AppleVis Podcast

In this podcast, Alex Hall shows us how to use the emoji keyboard on Mac OS X. Perhaps more commonly known as emoticons, emoji are the small images or icons used to express an idea or emotion in emails, text messages and other text documents.

In this podcast, David Woodbridge gives us an in-depth demonstration of the RiVO, a keyboard-like device for iOS VoiceOver users. The name RiVO stands for Remote interface to VoiceOver. The unit is about the size of a credit card, making it highly portable. There are 12 keys in the middle, just like a telephone keypad. 4 additional keys are located on the left and on the right, respectively. These allow you to type and edit text and to interact with and control apps. RiVO is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. More information can be found on the manufacturer’s website: www.mobience.com/rivo

In this podcast, Magic gives us a quick demonstration of Burst Mode, a feature available on the iPhone 5s which will take photos at up to 10 frames per second and can offer you the best chance of capturing the perfect shot. To use Burst Mode, you launch the Camera app and ensure that you're using either the Photo or the Square setting. Next, frame your shot and then tap and hold on either the shutter release button on the screen or the volume-up key on your iPhone. All of the photos taken in a single burst are grouped together on your camera roll. Along with a little bit of help from iOS, this makes it easier to decide which are the best photos to keep and to quickly discard the rest.

The recently released update to the Facebook app for iOS has made a few changes to the interface. One result is that locating the feed of your most recent items may not be as immediately intuitive to VoiceOver users. In this short podcast, Geovanni shows how to locate and access this feed.

In this podcast, Yngve Stiansen takes a quick look at some of the new features introduced in version 2.0 of BlindSquare. BlindSquare is a GPS app developed specifically for blind and low vision users. When you start the app, it will start telling you the interesting places and street crossings around you. By changing the radius, you can limit or expand the area you are interested in. You can also search by search term or by category. You can select an interesting place from the search results and perform the following tasks: Get contact info (address, phone number)  Open twitter feed or restaurant menu (if provided) Make a phone call Start tracking the place (BlindSquare will assist you by repeating the distance and the clock face direction) Start your favourite navigator for turn-by-turn instructions (TomTom, 9 or Apple Maps) BlindSquare is aware of when you travel by car, bus or train and starts to report interesting places in front of you (for example, the next stops) and street crossings when you are passing them. Among the changes in this latest update are quicker access to GPS accuracy, travelling speed and the compass; the ability to use the remote buttons on your headset to access the app; sharing of your location; weather information; and saving of data to you device so that you don’t require internet access the next time that you are in the same location. BlindSquare is available from the iTunes App Store for $29.99.

In this podcast, Antonio Guimaraes gives us a quick demonstration of Perkinput, a new app which enables you to enter text on your iOS device without using a keyboard.    Perkinput is based on the Braille keyboard, where you simultaneously press down with the fingers that correspond to the dots for the letter you want to enter. Unlike the Braille keyboard, however, you enter text with just one hand. You tap the screen twice to enter one letter instead of pressing down with two hands at once. After you enter something in the Perkinput app, you can send that text in an email, a text message, or simply copy the text and paste it in any other application.   Perkinput is a free download from the iTunes App Store.

In this podcast, Wildman Joe talks about, and demonstrates the trim audio feature in the latest version of the Audioboo iOS app.   If you are unfamiliar with Audioboo, it allows you to record and share audio clips. These can be posted to the Audioboo website or shared through other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.   The Audioboo app is a free download from the iTunes App Store. Their free service allows you to record audio clips up to 10 minutes in duration.

In this podcast, Ken Downey gives us a demonstration of Crossfader, an iOS app that lets you create instant mashups by simply tilting and turning your device to mix songs.   To DJ, tilt your device back and forth to fade between songs, up and down for effects. Swipe a song up or down to play a different song.   Crossfader is a free download from the iTunes App Store.

In this podcast, Ben Bloomgren gives us a demonstration of iCricket, an iOS app that provides fans of international cricket with news, scores, schedules, player info and more.   As Ben demonstrates, the app is not without some significant issues in regard to VoiceOver support. However, enough of the app is accessible to make it worth checking out if you are interested in cricket. You should also follow Ben’s lead by contacting the developer and asking that they improve VoiceOver support.   An ad-supported version of iCricket - most popular Cricket app is available for free from the iTunes App Store.   A paid version of the app is available for 99 cents.

In this short podcast, Blinky321 gives us a demonstration of how to access audio description when playing a DVD that offers this feature. A text guide (along with some discussion) on how to do this can be found on the AppleVis website at: www.applevis.com/guides/voiceover/how-access-audio-described-movies-your-apple-computer

In this podcast, Isreal Cazares is clearly enjoying himself as he gives us a demonstration of the official World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) iOS app.   This app has recently been updated and now includes a new subscription streaming network that offers both a live channel with programming airing throughout the day, as well as on-demand content that users can access anytime they like. The subscription includes over 1,000 hours of on-demand content, including every Pay-Per-View ever aired by the WWE, as well as those held by defunct rival promotions World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling.   The app also offers news and information from World Wrestling Entertainment.   The WWE app is a free download from the iTunes App Store. The WWE Network costs $9.99 per month and subscriptions are available in six-month blocks.

In this podcast, Earle Zwicker gives us a detailed walk-through and demonstration of Melt - Voice Your Important Thoughts for iOS.   Melt is a social network that enables its users to share their thoughts in voice. Being able to hear things like tones and inflections adds a completely different dimension compared to text-based social networks.   You can share with Melt followers as well as Facebook and Twitter.   Melt - Voice Your Important Thoughts is a free download from the iTunes App Store.

In this introductory podcast for new and novice users, Joseph King walks us through the process of adding and editing contacts on iOS.

In this podcast, Crayton gives us a demonstration of App Cleaner 3 for Mac OS X.

In this podcast, Scott Howell and Keith Watson sit down to talk about the popular Mac application, Keyboard Maestro. Scott and Keith discuss the giant steps taken by the developer to make the latest version more accessible with VoiceOver, what Keyboard Maestro does, and how you can use it to automate tasks on your Mac. There’s no easy way to describe Keyboard Maestro, but essentially it allows you to take existing applications, menus, keyboard shortcuts and scripts, and mix these together using triggers and actions to achieve something that streamlines and optimizes your workflow. This might be as simple as starting an application at a certain time or in response to another event, or more complex automated tasks, such as automatically detecting when you plug in a scanner, launching your scanning utility, scanning and saving the document, quitting the scanning utility, and then opening another application to read the scanned document. More information on Keyboard Maestro can be found on the developer’s website at: www.keyboardmaestro.com The code APPLEVIS will currently save you 20% on the purchase price of this application, which you can buy from the developer’s website