AppleVis Podcast

In this podcast, David Griffith gives us a demonstration of using the OS X Spotlight to search for files by name or text contained in them. He then demonstrates how to create a Smart Folder based upon the search which will automatically list all files which meet your search criteria. The folder will react dynamically as files are deleted or new ones created.

In this podcast, Shelly Brisbin introduces us to Speak Screen, a new feature introduced in iOS 8 that could be of particular benefit to low vision users. If you are a low vision user who doesn’t rely solely on VoiceOver, there may still be times when having your iOS device read to you will be useful. Shelly shows us how to do just that. Speak Screen is demonstrated with different types of Web content, as well as Apple and third-party apps. Shelly also explains how Speak Screen differs from VoiceOver, and how you can control it, as it speaks.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge demonstrates just how accessible and easy to use the Apple TV is for blind users. After first showing us how to find and configure the accessibility options, David launches a movie to demonstrate how easy it is during playback to skip ahead or back or to go direct to a chapter in the movie. As he also demonstrates, it’s equally easy to change the soundtrack language, enable or disable subtitles or have the audio play through an alternative AirPlay device.

In this podcast, AnonyMouse gives us a quick look at Say Play - Voice search songs. With this new iOS app, you simply have to speak the name of a song and you should hear it playing within a few seconds. Although it’s not stated where the app pulls the music from, it appears to be YouTube. So, as AnonyMouse stresses, you should bear this in mind before letting this app loose with your cellular data! Say Play - Voice search songs is a 99 cents download from the iTunes App Store.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a description of the Beats Studio Wireless Over-Ear Headphones. These headphones are available for $379.95 direct from Apple, but can usually be sourced for a little less elsewhere (for example, they are currently $341.95 at amazon.com). Here is a short description of these Headphones taken from the Apple website:The new Beats Studio wireless Bluetooth headphones are perfect for silencing your critics, wherever you are. They’re wireless with Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC), a rechargeable battery, and re-engineered sound. The Bluetooth stays connected up to 30 feet so you can roam freely, keep the music going, take calls, skip songs, and change the volume right from the headphones. Hear what you want, when you want.

In this podcast, AnonyMouse gives us a walk-through and demonstration of Dark Sky - Weather Radar, Hyperlocal Forecasts, and Storm Alerts. As its name indicates, this is a hyperlocal app, meaning that it uses your phone’s GPS to give you your specific forecast rather than the forecast for your zip code or town. However, the nicest feature of this app is probably it’s ability to send you an alert shortly before rain or snow starts at your current location. You can change the notification threshold to: any rain, light rain, moderate rain or heavy rain only. The recent addition of a Notification Center Widget has made it even easier to check to see if there is likely to be rain in the next hour. Dark Sky - Weather Radar, Hyperlocal Forecasts, and Storm Alerts is a $3.99 download from the iTunes App Store.

In this podcast, Thom Spittle shares some tips to help users of Jaws 16 navigate the changed interface of iTunes in version 12.

Version 12 of iTunes was recently launched and featured some significant interface changes. In this podcast, David Woodbridge shows us how you now access and manage a connected iOS device.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge shows us how to how to switch to using your Apple ID as your login on your Mac. One potential benefit of doing so is that it can give you one less password to remember.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge shows us how to enable SMS Relay on OS X Yosemite. SMS Relay is one of the new continuity features in OS X Yosemite, and allows you to send and receive SMS and MMS text messages on your Mac to/from people who aren’t using iMessage. Note that you will need to be running iOS 8.1 on your iPhone to use this feature.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a quick look at navigating and using the iCloud Drive folder on OS X Yosemite.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge shows us how to send voice messages on OS X Yosemite using the native Message application.

In this podcast, Steve Sawczyn discusses the new Direct Touch Typing input mode introduced in iOS 8 and shows how it works with VoiceOver.

In this podcast, AnonyMouse walks us through the process of setting up your iPhone for use with Apple Pay, the recently launched mobile payment and digital wallet service by Apple that lets you make payments using your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Note: at the time of posting, this service is only available to US users.

In this podcast, Victor Tsaran demonstrates how the Prizmo OCR app now takes advantage of functionality introduced in iOS 8 to enable you to perform character recognition directly from within the Photos app or Camera app. In his demonstration, Victor shows how this can be used with a screenshot captured on his iPhone. In this case, it’s a screenshot of a web page which VoiceOver doesn’t read very well. You might also find this a useful technique for determining exactly what text an app is displaying if VoiceOver won’t read it. Please let us know in the comments if you find any other good uses for this functionality. Prizmo - Scanning, OCR, and Speech is a $9.99 download from the iTunes App Store.