Aroga is hitting the road with Technomania!
Date/Time: September 28, 2010 / 8:30am - 4:30pm
Location: Saskabilities, 2310 Louise Ave, Saskatoon, SK
Technomania is an opportunity to get hands on experience with the latest developments in assistive technology hardware and software and to talk to the experts about your specific needs.
Hope to see you there!
This what I want for Christmas!
The enTourage eDGe is the world's first dualbook, meaning that it has two separate screens, that combine an e-reader with a netbook.
The e-reader screen is used with a stylus that can underline or highlight text, take notes in the margin, pull up a blank piece of e-paper for solving math problems, or open a link for a video that is then displayed on the opposite LCD screen. The LCD (netbook) screen features a virtual keyboard, as well as an audio recorder and a video camera. From this side you can send e-mails and instant messages, and browse the Internet.
The enTourage eDGe will sell for $490 USD, but won't be available until February 2010. They are taking pre-orders for the device, but it is not available for shipping to Canada yet. Hopefully it will be soon!
Check out Specs and comparisons on the enTourage eDGe website by clicking on the link below.
Here are links to a couple of articles that give more in depth information.
The RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) has recently introduced a new lablel-making device that lets you easily record information that syncs to special self-adhesive labels. It can be used to label food items, film and music collections, and household objects. It can also be used to organise letters and paperwork as well as record shopping lists or leave audio messages.
To use, you simply allocate one of the coded self-adhesive labels and record and store your message on the PenFriend. To playback hold the PenFriend over the label - it announces recordings specific to each label. There is no limit to the length of each message, and the pen as up to 70 hours of recording time available.
This product is available for purchase through the CNIB Webstore. Check out the link below for more information.
http://webstore.cnib.ca/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=LIV0513210000
The RNIB has created a demonstation video on Youtube that you can watch below.
HumanWare, the makers of the Zoom-Twix, have recently created a DeafBlind Communicator to provide communication options to deaf-blind individuals. The DBS system consists of two separate components, the BrailleNote and a DB-Phone. The DB-Phone is a specialized cell phone with a visual display and a QWERTY keyboard that also has unique deafblind software installed in it. These two components communicate wirelessly with each other using Bluetooth.
This technology will enable the deaf-blind community to have face-to-face conversations with store clerks, waiters, friends, and other sighted individuals.
The BBC News recently published an online article with videos of the DeafBlind Communicator in action. Click on the link below to check it out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8183838.stm
Click on the link below to check out the DeafBlind Communicator on the HumanWare website.
You can buy a variety of hardware and software products that make the iPhone more accessible. Back in January I blogged about Proloquo2Go, an AAC application for iPhone and iPod Touch for people who have difficulty speaking. Here are few other products that are available:
soundAMP
With soundAMP you can instantly improve your hearing. soundAMP is an AT application that transforms your iPhone into an interactive hearing device. It uses the built-in microphone or headset with mic to amplify nearby sound. You can adjust volume and tone, and even “repeat” a recent conversation.
Soft-Touch Stylus for iPhone and iPod touch
Using the Soft-Touch Stylus, you can type, tap, and scroll effortlessly without worrying about scratching the high-resolution display on iPhone or iPod touch.
VoiceOver
The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on the Mac is now a standard feature on iPhone 3GS. iPhone 3GS displaying VoiceOver settings. The VoiceOver and Speak Hints buttons are on. Three instructions appear: To select an item touch it. To tap the selected item, double-tap. To scroll, flick three fingers.
For more information, check out the Apple Accessibility webpage by clicking on the link below.
Keeping in tune with their commitment to accessibility, Apple has designed the new iPhone 3GS to be easier for those with visual, auditory, or other physical disabilities to use the iPhone. Accessibility features include:
VoiceOver
Zoom
White on Black
Mono Audio
Speak Auto-text
Learn how to use these features by checking out the Accessibility Features section of the iPhone How To webpage. Clicking on the link below will take you there.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#accessibility.iphone3gs-accessibility-features
I read a funny technology update on a dog-bark translator called BowLingual. The original BowLingual claimed to be able to translate your pooch's barks into human language readable on a handheld translator. The new version of this technology has been updated to include vocalization of said translation, so you can hear exactly why your dog is barking so much. Unfortunately, the BowLingual is currently only available in the Japanese language, which means that you’ll still have no idea what Spotty is saying unless you have a Japanese-to-English translator as well.
Wikipedia has a great entry about the BowLingual. Click on the link below to check it out.
The DirectVoxx Muso is add-on for the iPod and iPhone that is designed to let you access your music with voice commands. The Muso doesn't require any voice training, and lets you demand particular tracks, scan through playlists, pause and resume playing music speaking in natural language like: "play Romantic Traffic by the Spoons." The only problem with the Muso is that it only works with the IPod Nano, and it's price tag is $159.00, making it almost as expensive as the iPod itself. Click on the link below for more information.
http://www.directvoxx.com/Products.htm
Check out the video to see it in action.
On Wednesday, Apple officially kicked off its 2009 back-to-school promotion, which offers a free 8GB iPod touch to students and educational staffers who purchase a qualifying Mac.
Here are the terms & conditions:
Click on the link below to get the rebate coupon.
Whilst doing some research online, I came across the Braille Tattoo designed by Klara Jirkova, a student at the University of the Arts in Berlin. The tattoo is a series of implantable surgical steel, titanium, or medical plastic beads that are placed under the skin. The tattoo can then be read via touch. The New York Times ran an article about the braille tattoo, which you can read below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09_8_tatoo.html?ref=magazine
Come and meet Ken Patterson from HumanWare in our new AT Room this Thursday, April 2nd. Ken will be giving a presentation and demonstrating
some of the HumanWare products, including CCTV's, handheld magnifiers, GPS systems, and the ZoomTwix Portable CCTV that I blogged about in December.
http://blogs.usask.ca/AAT/2009/01/zoomtwix_portab.html
Ken will be in the new AT Room from about 1:00pm until 4:00pm, so drop by to check out some really cool technology. Check out the HumanWare website below.
There are many vendor booths set up here at the CSUN AT Conference, but the one that really sung to me was the Nippon Telesoft booth. Nippon Telesoft is a Japanese company specializing in the development of braille printers and a refreshable braille display called the Seika . Their newest development is a Braille Karaoke machine that uses the Seika technology. Singers can sync multiple Seikas together, allowing for duets and group singing. The demo was quite funny, showing that everyone (not just the sighted) can sign bad karaoke.
Check out the Nippon Telesoft Braille Karaoke website below.
http://www.nippontelesoft.com/english/karaoke.htm
It was a DAISY day today, as I attended three sessions on DAISY digital talking books (DTB). The first was a DAISY 101 session that explained what DAISY is (Digital Accessible Information System) as well as it's benefits and features. We also discussed software and hardware DAISY players. Basically, DAISY is a type of digital book, but it is more efficient than a regular MP3 or e-text because the use of headings in the markup makes the DAISY books navigable by pages, chapters, and headings, instead of playing straight through.
The second session I attended was about the Word as DAISY add-in developed by the folks at Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI). This program can translate a Word document into a DTB file that can be played on some DAISY players. Before translating, you can create the headings in the Word doc by using the style features. These headings then become the navigation points in the DTB. If using a software DAISY player the navigation points are visible in a column on the left-side of the screen.
The third session I attended was about different types of DAISY software players. The first player demoed was the GH Player. This is the "Cadillac" of DAISY players, and it works with braille and tactile displays. These features make it a bit expensive, with a price of about $300 USD. The second player was the Dolphin Easy Reader. It reads DAISY really well and has a lower price of about $55.00 USD. Both of these readers will highlight the text on-screen as it is being read, giving students with learning disabilities the benefit of a multi-sensory approach to reading. The third player tested was a free one that can be dowloaded from the DAISY Consortium website. It crashed during the demo however, and the presenter noted that with DAISY players, you get what you pay for. So true.
I will be attending a couple more DAISY sessions tomorrow, so in the meantime, get more information about DAISY and the DAISY Consortium from the website below.
The new 4GB iPod shuffle uses VoiceOver to generate text to speech. The VoiceOver function will tell you the name of the song and artist you are currently listening to, and it will also read aloud your playlists. It can speak 14 languages, from Dutch to Japanese, and while the actual speech is generated by iTunes it is transferred to the Shuffle when you sync it.
Check out the Apple website for more information
After all of the controversy that ensued after the announcement that the Kindle 2 will have text-to-speech, Amazon has decided that they will modify the new version of its Kindle electronic-book reader to allow authors and publishers to decide whether they want the TTS function used for a particular title. Hopefully, most authors and publishers will choose the TTS option, but time will tell.
PowerTalk is a free software that when downloaded will automatically speak any presentation or slide show running in Microsoft PowerPoint. Once the program is installed, open and run the presentation as usual, and the text on your slides will be read aloud. PowerTalk will speak the text as it appears and will also speak hidden text that has been attached to images. The voices that are used are the standard computer voices that come with Windows.
This program would be very helpful for anyone who finds it hard to present their thoughts orally with PowerPoint presentations.
Check out this download site for a free download:
http://sourceforge.net/search/?type_of_search=soft&words=powertalk
The new Kindle has a “Read-to-Me” text-to-speech feature that reads out loud every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper downloaded. According to the Amazon website, pages automatically turn while the content is being read, so you can listen hands-free, and you can choose from both male and female voices which can be sped up or slowed down to suit your preference.
As expected, there are already copyright fights flaring-up over this new feature. According to an article in WIRED magazine, the Authors Guild is warning writers that the TTS function is likely violating their copyrights. The argument against this is that because the voice is a synthesized version of what is already there, it is not an actual reproduction of the book, and therefore is not violating copyright.
The new Kindle looks like it has some great potential for AT users, and it will be interesting to see reviews once the product is released on February 24th.
Read more about the Kindle 2 at these websites:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2340623,00.asp
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/02/copyright-fight.html
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI
In case you missed it, blind ex-Motown singing star, Stevie Wonder, recently appeared a BBC technology program called Click. He was talking about accessible technology and discussed what AT gadgets he uses, but also called on technology companies to make their products more accessible to blind people. Go Stevie!!!
Visit the Click website to view a clip of the interview, and read what else Stevie Wonder had to say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7859227.stm
AssistiveWare and Sennott Consulting are working on an innovative Augmentative and Alternative Communication solution for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch called Proloquo2Go. Some of the features include:
Proloquo2Go will be showcased at the 24th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, held in March. I will be attending this conference and have signed up for this session, and I promise that I will give an update on this ground-breaking technology.
Check out the Proloquo2Go website here.
The Zoom-Twix boasts to be the smallest scanner, fastest reader, most compact and lightest (less than 2 pounds) portable CCTV solution available today. The CCTV camera lets you see distant objects up close such as classroom lectures or white board presentations, and the flexible support arm and attachment accessories allow the camera to be rotated 360° around both a horizontal and a vertical axis.
But what really makes the Zoom-Twix unique is that it has two cameras: a “frog” camera and a CCTV camera. The “frog” camera provides instant scanning by photographing the book page, and then immediately uses OCR to convert the image into machine-readable text. The “frog” camera also acts as scanner, scanning 20 pages per minute which can be saved to your computer for use with other programs. The “frog” camera is also a magnifier (up to 40x). It photographs a page and then it magnifies the captured text and wraps the lines onscreen for easy reading. There is no longer a need for an X-Y table! Just scroll down.
The ZoomTwix connects to PC or a laptop via a USB port, and comes with a variety of voices to choose from. As far as I know, it is only available in Canada through Humanware, and the current cost is about $3,000. I was able to go to a Zoom-Twix demo that Humanware gave last month at the Saskatoon CNIB office, and it really is a remarkable gadget!
Tired of struggling to keep up with taking notes in a meeting or lecture? Never miss a word again with the Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe. The Smartpen is a ballpoint pen that records audio while you write, syncing the audio with your writing.
How does this work? As you write, the pen records your strokes using a camera that every second takes multiple pictures of the text. To playback the recording, you just tap the tip of the Smartpen on your notes to hear what was said while you were writing at that exact moment. You can also upload your notes to your computer for searching and organization. There are also built in controls that let you speed up or slow down the playback.
For this to work, you need to use specially designed notebooks with “dot paper” sold by Livescribe. Included with each Smartpen is one spiral bound notebook. However, you can also purchase additional notebooks and unlined journals directly from Livescribe. If you don’t want to buy the “dot paper” notebooks, you can now print your own dot paper for free once you install the Livescribe Desktop.
You can choose between a Smartpen with 1 GB of memory ($194.95) which holds over 100 hours and the Smartpen with 2 GB of memory ($259.95) which holds over 200 hours. The notebooks and journals range in cost from $11.95 to $32.95.
Currently there is only one Canadian supplier, Smart Pen Central. Check out their website for more information about pricing and shipping costs.
You might also want to check out the community page on the Livescribe website. This page features real life recordings, which is great for seeing how the pen works and for checking out the quality of the recordings.
There is also a really great Smartpen review on one of my favourite blogs The Gadgeteer.