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Apple has recently launched a telephone number for accessibility related questions and technical support. The toll-free number is (877) 204-3930.
Representatives are available to assist with iOS inquiries Monday-Friday 6 am to 11 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 6 am to 10 PM central time. For all other products, specialists are available 8 am to 10 PM central time, 7 days a week. This number can also be used to file accessibility bug reports, according to the representative we spoke with.

Talks, one of the leading mobile phone screenreaders will soon be releasing version 5.0 with support for a host of new devices.
In a recent podcast found on BlindMind.net we heard a 40 minute interview discussing some of the new features being offered in the upcoming release. Check out the interview for yourself by navigating to the blog and please let us know what you think by leaving a comment.

Are the olympus line of digital audio recorders really accessible? In a recent podcast, done by some wonderful folks in Australia, we find out about the accessibility features built in to the Olympus DM420 and DM520 respectively. These small and sleek digital recorders feature enhanced voice guidance and superior recording quality along with extended battery capabilities and increased built in memory capacity. Please navigate to the link above and have a listen to the demonstration featuring accessibility and let us know what you think.

The Assistive Technology Industry Association offers this list of exhibitors scheduled to appear at their new Chicago conference later this week. Over 100 companies will be represented including most assistive technology companies for the blind, though curiously Serotek is not on the list. It will be interesting to see how this new conference is received and whether it will adversely affect attendance for the Orlando conference next January.

Serotek has been busy this year rolling out a wide array of podcasts covering a wide array of accessibility news and technologies, both from Serotek and other companies. Of note, the Serotalk Tech Chats are now hosted on their Accessible Event service, allowing for user interaction and questions via text. Their latest weekly podcast, for example, includes a discussion of the accessibility of upcoming versions of the Pro Tools audio editing software for the Mac, among many other stories.

Handy Tech North America now offers Handy CMS, the new online Contact Management System developed with an emphasis on accessibility. Please navigate to the above link to read more and obtain a trial!

This is a great new website dealing with Bioptic Driving.Bioptic driving is a method which allows persons with soe usable vision to become licensed drivers. Candidates often have good peripheral vision but lack the ability to sometimes see street signs and other objects, according to the Bioptic Driving website. While much debate exists on the safety of this or other driving systems for those with some useful vision, this site may serve as a useful jumping off point. It is sponsored by the Low Vision Centers of Indiana,.

Code Factory has added another mailing list to their portfolio, this time for the Mobile Geo GPS software. This software was recently released for Windows Mobile smartphones and Pocket PC phones and offers accessible turn-by-turn directions and points of interest information. Follow the link on this post to go to the subscription page.

The new issue of Accessworld has been posted to the AFB website. The July 2008 edition has a heavy emphasis on access to mainstream technology, including looks at MP3 players and in-flight entertainment systems. You'll also find the latest news and technology insights. AccessWorld is published bimonthly and is available free on the web.

This is the title of a new blog focusing on accessibility news and updates. Initial topics covered include accessible GPS software, notetakers and PDAs, and screen reader news. It seems to be well-updated so far, and we'll add it to our blogs to watch.

There's actually lots of quite accessible software available for your Symbian-based cell phone. Brent Harbolt discussed a large list of programs in a recent seminar now hosted on BlindSea.com. You can listen to the archive as well as find links to the programs mentioned.

We've seen several resources made available for blind people who wish to program in their language of choice. But a new effort led by popular programmer Jamal Mazrui has the potential to open many doors for current and potential developers alike. NonVisualDevelopment.org is a wiki-based site which offers links to articles, resources, and information for a variety of programming and scripting languages. Whether you are writing Windows programs in VB.net or web pages in HTML, there is a section for you. The site is still early in development, but we're sure it will evolve into a rather useful destination.