Blind Bargains Audio: Featuring the BB Qast, Technology news, Interviews, and more

The Easter Bunny may have taken all his candy with him last weekend. However, he did leave behind some gems in all that fake grass that seems to never come out of the carpet no matter how many times you roll a vacuum over the blasted stuff. J.J. continues his typing lessons with David Pinto, Joe compares prices with his fave kitchen scanning device and we have Steven Clower on hand for a mac related tip. All of that plus the "Sound Off" and "Last Word" in one more episode that moves us ever closer to the triple digit mark.

Rest your fingers on that home row, and get ready for another Blind Bargains Qast with variety. David Pinto of YesAccessible joins J.J. for part 1 of a demo of TypeAbility, a typing tutor program for the PC. We also demo the NutriBullet blender, include a Windows 10 cleanup tip, and talk music and smartthings in our last word.

This week, we got a bit of something for everyone. John Taylor from Irie-AT demonstrates the new Index FanFold-D V5 braille embosser. Listener Aaron Spears demonstrates a Bluetooth bathroom scale, and we have just a bit of feedback from last week's podcast. All of that and a bit of technology and legos in last word for podcast 95.

J.J., Joe and Patrick are back in the studio to talk news post CSUN. And there tends to be a bit of a theme this go around as we talk about stories with numeric values. TalkBack 5.2, WCAG 2.1 and that brand new Apple File System in the iOS 10.3 update take center stage this week. We also have a tip and a quick look at "Sound Off". This episode is shorter than usual, however, you may find it memorable just the same.

Blind Bargains Qast 93: The 2017 #CSUNATC17 Wrap-up Show; Promises Promises

The GoVision Transportable Video Magnifier from Hims has received some updates in recent months in both hardware and software. It's now available in 19 and 24-inch models and can be paired with a secondary full-page OCR camera. A recent firmware update supports .PDF among other features. Listen in as Paul Stevenson from Hims gives a tour of the current version of the GoVision and answers questions from session attendees. You can learn more from the Hims GoVision page.

Automated accessibility checking is a common tool used to help website owners make their sites more usable for disabled users, and now this same idea is available in the Google Suite of products. Shelly speaks with Jeff Mills, one of the cofounders of Grackle Docs, to learn about this add-on that can be installed into Google Docs to check for common accessibility errors. The company has several free and paid tools which integrate with a variety of Google services.

The Actilino is a new 16-cell braille display which features HandyTech's signature Active Tactile Control which will scroll text based on the position of your fingers. It also includes basic notetaking functions, a microphone, and Bluetooth speaker and can be paired with up to 3 devices at once. TO learn more, Chancey speaks with Earle Harrison, President of Triumph Technology and Sigi Kipke, CEO and Owner of HandyTech who both talk about the display and the future of braille technology.

The eSight 3 is a set of electronic glasses that can help to improve vision for those with some sight, especially for those with central vision loss. The new version is faster, lighter, and priced lower than the previous model at $9,995. Shelly speaks with Patrick Wallace, Vice President of Business Development for eSight, who talks about the latest advancements in eyeware from the company and how they may help low vision users.

The BrailleSense Polaris received a lot of attention at the CSUN conference including at a session from Hims on Friday morning. In this CSUN session podcast, Dave Wilkinson, Damian Pickering, and Matthew Gonzalez talk more about the device and answer audience questions.

The KNFB Reader for Windows was officially anounced at CSUN, bringing a low-cost OCR solution to the PC market. Although the $19.95 initial price is no longer available, the Windows 10 app still clocks in at under $100. Listen to the unveiling from the Microsoft Suite at the conference with KNFB's James Gashel and Joel Zimba and Microsoft's Jenny Lay-Flurrie.

The Acuity is a 22-inch touch screen desktop video magnifier with multi-touch technology which acts as a plug-and-play magnification and OCR solution. Shelly speaks with Seamus Doyle, President of Irish company Rehan Electronics to learn more about this product which is now being distributed in the U.S. by Irie-AT.

Crowd assistance platform Aira is expanding and now opening up its app to a new round of users which they call pioneers. J.J. is joined by Aira CEO Suman Kanuganti to talk about the latest developments with the service including a new more affordable pricing level and app integrations including Uber.

The Tap Strap Wearable Keyboard is a unique way to type with one hand, allowing you to input text into your phone using virtually any surface. Kyra Sweeney from Tap Systems joins guest interviewer Buddy Brannan to explain how this system works and can potentially be faster than touch typing using VoiceOver.

TriSight specializes in magnification and OCR products and introduced two such devices at CSUN. The Mercury 12 is a WIndows-based tablet with magnification and full-page optical character recognition while the Patriot Voice Plus is a stand-alone reading machine which also accepts voice input. In this podcast, Shelly speaks with Umang Dua, the President of TrySight to learn about these products.