AppleVis Podcast

In this podcast, Alex Hall demonstrates how in OS X Yosemite you can now use your nearby iPhone to make and receive calls directly from your Mac. Both devices will need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and iCloud account. The iPhone must be running iOS 8 or above and your Mac must have native Bluetooth 4.0 LE (which is most newer models).

In this podcast, Alex Hall demonstrates one of the new VoiceOver features in Mac OS X Yosemite: the ability to navigate web content simply by using the arrow keys. While Alex demonstrates this feature in Safari, it has also been reported that arrow key navigation works in the conversation history in Messages and possibly other apps as well.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a quick look at using a Bluetooth enabled Mountbatten Brailler LS with its companion iOS app, MBMimic. Using this app, you can: chat with a Mountbatten Brailler user using their own iOS device retrieve files from Mountbatten Brailler memory emboss files using the Mountbatten Brailler upload files to the Mountbatten Brailler Note that you will need to have the Mountbatten Bluetooth Extension Module.

In this podcast, Lulu Keel gives us a demonstration of the light-hearted mainstream iOS game CataGugl. This game is played without the use of VoiceOver, here you can learn how, be introduced to the addictive fun of trying to keep your cute, squishy green CataGugl in the air for as long as possible, increasing your high score and even topping the leader board of your Game Center friends. CataGugl is a 99 cents download from the iTunes App Store.

If you’re using iOS 8, it’s likely that you have encountered a problem with navigating web pages in Safari. When using either the back button or scrub gesture to return to the previous page, VoiceOver focus gets stuck on the element that it returns to and you are unable to navigate the page by swiping. Suggested workarounds have included closing Safari via the App Switcher, restarting your device or reloading the web page. In this short podcast, Marco demonstrates the problem and shows us that another workaround is to simply locate the address with by touch. This should ‘unstick’ VoiceOver and allow you to swipe through the page as normal.

In this podcast, Victor Tsaran gives us a demonstration of the "Social Links" feature in the Safari browser for iOS. First introduced in iOS 7, this tab in the Bookmarks section of the Safari browser gained an updated interface in iOS 8, which should make it easier to access and browse the links shared by your friends on social networks.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a look at the new iPhone 6 Plus. After telling us what we will find in the box, David gives us a physical description of the phone and then comments on its initial setup. He concludes with a look at some features and options designed to make the larger display sizes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus easier to use. These include having the Dock on the side of the screen when in landscape mode; an iPad style display of Settings; a Display View option where you can choose between Standard and Zoomed; and Reachability, which makes the phones easier to use with one hand.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a demonstration of some of the ‘Continuity’ features introduced in iOS 8. There are 4 main components of Continuity in iOS 8 - Handoff, Phone Calls, Messaging, and Instant Hotspot - which you can take advantage of on devices that share a common Apple ID. For the time being, this is limited to devices running iOS 8. However, this feature will also be supported on Mac OS X Yosemite when it is released. David demonstrates Handoff with Mail and Safari, and then shows how Continuity enables him to make and receive phone calls on his iPad Mini.

In this podcast, Janine gives us a walk-through and demonstration of Call Recorder, a Mac application that records Skype audio and video calls directly to your Mac. The application can be set to record automatically, or you can use the record and stop buttons. A trial version of Call Recorder is available to download from the developer’s website. The full version currently costs $29.95.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us a demonstration of “Reachability”, a one-handed mode for the new larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus displays. This new feature allows users to double tap the Home button to shift the entire UI down to the lower half go the screen and thus bring elements previously at the top of the display to within thumb’s reach.

In this podcast, Michael Hansen gives us a walk-through and demonstration of KNFBReader, an app which allows blind or print-disabled users accurate and efficient access to printed text. Some of KNFBReader's features include: Fast, accurate, and efficient mobile text recognition that delivers near instantaneous results.  Reading modes for books, articles and labels, bills and memos.  Synchronized text highlighting with high quality speech and Braille output.  Field of view report to assist with aligning the camera relative to the document.  Tilt guidance feature to assist with capturing the perfect picture of a document.  Automatic text detection to enable hands-free operation.  Ability to import, OCR, and read image-based pdf and jpg files Export txt and html formatted text files to cloud storage services including Dropbox and Google Drive. Batch scan mode to process and read multiple pages.  Recognize and read text in multiple languages; please visit our website for details. Additional features including language translation, text editing, and more coming soon. KNFBReader is currently a $99 download in the App Store.

In this podcast, Michael Hansen introduces us to Alex, the new TTS voice available on selected devices running iOS 8. After running through which devices are supported, Michael shows us how to download and enable the Alex voice; and then concludes with a demonstration of Alex in operation.

In this podcast, Alex Hall introduces us to Braille Screen Input, a new feature found in iOS 8 which Alex says could well be his favorite addition to this version of iOS. A text version of this guide is also available. Like 3rd party apps such as MBraille, this new input mode allows you to use Braille directly on the touchscreen of your iOS device. However, unlike those apps, this is a native feature, making it accessible right across iOS; use it to type braille anywhere you would normally use the on-screen keyboard, from your passcode to an email to a Spotlight search to, well, any text field you can think of. Alex tells us how to enable and access Braille Screen input, and then demonstrates it in action.

In this podcast, Scott Davert gives us a look at what users of Braille Displays can expect from iOS 8. This include an exploration and explanation of some new and changed settings; keyboard commands; and a head-to-head comparison between text input on iOS 8 and iOS 7.

In this podcast, AnonyMouse gives us a run-through of some of the new and changed accessibility features that you will find in iOS 8. These include: Apple Maps Tracking Call Audio Routing Rotor Options (Audio Ducking/Braille Screen Input) Braille Screen Input Speak Screen Video Description The Alex TTS Voice Zoom Gray Scale