The Access Technology Blog

CSUN’s Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) is always a big event on the Access Technology team’s calendar. This year’s CSUN is something special though – not only has the event moved from LA to San Diego, but, for the first time, the team has been invited to run a pre-conference workshop on eBooks on March 22nd, from 9 am to noon. We’re very excited to work more in depth on this topic, which has gained such prominence over the last couple of years.

The team will of course be hosting a number of regular sessions in addition to the pre-conference workshop. The sessions, which are all on Thursday March 25th, will cover Cell Phones and Mobile Devices, Optical Character Recognition: Flatbed Scanner VS. Camera-Based Solutions, and Non-Visual Accessibility in Blackboard Learn, so look us up if you’re going to be in San Diego.

You can expect a number of reports from the trenches from the team – we will blog about the sessions, and you can expect some interesting interviews as well. We will keep you posted with any exciting news and discoveries.

Clara Van Gerven

UPDATE, 3/02/2010: We have recently learned that Code Factory has come up with a solution for activating phones such as the Motorola Q9 series that are not successfully completing the activation process as prescribed in the Mobile Speak 4 documentation and installation.  This involves contacting your dealer and providing them with the serial number of your device and the phone number to which it should be registered.  This author has not attempted this process and cannot speak for its validity.  In addition, it seems quite puzzling that this information was not offered on Code Factory’s web site or listserv, and that it has taken so long for it to be distributed.  A brief search of Code Factory’s knowledge base also did not yield any articles regarding this issue.  My original Code Factory dealer, who was to be researching this issue, did not contact me with this fix and nor did Code Factory themselves.  We are uncertain how this process affects those who will be using Mobile Geo in addition to Mobile Speak.  We thank ATGuys for providing this information promptly to us.

During the ATIA Orlando 2010 conference, Code Factory released Mobile Speak 4, a long-awaited upgrade to their screen access software for Windows Mobile and Symbian-based mobile devices.  The biggest breakthrough with this software is that it is now cross-platform.  This means that there are no longer separate licenses for the Windows Mobile Smartphone and Professional Edition or the Symbian Editions of their software.  To achieve this, Code Factory has adopted two new licensing schemes.  In one scheme, the user ties their software to their telephone number.  As long as the phone number remains the same, they can switch devices as often as they wish, and do not have to worry if a device is stolen, lost, or damaged.  In the device-based scheme, the software is tied to the Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of the device and a transfer fee is charged to move the software.  This, in a sense, undoes the cross-platform nature of the software.  In addition, if a user decides that they want to change their telephone number, a fee will be charged to update the Code Factory license.

A few new features stand out in Mobile Speak 4.  The two most important are a newly-designed web command layout and enhancement of Code Factory's touch interface.  The new touch interface includes more gestures, enhancement of the quadrant interface that has been a part of Code Factory's Mobile Speak Pocket since 2005, as well as a free mode for exploring the screen contents.  A virtual keyboard is also available.  Web browsing has been improved with more audible updates as pages load, the ability to have a summary of the page's contents spoken after the page loads, as well as new commands to be used on the web.  New web commands let you jump by different elements, move between links and form controls, and interact with headings.

The reception for Mobile Speak 4 has been mixed.  Some users have reported sluggishness on their devices after installing the software.  Others report that commands that are documented do not work with their phones.  In some cases, especially on Motorola Q devices, activation is not possible.  I use a Motorola Q9M from Verizon Wireless.  As of this writing, I am running a trial of Mobile Speak 4 as I cannot activate the software (Code Factory believes that I need to upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.1), and I cannot roll my software back to version 2.12.  Users who have not purchased Mobile Speak 4 are urged to use the software on a trial basis before doing so.  Once the software is purchased, it is not possible to roll back to an earlier version because of the new licensing scheme.  Even if your phone is listed on Code Factory's supported phones list, you may encounter unforeseen difficulties.  For this reason, it is a good idea to try the software before you purchase, unless you are willing to purchase a new phone in the event that the one you currently use will not work properly.

Despite the activation issues, some of the new features of Mobile Speak 4 seem to work as advertised.  The control panel is much more broad than in previous versions.  There is much more configurability of voices, profiles, key feedback, as well as behavior of the software on the web.  I like the ability to reassign the "command" key, and to have the phone vibrate to acknowledge that you have pressed it as opposed to saying "command".  I would like to see the beep on command time-out be configurable to vibrate as well.  For long web pages, it is nice to hear the progress announcements as the page is loaded and rendered.  The new jump commands and the ability to quickly move to the top and bottom of the document as well as directly focus on the home screen from anywhere are useful.  Some popular commands have been moved, so it is a good idea to familiarize oneself with the key layouts before diving headlong into the software.  One example of a newly-added command is the ability to switch between voice profiles on the fly with COMMAND+Back on smart phones.  This means that you can have a profile to suit different needs for differing use cases and switch to it without entering the Control Panel.

In summary, Mobile Speak 4 is Code Factory's newest release of their cellular telephone access software.  Though some new and promising commands and features have been included, the prospective purchaser will want to consider how the software will work with their phone before committing to the software.  If possible, try the software on your phone before purchasing the full package or upgrading to the latest version.  New licenses for Mobile Speak 4 cost $295.  Upgrades are available for $195.  Mobile Geo, Code Factory's GPS software, requires Mobile Speak to work properly.  Version 2.0 of Mobile Geo will require Mobile Speak 4 and Mobile Geo 1.0 will not work under Mobile Speak 4.

Wes Majerus

The Handy Tech iRead is a software package that installs onto any Windows computer running XP, Vista, or Windows 7.  the software utilizes any existing screen access packages like JAWS, NVDA, or Window-Eyes in conjunction with an attached scanner to provide Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of printed documents.  It can also provide recognition of image files and PDF documents that are imported into the program.

iRead is a fairly simple program.  It does offer a few features that are similar to other software packages in the Assistive Technology OCR package arena.  Because iRead uses your screen access package as its voice, you can also take advantage of the facilities your package offers for Braille support.  By pressing a hotkey, CTRL+F2, you can immediately hear the page orientation of the last scanned page.  You can also navigate through the scanned text as if it were a normal document.  If you happen to scan a blank page, bracketed text alerts you to this fact and tells you how to delete the page from your document.  In addition, commands exist to move pages around in the document by pushing them up or down.  There is no "overwrite page" command in iRead.  It is possible to tell which page you are on by using your screen access package's command to read the status bar.  As you are reading, there is no notification of which page you are on when you transition to a new page.  iRead also has a feature where it attempts to detect headings in a book that you are reading.  This feature was hit and miss, sometimes identifying text as a heading that was not and vice versa.  Once these headings are defined, a table of contents can be generated from them, allowing the user to quickly jump to the place in the document where they exist.  Despite the detection of non-heading text, the feature could be useful in very long scans to aid in easily finding a portion of the document based on previously-heard text.

A few drawbacks were evident in iRead during initial testing.  Some books are small enough that one can fit them completely onto a scanner.  Kurzweil 1000 and Open Book, two popular OCR packages, offer the ability to enter two-page scanning mode for detecting the split between the two pages.  iRead does not offer this capability, making it difficult to keep page numbers straight as you scan facing pages in large books.  One other drawback seems to be that background reading seems to stop each time you press the scan keystroke.  You need to issue your screen reader's "Say All" command again once you start scanning the next page.

Importing and exporting of files is possible with iRead.  Files can be saved as RTF, HTML, and plain text.  In a future version of iRead, I would like to see the ability to export a BRF file or a DAISY fileset.

In summary, iRead is a new entrant into the OCR space.  It allows basic OCR, importing, and exporting of files.  I look forward to new releases of the software and the new features they will provide.  Handy Tech offers a 30-day trial of iRead, which is downloadable from their web site at http://www.handytech.us/new.html#iread.  The product retails for $750.

Wes Majerus

eBook accessibility!

Our final session for the technology day at convention, then, will be "a look at the rapidly expanding market of digital books and the devices used to access them". Thanks to all the people who voted, it's great to hear from our readers.

Clara Van Gerven

On these cold and snowy days it may be hard to imagine the scorching heat of Dallas in July, but here in Baltimore the planning for convention has begun. The AT Team (should I say the A team?) has been lining up sessions for the Technology Day at convention, and we’d like to get your opinion on what our fourth session should be. The topics under consideration are the following:

-          Accessible cell phones – we’ve run this session many times before, but the topic is ever-changing and very popular

-          DAISY production – how to create DAISY books from a variety of sources and using a range of tools

-          eBook accessibility – a look at the rapidly expanding market of digital books and the devices used to access them

Please send submit your vote in the form below before the end of the month, and I will announce the winning session on February 1st.

Which session would you like to see during the Technology Day at the National Convention in Dallas? Accessible cell phones DAISY production eBook accessibility

Thanks!

Clara Van Gerven

The Consumer Electronics Show covers multiple venues and encompasses hundreds of electronics products of all sizes, price ranges, and feature sets.  As I walked the show floor over the past few days, there were a few highlights that I thought I would share.

One of the central pieces of a home theater system is the universal remote.  Basic universal remotes can be accessible to blind users if the buttons have differing shapes, spacing, and are grouped logically.  One remote that I discovered has these features, but also contains voice recognition.  It is manufactured by RCA, and will be available in the spring.  The remote allows you to issue commands by voice.  You can also set up macros, in which you speak one command to perform multiple tasks.  For example, "Watch DVD" might power on your DVD unit and switch your TV to the proper video input.  The RCA representative stated that all functions should be available by voice, including remote setup.  The manual will be available online, including a list of product codes used to program the remote.  Its suggested retail price is $39, and it will be available from www.rcaaccessories.com.  In the same booth, AR Acoustics featured several higher-end remotes.  These remotes have several clusters of buttons and LCD screens to control various facets of a home entertainment system.  The representatives stated that these remotes are programmed via software, and this is evidenced by a USB connector on their ends.  For those remotes without touch screens, the buttons seemed easy to distinguish and locate.  Unfortunately, it was not possible to test their accompanying software to determine its accessibility.

Another intriguing product comes from Blackfire Audio Research.  It is a speaker system that can be logged onto any Wi-Fi network.  Then, using software on other connected devices, audio can be played through the speakers or amplifier that has been added to the network.  Representatives at this booth say that an included Ethernet jack allows one to connect a computer to the device to configure Wi-Fi settings on the device through a web interface.  It is then the job of the Blackfire software on each device to play the audio through the device.  As with the AR Acoustics remotes, we were unable to verify the software's accessibility.  You can find out more about these systems at www.bfrx.com.

Wes Majerus

This week, I am attending the International Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, NV.  One of the technologies blind consumers have been wishing for is an accessible digital TV set top box.  Through the work of a firm called Ocean Blue Software, such a device may soon be a reality.  Ocean Blue, along with ST Micro Electronics, makers of chipsets for digital boxes, is exhibiting here in Vegas.  The group of us attending CES on the NFB’s behalf were able to see a private demo.

Using pre-recorded BBC content, the box seemed to work well.  As channels were changed, the box read out the new program to which it was being tuned.  The speech was clear and human sounding.  Information about the program’s duration, and special attributes like subtitles or audio description were also announced.  If one wished, one could enter the set top box’s configuration menus to change preferences like toggling the DVS track on and off.  The electronic programming guide (epg) was also able to be read.

I am intrigued and fascinated by Ocean Blue’s work on this set top box.  You can see a demo at http://www.oceanbluesoftware.co.uk/talkingtv-video-form.shtml.  The company hopes to roll the software out in the US once they find a broadcast partner to include it in their set top box.  We in the NFB are working with the firm to help this become a reality.

Wes Majerus

This Christmas, if you are looking for a robust, accessible mp3/media content player as a gift for yourself or for your loved ones, then perhaps the BookSense XT just might be the right choice for you.  For music enthusiasts, the BookSense XT is the only player designed for the blind that is compatible with the Apple iTunes software.  Users can easily download audio or video contents from the ITunes store and synchronize the contents in the   iTunes library from the computer with the BookSense.  This pocket-size player is also an ideal product for the users who want to take advantage of the vast amount of music available from the iTunes store, but who prefer not to use the iPod.  Audible users will also appreciate the Book sense's ability to play the Audible enhanced format which has a higher audio fidelity than audible format 4.  The BookSense XT has an integrated FM radio; this feature may be important to you if you are stranded at the airports while traveling for the holiday and prefer to listen to the radio rather than paying a fee to use the airport's Wi-Fi services to access the internet.

NLS users can use the BookSenseXT to play the downloaded digital books from the service of their choice; RFB&D support will be available soon.  The BookSense XT is a DAISY player with internal speech synthesizer. It is compatible with both full DAISY and text-only DAISY.  One can also use the BookSense XT to read Microsoft Office 2003 files or Microsoft Office 2007 files.  The BookSense XT is compatible with other file types such as HTML, Braille formatted BRF, and txt files.

The BookSense XT comes with 8 GB internal flash memory and SD card slot.  Users can always add more memory utilizing a larger capacity SD card.  This nifty product is also Bluetooth enabled, so you can go ahead and get a Bluetooth headphone and you may never have to untangle your headphone cord again. 

Anne Taylor

These days, the gift of Netflix is becoming more and more popular. The online service makes it easy for users to receive their beloved series and movies on DVD by mail, and uses a rating system to make recommendation for future viewing based on how you liked previous movies and series. You can give gift subscriptions (http://www.netflix.com/GiftPurchase) for one to three DVDs a month for up to twelve months. So should you give a subscription to a screenreading friend? Well, maybe. The sign-up process for Netflix is accessible, as is adding movies to your queue and rating movies. The basic service – selecting and receiving DVDs – is entirely usable then; but there is a catch.  Instant viewing of movies, a free service which Netflix provides to its subscribers for a limited number of movies and TV shows, is not available to any but the most wily, persistent and tech-savvy of screen access software users. Individual episodes of instant watch series are yet harder to get.

In short, before you go ahead and get a gift subscription to put under the tree, you may want to check two things:

-          Is your loved one patient enough to wait for one-day shipping?

-          Are the series and movies he/she loves available on DVD, in instant watch, or in Blu-Ray - that is to say, in their desired format?

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then well, you have a good gift idea.

Tony Olivero and Clara Van Gerven

The iBill from Orbit Research is an exciting advancement in currency recognition technology. This truly pocketsized paper money identifier is barely wider than the short end of US paper bill.

Inserting a bill into the reader and pressing one of the two identical buttons on either end of the device yields a clear voice identifying the denomination. The user also may toggle between spoken, tone, and tactile prompts to control what those around them hear. The vibro-tactile feedback also makes this device an ideal choice for def-blind users.

The iBill retails for just under $100.

Tony Olivero