If you sit in front of a computer all day you know how uncomfortable keyboards can get. Your wrists hurt, your elbows hurt, your hands cramp up…so you go for a “natural” keyboard, or you invest in one of those smooshy gel things, but it doesn’t ever quite get better. Smartfish thinks they have a [...]
Tag Archives: Accessibility
Digit-Eyes Announces iPhone App For The Visually Impaired
(image courtesy Digit-eyes) Smartphones really can change people’s lives. I’ve written before about the resources available if you are visually impaired and use a smartphone, but this is a constantly evolving experience. One of the newest resources is an app called “Digit-Eyes”. Essentially this app lets you scan your food and create large scannable labels [...]
American Foundation for the Blind Looks At Smartphone Accessibility
Smartphones have become nearly indispensable productivity tools. Businesses issue them to employees, and people use them constantly to keep up with their personal lives. But what do you if you are blind or visually impaired? Tiny keyboards and 3-4 inch screens aren’t always great if your eyesight is wonderful, let alone if you have vision [...]
Microsoft Gives Senior Citizens the Gift of Those Newfangled Interwebs
Businessweek recently ran a story about a side of Microsoft we do not hear nearly enough about. Apparently they have been working with various cities to bring computers to senior citizens. With the dependence on computers today, it has become tough for homebound elderly people to remain connected to society without them. Microsoft is pushing [...]
Plantronics .Audio 476 DSP Headset- A Gear Diary First Look
As I’ve written numerous times here on the site, I am a huge user of voice recognition software. I’m blown away by Dragon Dictation on the iPhone, use Dragon NaturallySpeaking on my Windows 7 machine, and I have MacSpeech Dictate on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro. When I upgraded to the current version [...]
MobileHelp Can Track and Assist Your Loved Ones
We’ve covered various forms of GPS and wifi tracking devices that can be used for elderly family members before, but they’ve all had very tight ranges and are mostly for use inside the home. But what about a system that can work outside the home, leveraging cellular and GPS connectivity to provide tracking and emergency [...]
Is Text to Speech Copyright Infringement or Accessibility?
(image courtesy audiobooks for everyone) Famously, the Kindle 2 debuted with Text to Speech enabled, only to see it yanked for many books after the publishing companies complained it violated audiobook copyrights. This debate is becoming an issue all over again because of devices like Intel’s Reader for the blind, which uses a scanner and [...]
TabSafe Medicine Dispenser Announced
(image courtesy of MSNBC) Growing old, and caring for someone who is growing older, is not easy. It is a balancing act, especially for caregivers; how much freedom do you offer your loved one, and when do you monitor them closely for their own safety?
Stop Worrying- Start Speaking: Dragon Dictation Update Resolves Privacy Concerns
I have made no secret of my excitement that Dragon Dictation is now out and available for US iPhone users. The app has transformed my iPhone usage and continues to be one of my most-used apps. The transcription process is fast, accurate and, currently, free. When the app was first released last week however some [...]
The Voice Recognition Hits Keep Coming – Vlingo 4.0 Out Now
The voice recognition hits are continuing to flow with Vlingo releasing version 4.0 of their application. Not only does the new version run on the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 (YEAH!!!!!), but it includes an awesome new feature- “Vlingo Everywhere”. As the company explains- With Vlingo Plus 4.0 you’ll be able to use your voice with [...]
USB Fever’s iHandstick for iPhone 3G / 3Gs / iPod Touch 2 Gen / 3rd Gen
There’s no doubt that the game selection for Apple iPhone and touch devices is only getting larger and better, but the actual gameplay experience can sometimes leave much to be desired because iPhones and touches are slick devices with no handles or grips. What if you could take the iPhone or touch, and pop it [...]
“Free 4 Kids” Holiday Safety Giveaway from Brickhouse Security
Concerned about keeping track of your kids in busy locations? According to Brickhouse Security, 2,185 kids go missing every day. So they created a solution: The Brickhouse Child Locator. GPS tagging your children may seem a bit odd, but Brickhouse makes it an easy and customizable experience. Small wristbands and keyrings house the GPS unit, [...]
Chevy Volt Aims to Help the Blind
I bought a Prius over the summer. Halfway through the test drive my fiancee asked the salesman if he was aware that electric cars have caused issues for blind pedestrians, since they don’t hear the cars coming. His response (after an awkward silence where he no doubt considered whether his answer would lose him the [...]
Groundbreaking New iPhone Application – And We Have A Sneak Peek
There is an application that I have been using on my iPhone for the past five or six weeks that has transformed the way I use the device. It has already become one of my “must have, can’t live without” applications. The thing is, it was a “must-have, can’t live without” application within about a [...]
Intel Announces a Reader for the Blind
Last week, the big news was that several universities decided not to support the Kindle (or similar e-readers, presumably) because they are not accessible or friendly to blind and visually impaired students. Intel has stepped up this week though with an innovative device to help those with visual impairments read and hear the written word [...]
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cgavula: LOL - I think there is plenty of precedent to make...
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dbmurray: I'd be happy if Microsoft would pick a naming sch...
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