iSee - Using various technologies from a blind persons perspective.: Recent Episodes
David Woodbridge
Simplifying tactile graphics with TactileView from HumanWare
Andrew and Peter showcase how to use TactileView with the menu-driven design and a screen reader. The webinar also shows how to build tactile graphics using some of the built-in portals, such as the catalog.
Demo available from https://www.humanware.com
In this Talking Tech show for this week, I give you a run down of a talk I gave at the Round Table in Melbourne this week on things to think about when choosing a smart Braille display, Braille Note taker, Braille embosser or a Multi line Braille display.
Plaud AI Pin
If you have ever felt a FitBit, this is the size of the Plaud AI pin. As I said in the episode, app mainly works ok, device is ok to use.
https://www.amazon.com.au/PLAUD-Notetaker-Transcribe-Summarize-Languages/dp/B0DZWQ9WWJ/ref=sxin_15_sbv_search_btf?content-id=amzn1.sym.e97d0f60-983b-4a36-b35e-ccbffb80a35f%3Aamzn1.sym.e97d0f60-983b-4a36-b35e-ccbffb80a35f&crid=160HN41YPT0FW&cv_ct_cx=plaid%2Bai%2Bpin&keywords=plaid%2Bai%2Bpin&pd_rd_i=B0DZWQ9WWJ&pd_rd_r=3ce26411-cd20-43ec-b14c-f98f6112cdf7&pd_rd_w=CexLI&pd_rd_wg=9vz75&pf_rd_p=e97d0f60-983b-4a36-b35e-ccbffb80a35f&pf_rd_r=CW43KGFNDR5JNMXD0C4K&qid=1747716672&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=plaud%2Bai%2Bpin%2Caps%2C260&sr=1-1-0a53d72a-e58c-4324-b739-134d51de9f78&th=1
The Speaker I talked About for $13 Au
Small speaker that did USB, 3.5, and Bt plus had FM radio. Volume was good, FM good, connectivity via Bluetooth poor, and making sure it was charged was almost useless via the micro USB.
Attracted me because of the FM chip and the volume was great.
If you search for Bt speaker with UsB, 3.5, and FM radio that is really really cheap at $13 that will probably be it.
Ray Ban Meta Glasses on the Vision Store
As I said in the episode, lots of places to purchase this, not NDIS funded, main demos probably at major VA sites, and two corrections to VA Store promo: you can hear the audio from the glasses via the person next to you, and its not a good idea to Bt connect them to any thing else as you will have issues reconnecting them to your phone again with the Meta AI app.
https://shop.visionaustralia.org
Apple Accessibility Sneak Peak from GAAD 2025
Looks very interesting , especially the Braille Note taker, and using continuity iPhone camera as a portable VM on your Mac.
API opening up for camera based assistive apps on the Vision Pro looks interesting as well, but quite happy with my Ray Bans.
https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2025/05/apple-unveils-powerful-accessibility-features-coming-later-this-year/
As I sign Off this week
Testing JAWS sneak build that works with the Monarch, Tactile View Beta tactile images with the Monarch, and Wing It app all demos coming from me in August when this should all be released fully.
Of course, I will be doing demos when I get my hands on the development builds of IOS etc once WWDC is happening.
Catch me on social media or davidwoodbr@gmail.com
Helpful links from today’s program on NvDA.
Download the current stable version of NVDA at
https://www.nvaccess.org/download/
We mentioned it a little bit, but we are currently in the Beta period for NVDA 2025.1.
Some of the key updates in NVDA 2025.1
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NVDA Remote built in
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Speech responsiveness and other features for, SAPI4, SAPI5, and OneCore
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Improvements to add-on store auto updates
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New commands to manually refresh ocr
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Native selection in Chromium and Edge (Press NVDA+shift+F10 then copy as normal to copy text with formatting)
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Default input & output braille tables based on language
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Added a general setting to prevent the display turning off during say all or reading with braille. This option is enabled by default, but may result in increased battery depletion.
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Braille works with say all config profiles
Add-ons:
Braille Extender, developed by André-Abush Clause and contributors
https://github.com/aaclause/BrailleExtender
Many features including Switching between displays or tables with shortcuts, and additional commands and support for a range of features.
PC Keyboard Braille Input
NVDA Spanish team (Available from the NVDA Add-on store)
Type Braille using six keyboard keys as on a perkins
Still on Braille, we published a lot of recent and upcoming features in a special edition of our In-Process blog back in October:
https://www.nvaccess.org/post/in-process-23rd-october-2024/#datavalidation
And you can subscribe to that blog, and to all our announcements, updates, releases etc, via email at:
https://eepurl.com/iuVyjo
Our training material is all available from our shop:
https://www.nvaccess.org/shop/
We recommend starting with Basic Training for NVDA, which you can get as:
- Electronic text (Word, Text, ePub and HTML formats) for $35:
https://www.nvaccess.org/product/basic-training-for-nvda-ebook/
Human-read MP3 audio for $52:
https://www.nvaccess.org/product/basic-training-for-nvda-downloadable-audio/
UEB Braille for $71:
https://www.nvaccess.org/product/basic-training-for-nvda-braille-hard-copy/
Community links:
NVDA user group:
https://nvda.groups.io/g/nvda
Add-ons group: https://nvda-addons.groups.io/g/nvda-addons/
NVDA Developer Guide:
https://download.nvaccess.org/documentation/developerGuide.html
Contact us:
Web: https://www.nvaccess.org/
Email: Info@nvaccess.org
Social Media - most of our users are on Fosstodon: https://fosstodon.org/@NVAccess
In this webinar, Andrew and Peter from HumanWare discuss and demonstrate the latest enhancements to the Monarch software and a few other points including:
the new Email app,
Web browsing with Ecosia,
eBraille version of Treasure Island, and
a demo of the Wing It app to allow drawing on the Monarch tactile display from the iPhone.
Contact monarch@humanware.com for more information, Andrew or Peter or myself in Australia David Woodbridge at HumanWare Australia.
In this demo, I show you how simple it is to connect your Mantis Q40 QWERTY keyboard and Braille display device to your Mac.
Enjoy
Woody
Demo of how easy it is to connect your Brailliant BI20X or BI40X to your Mac using VoiceOver with Bluetooth.
In this demo, I talk about the importance of accessing the accessible QR code to learn how to use the BrailleDoodle fully, which then leads me on to my next point, and that is the amazing function of the BrailleDoodle where you can practice each character displayed on the back of the BrailleDoodle as well as having an example to work with for each character.
Also, happy to say BrailleDoodle is now available from the Vision Australia Vision Store:
https://shop.visionaustralia.org/brailledoodle.html
Have fun.
Woody
If you ever wanted a manual way (yes no battery or power required) to learn Braille, do some tactile drawing or even do some quick notes, then have a listen to this demo of the BrailleDoodle from the Touch Pro Fundation.
Amazed what you can do, and don't forget there is a lot of info on the back of the BrailleDoodle, not just the front fun face.
Enjoy.
Woody
In this demo, I take you through the features of the Mantis Q40 leather case which gives you proper protection of the Mantis Q40 QWERTY keyboard, thumb keys, and the SD card slot.
One of my must have cases. If you've spent over four thousand dollars in Australia on a device, then spending $180 is a great way to protect your investment.
The case that comes with the Mantis Q40 doesn't offer any protection at all. It really just stops the device from slipping on a desk.
Go to https://www.humanware.com to find out more or to order.
Enjoy.
Woody
In this demo, I show you how easy it is to crate an image file on the computer, and then have it displayed on the Monarch.
When your device or software for that matter isn't behaving in the way it should from Humanware in Au, Arthur is your go to person.
You can ring 02 9686 2600 (4 then 4) or email au.support@humanware.com.
I can be contacted as usual at david.woodbridge@humanware.com or check out our excellent website at https://www.humanware.com (and yes, it'll change depending on what region your in smile).
Woody
A bit of a chat episode from me on a number of points of why I find the Meta Ray Ban glasses so helpful.
I’ve had mine now for about 3 Months, and for me, they work fine for such AI things:
Spot reading (what is this bit of paper or thing in the mail box),
What is the main text on this jar or packet,
Is my computer screen on (is there anything on the screen),
Where are my bins (garbage truck drops them in random spots some times),
Taxi number (good for drivers that want to take off and not take my Guide Dog),
Is there a train in front of me (when you have a noisy goods train on the opposite track),
Is there a seat (taxi, bus or train station seat),
Is my phone showing anything or has the speech stop working,
Is there any cars for me crossing the road (I think I heard a car pull up but?),
What does the sign say on this shop,
Are there stairs, a lift or escalator in front of me?
Are there any people near me,
What does this park, building, house etc look like,
Can you see my Guide Dog (dog) in the back yard,
And so on.
As far as usual voice assistance, you can also do:
Play Music,
Answer/hang up a phone call,
Send and read back a message,
What is the time date,
What is the weather,
Calculate numbers,
Convert stuff,
Ask more in-depth questions about a topic,
etc.
However the big big one is the connectivity with Be-My-Eyes where via the glasses connected to the Be-My-Eyes app on the phone, you can get a sighted volunteer to see through the glasses you are waring and get sighted assistance.
Also of course, NOA Chat for extra O&M info via WhatsApp, and the Chat GPT text function also via WhatsApp.
A demo of the new TTS option for the mantis Q40 as of Dec 2024 software where I take you through using the various options.
As usual, enjoy, and david.woodbridge@humanware.com for any comments.
In this episode I catch up with Vivian Bell Humanware Australia who is our account manager for QLD, NT, and Northern NSW.
Low vision specialist, but of course, covering Braille and speech as well.
As usual email me david.woodbridge@humanware.com
Woody
PS one more interview in this initial set of meeting the staff from Humanware Australia, and then my demos, the first one of which will be the new speech option in the mantis Q40.
For the next 3 podcasts I will be chatting with several staff from Humanware Australia.
First up is Larissa our account manager for Vic, Tas, SA, and WA.
Low vision specialist, but of course, also covering blindness related products.
As usual, contact me:
david.woodbridge@humanware.com
Woody
In this first episode of Woodys Weekly Wonderings (otherwise called Tripple-W), Scott Erichsen and mysewlf (DAvid Woodbridge) chat about Scott's lengthy career in the Assistive Tech field, and then move on to explore several of Scott's go to tech from the Humanware product line in Australia, including the Monarch Tactile Display.
Please email me at David.woodbridge@humanware.com for any questions or queries.
Enjoy
Woody
Hi and welcome to another interview for Talking Tech (for iSee) on Vision Australia Radio. And
today, as people might have noticed, I did do a bit of a podcast a couple of days ago on the Big Purple Phone, but I thought it was much nicer to get people actually who manufacture/sell the phone in Australia to come on the program and have a chat about it.
So I'm joined by Libby Henderson, Commercial Sales Director from Big Purple Phone. So hi Libby and welcome to the program.
Thank you David, it's great to be here.
So let's just get the name out of the way first and describe briefly what it is. So what is the Big Purple Phone?
Yeah, the Big Purple Phone, it's a phone that we designed for a scenario we had in my family. So my mother during COVID had a stroke and couldn't remember how to use her phone and she was isolated from us. We had such a terrible journey with her trying to get hold of her. And we were looking for a phone for her that would suit her and couldn't find anything really that was simple enough for her that you could learn quickly and use without us there to help her. And so that sent us on this journey when they say, "Ask myself and my husband James on this journey to create a phone." And as it turns out, my background is digital design with a little bit of accessibility from my time with the Commonwealth Bank. And my husband James was with Telstra for 25 years. So between us, we had this amazing complementary skill set that we pulled together and designed the Big Purple Phone.
So it's a larger phone. It's a taller phone. So it's about as wide as a regular mobile phone. But the screen real estate we get from the extra height is where we sort of get that bigger screen real estate from. It's sort of a 20 by 9 proportion. So it's quite tall as a phone. But you can still sort of hold it comfortably in hand because the width is kind of good. So it's bigger. It's purple. It has high contrast, bigger, brighter and easier to use.
How many icons would be on the main what we tend to do in particular and call the home screen? How many icons would you be talking about on the screen?
So as standard, there's about 10. You can add more in. You can add more buttons in. But generally, they're just the standard buttons. There's phone, text message, camera, photo gallery. There's a brightness button, torch, weather, video calling, radio. That's kind of the standard buttons.
OK, now how big would the icons be? Because I know sometimes when people say, oh, it's big, mate, come and go, yeah, it's really not that big. The icons are not really that big. Are these sort of big, big icons?
Yeah. So there's two settings. So you can set it to be I'm actually just pulling a ruler out and measuring it for you because I know in pixels, but that's not good to you. No. It's about four centimetres. You can set it to even larger. So you can take it out six, six centimetres.
Oh, goodness. But could you still fit all the icons on the screen?
Yeah. So when it's at the smaller size, you get sort of two to three icons on the screen as you're scrolling down. And it's a little bit like a poker machine, the way you sort of navigate it. You sort of it sort of scrolls around, if you like. When you've got it set to that six centimetre size, then you get one big one and half of the next one. OK, but you can easily scroll around.
So when you start scrolling around and you're dragging your finger, are you doing other gestures or what are you doing?
Starting with your finger at the bottom of the screen and you're swiping up and that kind of makes it roll around. If you know, swiping like that. The buttons, there are also buttons at the top and at the bottom. A lot of the phone was initially designed for people who are older. So it has sort of ability to tap up and down. You don't have to scroll. You can tap swiping is hard for some people.
And I believe it also comes with a stylus.
It does. That makes it a lot easier. I think as you get older, your skin gets drier and that touch sensitivity goes in many cases. So, yes, you can use the stylus in that case.
OK. And what does the phone feel like in your hand? I mean, I know it's based on Nokia, but does it feel like a sort of a good solid phone when you're holding your hand? It's not too slippery or it's not too big to hold in your hand and that sort of stuff.
Yeah, that's a good question. It's it's comes with a bumper case. So it has like a clear jelly bumper case that comes. We put it on. You can take that off and then it's got more of a grip. So that kind of it's sort of it's a matte kind of feeling to the case. It's 190 grams. So that's not considering it's a bigger phone. It's not all that heavy. It's sort of on the heavier side, but it's certainly not as heavy as iPhone plus.
And for people that use Bluetooth hearing aids, will it connect with Bluetooth hearing aids?
Yeah, it will. The only thing is that if your hearing aid needs an app to set the settings up, then it doesn't have the app. So you can connect it, but it's going to be literally just a Bluetooth connection.
Let's say you wanted to add more icons. So you mentioned you could actually remove or add the different icons on the screen depending on how many you want to use. Can a support person or family member do that? And is there any other ways of actually doing it remotely? So rather than the poor person going, what are you doing to my phone? Give it back to me. You can also do it remotely. So I'm assuming there's a couple of ways you can set up the phone without disturbing the user too much.
That's right. Yeah. So when you first get the phone, there's a registration sequence. So you tell the phone, are you going to have a carer or are you going to do this yourself? So that's the first thing. If you set it up so that you have a carer, that carer gets sent a text message with a link. And then they can sign in and they can access via a web browser the settings for the phone. So you might decide that you want to be the person that manages the phone for yourself, in which case we send you a text message and you can log on. You can log on via the phone or you might choose that you want to log on via a web browser, so whichever you prefer. It's great because it's separate from the phone. So you don't have lots of -- we talk about the phone being no fandangle, meaning there are not a lot of little settings that you can get lost in and rabbit holes to go down. And so you can go onto a web browser and you can make those buttons larger. You can move them from the 4cm to the 6cm, as we discussed before. You can set it so that it adds a speakerphone. You can disable buttons. You can add more apps. So yeah, there's a lot that you can do to sort of customize the phone. There's also an SOS button on the phone, which is great for some people, but for others, they just don't need it. So you can disable it.
If you've got the phone and you couldn't use the remote system, can a family or support person still get the settings of the phone by some, you know, weirder and wonderful gesture?
Yeah, it's actually a button. It's a button. Yeah, it's super easy. So if you decide that you want to just have the phone manage -- you manage the phone on the phone itself and give it to someone to fix or set up for you or you want to do it yourself, then when you go through that registration at the beginning, it says, "Do you have a carer or are you going to use this yourself?" And you say, "I'm going to use this myself." And then when you get to the home screen, there's a purple "manage" button down the bottom of that menu that I talked about before. And you tap on that, and then that will take you through to the settings.
Okay. And is that what you say to your grandmother or your granddad for goodness sake? Do you not need to worry about that button on the screen? That's my button.
Yeah, so we can disable that button. So if you've got a carer, that button, you can enable it or disable it. So you can basically make it super, super, super simple. We have some people that just have the phone and the message button, and that's all they have on it.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, because that's all you want to announce. It's back to the weird days of, "Hey, people might just want to talk on the phone and text each other."
Yeah, right. Exactly.
So with talking about texting each other, do you put contacts in, so just in text, or is it sort of picture-based? So you tap on Uncle Tom, and you can dial Uncle Tom by just the picture.
Yeah, it's the picture. So in every circumstance. So the usability is this. You've got the home screen, and you've got your phone button, and then you scroll down, and there's your messages button. You tap on the messages button, and that takes you through to all the faces of the people who are contacts on the phone. You tap on the face of the phone, and then you have the choice to speak a message or type a message, and then you do either.
if people wanted more information about hearing aids and other stuff that they can use, if they have the phone itself, what's the best contact details that people can use? So the phone's available through Vision Australia Stores, and we have staff from the Vision Australia Stores. There's also FAQs on the Big Purple phone website, and you've got to find number as well that we can support. The phone actually has a help button which goes through to our call centre as well, so we can help that way.
Okay, and is that a video call one? or is that a...
It's a phone call. We can actually initiate a video call, but nobody wants to do that.
All right, excellent. All right, well, thank you for coming on Talking Tech, and it'll be interesting to see how the phone's taken up by the low-vision community.
Yeah, thank you. It's my pleasure, David, and thank you for your time today.
That's okay, my pleasure.
Big Purple Phone Silver Fox
Large print phone for low vision, seniors or people with cognitive challengers.
In the box:
Phone, charger/charging chord, phone case, welcome booklet, Nokia booklets,
Physical Buttons;
Emergency SOS, volume, and power.
Connectivity:
Head phone jack, USBC, and 3.5mm head phone jack.
Also Bluetooth and Wifi can be setup.
Features:
6.5 inch screen.
Trouble with touch screens, easily tap or swipe.
Talks as you touch the phone (optional).
High contrast keypad.
No spam or unwanted calls or texts (optional).
All settings hidden so users don’t get lost in phone settings. Volume is still available.
Every screen is designed for people with cognitive challengers.
Customisable, toggle on or off buttons.
Full screen notifications, picture based navigation, and contacts.
Emergency SOS call button, and the owners location is sent to their family.
Phone, messages, , one click video calls, SoS, camera/photos, torch, radio, web browser.
Carer portal so carers can manage the phone remotely.
Live help with an Australian customer care member at the touch of a button.
Battery:
5500 may battery.
5V charging.
Up to 3 days battery life.
Based on Nokia hardware, Android, and the Big Purple phone launcher.
Nano SIMM.
5GB monthly data plan recommended.
.
Phone suitable for:
Low vision, and those with cognitive challengers.
Hi and welcome to another Vision Australia vision store product highlight demo and in this demo you'll be hearing an interview that I did on my Vision australia radio talking tech podcast on July 16, 2024.
We have an interview from Peter Cracknell manager of blindness products for Quantum all about the new Mountbatten braille tutor. If you'd like to find more about the Mount Batten braille tutor and also the other cool stuff that Quantum Technology actually sell their website is https://www.quantumrlv.com.au, and then as they say on with the show.
Oh and by the way smile, Vision Australia also sells the Mount Batten Braille Tutor as well
Https://shop.visionaustralia.org
This Vision Australia Radio Talking Tech podcast is made possible by Vision Store. Remember, all Vision Stores are open to the general public. You don't need to be a Vision Australia client to visit. Pop in any time to browse and shop the latest in assistive technology and more.
We turn to our guest now, Peter Cracknell, who is Manager of Blindness and Low Vision Technologies with Quantum Reading Learning Vision.
Good to have you with us, Peter. Thank you, Stephen. Good morning. Over to you, David.
Moving on to our main topic, Peter, and I've loved the Mountbatten itself since 1991, which I think when it first came out. What's the main new whiz-bang thing happening with the Mountbatten Tutor now?
Well, the Mountbatten Tutor, which is manufactured by Harpo in Poland, we used to manufacture that in Rydonmead in Sydney for many, many years. After the LS version, Harpo made the whisper at the Mountbatten Whisperer and now this new model, the Mountbatten Tutor. The essential purpose is much the same as it's always been, which is really focused around early Braille learning, usually for children, but not always. And that purpose still remains. And in fact, all of the features and commands that people might have known previously for the other models also in the Mountbatten Tutor. I guess one of the things that the new model does do is tries to put those sorts of commands and settings into a menu system that's a bit more intuitive. You don't have to remember the commands. You can just go through a spoken menu system, which is just a conventional menu system to adjust margins and translation formats and so on. And that is also shown on a liquid crystal display actually on the body of the machine. So that's integrated into the Mountbatten Tutor and that means that a teacher aid or a parent, they can actually navigate that. It also has spoken output of course, and more intuitively, don't change the settings to Braille translation grade and that sort of thing. Whereas before they would have to remember a particular command, which they would input through the keyboard. The keyboard has been modified. So on the older models, they had various keys that perhaps not so recognizable on a conventional keyboard, whereas with the Mountbatten Tutor keyboard, it actually follows the pattern of a conventional keyboard with an escape key, a backspace key, an enter key, a space bar and so on. Plus, of course, the traditional what we call the Perkins keys for typing Braille. And that keyboard is also detachable from the body of the Mountbatten Tutor, which gives just a lot more options for different configurations where perhaps a child couldn't actually line up as they straight on. They might want to have the keyboard at a slight angle or perhaps it might be easier to operate if the child was in a wheelchair or something like that.
So Peter, I've got a few quick questions, I guess. Number one is if you know how to use the earlier versions of the Mountbatten, which to me is electronic Brailler, which was actually very, very cool. I'm sure if you know that, then you know how to basically use the new Mountbatten Tutor. Yes David, that's absolutely right. If you ever operated a previous model, there'll be absolutely no difficulty operating this one. It could be that you had remembered some of the commands like the FE command or something like that, and you can type that straight in and away you go. You can also plug in a regular keyboard as well, David. So just a regular QWERTY keyboard USB and operate it through the regular QWERTY keyboard.
That was funny because that was going to be my second question. You bet you took it. So my third question then is, I remember in the old days we had the Mimic which was a little plug-in little LCD display. I'm assuming the LCD display in the Mountbatten Tutor now. That's also effectively your Mimic, so you can see what's being Brailed as well from a sighted person point of view. Absolutely. It has some Mimic function, so a sighted person can actually review what's being typed in regular text. In addition to that, it also shows the menus in print, so you can actually operate it with no knowledge of Braille through that LCD display. So yes, it is actually putting the MIMIC into the case, but in addition to making it a LCD display.
Yeah, far more superior.
Can you link it up to anything like a PC or an iPad, an iPhone or an Android phone? Yes, in a couple of ways. You can link it up via USB to a laptop and run a program called MBCom as we could on our previous models. That's for file transfer and also act are basically an embosser from your computer. But in addition to that, and I think perhaps in a more valuable way, you can connect an iPad or an Android device to the Mountbatten Tutor just using a Bluetooth connection and that will allow file transfer and embossing and that sort of stuff. But more importantly, it allows a non-Braille person to be able to type on the iPad, just tap on onto the iPad and have it immediately embossed in a proper grade, your chosen grade on the Mountbatten Tutor and vice versa. When the Brailler is Brailling, it will back translate into regular print on the iPad. So you can have those back and forth conversations. You can study a particular article from on your iPad and you can just paste it into the chat area and it will emboss on the Mountbatten Tutor.
Sounds fantastic. Now if people are interested in finding out more about the Mountbatten or getting their hands on it, what's the best way to contact Quantum?
Just a couple of ways. One would be to contact Quantum and we can demonstrate, we can also trial the unit. We have people who apply for it through NDIA, through NDIS and they'd need to trial that of course to compare it to other options. And of course, Vision Australia through the Vision Australia ATS teams and their occupational therapy teams, they can also demonstrate and assess people for the Mountbatten Tutor.
Okay and cost wise, how much does it cost outright?
It's $7,990. I should just say David that we are due for a price increase across the board so it may go around about $8,000.
Yeah okay. Is there a landing page on the Quantum website that people could type in a direct link to jump to information about Mountbatten or is it just easy to search for Mountbatten on the Quantum website?
It's easier to search for Mountbatten on the Quantum website, yes. We do have it under our blindness section under Braille writers. We also sell the TatraPoint as well which is a mechanical Braille writer. Indeed,
yeah love that little thing as well.
All right Steve back to you. Thank you David. David speaking there with Peter Kraknell from Quantum Reading Learning Vision.
Hi and welcome to this Vision Store product highlight demo.
In this particular demo, I want to talk about a range of different sized canes that come under the same product name. And what I'm talking about is the KWF telescopic button style canes. So these are telescopic canes that you slide back into a very, very small size. And then of course, telescope out into a full size cane.
Vision Store has a range of these KWF telescopic button style canes. And they go from 114cm, which is about 44 inches roughly, up to 138cm, which is about 54 inches.
As you may or may not know with telescopic canes, they're not really designed to be an all day cane. I see them as an occasional cane. So let's say you've gone to a concert or a restaurant and you just want to pop out and go somewhere, then you could quite easily pull your telescopic cane out of your bag and extend it. And off you go. When you come back, you fold it up nice and tiny or collapse it nice and tiny inside itself. And off you go again.
Let me give you the main features of the KFW telescopic cane button style. And the reason why it's called a button style, just get that out of the way first, is that it's got a button on the handle of the cane that when you push it in, allows you to pull out all the sections out into a rigid cane. And then of course, to collapse it or retract it back inside itself, you push that button in, you put your hand on the bottom of the cane and push all the sections back into the handle. So that's the way it effectively works.
let me just give you the main features of the cane.
It has nine sections and of course, the ninth section is the handel.
Each section where it connects to each other has a reinforced band of aluminium going around that. And of course, that's to reinforce it when it's fully extended in its rigid form.
The other thing that you will notice on the cane is that when you extend it, you have little buttons that pop out into holes. That's what holds the cane into the rigid setting when it's fully extended. And then when you press that button, it then allows the top section and the previous section going on and on and on to collapse back into itself.
What I like about the feel of this cane is while the handle is round, each of the sections as it extends out is an eight-sided shape. And then when you get to the bottom section, that's almost an eight-sided shape. But because it's so thin, it feels like a four-sided shape. And then of course, you've got the tip. The handle is quite spongy and it's actually round. So it doesn't feel like a golf handle that you have on some canes. This is actually quite a rounded handle. on the top of the handle, you do have a wrist strap to put it around your wrist.
The tip on the bottom of the cane is 1.5 centimetres. So it is quite tiny and it does have a metal tip on it.
Then finally, with the main features, you have this really cute little carrying case that you can pop it in. Because my shoulder bag has got lots of different littletalk about compartments in it, I tend to not use a little bag. I just put it in some of my little compartment on my shoulder bag.
Let’s go through some of the benefits of the cane since we've just done the features.
It is lightweight and considering what it's actually doing, it's actually quite strong.
Cane extends and retracts with ease, which is absolutely true.
Cane automatically locks at each section for strength.And those were the little buttons I was talking about that popped out when you extended the cane. And of course, get pushed in when you're retracting the cane Joint design provides superior tactile transmission.
finally, as I've already mentioned, it comes with a carrying case for easier storage.
Let's go to the technical specifications.
The cane weight is 213 grams.
Cane construction is dual aluminium with copper alloy. So again, quite strong.
Cane handle is a EVA sponge handle.
Nnumber of sections is nine.
There is a serious warning for the manufacturer, and that's about not opening the cane rapidly or forcefully. If you just grab a hold of the handle and yank it open, what will happen is that you can actually damage the cane. So remember those little buttons that I said that connect each section? Well, if you pull it too hard, those buttons can collapse back inside the cane and the cane falls apart. Maybe not all of it, but when I accidentally did it on my one, the bottom section actually popped out and I had to get some help to get it back in again. So it still works, but I've now got to be a little bit more careful.
By the way, when it closes, what you actually get from a tactile point of view is you get the lovely sponge handle, of course, with the strap on the end of it. And then you get this lovely diminishing rows of those extra joints that are around each section. And it just feels nice and compact. That's why I was saying that the cane itself feels really cool when it's fully extended and it feels ultra cool when it's all collapsed.
If you want to find more information about the cane, please look on our website, which is shop.visionaustralia.org. If you'd like to talk to someone, you can ring up the main Vision Australia number, which is 1300 847 466, and ask to speak to someone at the Vision Store. Or indeed, you can email the Vision Store, which is pretty straightforward. And that's visionstore@visionaustralia.org.
As I say in all my product demos, thanks for listening, and bye for now.
Hi, and welcome to this Vision Store product highlight.
In this product high light, we will be talking about the Synaptic software for use with your Android smart phone or tablet.
What is Synaptic:
Synapptic is an all in one software or app package for people who are blind or vision impaired, , that works on android smartphones and tablets.
Synaptic overview:
Find your way around with clear and bright icons.
All screens have the same look and feel.
In other words, once you have learnt one screen, you will know everything you need to know to use all other screens.
Never get lost and always find your way back to the main menu with the Red Cross at the top left corner of the screen.
Customise the main menu to display as a grid on one screen to make finding things easier, rather than several menu screens.
Touch and release touch screen control means you can move your finger up and down each menu option and it will be read out until you stop on the option you want to use.
Control Synaptic with your voice and use voice dictation if you like instead of the on screen keyboard.
Plus, you can also use a Bluetooth keyboard for navigation and typing as well.
Change the magnification level, colour scheme, screen brightness, speech and sound settings, and of course the menus.
help is available at the top right hand corner of each Synapptic screen.
Make and receive phone calls and text messages (only on devices with a SIMM card).
Send, receive, and read emails.
Use the web browser to search and read what is on the internet.
Listen to thousands of internet radio stations.
Play music, books, and other MP3 recordings from device, memory cards or USB sticks.
Watch and enjoy what is on YouTube.
Catch up with the news and other stories efficiently.
Turn the camera in to a reading machine, hand held digital magnifier, colour detecter, access QR/Bar codes, and take and share photos.
Find out your current location, and what may be of interest near you.
Other features:
address book.
calendar, Reminders, and alarms.
Calculator.
Compass and spirit level.
Make and share text or voice notes.
Use the stop watch, and timer.
Install and Run other apps such as Spotify, Zoom etc.
If all of these features interest you, a download trial is available. See the shop page for this link. You can then purchase a license to register the Synaptic software.
For more information, please contact the Vision Store on phone 1 3 0 0, 8 4 7 , 4 6 6 or email visionstore@visionaustralia.org.
Thank you for listening.
Lots of folks have asked for a demo or reminder of what the Mini Guide is as I did not go through the unit when talking about the holder.
If you are in Australia, here is the link to the shop website where you can purchase the Mini Guide (as well as the holder if you like).
https://shop.visionaustralia.org/miniguide-ultrasonic-echo-location-detector.html
One of those products you’ve heard about, but when you decide to get it, it blows your socks off. Mini Guide Sonar holder for your cane: adjustable wing nut for the actual cane or handle plus lever to adjust position of Mini Guide bloody amazing smile - https://shop.visionaustralia.org/miniguide-holder.html
Hable One Quick demo
Quick physical whip around:
Front middle slide on/off switch.
Back middle USBC port.
Back left lanyard.
Top 8 Braille keys.
Bottom 4 rubber feet at each corner.
Paring to smart phone:
Turn Hable one on.
Smart phone Settings, Bluetooth, and select Hable one.
Once paired, unit will connect automatically when turned on.
Holding the unit:
Hold unit away from you with the keys facing out, so that the USBC port is facing down, and the on/off switch is facing up.
Key/dot positions:
Left column of 3 keys bottom to top - dots 1, 2, and 3.
Right column of 3 keys bottom to top 4, 5, and 6.
Left long key: dot 7.
Right long key - dot 8.
Handy starting commands for navigation
Left/Right to previous or next item:
Hold 7 whilst pressing 8 move right.
Hold 8 whilst pressing 7 move left.
Select an item:
Press 78.
Home command:
Hold h (125) until vibration.
Previous/next Home screen:
Hold o (135) until vibration move to next Home Screen.
Hold ow contraction (236) until vibration move to previous Home Screen.
Silence speech output temporarily:
Hold a (1) until vibration.
App switcher:
Hold 23 until vibration.
Control Centre:
Hold j (245) until vibration.
Notifications Centre:
Hold n (1345) until vibration.
Answer/Hangup and start/stop media:
Hold 3 until vibration to either answer/hang up call.
Hold p (1234) until vibration to start/stop media (music, audio book etc).
Siri.
Hold d (124) until vibration.
Status menu, and Back/Escape:
Hold s (234) until vibration.
Hold b (12) until vibration for back/escape.
As there is no delete key it is 7, Space bar 8 is space, and the Enter key is 18 when Brailling in to a text entry area.
A bit of a chat around the Ultra Cane and Sonar Glasses which I'm having a look at in the next few weeks, and as usual, some other stuff smile.
In this weeks tech chat, we mainly focus on the "why would you want to use the Vision Pro in its current state", some things that would be nice for Apple to focus on, and other stuff smile.
Some fun outdoor demos to give you a few ideas for enjoying being out and about.
And of course, all available fromt eh Vision Australia Vision Store.
Have a listen, as I don't want to spoil the fun smile.
Loving the new upgrade to the Brailliant BIX40 which allows you to access books in my case from the Vision Australia library and enjoy daisy books, brf books (such as the Sydney Morning Herald), and my favourite podcast Talking Tech smile.
In this demo, I give you an overview of the Monarch hardware, and some of the software features.
To find out all of the products described in this webinar for accessing the Printed Word (i.e. Optical Character Recognition OCR or Magnification)
If you are in Australia, go to:
https://shop.visionaustralia.org
or in New Zealand:
https://shop.visionaustralia.org.nz
Enjoy
Lots of great things to say about Android, some things I wish iOS would do that Android does, and some comments about overall accessibility of Android at least from a screen readers point of view.
Enjoy.
David
This feature is available in Australia where the Merchant runs an app on their iPhone to receive either an Apple Pay or in this case paying via a physical card when the limit has reached to enter a pin number for a physical card after it has been tapped on the screen.
Merchant simply taps the accessibility options which allows the user to:
2 finger double tap to repeat initial instructions,
Single tap once for 1, twice for 2, 9 for 9, and 10 taps for 0,
2 finger flick left to delete a number, and
2 finger flick left to submit pin number.
Out of all the options I've tested with this type of payment system, to me this is the best result for ease of use whilst maintaining security and privacy.
Have a listen.
The Eone Bradley timepiece features raised hour markers that allow you to feel the time by touch: a triangular marker for twelve, elongated line segments for three, six, and nine, and shorter line segments for the other markers.
Two magnetised ball bearings travel around the watch face in separate, recessed tracks: one track around the centre center of the watch face's surface for the minute, and one track around the outside edge of the watch face for the hour.
To tell the time by touch, simply run your finger over the raised hour markers, feeling the markers where the ball bearings are located. If either ball bearing moves out of place, shake your wrist and they will snap back to the correct locations.
Features:
Modern, and stylish.
Bold prominent tactile markers “mark” for the passing of time.
Out of the box thinking to tell time by position of ball bearings for minute (top face), and hours around the outside.
Looks and feels like a quality built product.
Various timepieces and bands to choose from for mixing and matching formal ware, casual or in-between.
Looks like a cool designed timepiece when warn.
As the Braille on the box says “Designed for you. Design for everyone”.
In this Tech Byte I talk about the Logitech K780 keyboard, iPad mini, and the new Accessible Power Banks from the AT Guys.
List of Podcasts That I follow:
Ablequest on 2RPH.
All About Android.
Apple Events.
Apple Quarterly Earnings Call.
Apple Insider Podcast.
Applevis Podcast.
Blind Abilities.
Blind Android Users Podcast.
Blind Bargains.
Blind Guy Talks Tech.
Daily Tech Head Lines.
Daily Tech News Show.
Digital Planet.
Dot 2 Dot.
Double Tap Canada.
Echo Tips.
FreedomScientific FSCast.
FreedomScientific Training Podcast.
iMore Show.
iSee - various technologys from a Blind Persons Perspective.
Life and Technology with Charlie Brown.
Mac Break Weekly.
MacCast for Mac Geeks.
macWorld.
Mosen At Large.
Mystic Access Podcast.
New Horizons.
NosillaCast Apple Podcast.
Rene Ritchie.
Security Now.
Sight and Sound Technology Podcast.
Studio One.
Talking Tech Vision Australia Radio.
Talking Vision Vision Australia Radio.
Tech News Weekly.
That Real Blind Tech Show.
This Week in Tech.
Two Blokes Talking Tech.
Upgrade.
Windows Weekly.
In this demo, I give you a physical description of the Hable One and take you through a number of the commands for navigating iOS.
To read the manual etc, goto:
https://www.iamhable.com
Talking Tech for Feb 8 2022
A Tip on Using the Uccello Kettle
Vision Australia is now selling this kettle, but just a tip/warning for folks in using this kettle when poring, make sure you get support on positioning the cup please!!!
iOS 15.3 VoiceOver Bug
If you have the Caption Panel turned on within VoiceOver Settings, when you navigate by character or use the unlock keypad, you will get VoiceOver saying “under score” before each character.
So, make sure Caption Panel is off.
Dictation Button Location has Changed on the Default iOS keyboard
Just noticed this last week, so who knows how long this change has been around as I as a VO user just use the Magic Double tap for voice dictation.
Rather than being to the left of the Space Bar the Dictation button is now to the right.However
Audio Splitter Function with NVDA
Like JAWS Split Audio, NvDA via this ADDon now supports split audio.
https://addons.nvda-project.org/addons/soundSplitter.en.html
Amazon Alexa App Now Has the Type Button
Great to see that you can also now type to Alexa, rather than just speaking. Brings it in to line with the other personal assistance.
Aftershokz The Company Rebrands to Shokz
Not to sure why they did this, but it just doesn’t sound wright, and of course the website has changed to the new name.
https://shokz.com.au/Home
Did You Know
Last weeks Tech Friday which are now back, Jamy Kelly told me you can get a flash drive that has both a UsB C and USB A type connecter so you can use it on PC’s etc that have either port.
Just ordered mine.
A Demo of my Recently Purchased Electronic Sit Stand Desk
https://s165.podbean.com/pb/4324232c960ad4a50cffc9b46b3be645/6201d209/data1/fs54/339150/uploads/matrix_executive_electronic_sit_to_stand_desk_demo756it.mp3?pbss=bab5425b-7700-5729-af36-99366fb58da7
Talking Tech for 1 Feb 2022
Torkings Connect 4 Type Game now on the VA Web shop
Not tech exactly, but my family has had fun playing this game over the holidays, and now it’s on the web shop.
https://shop.visionaustralia.org/shop/product/es8041
New Gosford Va Office Now has Bindi Maps up and going.
Just an FUI for folks visiting 40 Mann Street Gosford, on your iPhone or Android phone you can use Bindi maps for indoor navigation.
More on Bindi Maps at:
https://bindimaps.com
Posted Podcast Recording of Exploring Tech Webinar for Jan - BlindShell Classic 2
More than a feature phone, slightly less than a smart phone, and fully accessible from the gro
Ground up..
For more info, contact Quantum RLV.
https://s330.podbean.com/pb/5d7aec3b2b62032373b81a95d9778666/61f5d598/data1/fs54/339150/uploads/Blinddshell_clasic_283wne.mp3?pbss=39024901-5a45-5ac0-8dd5-c573609d41d7
Posted Intro Podcast of the Annie Self Teaching Braille Device
Vision Australia Vision Store is having a look at this device, it has been around for a while, but thought I’d would just share an intro demo podcast of the unit which looks like it will be a great way of teaching young students Braille.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-68455-118f1eb
Register for the Launch of the Quantum RLV MB Braille Tutor
Feb 22 at 11AM AEST. Zoom register link is:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rnjHn8tnTCe28KWg7UoiBQ?mc_cid=51035fbe5e&mc_eid=47fb71fc1d
Current Microsoft Windows 11 Insider Build Introduces Naturally Sounding Voices
Not available in Windows 11 Insider build in Australia. However, Microsoft Edge has all of them with the Read feature.
Quick Tip for Google Smart Speakers
You can now just say “stop” to stop the smart speaker from speaking after you give a command.
Apple Releases 15.3 iOS and iPad iOS
Hot Off The Press after going to air - turn off VoiceOver Caption Panel in VoiceOver settings as when on, causes VoiceOver to speak the word UnderScore when navigating by character or when using the unlock keypad with VoiceOver.
iOS 15.3 fix’s Safari bug for leaking of users history and Google ID.
https://applevis.com/blog/apple-releases-ios-153-ipados-153-fix-safari-bug-could-cause-leaking-users-browsing-history
Apple Quarterly Earnings
Apple’s biggest Quarter ever.
iPhone,, wearable’s, and services all up, not to mention a 25% increase in Mac sales.
iPad sales down due to supply constraints.
https://www.cultofmac.com/765034/heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-apples-biggest-quarter-ever/
Back to School
Stephen and I have a bit of a chat on how you don’t need the latest and greatest to get you up and going at the beginning of the year if your promised stuff hasn’t turned up yet.
Remember the inbuilt accessibility features in Windows, and Mac in particular.
Mac Monterey 12.2 and iOS 15.3 beta’s Released to fix Safari bug Leak
As the topic heading suggests, this fix’s an issue with Safari on Mac and iOS.
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/20/safari-data-leak-bug-fix-ios-15-3/
Apple Urges Android Users to install Tracker Detect for Android
To tell if you have an airTag close by etc.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/17387898/android-app-how-to-track-airtags/
7 Ways to Make Your E-Commerce Site More Accessible for consumers with a Disability
Always a good reminder.
https://www.mytotalretail.com/article/7-ways-to-make-your-e-commerce-site-more-accessible-to-consumers-with-disabilities/
10 Voice Memo Features You ∆™aren’t Using
Great tips to get the most out of Voice Memos considering it’s on the Apple Watch, Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2022/01/10-voice-memos-features-you-arent-using-but-should-be/
20 Cool Google Tricks to Search more Effectively
Take more advantage of Google Search, and improve you’r search results.
https://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/20-cool-google-tricks-to-search-more-effectively/
Talking Tech for Jan 18 2022
Not much tech news as such this week, so some tech news of my own.
My first Experience with an Electronic Sit/stand Desk
As I find myself sitting down a lot and not moving, it was recommended to me to go out and get a sit/stand desk, hence this personal review.
This model is the Matrix Executive Electronic Sit/Stand desk.
Dimensions 1520 long, by 750 wide.
Desk height which is adjustable from the control panel is from 600MM to 1100MM.
Keypad is on left hand side of desk underneath and is a touch panel (I marked with tactile markers).
On the back left and right corners are cable ports to allow cabling through the desk to the floor.
The legs on either side of the desk have a single leg in the middle (which contains the hight adjusting mechanism), and then a single horizontal foot plate which extends forward and back (in other words, like an upside down capital t).
The motor that drives the desk is underneath the bottom of the desk towards the back.
The desktop top its self is white.
Use
The keypad has a 2 by 2 button grid for custom hight settings on left, and on right Up/Down buttons in a column. In the middle of the 2 by 2 grid of buttons is the S button for Settings for the keypad.
When my wife went through settings on the keypad there is a setting for beep sounds for when buttons are pressed, and the brightness of the keypad can also be adjusted (beep sounds are not on by default).
Besides pressing the custom height grid buttons, you can adjust the desk by continually holding your finger on the Up or Down buttons until the desired level is reached or when the desk stops itself at the bottom or highest setting.
To go through the whole range of movement, takes the desk about 6 seconds.
Tip: I find using Up or Down much better than the custom grid, of buttons as if you miss touch as it were, the keypad may have an error and you may need to reset the keypad which is a bit of a pain, doable, just a pest for blind folks.
I also purchased an anti fatigue standing mat which is like a balancing mat so you are not standing perfectly still all the time. I.e. any time if you move, you have to slightly balance yourself.
Only been using it fully for the last 4 days, and its amazing.
I like the fact that I can just stroll up to the desk, use it, then stroll away.
As my office area is a bit tight, I just use the chair at my demo desk for when I want to sit.
As I purchased the desk from Office Works, I got there setup service to come out and setup the desk for me which took about an hour.
Cost for the desk was approximately $480 plus the service call out setup which I think was about $120 or so.
Amazing How Things Just Don’t Last That Long These Days
There has been black stuff appearing on my brand new sit/stand desk, turns out it was the case that came with one of my Braille electronic devices.
Pity it wasn’t made with real leather or something given the cost of these items, which of course, would not deteriorate as much, just something to keep in mind.
Repaired Macs Back Home and Running
This has really taught me a bit of a reminder lesson.
Don’t assume your PC can not be fixed, it may be just worth having a shop look at it, and spending a couple of hundred dollars is certainly a lot better than spending a lot more.
My Experience Playing with the Vale - Shadow of the Crown
This is the amazing audio only game for the Xbox, we talked about it last year, but on holidays I was really able to get in to it and play the easy and normal levels, now time for the hard.
Withe more space on my sit/stand desk, I now have the Xbox Controller linked through my mixer, so I can now stand and play on the Xbox at the same time.
The Amazon Alexa App for Windows
I was a bit skeptical about how well this app would work on Windows, and to my surprise, it felt like just using the Amazon Alexa hardware. I.e. anything I could do on the Echo device I could do via the app including all smart home tasks.
Amazon Battery Base Adapter for the Amazon Echo 3rd Generation
I received mine last week, allows you to turn your echo Dot 3rd gen in to a portable smart speaker.
Simple on/off button, clips on to the base of the Echo 3rd Gen, and connects to both the adapter port (for power), and the head phone jack (to sill allow access to head phones to the unit).
Common apps between iOs and Android
If choosing either Samsung/Android or iOS, look at the tasks that are needed to be performed and if the apps to do those tasks are accessible.
Two specific apps which are not currently available on Android are the Microsoft Sound Scape and Seeing AI apps.
As the Seeing AI app currency mode doesn’t work with Australian currency, Cash Reader is recommended for both iOS/Android.
Where it is not obvious what the apps listed are for, there is a short description.
13Cabs
7Plus
Ten Play
SBS on Demand
ABC iView (ABC online streaming)
ABC Listen (ABC Radio stations)
A Blind Legend (audio game)
Aira (for the Aira service via phone camera
Aldi
Amazon Alexa (for use with the Amazon Echo hardware and giving access to use Amazon’s digital assistant)
Amazon
Amazon Music
Amazon Prime Video
Apple Music
Audio Game Hub (various self voicing games)
Audible (for use with Audible books - nice thing about Android version can buy within app)
Be-My-Eyes (assistance for free via video contact to volunteers around world)
Blind Bargains
Blind Drive (fantastic blind driving audio game)
Blind Cricket
BOM Weather
CoronaVirus Australia
Calm (excellent wellness app)
Cash Reader (currency identification)
Chrome (web browser from Google)
Coffee Link (for use with the Delonghi touch Coffee Machine)
Coles
Dropbox
Dyson
Disney Plus
eBay
Ember (for use with the Enmber temperature controlled BT mug)
Evernote
Fitbit (for use with the Fitbit bands - I use this with my Fitbit Charge 2)
Google Assistant (Google’s digital assistant)
Google Fit
Google Duo
Google Home (for use with the Google Nest smart speaker hardware)
Google maps
Google News
Google Play Music
Envision (uses camera for text recognition, surroundings, photos etc)
Lazarillo (excellent GPS app)
Kindle (Kindle eBooks): again can purchase Kindle books within the Android app.
MbMimic (for use with the Mount Batten Brailler)
Messenger
Menu Log
Outlook (Microsoft Outlook)
Music Healing
Netatmo (for use with the Netatmo indoor/outdoor weather modules)
Netflix:
Pocket Cast (pod catcher)
Ring (for use with the Ring video doorbell)
Sensibo (for use with the Sensibo AC device)
Spotify Music
Sunu App (for use with the Sunu Band orientation & Mobility device))
Skype
SuperSense
Tile (for use with the Tile Tag tracking system)
Tripview (public transport for Sydney and Melbourne)
TuneIn Radio
Uber
Uber Eats
VIP Code Reader (accessible QR code reader)
Vision Australia Connect (for the VA Library)
Voice Dream Reader (document reader via speech).
WeWalk
White Noise
Woolworths
Youtube
Zoom (web meetings etc)
Zomby’s Run
With VoiceOver running, turn on in Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, Hand Gestures.
Once turned on, activate when watch is waken with a double clench of your fist (need to do this every time watch is woken up).
When on:
double pinch (thumb and index finger twice) move previous item,
Single pinch (thumb and index finger once) next item,
clench (fist once) activate item, and
double clench (make fist twice) Digital Crown function.
Handy for the workout app.
Simple but powerful all in one audio app for the blind Android user.
https://www.voxmate.com.
My chat to customers of Vision Australia all about the Apple Watch, bands, and devices.
This is an amazing upgrade to the traditional slate or as we say in Australia hand frame.
So rather than sticking in a bit of paper, writing in Braille, and then having to take the paper out, read what you have Brailled, and then stick it back in again to continue Brailling, you just Braille or write on once side and the pins pop out on the other reading side, for you to just read what you have Brailled.
You can push any pin in with your finger tip to clear pins within a cell or use the buttons at the top and bottom to clear every 5 cells going across: eg first left top and bottom do lines 1 to 4 up to firth cell etc or top left button by itself does lines 1 to 2, and bottom right hand side button does lines3 to 4 etc, then going across to buttons 2, 3, and 4 for top and bottom.
Do not use the stylus to push in the pins on the reading side as you'll damage the pins.
It'll make more sense when you listen to the demo.
Enjoy.
Give you a physical description of the battery pack, how to check battery status, charging tips, using the pack as a wireless charger, and some general tips for usage.
In this demo, I give you a physical description of the ReadEasy Evolve, setup, and use.
Vision Australia Store web link to purchase is:
https://shop.visionaustralia.org/shop/product/esocr057-so
Quick run through of the Micro Speak Plus Digital Voice Recorder.
Extremely easy to use, and copy files recorded over to Mac or PC.
Product ID for Vision Australia Vision Store is ES7427.
Enjoy.
This Dyson 3 in one tower unit, purify’s the air, heats, and emits cool air.
Comes in white or silver.
Prices seem to vary quite a lot, when I purchased mine they were about $750 Australian for the second two.
When setting the unit up, take it out of the box, install the Hepa filters in both sides of the base, [plug in to wall outlet, stick remote on top face down to attach.
Note - don't lift or move the Dyson via the top part of the fan unit, even though it looks tempging.
The unit is about 1 metre high, about 400MM in diameter at the base, and weighs about 5KG.
The base contains the Hepa filters, one on each side, and are easy to remove and replace by releasing the latch’s on either side of the base.
On one side of the base at the top, is a round largish on/off button (also used to Bluetooth pair the unit) as well as a small LCD screen showing air quality for example.
On the opposite side to the on/off button, but at the bottom of the base is where the 1.5 meter power chord connects.
The main fan part of the unit which sits on top of the base, is a tall oval shape, with the air coming in the back and out through the front edge of the oval sides. This air direction can be reversed.
There are no blades at all.
The oval shape fan unit can rotate 350 degrees.
The base can be tilted forward/back to adjust air flow direction down, forward or up.
The remote control has physical buttons, and magnetically connects to the top of the oval shaped fan unit.
Note - whilst the oval shaped part of the unit is open, the manual advises strongly when moving the unit, do not treat the oval area has a handle, but pick up the whole unit from the base to move it, otherwise the movement mechanism to the base may be damaged.
The unit can be controlled from the Dyson Link app on iOS or Android, and via the Amazon Echo or via Siri shortcuts.
Connecting the fan to the Dyson link app was very straight forward, and pairing when instructed was to simply hold the iPhone near the on/off button and press to initiate pairing.
Overall the Dyson Link app is accessible.
When using the Dyson from Alexa, you need to enable the skill and login with your Dyson account via the skill to link it up.
The Dyson link app works well with Voiceover on the iPhone, allowing all functions to be accessed including temperature control, fan speed, cool or heat, rotation, air purification stats etc.
The Dyson skill works well, and allows control over temperature, fan speed, hot hot or cool, and how much rotating you want the fan to do.
With the app, you can set up your current location to get current weather info, and you can also name the unit, which comes in handy if you have more than one.
Both the app and skill allow the use of multiple fans to be switched between. In the app, you select the fan via the App Menu and on the skill, each fan is numbered, and you use that number to select the fan you wish to use.
When the Hepa filter needs replacing, there is a notification. You can also check the status of the filters at any time as this info is displayed within the Dyson Link app.
Having fans in different rooms, means I can custom set fan functions for those rooms.
Most of the time, I use the “Ask
Dyson” function with Alexa to change settings on all of the fans.
Well worth the price for the functionality I receive..
These head phones offer great comfort, good sound quality with minimal design and rugged construction.
For use as a monitoring head set to a mixer, they perform very well indeed.
The head set comes in Quite a large box. Inside you will find - leather carry pouch, neatly stored head phones (they do fold up), long attached to left ear cup head phone audio cable (2.74M, with step up adapter already screwed on to the end of the 3.5MM audio jack), and warranty card.
The headphones are entirely black with silver (tactile) Audio Technica logo on the faces of both ear cups.
Audio Technica” is printed in white on the top side of the headband
The soft material on the headband and the ear cushions are made of leather.
Even though made of plastic, the body construction is well finished.
The headband has a metallic support on the inside which becomes visible where it connects to the ear cups.
The headband adjustment is very smooth, with no click in to position. However, they do stay put when adjusted.
The rotating mechanism for the ear cups is supported by a plastic hinge allowing the ear cups to fold inwards for storage or in to the provided leather carry pouch.
The head phones have large ear cups that cover the entire ear and cut out an amazing amount of external noise.
The head phones are very comfortable for all day use, no pressure on the top or side of the head.
As pointed out already, the long 2.74m cable is attached to the left ear cup of the head phones. The 3.5MM female to 6.3MM male step up adapter is already screwed on to the end of the 3.5mm jack.
In the case of the Zoom Podtrack P4, you will need to unscrew this adapter to plug the head phones in to the P4 3.5mm head phones jack..
With the excellent sound noise reduction of the ear cups (no they do not have active noise cancellation), you can concentrate on editing audio such as a podcast.
I find these head phones excellent for listening to VoiceOver out of the Mac, editing podcasts, listening to music, and because they fold up, great for use when out and about if I am podcasting with the Zoom Podtrak P4, and my Samson Q2u mics.
Note - these are straight head phones, they do not have their own microphone as found with the Audio Technica BPHS Head phones.
As you will b able to tell, Cleanfeed works fine on the Mac using Voiceover in Google Chrome.
Rather than just a boring demo, scott and i thought, why not chat about our old and new tech stuff.
i've combined what the Zoom Podtrak P4 was recording as far as logging in to www.cleanfeed.net was concerned, and of course, the issue with using Safari with Voiceover on the iphone for Scott aas everything including Voiceover was coming through.
So besides demoing that Cleanfeed works, i hope you enjoy my and Scott's chat.
Hi all,
This time around, no speaking from me at all.
What you will hear is me using the Siri remote to go through all the English voices for VoiceOver on the Apple TV.
I've placed chapter marks for each of the English voice categories:
Australia
India
Ireland
South Africa
UK
US
This will hopefully give you a good idea of the different voices in case you want to ever change.
This podcast contains all of my 12 podcast demos on the Zoom Podtrak P4.
You can navigate by chapter on the Mac via Downcast or on iOS via Overcast.
I don’t know why you want to, but you can also just listen to start to end if you really really want to smile.
Demos include my first impressions of the P4, full description of the P4, using channel 3 (TRRS) and channel 4 (UsB) on the P4, recording VoiceOver from the Mac, tips on recording and playing back recent file, using the Sound Pad to control play back of files, using the Sound Pad menu, using the Files Menu, using the Files Transfer main menu option, demo of the BTA-2 Bluetooth transceiver, demo of the Audio Technica headset with dynamic XLR boom microphone, and demo of the Samson Q2u and Backpack Studio.
Think it was funny about mid range through in the demos, where I said it was going to be my last.
Enjoy.
Samson 29 Q2u Podcasting PackParticularly handy for podcasting.
Plus Backpack Studio
Set up for todays demo
iPhone 12 Pro on a wireless charging stand
Magic Keyboard 2 connected to iPhone
Samsung Q2u microphone/stand.
Ear phones plugged in to mic for monitoring.
And yes, this demo was all recorded on my iPhone and Backpack Studio using the Samsung Q2u mic.
First Backpack Studio
Description from the iOS App Store
Create professional sounding podcasts and radio from anywhere using only an iPhone or iPad.
Eg both works as a podcaster and radio streamer.
With backpack studio, Your show is automatically mixed and mastered while it’s being recorded.
Features:
-
Record your voice while triggering sounds live - intros, background music, and sound effects. Sounds automatically adjust volume in real time.
-
A powerful soundboard with unlimited pages of soundpads.
-
Import sounds into the soundboard from anywhere - iCloud, dropbox, google drive, your music library, email, even import directly from other apps.
-
Find the perfect eq filter for your voice. Noise gate to lower background noise. Studio quality compression, limiting, and eq algorithms are automatically applied to your mix live for a loud, studio quality mastered sound.
-
Create custom Siri Voice, external keyboard, and midi shortcuts to record and trigger soundpads.
-
Encodes to all popular formats, mp3, wav, m4a,
aiff, and video.
-
Publish recordings directly to iCloud, dropbox, Facebook, youtube, an FTP, Libsyn, or open in any app on your phone that accepts audio or video.
-
Full VoiceOver compatibility for visually impaired producers .
Simply downloaded and installed the app.
Kept all default settings.
Added a few Pad sounds.
When using with the Samsung Q2u, Backpack found mic if already active: i.e. already plugged in to the iPhone.
Nice thing about using the app with VoiceOver, recording doesn’t include Voiceover.
Record, Pads, mic mute etc all accessible with gestures or keyboard, when I’m recording with Backpack I like to use an external keyboard, just faster control.
Using the app with a BT keyboard .
General keyboard commands
Record Command+R .
Pause P
Finish F
Delete recording D
Toggle mic on Space
Toggle mic off Space
Stop all pads X
Begin stream B
End Stream E
Show last recording L
Play last recording O
Show Recordings Z
Sound Pad keyboard commands
Play air horns 1
Play applause 2
Play laughter 3
Play Segway in 4
Play Segway out 5
Play sound 3 6
Features the Samson Q2u dynamic cardioid polar pattern mic, USB output for connecting to any Mac or Windows PC or smart phone via an adapter, XLR output for connecting to any mixer/PA system and a 1/8" (3.5MM)stereo headphone output with level control for zero-latency monitoring.
In the Samson Q2u Podcasting Pack Box
Samson Q2u dynamic mic,
puff or wind filter sock for mic head,
foldable compact desktop tripod stand with screw in mic holder,
XLR cable, and
USB mini cable.
Samson Q2u Microphone Dimensions
190MM by 55MM. 453.3G.
Cost
$150.00Au.
Description of the Samson Q2u microphone
Standard cylindrical mic and head,
Back of mic XLR, Mini USB and 3.5MM head phone ports, and
Middle of mic barrel, slide mic on/off switch.
Using the Samson Q2u Micrphone for the first time
Screw the mic holder in to the desktop stand, make sure the puff or wind filter is over the head of the mic, insert the mic in to the mic holder, extend the stand legs to sit on the table, plug in monitoring ear phones or a head set, and connect the mic to another device either via the XLR or Mini USB supplied cables.
Note - make sure the mic on/off switch on the barrel of the mic is slid forward to the on position closest to the head of the mic.
For future use, the mic usually stays connected to the stand which legs fold together, and the puff or wind filter stays on the mic.
When the mic has the XLR cable plugged in, as this is such a rugged connector, I usually leave this cable plugged in to the Samson Q2u.
For both the Mini USB and ear phones, I prefer to have these disconnected if I’m traveling with the mic in a bag.
Besides XLR cable for Mixer and Mini UsB for Mac/PC/Smart phone - adapter
To use the Samson Q2u on my iPhone, I use the Lightning camera adapter. Mini USB cable comes from the back of the Samson Q2u, plugs in to the USB port on the camera adapter cable, and the other lightning end plugging in to the iPhone.
Plugging the Samson Q2u in to my Zoom Podtrak P4
XLR cable comes from plugging in to the back of the Samson Q2u, and other end plugs directly in to one of the 4 female XLR connector ports on the Zoom Podtrak P4.
Using the Samson Q2u on the Zoom Podtrak P4
Everything is done from the Zoom Podtrak P4. No need for me to touch the mic. Mic gain, head phone monitoring, and mute is all done from the P4.
Note - all of my podcasts since getting the Zoom Podtrak P4 have been done on the Samsung Q2u microphone.
I can record directly to the Zoom Podtrak P4 on to the SD card or use the P4 as a mixer to Amadeus Pro running on the Mac.
Using the Samson Q2u on the Mac
Plug in the Mini UsB cable from the back of the Samson Q2u, other end of Mini uSB gets plugged in to a UsB to UsBC adapter, which then gets plugged in to the Mac.
Note On the Mac, using Amadeus Pro to control the Samson Q2U, again, no need to touch the mic for gain, monitoring or muting.
Using the Samson Q2u with My Smart Phone (iPhone 12 Pro)
Plugging in the Mini USB cable from back of Samson Q2u, other end of the Mini USB cable gets plugged in to the USB port on the Lightning camera adapter, with the other end of the adapter (lightning) getting plugged in to the iPhone.
Note - on the iPhone with the Lightning Camera Adapter, you will need to plug in ear phones or a head set in to the 3.5MM monitoring port on the Samson Q2u to both monitor how you are sounding, and more importantly, to be able to hear VoiceOver if you are using it.
On the iPhone, using Backpack Studio to control the Samson Q2u gain, monitoring (through the plug in ear phones on the mic itself), and mute.
Ear Phones or Head SeT
I only use ear phones or a head set directly when using the Q2u with the iPhone as its the only way I can hear VoiceOver. Just get what you prefer.
When I’m using the Samson Q2u with the Zoom Podtrak P4 or the Mac, I’m using my “what ever brand name” head set plugged in to the Mac or the P4.
Links to the Samson Q2u podcasting Pack, Lightning Camera Adapter, USBC to UsB adapter, and Backpack Studio.
Samson Q2u Podcasting Pack
https://www.amazon.com.au/Samson-Microphone-Recording-Podcasting-Windscreen/dp/B086R6BW49/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Samson+Q2u+Microphone&qid=1622741687&sr=8-2
Lightning to Camera Adapter
https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MD821AM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter
USBC to USB Adapter
https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MJ1M2AM/A/usb-c-to-usb-adapter
Backpack Studio
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backpack-studio/id1438882186
Also sneaking in a link to the Mac App Store for Amadeus Pro
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amadeus-pro/id438292371?mt=12
In this demo, I discuss and demo the BTA-2 Bluetooth transmitter and Receiver to allow you to wirelessly connect to the P4.
Note - as with connecting a TRRS cable, mic 3 (channel 3) needs to be in the most right position for the switch, and the BTA-2 plugs in to both the 2.5mm and 3.mm jacks on the side of the P$.
In this demo, I use my Zoom Podtrak P4 with the Audio Technica BPHS1 broadcasting head set which combines both a head set with an XLR boom microphone.
I compare it to my current desktop mic/stand, the Samson 29 Q2U podcasting kit.
Note - to use with the P4, I used a 6.3mm to 3.5mm female to male adapter to plug it in in to the head phone jack on the P4.
The cable coming off the head set splits in to an XLR mic jack and the 6.3mm head phone jack.
Certainly does the job, and great for portability, no need to carry around a XLR mic, stand, and head phones: just the head set plus the P4.
Amazingly or not, this function is still around on the Mac, although now days its called Add to Music as a Spoken Track: a great way of producing audio files from text.
Interesting what 10 years can do in how ones voice sounds more confident and relaxed smile.
David 2021
On a previous podcast, here is my catch up demo using 3 LIDAR apps on my iPhone 12 Pro.
As I mainly use People Detection, I focus in this demo mainly on Super LIDAR and the Magnifier apps.
As I say in the podcast, this demo is demoing the ECG function of the Apple Watch for folks here in Australia.
The next demo will be using LIDAR on the iPhone 12 Pro using the Magnification, Super LiDAR, and Seeing AI apps.
Quite like the way this remote feels, works, but still some things to work out, namely scrolling through a movie with vO on, and moving apps around on the Home screen.
Great remote, much prefer itr over the Siri Touch V1 remote.
My first go at actually recording a webinar using the Zoom Podtrak P4.
Still somethings to iron out like which mic to mute (Zoom or P4 grin), and doing a bit better myself changing in and out cables.
However, the recording you are hearing hasn't been touched, just conversion to MP3 for the podcast post.
I think it went well.
In this demo, I take you through how easy it is to use the Files menu from the main menu to playback and delete files you don't want from the P4 itself.
Enjoy, and the last one in this series for the moment as I've covered all the thrings I need to do up to this point, but there will be more smile.
In this demo, I show you how to directly transfer files between the P4 and in my case the Mac, via the P4 menu option File Transfer (press menu and press right 3 times, and select file transfer).
Simply puts the P4 in to a mass storage mode (turning off knobs and mics), and comes up as a P4 drive when connected via a USBC cable connected to the power/data port on the P4 (front left hand side port).
To exit file transfer, just press menu twice, and knobs and mics will return to normal operation.
Much better and safer than dragging out the SD card all the time which is exactly what I've been doing sigh smile.
In this demo I take you through using the Sound Pad sub-menu from the main menu for selecting different sounds, the way they repeat, and the volume of a sound.
The first time you go in to the menu via the Menu button, press right arrow (Stop button), then Enter/Select (Record button) to bring up the Sound Pad custom sub-menu.
If you don't restart the Podtrak P4, next time you go out and in to the menu, Sound Pad will already be selected, so just press Enter.
As nothing talks as such in these menus, just practise ggoing in and out and it will become easier.
In this demo, I show you how you can use the Sound Pad to:
Top Left button rewind, time jump or beginning of file,
Top right button fast forward, time jump or end of file, and
Bottom left button beginning of file.
When using the Sound Pad buttons, use the Play/Pause button. Pressing Stop will revert the Sound Pad files back to their usual function.: i.e. playing sounds.
Enjoy. Due to the Podtrak P4 and getting excited about podcasting again, I've added my intro/out sound file that L Woodbridge did for me to the Podtrak for future use.
And yes, I'll be doing a demo later on accessing the Sound Pad, which is not strictly accessible, but works as you can tell with this intro I added to my Sound Pad.
Am I having fun, absolutely.
In this demo, I show you how you can use the TRRS cable to record from another device such as an Amazon Echo Dot, and also use a lightning to UsB Camera adapter on channel 4 to also connect to your iPhone.
Remember, for both channel 3 and channel 4, the switch needs to be in the most right (3rd) position.
Zoom Podtrak P4 Review
This is an amazing device.
A multi track recorder designed for podcasting, even for beginners, just connect mics and head phones.
It is a multi-track recorder, mixer, and a 2 channel audio interface to a PC (Mac or Windows).
Main features of the P4:
Use your favorite mics.
Multi track recording supports for channels recorded at the same time, producing a combined file, and individual channel files.
Levels of all 4 mics can be individually altered.
4 Head phone outputs allows everyone to monitor voice levels.
Power can be via UsBC computer, USBC power or two AA battery’s (UsBC power could also be a power brick).
Remote recording of participants: channel 3 for smart phone, and channel for for PC: a Mix Minus function stops remote participants from hearing back an echo.
Instant playback of jingles via the 4 button sound pad.
The UsBC PC port can be used to use the P4 as an audio device to a PC: Mac or Windows.
P4 records at 44.1 kilohertz , 16 bit in Wav format.
Best of all, all main functions are controlled by knobs, buttons, and slide switch’s.
Use the Play, Stop and Record buttons to start/pause recordings. Menu via the Menu button is not accessible, but once options set, no need to access.
NB - when you first get the P4, install the AA battery’s, and get sighted assistance to set time/date via the menu, as well as turning on Mix Minus.
Zoom recommends that you format the SD card within the device itself (SD card not included).
What is cool from my point of view as well, is that whilst I am using the P4 as an audio device to my Mac, I can still use the record function on the P4 to also make a recording: i.e. Amadeus Pro on my Mac recording the podcast, and the P4 also making an audio recording.
Finally, some folks still like people to make local recordings which has the best quality sound, and then give those files to the podcast host who then brings them all together as a multi-track recording: which is why it is so neat that the P4 does a master file recording of all channels, but then individual file channels of each mic input/person speaking locally or remotely.
Further down the page I have listed what is now in my portable podcasting kit. At the very least you will need:
The P4 itself,
Sd card,
2 XLR mics if you are going to record yourself and another person,
2 mic stands for the mics,
2 3.5mm head phones to monitor sound (including from the sound pad) for yourself and the other person,
Power bank to supply power or just use the AA battery’s,, UsBC charger, or UsBC to UsB A cable to power P4 from a PC (Mac or Windows),,
TRRS cable to plug in an iPhone for remote recording of Facetime or other calls,
Lightning to 3.5mm audio adapter for iPhone to support the TRRS cable,
And if you are not going to leave it on a desk, some type of carrying case for the P4.
Physical layout:
Back panel - 4 female XLR mic input ports.
Front panel - 4 output 3.5mm head phone ports.
Left panel front to back - UsBC PC/power, UsBC power, Sd card slot.
Right panel front to back - , TRRS 3.5mm audio iPhone port, Bluetooth Zoom adapter port to connect via BT to smart phones, and recessed power on/off.
Bottom of unit - back edge 2 rubber feet on either side, and front edge long rubber strip (stops P4 from moving on desk). Above rubber strip, is the battery door for the AA battery’s).
Top face of unit where all the cool knobs, button’s,slide switch’s, and the screen is located (screen takes up part of the right hand face of the P4).
Going from the back top edge towards the front:
4 gain knobs for each of the XLR mic ports from left to right, channel 1, channel 2, channel 3 and channel 4.
Next row, 4 slider switch’s for each of the mic input ports, again left to right, channel 1, channel 2, channel 3, and channel 4.
Channel 1, and channel 2 slide switch’s have two settings, left Dynamic mic, and right Condenser )phantum power) mic.
Switch channel 3, and switch channel 4 have a 3rd setting on the right: switch channel 3 is to engage iPhone via the TRRS 3.5mm port on the right side, and switch channel 4 is to engage the UsBC PC/power on the left side from a PC (Mac/Windows).
Next row - 4 mute toggle buttons for each of the mic inputs, again left to right, mute channel 1, mute channel 2, mute channel 3, and mute channel 4.
It is always suggested that when a channel is not being used, mute and turn the gain down for that channel.
Then a group of 4 buttons in a 2 by 2 grid for the Sound Pads (P4 comes with preset sounds if you want to use them or create your own).
Under the Sound Pad buttons, a round knob to adjust volume for all Sound Pads.
To the right of the Sound Pad volume knob, 4 buttons: Menu, Play, Stop, and Record button.
NB - just as an FYI, when in the Menu, Play and Stop buttons move through the menu, and the Record button acts as a select or enter button.
Underneath the volume Knob, are the 4 volume knobs for each of the head sets, for monitoring mic input, corresponding to each of the mic inputs: head phone 1, head phone 2, head phone 3, and head phone 4.
NB, the gain knobs for the mic inputs have no tactile pointer, although they do stop at the top and end range (as do the knobs for head phones, and the sound pad). You can mark them with something like Loc Dots so you can tell what level you have each of the mic gains set at
Just to be clear about the size of this amazing device and the controls, as it sits facing you, its about 6 inch’s in depth with the head phone ports at the front and mic XLR ports at the back, and about 3 inches wide. The knobs are quite a discrete size, and the actual buttons for mute, sound pads, menu etc, are square buttons that are only raised a little bit above the face of the P4.
Learn about this very much accessible recorder for podcasters in episode 116 on the Mosen podcast recorded by Tim Cumings.
The following link is from a different website to Mosen Explosion which will allow you to download the actual MP3 file as well as listening to it online so you can use it as a resource whilst you are getting used to using the P4.
https://the-blind-podmaker.pinecast.co/episode/6f5ca0c9/tim-cumings-demonstrates-the-zoom-podtrak-p4
General review of the Zoom Podtrack P4 from the general tech industry
https://www.thepodcasthost.com/equipment/zoom-podtrak-p4-review/
This was an interesting article explainingg the difference between dynamic and condenser microphones, mainly aimed at producing music and vocals.
https://musicianshq.com/whats-the-difference-between-dynamic-and-condenser-microphones/
This article, this time aimed at using dynamic or condenser microphones for recording podcasts.
https://www.theseasonedpodcaster.com/gear/condenser-vs-dynamic-mic-for-podcasting/
I found reading both articles started to give me a good basic understanding of the different types of microphones and the language associated with them.
Quick tip, use a dynamic mic for podcasting, and yes, you absolutely need the TRRS cable and the Lightning to 3.5mm adapter if you want to record from your iPhone for calls etc.
Alternatively, you can purchase the Camera adapter for the iPhone which will allow you to plug in to the front USBC port and directly in to the iPhone via the adapter (in this case of course, you would then use channel 4 not 3).
Also, when you use either channel 3 mic input via the 3.5mm port to record iPhone or channel 4 mic input to record via UsBC port to PC, you can not use the channel 3 or 4 mic ports as XLR mic inputs: they are not available.
Zoom Podtrak P4 User manuaL:
https://zoomcorp.com/media/documents/E_P4.pdf
Zoom Home Page for the Podtrak P4
https://zoomcorp.com/en/jp/podcast-recorders/podcast-recorders/podtrak-p4/
This is what my podcasting kit now consists of:
Zoom Podtrak P4,
4 dynamic mics with stand/puff filters,
4 noise cancelling head sets,
accessible power bank (originally from AT Guys),
several SD cards,
hard shell carrying case for P4,
all necessary cables (TRRS, 3.5MM Lightning adapter, 2 UsBC to UsBA cables, camera adapter, and UsB wall charger), and
SD card reader for M1 MacBook Pro.
10 pack of AA battery’s,
computer bag for carrying.
Of course, M1 MacBook Pro for editing recording from SD card
from Zoom Podtrak P4.
Manufacturer website:
https://www.dotincorp.com
App: Dot Watch 2 (Android and iOS).
iOS
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dot-watch-2/id1362946706
Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotincorp.dotApp&hl=en≷=US
Documentation:
Tutorial and user guide within the Dot Watch 2 app or the following online link.
https://doc.dotincorp.com/manual/dot-watch-1-a/
The product box also contains a quick start guide in Braille for using the Dot Watch (no print version).
Video and promotional material produced by Dot Incorporated:
https://watch.dotincorp.com
Brief product description:
4 cell refreshable Braille smart watch with magnetic loop band for small and large wrist sizes. Can be used in stand alone or connected to iOS or Android.
Note - via the Dot watch 2 smart phone app, the Dot Watch can either be set to be used as a traditional Braille watch or tactile watch with cell and dot positions being used to display main functions such as battery status, time etc.
When purchasing, Dot Watch with small band or Dot Watch with large band are sold as an entire unit: i.e. can not swap out bands.
Physical description:
Round large wrist watch.
White top with silver surround.
4 horizontal refreshable Braille cells in middle of watch face.
2 touch scroll points below cells 2 and 3 for scrolling left/right.
Right side of watch if warn on left wrist - dot crown in middle, Home and Select buttons on either side of Dot crown.
Magnetic metal loop band (silver).
Charging port for magnetic charger bottom opposite side to Home, Crown, and buttons.
What is in the box:
Well constructed product box with Braille identifying the Dot Watch.
Dot watch with metal band attached.
Braille booklet.
Magnetic charger with attached USB cable.
Three moisture and dust protective skins (fourth protective skin already installed on watch as shipped).
Main features:
- Compatible devices:
The dot watch is compatible with the following versions of iOS and Android.
iOS V9 and above.
Android V4.4.4 and above.
- Pairing the Dot Watch.
Easy to pair using the Dot Watch 2 smart app, select Pair from the main app screen.
Setup process will take user through a tutorial on how to use the Dot watch.
- Dot Watch 2 Smart app.
Easy to navigate and use.
Works with VoiceOver or iOS or Talkback on Android/Samsung.
- From the Dot Watch itself (Main Menu)
Connection status to smart phone.
Battery status.
Time (shown by default, can also show seconds and date).
Notifications (if turned on from Smart Phone app)..
Stop watch.
Timer (set minutes and seconds)..
Memo (if written from smart phone)..
- From the Dot Watch 2 app.
Alarm (set up to 10 alarms).
Hourly time toggle.
Find Dot Watch (makes Dot Watch vibrate, press Select button on watch to stop).
NB - from the Dot Watch itself, press Select and Home buttons twice to activate Find My Phone, will make phone play a loud sound each time this command is used.
Add, edit, and delete memos.
Access and delete saved notifications.
Study Braille.
- Dot Watch 2 Dot Watch Settings.
Output settings.
Display settings.
Notification settings.
Language settings.
Firmware update.
Watch information.
Unpair.
Benefits:
Can be either used as a traditional Braille watch or for non Braille users tactile watch with cell and pin positions representing main functions such as battery level, time etc (Braille or tactile mode set via the Dot Watch 2 app).
As a stand alone refreshable Braille Display watch. Time on watch can be set manually without the use of a smart phone.
Works with both Android and iOS.
4 cell refreshable Braille Display which can be scrolled to read further text in notifications or memos.
Clear and easy to read Braille or tactile dots.
When pressing the Select button, time is display. Other menu options can then be easily accessed.
Hourly time can be toggled which will display time and cause the Dot Watch to also vibrate on the
hour.
10 alarms can be set via the Dot Watch 2 app. When alarm goes off, alarm 1, alarm 2 etc will be displayed on the Dot Watch: eg a l NumberSign 1, a l NumberSign 2 etc.
10 memos can be added, edited or deleted from the Dot Watch 2 smart phone app (240 characters max per memo).
The Dot Watch can display 12 or 24 hour time via the Dot Watch smart phone app.
The Dot Watch can display date in Month Day or Day Month via the Dot Watch 2 smart phone app.
Via the Dot Watch 2 app, vibration intensity, auto scrolling speed, display timeout duration, reverse buttons to where on right hand, Braille or tactile modes can be all adjusted.
Protective skins are there to protect the Braille cells from dust etc (note protective skin already installed on watch, not using the protective skin may void warranty). More skins can be obtained.
As magnetic loop strap is used, band can be adjusted for comfort.
Good mechanical feedback when pressing either Home or Select buttons, and when turning the Dot Crown.
Solid connection via Bluetooth to smart phone.
When Dot Watch moves out of Bluetooth range of smart phone, msg displayed on watch or can be checked by connection status. Similarly, msg displayed when reconnected or can again be checked in status connection.
Dot Watch is easily firmware updated via the Dot Watch 2 Smart phone app (can check within app if there is new firmware available).
The Dot Watch can be fully turned on and off, besides being in standby mode which is the usual state of operation.
The Dot Watch itself can be hardware reset (please consult user manual).
Points to consider:
As pointed out in the manual, when the display updates, do not hold your finger down on the display as this will prevent the dots from updating correctly. Most of the time you can hear the Braille dots settle after less than a second.
If the stop watch or timer functions are being used, you can hear the Braille display update, but this is quite a soft sound.
Be a little bit careful when taking off the band as the end of the band can slide through the connecting slot on the side of the Dot Watch.
As the band is magnetic, it may stick to the magnetic charger base when placing the Dot Watch on charge, just something to simply be aware of which is also pointed out helpfully in the manual.
To make it easier for users, the receiving slot on the side of the Dot Watch which takes the band does protrude from the side of the Dot Watch.
Due to the need for battery and the Braille Display, the Dot Watch does sit out a bit from the wrist.
Do not remove the protective skin from the dot Watch.
Hints and Tips:
Holding in Home button for 3 seconds will turn Dot Watch fully off, holding the Home button in again for another 3 seconds will turn the unit back on.
When Dot Watch in sleep (standby) press Select button to activate menu, time will be displayed.
Use Dot Crown to scroll up and down menu, scroll away for battery status and connectivity status, scroll towards you for rest of menu items. Each time the menu option changes, a vibration will be felt.
Use Select button to activate an item from the main menu once moved to it via the Dot Crown.
When in one of the menu options, you can press Home button to exit.
When displaying items on the main menu, some menu options are abbreviated to fit in to the 4 cells: noti for notifications, stop for stop watch, and timr for timer,
When time displayed, pressing Select button will show seconds, pressing Select button again will display date, and pressing Select button will show the time again.
When selecting stop watch, press Select button to start/pause stop watch, hold in Select button to reset stop watch.
When selecting timer, adjust minutes with Dot Crown, press Select button, adjust seconds with Dot Crown, press Select button to start timer. When complete Dot Watch will pulse vibrate with the word tout for time out. To reset timer back to starting value, hold in Select button for a few seconds.
When notifications selected, use Dot Crown to scroll through numbered list of notifications from smart phone, press Select button to select a notification start reading with touch pad buttons or auto scroll via holding in Select button.
Use Home button to put display to sleep or wait for display timeout.
Use the touch sensor area below cell 2 and 3 to scroll left or right within a memo or notification.
Dot Watch will vibrate when receiving a notification from the smart phone.
When receiving incoming call to smart phone, press Home to reject or Select to answer: on iPhone, first press of Select button will display caller ID, and 2nd press of the Select button will answer call.
Besides Find Dot Watch from the smart phone app to find the Dot Watch, press Select and Home buttons twice to make smart phone play a sound so the phone itself can be located (of course within Bluetooth range).
Charging and Battery life:
3 hours charging time.
No issues placing Dot Watch on charger and charging unit.
3 days battery life depending on use.
Support:
Within Dot Watch 2 app for contact/support details.
Email - support@dotincorp.com.
Online manual - https://doc.dotincorp.com/manual/dot-watch-1-a/
Cost:
USD $299.00.
Similar products:
No similar refreshable Braille smart watch’s on the market.
Warranty:
1 year manufacturer warranty.
In this demo, I show you how you can use the Nimbus Game Controller with BlindDrive, this really really brings the game to life. Remember, 12 years and above, but I chose a non swearing chapter in the game (Getting Through) to demonstrate the use of the NimbusSteel Series Game Controller. Enjoy.
Voice Control on iOS Using VoiceOver
Voice Control is very handy on the iPhone with VoiceOver.
You do get better results if you use head phones.
Turn on Voice Control in Settings, Accessibility, voice Control.
You may need to set Voice Control Language to United States rather than Uk in Voice Control Settings.
Handy commands:
What can I Say? (Need to use VoiceOver to read screen
Go To Sleep
Wake up
Go Home
Go Back
Scroll Left, Right, Up or Down
Open App Switcher
Open Notifications Centre
Open Control Centre
Open AppName
Open Siri
Open Spotlight
Tap or Press NameOfControl
Turn Up Volume
Turn Down Volume
Repeat X Times
Search for ItemName
Command Mode
Dictation Mode
VoiceOver Select Next Item
VoiceOver Select Previous Item
VoiceOver Activate
VoiceOver Read All
VoiceOver Stop Speaking
VoiceOver Select First Item
VoiceOver Select Last Item
VoiceOver Select Status Bar
VoiceOver Magic Tap
VoiceOver Select Next Rotor
Voiceover Select Previous Rotor
VoiceOver Select Next Rotor Option
VoiceOver Select Previous Rotor Option
VoiceOver Item Chooser
This is what I use all the time to get video files from the Camera/Photo apps on to my Mac, and articles from my Mac on to my iPhone.
As I have now scratched the stainless steel on meh iPhone 12 Pro only after less than 2 weeks after dropping it once, I've now gone for a MagSafe case and whilst I was at it a wallet.
Note - when the Wallet is on the back of the iPhone or on the back of the case with the iPhone in it, you can't charge via the MagSafe wireless charger, of course, you can still plug in a lightning cable.