SeroSpectives: This Month in Tech for March, 2012

Join SeroSpectives: This Month in Tech for March, 2012 live on Accessible event this Thursday, April 5, starting at 9:00 PM Eastern. This month, Lisa Salinger will be joined by Dr. Robert Carter of the Tech Doctor Podcast, Darrell Shandrow of The Blind Access Journal, and Erin B. Edgar Of Tech Access Weekly in what will most certainly be a lively discussion of the top news stories in assistive technology for the month of March. When you join an Accessible Event presentation live, you not only get to hear the audio from our panel, but you are able to view the stories we discuss as well. If you wish to take your participation in the event even further, feel fre to join our live text chat where you can visit with other participants, and possibly even the presenters themselves as the event takes place. Not only can you join the event from your PC or Mac, but you can also join from your Android or iOS device as well. Are you unable to attend the event live, no worries; you will have an opportunity to replay an archive of the presentation later, download the audio, or listen to the show on SPN Radio. No matter how you participate, we’ve got you covered. We look forward to seeing you Thursday at 9:00 PM Eastern!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

SeroTalk Podcast 102: Squishy Dots

Listen to SeroTalk Podcast 102: Squishy Dots

Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger welcome Joe Steinkamp back to this week’s podcast. After a brief discussion about Joe’s recent computer problems, the three of them tackle the news of the week.

Smartphones

Why Apple should abandon its ‘thermonuclear’ war against Android

iPhone Vs. Android Phones, Which One is Dominating the Market?

Feature Writer Steve Famiglietti – A Personal Journey Through the iPhone 4S

Hospitals Warn Smartphones Could Distract Doctors

iPad

Apple ‘Must Fix’ iPad Battery Issue, Study Warns

Apple: iPad charging fine, keep it plugged in

General Tech

Is HTC prepping an iPod Touch rival?

AT&T striving to retain customers through new loyalty program

Twitter bug makes it seem you’re unfollowing people

Google Drive due as soon as April

Harry Potter Flies Onto eReaders as Pottermore Store Opens

Windows 8 Release Candidate rumored for June, retail release in October

AT

windows 8 narrator, provides hype and not hope

Volunteer for Exciting New Image Description Project!

A screen reader for everyone: why the world needs NVDA | Media Access Australia

Electroactive polymer key to durable full-screen Braille displays

Roundabout

Self-Driving Car Test: Steve Mahan (Audio Described) – YouTube

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Amazing Race to CSUN

Listen to The Amazing Race to CSUN      

Coming to SPN.. you liked our coverage of ATIA, you loved our coverage on the new Apple thing that may or may not be released this fall and you were indifferent about our coverage of the Westminster Kenel Club.. but all that is nothing when compared to what we have in store for you in 2013 when SeroTalk brings you .. the Amazing Race to CSUN.

Yes, that’s right. We took your feedback from our popular “Road2CSUN” travel log and we turned it to 11 with these crazy new aditions to next year’s road trip….. just think. From New York to San Diego by way of .. public transportation?

To learn more, listen to our full announcement here!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Biggest Note Taker Just Got Larger

Listen to the G.T.O. read its own announcement

A word that gets over used and over hyped is “innovation”. Why single out a few features as a revolutionary advancement in your product,  when in all honesty these additions are just evolutionary in nature? How can you redefine a term like “Inovation” in a business that now thrives and depends on you buying the same thing each year? More to the point, why should you bother? We looked deep within ourselves and asked these questions, along with what indian food places delivered to our area, when we considered our next step in refreshing the hastily but lovingly cobbled together G.T.O. As you no doubt remember, the G.T.O. was our initial splash in to the note taking pool.

 

Last year we took mature technologies to a whole new level. This year we were kind of looking to do something bold and new and fresh. Then we sobered up and realized that we could just release an accessory to the G.T.O. and then go play “hanging With Friends” for the next three months of the Development Cycle instead. With this goal in mind we sent out for some great Chicken Vindaloo and began the 35-minute wait for the food to arrive by designing our newest addition to the G.T.O. product line.

 

What if you took the flexibility of the G.T.O. and combined it with the power of portability? 30 hours of battery life sounds pretty attractive, right? But aren’t you so tired of companies advertising long battery life and never living up to expectations? Wouldn’t it be nice if you, the user, had full control of how long your battery lasts? Well, dream no more! We are excited to unveil our fantastic new accessory, the Somewhat Unwhieldy, cumbersome kinetic energy recharger, for your G.T.O. device.

 

Now you can enjoy your G.T.O. on the beach, in the airport or just about anywhere you need to be with the knowledge that your device’s battery life is in your capable hands. The S.U.C.K.E.R. gets its energy from your body motion, not from some antiquated wall outlet. Need to send an important tweet about the delicious sandwich you just ate? The G.T.O. doesn’t support Twitter, but if it did, all you’d have to do is do the hokey pokey for 15 minutes, and the S.U.C.K.E.R. could deliver just enough power to your G.T.O. unit to allow for the input of those precious 140 characters. And remember, you’re not getting your power from the electric company. It’s coming right from your own awkwardly flailing self.

How green is that? But wait! We can be even greener. We have created the carrying cases for all our products out of clothing we have found from the finest of second hand stores. This means that every carrying case is highly unique, blending an array of colors and fabrics in a way that’s sure to grab the attention of everyone. Yellow corduroy and purple polyester is just one stunning example that we’ve created. We have also worked to repurpose all our plastics by melting down a virtually endless supply of AOL SignUp Discs we have collected over the years, and we smear this mixture haphazardly on every carrying case to give it that shiny look.

 

But we didn’t stop there. At the launch of the G.T.O. last year, we heard from lead developer Rusty Mettles about his inspiration for the product. This year, he had this to say about the S.U.C.K.E.R.: “I was reading this awesome book about a contest to find an Easter egg in an online virtual world. All the references to 1980s geek culture and old technology really resonated with me. But another thing that got my attention was the part where the kid charged the battery in his space heater by working out on an exercise bike. I thought, poor kid, if only he’d had a dog to do that for him.”

 

While the rest of the team gulped Jolt Cola and debated whether Kirk or Picard was the better captain, Rusty Mettles set out to build the Rotational Operating Flywheel  Linkature, or ROFL. With the R.O.FL., you can use that lazy service animal that lies listlessly at your feet to power your devices. Using our pattent pending “PawsAtraction” technology, your service animal can climb inside the 6 foot in diameter wheel to spin your devices back into the green in no time. Just place the optional squeak toy, rawhide bone or Bacon Bite a little out of reach of your furry capacitor and you are off to clean, green battery bliss.

 

Need a cumbersome and unwieldy way to haul around your cumbersome and unwieldy device and accessories? How about the collapsible rolling cart. Well, it’s more of a little red wagon than a cart, but it does collapse whenever the S.U.C.K.E.R. or the R.O.F.L. is placed on it.

 

But why take our word for how fantastic these new accessories are. Instead, read this testimonial from Mrs. Myrtle Shleppenhauser and judge for yourselves.

 

“Last year, Mr. Shleppenhauser, maybe I should just call him Fred. Anyway, Fred got me the G.T.O. for our fiftieth wedding anniversary. All our friends were going on cruises, but not us. My Fred wanted to give me a gift that would leave it’s mark on the world. This year, when Fred heard about all this exciting stuff, he said he’d have no argument from me. So he went right out, and he sold his dentures and his toupee. He bought me a shiny new S.U.C.K.E.R., an R.O.F.L., and, of course, that collapsible cart.

“So here I was, on the day of our anniversary. I had just let Fluffy–he’s my Rotweiler guide dog–back in the house, when I felt this strange rumbling, and it got louder and louder. Then I heard my Fred shout, “I love you, Myrtle!” Then there was a crash so loud, it scared Fluffy and me real bad. There was a puddle on the floor, but I guess I won’t say any more about that.

“So, I went outside, and right in front of the door was my wonderful gift. The cart did collapse, just like the ad said, and there wasn’t a dent or scratch on any of it. At first, I thought one of them pretty carry cases got stuck under the wheels, but they were fine. My Fred, as the younger generation says, “Not so much.” A neighbor told me he saw the exact point when it all went downhill, and I mean literally downhill. We live at the bottom of Mile High Hill. Fred was doing pretty well until the cart picked up some momentum. I don’t want to say it ran him over and collapsed on him. I much rather think of it that now, my Fred has the long, lean body he has always dreamed of.

And the S.U.C.K.E.R. and this other fine stuff has made my dreams come true. Thank you Fred, and thank you, Serotek. My life will never be the same!”

 

So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone to order your S.U.C.K.E.R., fashionable carrying case, R.O.F.L. and collapsible rolling cart today. We’ll be happy to take your … oh … Indian food is here. We’ll be too busy cramming our mouths with vindaloo and naan to take your order. Chimpanzee-Bonobo hybrids are standing by.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

My Thoughts on Apple’s New iPad

Listen to My Thoughts on The New iPad

I’m here today to talk to you about the New iPad, or the iPad III, or whatever Apple is calling it. I got it on Release Day, so I was camping out at my front door and waiting for FedEx. I unboxed it about an hour before I left to attend a conference with my wife. The first thing I noticed is that it is a little thicker than the previous one, but not by much. You can’t tell visually, but you can feel the difference. It is also slightly heavier. I wanted to see if I could set it up without having to connect to iTunes. I turned it on, waited a bit, and was able to triple-click the Home button, which started VoiceOver. From there, I was able to sign in and configure it. Now, if I want to get iPods for my kids or iPads for my parents or in-laws, I can set them up.

 

iOS, and the iPad in particular,  has been one of the most flexible platforms for seniors ever, but they had to have a computer, which is backwards. Now, setup can be done right from the device with iOS 5.1. I took some time to play with my  first generation iPad running iOS 5.1, in preparation for giving it to my mother-in-law. I noticed that it’s running significantly slower than the iPad II or the new iPad. Still, for someone who wants to use it for Facebook and email, it’s still a perfectly adequate solution.

 

The new iPad has one GB of memory, as opposed to the 512 MB memory the iPad II has. It also has a wonderful, although useless to a blind person, retina display, which everyone agrees looks amazing. It has the same A5 dual core processor that is in the iPad II, but it does have quad core graphics. This is why the new iPad gets a little warmer than the earlier ones did. I don’t use graphics, and I use screen curtain, so I haven’t experienced this very much. LTE makes connection speeds much faster. The iPad can also be used as a hot spot, but I already have plenty of options to connect to the Internet, so this is not particularly compelling to me personally. Battery life is also good on the device, and I can use the same case I used for my previous iPad..

If I were sighted, the new retina display would convince me to buy the iPad. LTE and dictation are also convincing reasons to buy, for blind and sighted users alike. The current generation iPad is definitely a content-production device. You can use it to take high deffinition video, and the camera and iPhoto are amazing.

Apple sold over a million iPads on the first day alone, which brings me to a reminder to blind people. Many have referred to Apple as “a flash in the pan.” I don’t feel that hundreds of millions of devices are a flash in the pan. It is exciting to know that these mainstream devices are accessible and readily available to all.

 

You are welcome to send email to resources@serotalk.com, leave a comment on the Blab Line, at (866) 997-blab or 2522, or send us an iReport on iBlink Radio.

Posted in reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

SeroTalk Podcast 101: That Big Archive Folder in the Sky

Listen to SeroTalk Podcast 101: That Big Archive Folder in the Sky

This week, Buddy Brannan joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Mike Calvo talks with Jamie Pauls about Apple’s new iPad.

Privacy

Facebook alters privacy policy: Is your personal data now ‘fair game’?

Thank you, Facebook: A way to demote annoying ‘friends’ on the sly

ACLU: Employers demanding Facebook passwords is privacy invasion

What Happens to My Gmail Account When I Die?

Internet

New Internet Explorer will come in two flavors

Building a ‘Blind-Friendly’ Internet

Gaming

Microsoft patent points to head-mounted, laser-based display technology

Blizzard ‘looking into’ World of Warcraft on iPhone

More moms turn to video games to relax

AT

Is NVDA Strictly a Web Accessibility Screen Reader?

Windows 8 Narrator overview

 VoiceOver features in iOS 6: a pronunciation editor

VoiceOver features in iOS 6: Reference apps and a new reading mode for HTML content

iOS VoiceOver Gesture, Keyboard & Braille Shortcuts | AxS Lab

Audacity 2.0 Guide

Opportunity lost with Nokia Maps audio direction

$300 Refreshable Braille Display

A video demonstration of THE NATESAN REFRESHABLE BRAILLE DISPLAY

A T Guys has released a free iOS app for BlindBargains. An Android app is also out.  Blind Bargains: Audio: A Makeover for Accessible Event

iOS

The New iPad is Hot. Literally

iPads keep charging for “up to” an hour after display shows 100%

iOS 5.1 code hints new iPhone could have 4G LTE

Roundabout

Sweden Moving Towards Cashless Economy

 Zach Thibodeaux, 9-Year-Old Boy, Gets Guide Dog Before Going Blind – The Huffington Post

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

CSUN 2012 Interviews From the SeroTalk Podcast Network: Part 3

Listen To CSUN 2012 interviews from the SeroTalk Podcast Network Part 3

 

In our final SeroTalk special from CSUN 2012, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp conduct interviews with representatives from the following companies:

 

Perkins

Humanware

Sendero

AFB

Click and Go Maps

Dolphin Guide

GW Micro Windows 8

Look Tel

Optelec

Stepp

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

CSUN 2012 Interviews From the SeroTalk Podcast Network: Part 2

Listen to CSUN 2012 Interviews from the SeroTalk Podcast Network Part 2

 

In part two of our three-part special, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp continue their interviews from CSUN 2012.

 

 Switch Equipment iPad

Book Share

Optelec

Design Science

Magnisight

HIMS

Job Accomodation Network

Isist

Learning Ally

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

CSUN 2012 Interviews From the SeroTalk Podcast Network: Part 1

Listen to CSUN 2012 Interviews from the SeroTalk Podcast Network Part 1

 

Joe Steinkamp and Ricky Enger attended this year’s CSUN convention and conducted many interviews with other participants in the conference.  “In part one of our three-part special featuring interviews from CSUN 2012, we here from the following companies:

 

 AI Squared

APH

Clarity

Bones

Dolphin

Enabling Devices

Chicago Lighthouse

Humanware

Ideal Tech

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

SeroTalk Podcast 100: A Study in Contrasts

Listen to SeroTalk Podcast 100: A Study in Contrasts

This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger discuss the news of the week. Then, Joe Steinkamp reviews the Kinect.

Serotek

The SeroTalk Podcast reaches 100 episodes

 

AT

HumanWare Brailliant Braille Display now supported with iOS 5.1

NVDA 2012.1rc1 Released    

Early eBook Pioneer Bookshare Marks Decade of Innovations  

Apple

iOS 5.1 Battery Life is Significantly Improved

Should I buy iPhone 4S now or wait for iPhone 5?

Samsung may have let slip Apple’s iPad Mini plans

 

General Tech

Nokia Maps now offers voice directions via the web for iOS and Android

Google patent could replace the ringback tone with adverts (updated)

PayPal to Announce Square Competitor Thursday

 Google’s entertainment strategy is in disarray

Walmart confirms plans for in-store disc-to-cloud movie conversion service, launching April 16

Twitter acquires lightweight blogging service Posterous

CNN to buy Mashable for around $200 million, report says

Classic Radio Show Downloads for Free

 Encyclopaedia Britannica drops print and goes digital only

AOL Kills Off AIM

 

Roundabout

Thousands of e-mails lifted from Syrian dictator Assad’s personal account

Where have you gone, Mister Rogers?

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment