from HumanWare's Greg Stilson (yes, it is descriptive). KeySoft 9.5 is scheduled to be released as a free update in May, according to the Email which we've linked to in this post. Interestingly, Greg states in the video that this is the second snapshot look into KeySoft 9.5, yet this is the first video to be posted on the company's YouTube channel.

You could say that the world was on watch last week for news about the new updates to iOS and Mac OSX. Of course, some may be excited about the upcoming WWDC in June. However, let us just get the other news out of the way and then we'll jump into the linkapalooza about the new Apple timepiece. That way those who want to skip, avoid or ignore those stories can while leaving those who pine for their pre orders the ability to drool until the bauble arrives in their local Apple store.