We've been away for a bit, darn that offline world, but we're back and ready to take on the pre-summer convention world. And Google i/o. While Steve and Ana are not on hand to aid us in our wrap-up of the big Android event, Ana's presence can be felt in one of the contributions to this week's "Last Word". We have an Apple TV tip and web-based "Sound Off" in the lineup as well. So Google Cast this week's episode and find out what's up with Google now... yeah, you know you missed that kind of word play from us. Admit it.
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Before we get rolling with the news, a couple of shout outs to the new "Find Your Fit" podcast and to the gang over at "Blind Abilities". It is good to have more voices covering more topics than ever before!
In The News:
Apple showcases audio described content
Apple Will Now Sell you a Braille Display and other Accessibility Tools to Go with your iPhone
Amazon expands VoiceView accessibility tool for visually impaired users to the Kindle Paperwhite
Humanware Snapshot of new notetaker on Youtube
Windows 10 Free Upgrade to be Extended Beyond the Summer Deadline for Users of Assistive Technology
Project Goalball is here and probably less likely to involve sporting injuries
The may edition of "Access World" is ready for your reading enjoyment
Discussion Topic: Google i/o
J.J. and Joe look at what Google has in store for us during the latter half of 2016. Below are links to some of the topics discussed.
Google Assistant and Google Home
Do you trust Google to always be listening inside your Home?
Allo, Duo, Google Messenger, Hangouts. Google has three 'messenger' apps too many
Android N 3rd release is called a beta
Seemeless updates like Chrome
Instant Apps
The Verge calls it the most interesting thing out of i o
Chromebooks outsold Macs for the first time in the US
The Play Store comes to Chrome OS, but not the way we were expecting
Older Chromebooks, including the original Pixel, won t run Android apps
Tip: 4th Gen Apple TV
You can dictate long passwords and so much more with these 30 Apple TV tips
Sound off:
Comments about Windows 10 are still plentiful, possibly because some just started using Windows 10 thanks to Microsoft making it an automatic update via Windows Update, and causing many to learn through a frantic Google search how to roll back to a previous version of Windows. The good news, and yes it could be considered good, is that the computer rolling back is registered for Windows 10 when or if, that computer is ready to update. It is a tough workaround for making sure a Windows 7 computer can run Windows 10 for free without having to actually run Windows 10. But it seems, as you saw from the news line up above, that some users of AT won't have to pay for a Windows 10 upgrade initially. here are a couple of thoughts on that from the comment section of our articles.
From cw:
"I personally haven't really found a good reason to upgrade to ten. I have heard some podcasts about how to get around in ten, but I haven't heard a good reason to make the move. The thing that drives me from it, to some degree, is the whole MS trying to push it on me thing. My message to ms is that if I want it I will get it, else stop trying to shove it down people's throtes"
From gallagher123123:
"I really wish Microsoft would just leave it alone, and keep the free upgrade to windows 10. Both Apple and Google have free upgrades, so why should Microsoft charge? This is one of the main reasons why I prefer the Mac operating system. "
The Apple model isn't the same as the Microsoft one. For one thing, Apple is a hardware sales-based company and giving away Mac OS fits in line with them enticing you to buy a Mac. A Mac that could run Windows. I.E. Microsoft, minus a few divisions like the Xbox, mainly sells software. Until the Windows App Store takes off, if it ever does, MS kind of needs the revenue of Windows to offset some development costs. Big business naturally doesn't get the free updates as the licensing requirements are not the same as those that come when a computer is sold by a retailer. Next up, ChromeVox.
From jmannion:
"How usable are Chromebooks if you depend on the screen reader? I checked out chromevox on a PC a little while back and wasn't impressed at all. I haven't really felt a lot like bothering to install it again to see what, if anything has changed, because there just isn't enough insentive. The concept of using a Chromebook would be really useful though. There was just that horable voice and clunky navigation."
J.J. noted that there were some improvements in ChromeVox through the "ChromeVox Next" project. However, neither host uses the Chrome OS on a regular basis. If anyone out there wants to send along their thoughts, or even a demo, feel free to do so by emailing feedback@blindbargains.com.
Last Word:
Joe landed another mash up and a follow up to an article in episode 61. J.J. found a link from an old friend, Ana G, during his Google i/o prep. Feel free to guess which link came from which host this week.
A very smashing, but disturbing, sound
If you have the time, you can load Windows 7 on a smartwatch
A smart gadget too far? Controversial tampon uses Bluetooth to tell wearer when it needs to be changed
J.J. won't be traveling again for a month or so. Therefore, we might return to our regular output soon. Whatever that might be is anyone's guess. See you next week!
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Category: ShowsHey Guys, I was one of those who got caught by the automatic update to Windows 10. I wish this stuff wouldn't happen so late at night. It happened May 15th, and it created a bit of chaos the first couple of days; but for the most part it hasn't created the nightmare I expected. I wouldn't have chosen to upgrade until later, but now that it's here, I'll stick with it. I don't plan on rolling it back to Windows 7. I figure that would create more problems than dealing with the changes. There are still several things to tweak along the way, but I'll cross those bridges when I get there.
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
