Blind Mind News - Unrestricted Access

Blog: MMmm, I hardly taste the poison in the Apple-flavored Kool-Aid! Confessions of a Nokia Fan-Boy...

2011-04-26T00:47:35Z

by Ted MC from BlindMind.net

Well, ok maybe I can taste just a tiny bit of poison....I think they call it iTunes. But it gets rather lost in the vast amount of useful, and yes accessible, goodness.

I am talking about having taken the plunge and chosen an iPhone 4 to replace my Nokia N97 which was 18 months into its 24 month contract, and the provider was willing to waive the remainder of the contract in order to re-commit me for another 24 months. I did waver and ponder for quite a while, tossing up the Nokia E7, a Symbian 3 device similar in look and feel to my N97. Same horizontal slide-out keyboard. But unfortunately, same thickness and even a bit heavier than the N97, which I always thought of as a brick.

So what in the world would possess me, a long-time Nokia fan-boy, and Apple Resistance League chairman, to suddenly switch teams? To jump the proverbial fence? I think we'll stick with the 'jumping the fence' analogy...I don't like the mental image of "team switching" if it's all the same to you all!

Well, for very practical reasons, I think. Here's a random non-prioritized list of what was going on in my head as I tried to decide which road to take:

1. No less accessible than Nokia S60.

2. Much better touch screen implementation than Nokia.

3. Really like having the horizontal slide-out QWERTY on Nokia...could get an E7?

4. S60 has an end-of-life date of less than two years...is anyone really still making much in the way of apps for them?

5. How much real development is going to go on by Nuance to continue developing Talks & Zooms? Won't it really just be bug-fixes and new handset-specific fixes from here on out while they ponder their future? (This question might be less provocative if Nuance would actually say something substantive about its future...)

6. Nokia still has clearly superior hardware as I got to test in realtime pitting my N97 against both an iPhone 4 and an Android OS Galaxy Tab trying to pick up a far away WIFI signal. The iPhone 4 barely saw it and seemed to waver back and forth...the Galaxy Tab could see it but couldn't really get a connection. Meanwhile, I was already finished connecting and updating/downloading the 17 or 18 podcasts my phone was subscribed to. Thanks Nokia!

7. I really like the implementation of oiceOver, but will I miss the power of things like app-specific settings in Talks, or the choice of voices?

8. Will Talks make a comeback if and when Microsoft supposedly will enable accessibility in future releases of its Windows Phone OS? Have they been honest in past when paying lip service to accessibility in its PC platform, then not really delivering?

9. What's my best available choice for a fully accessible device for the next 2 years of my life?

10. What about all the apps and accessibility software I like to use on my phone? You mean I can read PDF's on the iPhone? And the store is accessible? And things like OCR, which cost about $600 to do on a Nokia cost about $6 on an iPhone????

11. Things like the Audible app are accessible on iPhone? Ok, I'm getting close here...

12. Local useful apps such as not only booking a taxi with a press of a button, but then seeing how far away it is using the GPS in the taxi is only available on iPhone? And my local public transport schedule? And being able to program my cable TV box right from my phone? Really? I can only do those things on an iPhone? Is it really likely that any of those things, with what we know today about Nokia's future, will still come out for S60? What's the address of my mobile phone provider retail shop again?

And so the conversation in my head went. Even more surprisingly, the voice I heard all those things spoken in was "Karen"! Yes, that was another good thing about jumping the fence....I was already using Karen on my N97.

Please, I hope no one takes any of this as a suggestion for what is right and correct for anyone else. I think it's great that there are multiple options available. I have a very good friend who just re-upped with Nokia and got the E7, and he seems both happy and mostly sane, so I have to take his word for it that it is a perfectly acceptable, viable alternative to the pure bliss and joy that is Apple marketing. <grin>

'Nuff said.

News: Iris, the new digital station from Vision Australia Radio

2011-04-13T00:36:00Z

from Vision Australia News
10 Apr 2011

The launch of Iris, the new digital station from Vision Australia Radio will take place at 11am on Thursday 14th April at Federation Square.

Iris will be launched alongside other new community digital radio services: 3RR, 3CR, 3KND, 3MBS, PBS, 3ZZZ, 89.9 LightFm and SYN. The Melbourne launch of community digital radio will take place in the Atrium at Fed Square, and be hosted by Brian Nankervis with Mayor Robert Doyle launching the stations.

This historic event will feature a short simulcast on all nine new digital services before The Morning Paper Round's Robyn Winslow and Stella Glorie (from TV Today fame) begins the first official digital broadcast, available on Vision Australia Radio (1179am) and via Digital DAB+ Radios on Iris Digital.

Blog: Everyone in pole position for "In The Driver's Seat"

2011-04-12T00:49:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net

Burning rubber, squealing tires, the smell of petrol, cheering fans, and general excitement abounded as the annual "In The Driver's Seat" day was held at world-famous Sandown Racecourse last weekend.

Sponsored by the Lion's Club, "In The Driver's Seat" has been going for years, and offers blind and visually impaired persons to drive grunty cars on one of the better known racing tracks we have here in Australia.

I was fortunate enough to be able to participate this year, and drove a 2.4 liter Mitsubishi Lancer for about 8 laps around the track. The cars are tandem driving instructor cars, with pedals on both sides in the front, and the instructor keeping one hand on the wheel in case anything goes wrong. At a top speed of about 110km per hour on the straight aways, it was a great day, reminiscent of the days when I did drive as a much younger man.

Hats off to the great people at the Lions Club for putting on this annual event. Other highlights of the day were old car clubs, and motorcycle clubs showing off their fancy vehicles and offering rides to people. Included in this post are several of the pictures my wife took from the back seat, and I'll post a video soon when I take it off the phone it was recorded on.

News: Media Access Australia launches new accessible website

2011-04-11T02:13:00Z

press release by Media Access Australia

Media Access Australia launches new accessible website

Australia’s only independent not-for-profit media access organisation, Media Access Australia, has launched its new accessible website, merging their sites mediaaccess.org.au and audiodescription.com.au. The site, designed by Doppio Design and built by OPC IT, showcases innovative design and the latest web technologies while meeting international standards for web accessibility.

The website is a key source of news on media access developments and practical information and resources on access to media, particularly for people who are blind, vision impaired, Deaf and hearing impaired. The site focuses on access to television, DVDs, digital technology, online media, cinema and the arts and access in the classroom.

CEO of Media Access Australia, Alex Varley said, “Media Access Australia’s core business is about accessibility. We are out there talking to the community, to business and government about the need for accessible websites and our new site shows it can be achieved. Many people won’t see the accessibility features and that is the point. They are there for the people that need them and you don’t need to put a big label highlighting an accessibility feature, it is part and parcel of standard website design which includes everybody.”

Accessibility has been at the forefront of the new website’s design, development and testing. The site has been built to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level ‘AA’ using Drupal content management system. In addition to its development by experienced developers of accessible websites, the site has undergone automatic as well as real world testing for accessibility.

Media Access Australia’s New Media Manager, Sarah Pulis said, “We didn't compromise any of the website's functionality to meet the ‘AA’ guidelines. A common myth is that an accessible website must be a boring website, a myth that desperately needs debunking. For instance, we wanted a rotating feature on our homepage. We worked with both our designers and developers to ensure the feature met WCAG 2.0 ‘AA’ guidelines and also tested it with users.”

Our brand research showed confusion over the ‘New media’ section. You will now find this content and much more in two new sections, ‘Digital technology’ and ‘Online media’. Digital technology contains information on accessible mainstream devices and technologies that make your computer accessible, for example, software and assistive technology devices.

The Online Media section focuses on the internet itself. Here you’ll find information on website accessibility and accessible media on the web, such as audio and video material (e.g. captioned videos on YouTube and movies on iTunes) and social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter).

Sign up to our new customisable news alert system for daily, weekly or monthly news alerts. You can choose which type of news items you would like to receive, whether relating to television, DVD, education, cinema and the arts, digital technology, online media or research and policy, or a combination of these. You can also choose whether you want to receive information relating to the blind and vision impaired or the Deaf and hearing impaired.

If you have any difficulty using the site, or would like to provide us with feedback please phone us on 02 9212 6242 or send us an email.

-ENDS-

For more information about Media Access Australia’s new website, please contact:

Katie Couani

Marketing Communications Coordinator

Media Access Australia

Email: Katie.couani@mediaaccess.org.au

Ph: 02 9212 6242

JB Wired Video Magnifier continues to be huge seller at Vision Australia Equipment Solutions shop

2011-03-25T03:10:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net

Everyone knows video magnifiers are great. We also know they're expensive, bordering on unaffordable to many, especially the elderly or pension-based.

About 6 months ago, Vision Ausstralia decided to take matters into their own hands to offer an affordable alternative, suitable for lower magnification requirements, or for people who just want to read short items, as opposed to reading a book.

Hence, the JB Wired Video Magnifier was born. Looking somewhat similar to the Max Mouse video magnifier from Enhanced Vision, the JB Wired looks like an oversized computer mouse with a camera and light underneath, and a cord with an AV plug on the end which plugs into any TV, as well as an AC power adapter.

Offering magnification from 2X up to 20X, it also supports several different colour schemes such as white on black, normal colour, yellow on blue, etc., and also has a freeze frame button to 'lock' the current image on the screen even if the magnifier is then moved. The same button is pressed again to go back to live video.

It plugs into any Tv with an AV input, and will soon also have a USB adapter available for it to be used with any computer as well.

And unlike the Enhanced Vision Max Mouse product, which has a cost similar to portable handheld video magnifier at nearly $600, the JB Wired sells for only $115.

You probably wouldn't read a book with it, but for reading small things like a letter, a bill, a prescription bottle, it works a treat, and is also quite portable.

The next version, due out in the next few months, is romooured to be a wireless version, which will hae a small base station that plugs into the TV, but then no cords or wires connecting it to the camera device.

Vision Australia are also having them make a portable handheld version similar to the Pebble or Ruby, which will retail for around $200 - $250, a big savings against other portables, the cheapest of which is $650.

See the JB Wired Video Magnifier in the VA Shop

BlindMind.net returns to Vision Australia Radio to review some audiobook thrillers

2011-03-25T02:44:26Z

on Vision Australia Radio's "Hear This!" program

Ted from BlindMind.net returns for another segment on Vision Australia Radio's "Hear This!" weekly program, discussing more recent audiobooks with Frances Keyland from VA's Talking Library Service.

Click the link below to hear the Podcast

Hear This, Season 3, Episode 3, 28 Jan 2011 (MP3, 10MB)

Podcast: BlindMind on Vision Australia Radio

2011-03-24T23:01:00Z

from Vision Australia Radio

Ted from BlindMind.net was interviewed on Vision Australia Radio's weekley library show in regards to the interviewing of some big name authors, and also talking books in general.

Follow the link below to hear the show!

Click the link below to hear the Podcast

Hear This, Season 2, Episode 50, 17 Dec 2010 (MP3, 10MB)

News: Blind Sports Victoria gala dinner and auction

2011-03-24T23:00:21Z

from Vision Australia News, 22 Mar 2011

Blind Sports Victoria (BSV) are hosting a Gala Dinner Auction on April 16 at the RACV Club, Melbourne.

BSV was established in 1977 and is a statewide body providing sporting and recreational opportunities to over 1000 blind and vision impaired people.

All funds raised at this function will directly support BSV, especially vision impaired tennis and vision impaired swimming.

In Australia, for people who are totally blind, tennis was only a dream not a reality. Just recently BSV has been conducting a modified game of tennis at the Melbourne Park Tennis Centre and whilst it is still in its early stages we need to meet the cost of hiring the indoor tennis courts, purchasing adaptive equipment, tennis balls, mini nets and tennis racquets. This is a unique program in Australia.

The aim of the swimming program is to give young blind and vision impaired people an opportunity to learn how to swim in an inclusive and supportive environment.

We have many wonderful items to be auctioned on the night in both the live and silent auctions including...

2 Tickets to the Men's Final of the 2012 Australia Open
Colours' of unbeaten champion racehorse 'Caviar' signed by jockey Luke Nolen and owner Peter Moody
'Sunday at The Stables'- see the equine stars of the Gai Waterhouse Stables and meet with Gai Waterhouse. This is truly an experience money cannot buy as a visit to Gai's Stables are not open to the public.
7 nights accommodation in your choice of Australia or New Zealand at a Timeshare Resort
Accommodation packages at 'Four Points by Sheraton, Geelong' and 'Blue Willows Bed and Breakfast'
Tug Boat ride for two in the Port of Melbourne
Entertainment packs eg. Eureka Skydeck family pass; Luna Park family pass
Many, many great hampers
Electronic items including printer, scanner, laminator etc.

Please contact Susan Marshall on 9822 8876 or Maurice Gleeson on 0407 365 962 if you require any further information.

News: Trials set to start soon for accessible set top boxes in Australia

2011-03-24T22:21:00Z

by BlindMind.net, 25 Mar 2011

Accessible set top boxes are coming to Australia in the coming months. Two manufacturer's hardware devices are currently being tested, with public trials set to begin in April.

The set top boxes have in-built TTS with adjustable speed and speaking volume, and allow access to all the set top box's features.

In Australia, anyone with a Centrelink card will have a box provided to them by the government at no charge when they are released, which should hopefully be around June or July of this year.

Podcast: Interview - Author Lee Child talks about everything in this extended 55-min interview!

2010-11-02T08:04:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 02 NOV 2010

Lee Child shows why he's the classiest author in the business. We talk about
everything you can imagine starting from his early days and what it was like to get published and how book contracts work, to the 'branding' of a continuing character, to becoming a franchise with the growing success of his books in this very frank yet fascinating 55-minute interview.

Lee discusses the choices he makes as an author, and how involved he likes to get. He also tells us about his writing rituals, his philosophy about writing, and even whether or not author Lincoln Child is his brother!

He talks about Dick Hill's work as the narrator of his 15 Jack Reacher novels, how long he'll keep writing new ones, and whether or not he'll be writing characters other than Jack Reacher.

Lastly, he also talks about the way "61 Hours" was left at the end and why, as well as what that has to do with his new book "Worth Dying For".

Listen to the Podcast and enter to win our giveaway of Lee Child audiobooks! Two lucky winners will receive a set of 2 unabridged audiobooks, "61 Hours" & "Worth Dying For", and another will receive an abridged copy of "Worth Dying For". Enter now! Listen to the interview to find out how.

Play or download the Podcast by using the links provided below

Podcast: Interview - Michael Connelly turns the tables on Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller in "The Reversal"

2010-10-19T05:41:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 19 Oct 2010

For this Podcast, we're joined by International Best-Selling Author Michael Connelly!

He talks in-depth about his writing process, the business side of books, how he went about getting representation when he first started, and "how things work" in dealing with a publisher. He tells us how involved he gets in the making of his books, too.

Michael also talks extensively about the characters Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller who have come together in his 22nd novel "The Reversal" to work side-by-side on the re-prosecution of a brutal child murder that's now 20 years past. We get the low-down on the movie being made of "The Lincoln Lawyer", and Michael tells us whethe ror not where'll be more movies in Mickey Haller's future, as well as whether plans are being made for Harry Bosch to appear in films.

We talk about audiobooks and narrators, the changing face of media, and specifically the decline of print media and how it's evolving in this very interesting conversation. The interview goes for just over 50 minutes, and Mr. Connelly was very generous to answer some reader questions. There's also a giveaway at the end of the podcast! Don't miss out on your chance to win Michael Connelly audiobooks!

Play or download the Podcast by using the links below

Podcast: Vision Australia TEXPO 2010 Show Notes with links and phone numbers

2010-09-21T08:37:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 21 Sep 2010

Please find below a complete list of the vendors who attended this year's TEXPO in Melbourne at Vision Australia's Kooyong (Melbourne) office. Where possible, web addresses and phone numbers have been provided.

Texpo and Open Day 2010 Exhibitor information

Australian Independence Products
Australian made blindness and low vision products including the Colourama video magnifier.
www.micromarvellous.com.au
Phone: 03 9946 5459

Australian Paralympic Committee
www.paralympic.org.au

Blind Citizens Australia
www.bca.org.au
Phone: 1800 033 660

Blind Sports Australia
www.blindsports.com.au

European Eyewear - magnifiers and low vision aids.
Phone: 1800 818 221

Humanware
Supplier of adaptive technologies including Smartview video magnifiers, BrailleNote, Victor Stream.
www.humanware.com
Phone: NSW: 02 9686 2601; VIC: 03 9686 2600

National Disability Coordination Officer Program
www.deewr.gov.au/ndco
Phone: 133 873

NV Access
Developers of the free screen reader: NVDA.
www.nvda-project.org

Oricom International – large button phones
www.oricom.com.au
Phone: 1300 889 785

Pacific Vision
Supplier of technologies like the KNFB Mobile Reader and Freedom Scientific low vision products.
www.lowvision.com.au
Phone: 1800 859 594

Plextor DAISY Products, Japan
Manufacturers of the Plextalk PTX1 and Plextalk Pocket PTP1 DAISY players
www.plextalk.com

Perkins Products, United States
Perkins Products at Perkins School for the Blind manufactures the Perkins Brailler®, the most widely used brailler in the world. We recently introduced the Next GenerationTM Perkins Brailler – “less force, less weight, less noise… more possibilities.” Our Adaptive Technology division offers products for individuals with visual impairment including the new Seika Refreshable Braille Display. Contact us at:
perkinsproducts@perkins.org     +1 617 972 7308
www.perkins.org

Point of Care Diagnostics
Point of Care Diagnostics offers products to assist with the management of diabetes. The SensoCard Plus Talking Blood Glucose Monitor is accurate, easy to use, fast, discrete and requires a tiny blood sample. The SensoCard Plus instruction manual is available on audio CD, mp3, large print and in a Word Document for screen reader software. This means that people have more access to information than ever before to perform a blood glucose test independently. SensoCard Test Strips are listed on the NDSS code PC05. Contact us at Point of Care Diagnostics on 1800 640 075 or at www.pocd.com.au
Quantum Technology
Supplier of the Mountbatten Brailler, Clearview video magnifiers and Freedom Scientific blindness products including JAWS.
www.quantumtechnology.com.au
Ph: NSW: 02 8844 9888; Vic: 03 9545 4100; Qld: 07 3831 4894

Redbank Instruments
Distributors of Schweizer and other magnification products
Phone: 02 4677 0799

Riada Simply Listen and Play
A non-traditional method of learning to play a musical instrument for pleasure. Created and performed by Chris Shillabeer.
The series of Riada® ‘Simply Listen and Play’ Audio CD’s are tutorials of music lessons without reading sheet music, recorded on keyboard and consist of well known traditional favourites. Each CD contains at least 10 music lessons which can be studied in your own home, allowing progress at your own pace. This unique method of learning music was originally created for blind and vision impaired people of all ages giving them the opportunity to experience 'the joy of making music'.
Phone 08 8258 5231
Email: simplylistenandplay@bigpond.com
www.simplylistenandplay.com.au

Spectronics
Supplier of assistive technology products.
www.spectronicsinoz.com
Phone: 1800 999 718

Victorian Electoral Commission
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) conducts Victorian State elections, local council elections, certain statutory elections, and commercial and community elections. The next State election will be held on 27 November 2010. Blind and low vision electors will be able to cast a secret and independent vote during the early voting period (15 November – 26 November) using Electronically Assisted Voting or Braille ballot papers.
Phone: 03 9299 0520
Email: info@vec.vic.gov.au
Website: www.vec.vic.gov.au

Visitech Magnifiers
Supplier of Enhanced Vision video magnifiers. www.enhancedvision.com /> Phone: 0401 825 583

Visual Independence
Greetings from Visual Independence, the IDmate talking barcode scanner charity! At Vision Australia’s Texpo, we will be demonstrating the new model IDmate Summit. It is smaller, lighter and more powerful than its predecessor, the IDmate OMNI. The IDmate Summit is a portable “all-in-one” talking bar code scanner that aids visually or print impaired individuals with the identification of items via the product’s bar code. Using text-to-speech and digital voice recording technologies, it allows users to access an on-board database of over 2 million product descriptions, along with a tailored set of recorded voice messages. With IDmate Summit, the user can quickly add additional voice recorded information to existing products or to items not found in the database. Additional adhesive, tag, and clothing labels can be placed on nearly anything. So come and visit the Visual Independence display and see what it is all about!
Tel:       03 9853 9880 or mobile 0402 85 98 85
Email:   info@visualindependence.org.au
Web:    www.visualindependence.org.au

Podcast: Interview with award winning audiobook narrator Dick Hill

2010-09-20T13:22:00Z

by Ted MC from BlindMind.net, 20 SEP 2010

What a treat it was to interview The Golden Voice himself, and one of the most recognizable audiobook narrators in the world, Mr. Dick Hill. In a career that went from live theater to audiobook narrator, Dick Hill is in high demand as the voice of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, Arthur C Clarke's "2001", the early Michael Connelly "Harry Bosch" books, and even the voice of God in the 89-hr New American Standard Bible audiobook.

There's not much he hasn't done professionally. He works with his wife Susie Breck, an award winning narrator in her own right, who also does direction and sound engineering for Dick in their home studio.

We talk about how he started, his process, some of the varied works he's done, play some samples of different styles of his audiobooks, talk about what he likes to read, and also some times when things didn't go exactly right.

Dick was extremely entertaining to talk with, and made this one of the most enjoyable interviews we've ever done.

You can check out Dick Hill's website HERE
You can see all the 125 titles of his that are available at Audible by typing his name in the search field, and selecting "narrator" as the search type.

Play or download the Podcast by using the links below

Podcast: Vision Australia TEXPO 2010 coverage from Melbourne

2010-09-06T11:17:00Z

by Ted MC from BlindMind.net, 6 Sept 2010

The Vision Australia Texpo 2010 took place at Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney this past week, and BlindMind.net was there to provide some coverage of the vendors, the booths, and the goodies!

This 48-Min Podcast features interviews with the event's organiser Luisa Ferronato, Optek Systems demonstrating the Poet BE, and Kris from Simply Listen and Play.

We finish off the event with an in-depth interview and demonstration of Victoria's accessible voting systems which will be in widespread use for the first time in our state elections this coming November.

A full list of vendors and their respective web addresses will be posted tomorrow.

Use the links below to play or download the podcast!

News: AI Squared releases ZoomText 9.18.9 minor update, adds support for Office 2010

2010-09-01T22:53:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 2 Sept 2010

AI Squared today released a minor update to ZoomText bringing it to version 9.18.9. It includes support for Office 2010, and Windows Live Mail, as well as several bug fixes.

The update is free for any owners of ZoomText 9.1 or later.

See the complete release notes for full details of changes.

Blog: 21 Signs You've Been Spoiled Rotten by Technology

2010-09-01T05:05:00Z

from PC World

Do you complain loudly if the Wi-Fi on the airplane fizzles out?Gripe if a YouTube stream falters? Own an HDTV bigger than your couch?If so, you might be spoiled by technology. Read on for more warningsigns.

We are living in a geek's paradise. We are so spoiled by our gadgetsand the Internet that we expect everything to be automated, digitized,and customized, not to mention responsive to the swipe of a finger.

Technology has rewired our brains, altered our expectations, and, frankly, turned us all into cranks.

How do you know if this has happened to you? Look for the following 21 warning signs.

You know you've been spoiled rotten by technology when....

1. You no longer complain about how slow, buggy, andcrash-prone your PC is. Instead you complain about how slow, buggy, andcrash-prone your smartphone is. And now you're doing it in the checkoutline at the supermarket.

2. You automatically assume that every screen is atouchscreen, but you have to touch them all just to make absolutelysure. This explains why you're no longer allowed to enter Best Buy.

3. Someone else is named Mayor of McFatty Burgers in Foursquarebefore you are, and you wind up depressed for a week. Don't worry,you're still King of the Dorks. Would you like fries with that, YourHighness?

..Read full story..

Review: High Capacity 1900mah battery for Nokia N97 -- buyer beware!

2010-09-01T05:00:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 1 Sept 2010

One of the most important things for blind and visually impaired persons in terms of mobile phones and the selection thereof is battery life. Because we use magnification and/or screen readers, a battery that lasts a fully sighted person 2 days may only last us one.

Therefore, this is always one of the first things one should consider about a potential new mobile phone before buying it. Does it have a sufficient battery? If not, are there 3rd party batteries available to improve the situation? Is there another phone with a larger battery that does the same things I like about this phone? And so on.

My primary handset is a Nokia N97, which, for all the bad press it got shortly after release, serves me well and is generally reliable. It has high-end media features, and good battery life.

But human nature being what it is, and even though I already had a spare battery for it, I was quite interested when I saw a relatively low-cost replacement battery that claimed 1900mah, versus the 1500mah in the "stock" battery. That should equal an additional 22-23% of battery duration. The cost of the battery, which I bought from a UK dealer on eBay in "new" condition (from a seller who has an amazing 800,000+ positive feedbacks) cost me $22AUD at the time, and arrived in 7 days. So far so good.

I really wanted to do a proper test that would give me accurate results, so I used the following methodology.

1. First, I fully charged and then ran down my Nokia battery a few times to ensure I was getting best results out of it, as it is common to not get as good of results on batteries that are oftentimes charged when they reach 'low' levels. You are best to fully charge them and fully run them down when possible, so I did. This battery is less than a year old.

2. I wanted to create and then recreate like tests that would use up a fully charged battery in the shortest amount of time, but be reliable to affect the second battery tested in the same way. As such, for instance, I didn't turn on WiFi scanning, as the number of networks found when one battery was installed could by chance vary greatly from when the second was in the phone. Same with Bluetooth. So instead, I opened a group of applications (about 8 apps) which take up a certain amount of memory, but do not do any functions on their own in terms of network scanning or internet usage. I then opened the Video player, and chose 3 long videos, and played them right after another.

3. I timed the duration of battery life on the stock battery to use as a benchmark, and then repeated the test using the 1900mah replacement battery.

The results were quite clear, though can be taken as either good news or bad news, depending on your viewpoint.

The 1500mah and 1900mah batteries performed exactly identical to each other! Each lasted 4hrs and 15 minutes exactly when tested in an identical environment. Once I saw the 1500mah genuine Nokia battery got this result, I was obviously expecting the replacement battery to give me about 50-52 minutes of additional duration if the 22-23% higher capacity is to be believed.

How could this possibly be taken as good news? Well, a) the replacement didn't give any LESS result, and b) it cost less than half the price of an additional genuine Nokia battery. So, for $20, I didn't get ripped off, b ut also didn't get what was promised either.

I have written to the dealer who sold it to me to ask their opinion and response, but have not yet had a reply.

On the subject of batteries, for almost any portable device including many different brands of mobile phone, iPods, digital cameras, and so on, there is a company called Mugen who make proper higher-capacity replacement batteries, and have a very good reputation. Be aware that their batteries come at a much higher cost, though. Check out their website HERE

Here's a few tips for general better battery performance:

1. Close programs when finished. Depending on your handset, many times using the 'end call' button to exit a program simply returns you to your homescreen, but leaves the program running in the background, and still using up battery. Use softkey 2, or whatever is labeled as 'exit' on the application you're looking at.

2. If you're in the habit of charging your phone every night, try not to. Get a secone charger and keep it at work. Try to let your battery run completely flat maybe not all the time, but at least once or twice a week. You should notice a difference.

3. Don't leave WiFI or Bluetooth running when not using them. The radio units in a phone are large battery consumers.

4. If you purely use a screen reader to access your phone, and don't require the screen whatsoever, turn down the brightness as much as possible. Some screen readers even allow you to turn it off altogether.

5. For those applications that you allow to access the internet to update content on a regular basis, such as RSS feeds, and Podcasts, setting a longer delay between checking will definitely save battery. Set them to manual, or once a day checking for updates, rather than every 4 hours. Turning off auto-checking of mailboxes will also improve battery life.

It's all a balance between convenience and battery life, so everyone has to find the balance that works best for them. Hope this article has charged you up!

Blog: Audible releases app for Android mobile phones -- but what does this mean for accessibility?

2010-09-01T00:38:00Z

by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 1 Sept 2010

Audible today released a client application for Android mobile phones that allows the user to directly download purchased titles from its library straight to their mobile device.

That's the good news.

The bad news of course, is that the Android operating system is largely inaccessible, supporting neither web browsing, nor third party applications. To me, this seems like advocacy just asking to be done.

Google, while trying to implement some level of accessibility, seems to be largely ignoring the blind and visually impaired community overall. They seem not to be consulting groups offering their assistance, nor really open to the idea of approach by groups interested in the furthering of Google's attempts at making their products accessible. I think there would be great value in a person taking the time to write directly to Google to lay out their case, but this new offering by Audible presents a new opportunity. Audible isn't a small company, and no doubt has more influence than an individual person does. The blind and visually impaired community no doubt makes up a more significant percentage of Audible's business than we do Google's Android operating system.

So why not enlist Audible to assist in advocating on our behalf? Again, this shouldn't replace advocacy directly to Google, but it's a strategy that shouldn't be ignored.

While you're at it, let Audible know that oftentimes their communication to customers is likewise not accessible. The announcement of the new Android app came in an email that consisted of a huge image scanned from marketing material, with almost no plain text in it, and did not have 'alternate text' specified for the image, so of course was totally useless to anyone using a screen reader.

I believe Audible likes our money, and wishes to continue getting it from us. I think that anyone paying them $10 - $15 a month or more has the right to be communicated with in a manner that can be understood by said customer, and that, if they want to continue getting that $15 a month or more from me, then it would be in their financial itnerest to nudge Google in the right direction while they're at it.

If you'd like to speak your mind to Audible, their number is: (+1) 973-820-0400. You can also contact them by their Website
and going through the Support section and filling out the email form.

For more information on the Audible Android client, CLICK HERE

News: Nokia and Open Screen Project want to pay you for your app ideas

2010-08-31T11:32:00Z

by Ted Mc, from BlindMind.net 31 Aug 2010

Nokia and Adobe, among others through the Open Screen Project Fund want to give you money to develop the next great best-selling mobile or PC application.

The goal of the project is to improve compatibility across platforms, and in doing so, also make the updating of plugins used in the development of such applications, such as Flash and Air more widespread and automatic.

You don't have to be a developer to apply, but be prepared to detail all aspects of your app invention, and then coordinate the fund money to get it done! $10 million has been set aside to fund projects, so don't wait too long.

For more information, go to http://www.openscreenproject.org/developers

News: Android Captures Smartphone Sales Lead

2010-08-31T04:42:00Z

from PC World

Android was the top operating system in smartphone sales in the U.S. in the second quarter, with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion finishing second and Apple's iOS in third, a Gartner analyst said last week.

While it may be too soon for Google and the Android community to assume the smartphone OS war is won in the U.S., Android's ascendancy to the top spot for the first time is a "milestone," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.Android slightly edged out RIM in the U.S., with 4.96 million devices sold for the quarter, compared with RIM's 4.84 million. Apple 's iOS for the iPhone sold 3.22 million,

Other smartphone operating systems did far fewer sales in the U.S. in the quarter, with Microsoft 's Windows at 662,000, Symbian at 420,000 and all others at 434,000, Gartner said.

Nokia has had a challenge selling smartphones, and other mobile phones, in the U.S., even though its Symbian OS was No. 1globally, with 25.3 million smartphones sold. RIM finished secondglobally with 11.2 million; Android finished third globally with 10.6million and Apple's iOS was fourth globally with 8.7 million.

Android catapulted to first in the U.S. in the second quartercompared with a year earlier, when far fewer Android phones were sold.Only 380,000 Android smartphones sold in the second quarter of 2009,Gartner said.

More telling is that RIM sold 266,000 fewer smartphones in the U.S.in the second quarter compared to a year earlier. The third place iOSincreased by 760,000 over the same period.

..Read full story..

Podcast: Thunderbird tutorial (Blind Cool Tech)

2010-08-19T12:20:00Z

from Blind Cool Tech

Raul Gallegas recorded this Podcast for Blind Cool Tech demonstrating the Thunderbird email client. Note, Podcast is 35mb in size.

Download the Podcast below.

..Go to source audio..

News: Nokia 5800 Firmware Update v51.0.006 Now Available

2010-08-19T12:03:00Z

from Mobile Top Soft

Nokia is hardly grabbing headlines anymore, and when they do it's not related to any hot smartphone anymore. Their first Symbian^3iPhone and Android device rule the earth with Windows Phone 7 handsets rising soon to fight in this mobile battle also.
handset is late and, in the mean time, the

..Read full story..

News: SMS trojan steals from Android users

2010-08-19T11:51:00Z

from Slashdot

"A Trojan posing as a media playerfor Android smartphones automatically sends text messages to premiumrate numbers, according to Kaspersky Lab. Company officials say theTrojan, dubbed Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, is the first of itskind for the Android platform, even though SMS Trojans are currently themost widespread type of malware on mobile phones."

News: Sam's Club to add Wi-Fi for shoppers

2010-08-19T11:27:00Z

from ComputerWorld

Sam's Club will start offering WiFi services in stores, providing internet TV and browsing capabilities to its shoppers. The service will be used to show price comparisons, and will be available in 500 stores in the U.S. by November.

..Read full story..

News: "Stay" Remembers Just How You Like Your (Mac) Windows

2010-08-19T11:10:00Z

from PC World

Australia-based developer Cordless Dog released Stay, its first Mac application, earlier this week. Stay keeps windows on your Mac exactly where you want them.

Stay lives in your menu bar. When you position and resize your windows just the way you want them, you use the menulet to save their locations--whether for all open windows, or just the windows from a specific application. Then, if you need to move things around, you can always restore your windows to their last-saved position.

..Read full story..

News: Vision Australia Tech Expo in Melbourne at the end of August

2010-08-08T04:42:00Z

News: Vision Australia Tech Expo in Melbourne at the end of August
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 8 Aug 2010

Vision Australia will be hosting a assistive technology expo in Melbourne at it's Kooyong home office at the end of August on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th. Kooyong is on the Glen Waverley train line. Those changing train lines can switch at Richmond station to the Glen Waverley line. Kooyong is the 4th stop from Richmond, and Vision Australia's offices are directly across the street from the station.

Apple and Humanware will be attending the event, among many others, and will be displaying their latest offerings, and will have staff giving workshops and demonstrations of their products. BlindMind.net will be attending to provide coverage of the event, and will be recording several interviews with various vendors.

Come out and join us!

The Expo will also be travelling to Brisbane and New South Wales. We'll announce these dates in the coming days as information becomes available.

News: Find Blind Mind on Twitter & Facebook!

2010-08-08T03:55:00Z

News: Find Blind Mind on Twitter & Facebook!
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 8 Aug 2010

Blind Mind is up and running on both Facebook, and now Twitter, too!

We welcome any and all Facebook friends, and you can follow us on Twitter for the latest news items and stories that we're bringing you. Follow us now, and find out which international best-selling author we'll be interviewing on the Unrestricted Access podcast very soon!

Find us on Facebook
Find us on Twitter

Review: Lee Child, "Bad Luck and Trouble" audiobook

2010-08-05T04:00:00Z

Book Review: Lee Child, "Bad Luck and Trouble" audiobook
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 5 Aug 2010

Released: 2007
Format: Audio CD, and also Daisy from some libraries
Narrated by: Jeff Harding
Genre: Thriller/Popular

If you’ve never read Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, or at least heard of them, you may need to check what planet you’re living on.

Starting with 1997’s “Killing Floor”, Lee Child has continued to bring us the continuing adventures of Jack Reacher, recently putting out the latest installment “61 Hours”, the 14^th book in the hugely popular, international best-selling series.

“Bad Luck And Trouble” came out in 2008, and is the 11^th in the series.

Child tells the ongoing story of Jack Reacher, a six foot 5 inch former military policeman of 13 years, and having been part of a group of special investigators that comprised the most elite of the Army.

Since leaving the military, Reacher has been living a self-exiled drifter lifestyle, moving from town to town at the drop of a hat, purposely using anonymity to hide his trail “out of habit”, but still possessing a masterful command of his skills of investigation, and devastation, when and where the situation calls for it. As likeable as he is, he’s just as ruthless and merciless where someone crosses him or his friends. Being a former world champion rifleman and general weapons expert, as well as the ability to improvise with whatever happens to be on hand helps, too.

And that’s exactly what happens in Bad Luck And Trouble.

Receiving a distress call from one of his old unit, only to find out that another of them is dead, and two others missing, Reacher sets about to gather the remaining members of the unit to find out why one of them was pushed out of a helicopter window with legs already broken, in the middle of the desert.

When more members of the team start showing up missing, a slowly building plot begins to boil as Reacher and Co piece together the who, what,why, where, and when.

In a high stakes race to solve the disappearances, keep the remaining unit members alive, and also involving top secret military weaponry, Child really delivers the payoff to the story as only he can. I've yet to get to the end of a Lee Child book and ask "what? That's it"

Jeff Harding lends his excellent narration skills providing a subtle but distinct performance, this audiobook goes for 13 hours in the unabridged version, and you’ll enjoy every minute of it. One of the gems of the series.

While you may enjoy reading the books chronologically like I did, there’s very little serialization, and one can easily pick up any of the books in the series and not feel like they’re missing out on vitally important aspects of the character. Having said that, there is something great about finding a character you really enjoy, and progressing as they do throughout all the adventures, and as the character evolves over time.

However, Jack Reacher is pretty much the same towards the most recent of the books as he was at the start. A little older, but very much as he was in “Killing Floor” some 14 years ago. One of the books in the middle even jumps back many years back to when Reacher was still an M.P. in the Army, so again, start at the beginning or don’t. You’ll love them either way.

News: Nuance releases Talks and Zooms v5.01 & Daisy2Go 2.0

2010-08-05T03:15:00Z

News: Nuance releases Talks and Zooms v5.01 & Daisy2Go 2.0
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 4 Aug 2010

Nuance has released a minor update for Talks and Zooms including bug fixes and new handset support. The new version is a free upgrade for anyone who bought a premium license after 15 November 2007, or can currently run 4.11 up to 5.00.

The most significant element of the update is the inforporation of ZOOMS (magnification) to 5th edition touchscreen handsets. It is now fully implemented and ready for use.

Also there is now support for new handsets. Some of the new handsets newly supported in 5.01 are:

Nokia 6700 slide (but not 6700 classic!)
Nokia C5-00
Nokia E73

The following new handsets are assumed to work, but have not yet generated enough test data to guarantee support:

Nokia 5228 Xpress Music
Nokia 5230 Xpress Music
Nokia 5235 Xpress Music
Nokia 5530 Xpress Music
Nokia 5730 Xpress Music
Nokia C6-00
Nokia E5-00
Nokia X5-01

For Premuim license holders, Daisy2Go 2.00 is included in the release.

For full release notes, supported handsets, and the installation files, please contact your Talks dealer.

News: Lookup Unlisted Phone Numbers With A Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Service. Find Name, Address Etc. With A Telephone Number Trace Directory

2010-07-27T02:06:00Z

News: Lookup Unlisted Phone Numbers With A Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Service
from Official Wire

Unlisted phone numbers are those that are not listed on the white pages. In the USA, cellular phone numbers are 'unlisted' by default where as some land phone owners also get their numbers unlisted from the phone book for reasons of privacy. Wireless 411 Privacy Act, and many additional guidelines have been passed in USA for the protection of mobile subscribers. The reason triggering such measures is the persistent threat of such private information getting stolen and abused by numerous parties such as Nuisance Callers, Identity thieves etc.

This is why an unlisted phone number lookup requires you to use special online reverse cell phone number directory services rather than freely accessible white pages or yellow pages...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Next iPad to Have 5.6- and 7-inch OLED Screens

2010-07-26T02:56:00Z

News: Next iPad to Have 5.6- and 7-inch OLED Screens
from PC World

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, PC World

Jul 14, 2010 3:17 pm

Apple's second-generation iPad mayfeature 5.6- and 7-inch OLED screens, and may hit the shelves as soon asthe fourth quarter of 2010, according to the Taipei-based Digitimes.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Free PDF Accessibility Checker tool now available for Windows

2010-07-26T02:55:00Z

News: Free PDF Accessibility Checker tool now available for Windows
from Media Access Australia

The Swiss-based Access for All Foundation has released a free PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) tool for the Windows platform.

This tool allows users to easily verify the accessibility of any files created as a PDF document. The PAC allows a PDF to be loaded in and a check performed on the file for accessibility. The check takes a few minutes, and then provides basic feedback on the accessibility of the file.

Accessibility issues that are checked include document tagging, use of titles, language declarations, heading structure, font encoding, reading order and alternative text.

The tool is available in both English and German, and can be downloaded from the Access for All Foundation website.

News: Bookshare Crosses 100,000-Member Milestone

2010-07-26T02:47:00Z

News: Bookshare Crosses 100,000-Member Milestone
from DAISY.ORG

Bookshare, the largest online accessible library of copyrighted contentfor individuals with print disabilities, today announced a milestone –surpassing 100,000 qualified members around the world. Bookshare’sPublisher program also crossed a substantial milestone, with more than60 publishers from a wide range of publishing sectors agreeing tocontribute digital files to Bookshare for worldwide distribution. Thesefiles expand Bookshare’s library with current popular fiction andnonfiction titles, academic and scholarly works, textbooks, andeducational materials. More information is available in the Bookshare press release.

News: Apple Deletes Thread About Consumer Reports Not Recommending An iPhone [Updated]

2010-07-25T07:54:00Z

News: Apple Deletes Thread About Consumer Reports Not Recommending An iPhone [Updated]
from TechDirt

Apple, of course, became a household name with its infamous 1984 commercial, about how Apple equipment would make sure that "1984" wasn't like 1984. However, now that it's 2010, apparently it's fine. As you may have heard, Consumer Reports yesterday posted that it could not recommend the iPhone 4 due to the widely discussed antenna problems. Apparently that was double-plus-ungood to the folks at Apple.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Mobile Facebook Users Hit 150 Million

2010-07-25T03:05:00Z

News: Mobile Facebook Users Hit 150 Million
from PC World

Facebook has about 150 million mobile users, up from just 100 million in April, and is counting on cell phones as the key platform for the future, according to the social-networking giant's head of mobile products, Eric Tseng.

"Mobile is fast becoming our growth lever," Tseng told attendees at the MobileBeat 2010 conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had pegged the number of mobile users at 100 million at the f8 developer conference in late April. Facebook has about 500 million members overall...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Use GOOG-411 and Skype to Call Any U.S. or Canadian Business for Free

2010-07-25T00:05:00Z

News: Use GOOG-411 and Skype to Call Any U.S. or Canadian Business for Free
from Fred's Head APH

So you're talking to a friend on Skype and you suddenly remember thatyou need to call a business to get something done. You are disappointedto find that you're out of calling credits and can't make that call.Don't give up! There might just be a way to use Skype afterall! This tipcomes from the folks over at Lifehacker.

"Skype calls toll-free numbers in the U.S. or Canada for free.Google's GOOG-411 directory service is a toll-free number, and canconnect you to any searchable business. Combine the two, and anybusiness is accessible for free, from anywhere in the world...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Accessible cinemas coming to Australia in a big way over next few years

2010-07-24T23:33:00Z

News: Accessible cinemas coming to Australia in a big way over next few years
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 25 July 2010

While the distribution of audio described DVD's in Australia is among the best in the world per capita, making use of both Australian-produced audio description, as well as importing a large number from overseas, our per capita availability in cinemas is nothing short of shameful, with just 12 movie screens showing audio described and closed captioned movies across the entire COUNTRY.

12.

Add to that, the recent bid by 3 of the 4 major cinema chains in Australia to be excempted from being sued under disability discrimination act of 1992, and things were definitely not heading the right way.

But that's about to change.

Bill Shorten, government Minister for Disibilities, has announced an agreement from all the cinema chains to dramatically increase the number of accessible screens from 12 to 246 between now and 2014. That puts Australia well ahead of the U.S., who have an equally insufficient number of accessible theatres, and even ahead of the UK in terms of screens vs. population.

For more information, read the full Press Release

Blog: Help encourage Google to polish its Chrome

2010-07-10T00:18:00Z

Blog: Help encourage Google to polish its Chrome
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net

As promising as some of Google's varied products and services are, they seem to be equally non-innovative and responsive when it comes to accessibility. Whether you're talking about the Android operating system for mobile phones, or its many software packages and services, they seem to give accessibility only a passing glance.

Help turn this tide and let Google know that the blind and visually impaired community has and will use its voice.

Google's Chrome browser is among the most accessibility-lacking products around...very popular with sighted users, and not usable for the screen reader community. We want to use it!

Put advocacy into action and sign the online petition (link below) to let Google know how you feel.

http://petitiononline.com/c1h1r1om/

News: Android receives accessible email client

2010-07-09T23:55:00Z

News: Android receives accessible email client
from Media Access Australia

Mobile device operating system Google Android has just employed its first accessible email client, K9.

The K9 E-Mail application is an adaptation of the existing client, allowing Android’s speech software, Google Talkback, to access the content to assist people who are blind or vision impaired.

Details about the various accessibility features of Google Android can be found in the smart phones and tablets section of the Media Access Australia website.

Although Android is not as accessible as comparable platforms such as iOS that run on the iPhone and iPad, this is an encouraging sign that the open-source community is starting to improve its operating systems.

Further information and download details can be found on the K9 accessible E-Mail client download page.

News: British text-to-speech will create talking TVs

2010-07-06T08:56:00Z

News: British text-to-speech will create talking TVs
from The Inquirer

LOSING A REMOTE CONTROL to change channels might soon be less of a problem with the development of British technology that enables your TV to talk to you.

Ocean Blue Software has developed low cost text-to-speech technology called 'Talk TV', which is being built into set top boxes from Korean company Arion Technology and branded by retailers from August.

Aimed particularly at blind or partially-sighted owners, it can use speech technology to tell them what's on and when it's on. The speed and verbosity of the voice can be adapted, while a different kind of remote control will be provided.

..Read full story..

News: New library touts adaptive technology

2010-07-06T08:18:00Z

News: New library touts adaptive technology
from Ford Francis Times Online

Helping those with vision problems

Those with vision problems need not be left in the dark when it comes to reading, and the new Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre has an area with several pieces of equipment dedicated to assisting them.

Called the adaptive technology area, this section of the library features six stations with devices to help the vision-impaired.

..Read full story..

News: Accessible Kindle becomes significantly more affordable

2010-07-05T13:24:00Z

News: Accessible Kindle becomes significantly more affordable
from Media Access Australia

Amazon has significantly dropped the price of its Kindle e-book reader to US$189 (AU$218), improving the affordability of the accessible e-book reader.

Facing increased competition from other e-book products such as the Nook and the Kobo, along with more generalist devices like the iPad, Amazon has dropped the price of its entry-level Kindle by US$60 (AU$70). This not only makes it one of the most affordable e-book readers on the market, but easily the most accessible around this price point...

..Read full story..

News: June/July Classified Ads from Vision Australia

2010-07-05T13:13:00Z

News: June/July Classified Ads from Vision Australia

Vision Australia classified ads for June and July. An opportunity to pick up a bargain on second hand accessibility equipment no longer required by their owners. CCTV's, braille displays, ID Mates, and more. A link is provided below to the full story.

** Note, the ads listed in the news item are from 3rd parties. Neither Vision Australia or BlindMind.net accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Direct contact details are provided for sellers. Buyers beware.

..Read full story..

News: Accessible E tax to help clients lodge their tax returns

2010-07-05T13:00:00Z

News: Accessible E tax to help clients lodge their tax returns
from Vision Australia

The start of a new financial year means it's time to think about preparing and lodging 2010 tax returns. The Australian Tax Office has a range of publications and information services to help people who are blind or have low vision complete and lodge their returns accurately and on time.

..Read full story..

News: Blind person to drive at Daytona

2010-07-05T12:49:00Z

News: Blind person to drive at Daytona
from CNET News

A blind person will soon be driving at Daytona.

No, I didn't begin my Independence Day celebrations a week ago. Please, bear with me a little. We'll get to Daytona shortly.

..Read full story..

News: Pirate Party Wants To Host The Pirate Bay From Inside The Swedish Parliament

2010-07-05T12:30:00Z

News: Pirate Party Wants To Host The Pirate Bay From Inside The Swedish Parliament
from TechDirt

No matter how you feel about The Pirate Party of Sweden, you do have to give them credit for knowing how to make a statement. Back in May, we noted that the Swedish Pirate Party had agreed to start hosting The Pirate Bay. Despite what many believe, The Pirate Bay and The Pirate Party are two totally separate entities, so this bringing them together in some form was a bit of a surprise. However, it looks like The Pirate Party is taking this effort a step further to make its point clear: it wants to host The Pirate Bay from inside the Swedish Parliament. Of course, to do that it needs to win some seats in the September election, and it's not clear if it will be able to do so (even if it has won seats in the EU Parliament)...

..Read full story..

News: Nokia N97 / Nokia N97 mini get firmware update

2010-07-05T12:21:00Z

News: Nokia N97 / Nokia N97 mini get firmware update
from Trans60

Even though I am pretty happy with my (hand-selected) Nokia N97 mini, quite a few readers have recently complained about various firmware eekers. Nokia has promised a large patch for some time – and has now released a little “hotfix”...

..Read full story..

News: Does Jailbreaking Still Make Sense with iOS 4.0?

2010-07-05T12:12:00Z

News: Does Jailbreaking Still Make Sense with iOS 4.0?
from PC World

The new iOS 4 is now available to the general public, bringing a slew of great features to iPhone and iPod Touch. Multi-Tasking, along with home screen wallpapers and app folders are all features jailbreak users have been loving for a long time. Now that they're here officially, is there any reason...

..Read full story..

News: Who Really Runs Facebook?

2010-07-05T12:06:00Z

News: Who Really Runs Facebook?
from PC World

Who are the investors, directors, and executives gathered around 26-year-old CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and which ones have a hand in steering the ship?

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: 10 Technologies That Should Be Extinct (But Aren't)

2010-07-05T11:59:00Z

News: 10 Technologies That Should Be Extinct (But Aren't)
from PC World

These obsolete technologies didn't get the memo--maybe because someone wrote it on a typewriter and faxed it to them.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Free Mobile Speak 4.5 update for owners of Symbian version 4 now available

2010-07-03T11:05:00Z

News: Free Mobile Speak 4.5 update for owners of Symbian version 4 now available
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 3 Jul 2010

Code Factory has released a new free update for owners of Mobile Speak 4 with Symbian phones. The new version is 4.5

It is a major update, with multiple new navigation modes focusing on greater ease of use for pure touch screen devices. It also features support for additional applications such as TweetS60, among other enhancements.

To read more and download the update, please visit Code Factory

Podcast: Interview with Josh Alner from Killer Mobile Software discussing the latest in mobile apps & platforms

2010-07-03T09:28:00Z

Blind MindRadio with Ted Mc 03 JUL 2010

BlindMind talks with Josh Alner, founder of Killer Mobile Software about application development for Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android, and Blackberry from a developers point of view.

He talks candidly about his opinions on various operating systems, how money is made in development, and about KM's background in pioneering some of the mobile phone apps we all take for granted today.

Killer Mobile was the first software developer to make a working answering machine app for a mobile phone many years ago, and has continued to innovate and expand their horizons. Killer Mobile is based in Portland, Oregon in the United States, but their products are used around the globe.

He tells us about some of the cool things their apps are used for in the corporate world, and even in relation to undercover police and the FBI!

To download free trials of Windows Mobile, S60, Android, and Blackberry apps from their website, please visit www.killermobile.com

This 50-minute podcast interview can be played or downloaded using the following links below:

News: Skype Now Available on Sony Ericsson Symbian Phones

2010-06-30T01:19:00Z

News: Skype Now Available on Sony Ericsson Symbian Phones
from Phone Scoop

Skype today announced that it is now offering its VoIP calling application to Sony Ericsson's Symbian-based handsets. The Satio, Vivaz, and Vivaz Pro can use the application, which provides free Skype-to-Skype calling via Wi-Fi and 3G.

more info at Skype »

News: Twitter Adds Location to Messages

2010-06-30T01:13:00Z

News: Twitter Adds Location to Messages
from PC World

Twitter has announced the addition of Places on twitter.com and mobile.twitter.com, letting users tag their messages with their location, the company said in a blog post on Monday.

Over the next week, Twitter will roll out Places to users in 65 countries around the world, according to the blog post. Users should keep an eye out for the "Add your location" link, it said.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: More Home Networking Standards Advance

2010-06-30T01:03:00Z

News: More Home Networking Standards Advance
from PC World

Two home-networking groups have announced new specifications lessthan a week after the ratification of the G.hn standard for networkingover all types of household wires.

On Tuesday, MoCA (Multimediaover Coax Alliance) said it had completed the MoCA 2.0 specification,which will at least double the speed of the system for sending video andother content over the wires usually used for cable TV. On Monday, theHomePlug Powerline Alliance announced its Green PHY specification, whichis a use profile for the HomePlug AV and IEEE 1901 standards that isintended for home energy management.

As service providers sendmore high-definition multimedia into homes over fast broadbandconnections, several standards groups have competed to define how thatcontent will be distributed among all the TVs and other devices...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: New iPhone 4, new accessibility features

2010-06-29T23:18:00Z

News: New iPhone 4, new accessibility features
from Media Access Australia

Apple unveiled even more accessibility features for iPhone users when earlier today Steve Jobs revealed the much anticipated iPhone 4 in his keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference, and provided further details about updates to the soon-to-be-released operating system.

The updated operating system, renamed iOS 4 today, has additional accessibility features that add to the already impressive suite of accessibility features on the iPhone and iPad.

Summary of new accessible features in iOS 4 and iPhone 4:

Support for more than 30 Bluetooth wireless braille displays.
Braille tables for 25+ international languages.
Use a physical keyboard by pairing a Bluetooth wireless keyboard with your iPhone.
Touch Type by running your finger across the keyboard and listening to each letter being read out. When you find the letter you want, simply lift your finger to select it.
A new Typing Practice mode helps new users get accustomed to typing on the iPhone keyboard.
Rotor is now visible to sighted users to make it easier for them to assist you or to use the rotor themselves.
Add settings to the web rotor such as lists, tables, text fields and buttons.
iBook application is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch. Added features include native support for PDFs, sync bookmarks and notes across mutliple devices including the iPad, and the option to annotate eBooks.
Large Font feature lets you increase the font size of key elements in Mail, Contacts, Notes and Messages.
FaceTime allows video calling over WiFi, which can provide the ability for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired to communicate using sign language via the iPhone 4 and its forward facing camera (iPhone 4 only).

The new iOS 4 is available free to owners of the iPhone 3, iPhone 3G and iPhone 4. All features expect FaceTime are available to iPhone 3G owners as well as new owners of the iPhone 4.

The new iOS 4 will be available for download on 21 June 2010. The iPhone 4 will be available for purchase in Australia in July.

News: iFreeware.net lets you download free apps for your iPhone, iPod and iPad

2010-06-29T23:07:00Z

News: iFreeware.net lets you download free apps for your iPhone, iPod and iPad
from Mobile Top Soft

We are very happy to announce you the release of iFreeware.net, which lets you download free apps for your iPhone, iPod and iPad. It is our newest network site and its main focus is to deliver you only quality apps for Apple devices. At the moment we have about 800 apps and everyday we will include about 50 more new applications and games. To check out what I am talking about please visit the site.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Netflix Previews IPhone App

2010-06-15T04:28:00Z

News: Netflix Previews IPhone App
from PC World

Netflix will add to its App Store offerings later this summer, when it releases a new app for the iPhone. Previewed during Monday's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, the movie rental service's app will provide the full Netflix experience: you can stream video (over Wi-Fi and 3G), view recommendations, browse genres, and access your queue.

The iPhone app will provide the "same service on your TV, iPad, or laptop," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said Monday.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Vision Australia's Adaptive Technology podcasts now available!

2010-06-15T01:39:00Z

News: Vision Australia's Adaptive Technology podcasts now available!
from Vision Australia

Over the last several months the Vision Australia Adaptive Technology Helpdesk has put together its first range of podcasts, focusing on adaptive technology.

Due to the high interest in the community and amongst callers to the Vision Australia Helpdesk, the first cab off the rank, Apple Inc VoiceOver (screen reader), was explored over the Apple Mac, iPhone 3GS and...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Accessibility News Service

2010-06-15T01:21:00Z

News: Accessibility News Service
from Fred's Head APH

One of the best resources on accessibility news on the net is http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com. I've been reading it for quite a while now, I thought I would share it with you.

The site is maintained by Geof Collis, who is in search for all kinds of top quality accessibility news around the clock. Geof compiles and maintains news items on this site, and also publishes a weekly newsletter with the updates, it comes out every Saturday morning, without an exception.

This newsletter has saved me valuable time, as I know that everything that's important and happens in the industry I will hear about it in a week, or even sooner if I check back on the site...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: iPhone 4 official specs

2010-06-15T01:07:00Z

News: iPhone 4 official specs
from Daily Mobile

Heres the official iPhone 4 Specifications:

IPS technology — “Quite a bit better than OLED.”
800:1 contrast ration, 4x better than the 3GS
960 x 640 display
Retina Display
3.5 inch display
78% of the pixels on iPad
Dual mics, 802.11n WiFi, GPS, compass, accelerometer.
Quad band HSDPA...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser wil open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: LimeWire gets at least two-week reprieve

2010-06-15T00:39:00Z

News: LimeWire gets at least two-week reprieve
from CNET News

LimeWire lives another day.

The besieged file-sharing service will likely stay in business a minimum of two weeks. During a hearing on Monday, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood gave Lime Wire lawyers two weeks to respond to a motion filed Friday by the music industry to close down LimeWire.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: AI Squared Zooms In with new blog

2010-06-05T06:36:00Z

News: AI Squared Zooms In with new blog
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 5 Jun 2010

AI Squared has launched a new low vision-centric blog called Zoomin' In today.

The blog will feature product reviews and low vision news, as well as commentary from various contributors. The first post is a review of the iPad, which is available to view by going to the blog HERE

You can also sign up for AI's monthly newsletter which is sent out via email each month and includes contests, articles of interest, and special offers.

Podcast: Interview with Michael Lauf from Serotek discussing SAMNet, System Access, and much more

2010-06-04T23:58:00Z

Blind MindRadio with Ted Mc 04 JUN2010

Show Notes: BlindMind.net interviews Michael Lauf, Content Director for the Serotek Corporation and host of the Serotalk Podcast, one of our favorite blindness technology resources. He discusses in-depth details of the SAMNet mobile network subscription service, the System Access screen reader, the importance of community, advocacy, and general technology in this extended 50+ minute interview.

This interview is jam-packed with information. We suggest you keep a Notepad nearby, or you're likely to miss something you might want to check out later!

Here are all the relevant links to the main topics of discussion:

SeroTalk.com blog and Podcast

http://www.serotalk.com

Subscribe to the SeroTalk Podcast in iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=349813889

Follow SeroTalk on Twitter for the Latest A T News

http://www.twitter.com/serotalk

The Serotek Story, 67 Minute audio

http://serotalk.com/podcasts/SerotekStory1.mp3

7 Day Trial of System Access and SAMNet

http://www.satogo.com

Email:

Email Serotalk

Serotek Corporation
www.serotek.com
United States: 612-246-4818
United Kingdom: +44 2080-990685

The Podcast can be played or downloaded via the links below.

Review: Vision Australia evaluates the Apple iPad for accessibility

2010-06-04T23:24:00Z

Review: Vision Australia evaluates the Apple iPad for accessibility
from Vision Australia

Apple's recently released iPad has accessibility features that have come up trumps!

Vision Australia had the opportunity to test the iPad for accessibility and has found this Apple product to be another great multimedia tool, regardless of whether the user is blind or fully sighted.

Vision Australia's iPad evaluation report (Word, 157KB)

** Note: 3rd party review. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Humanware releases Companion 3.2 software update for Victor Reader Stream

2010-05-26T12:43:00Z

News: Humanware releases Companion 3.2 software update for Victor Reader Stream
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 26 May 2010

Humanware has released another free update for its Companion software for the Victor Reader Stream, bringing it to version 3.2, and further expanding the capabilities and functionality of the first mainstream portable Daisy player.

While it's great to see continuing development on the software front, I for one wish they'd hurry up with the next hardware version to replace the now antiquated features of the Victor Reader Stream 3. Other players are coming out with bluetooth, WiFi, stereo voice recording, radio, and in much smaller packages. The next hardware version of the VRS will need to be as impressive as the continual software functionality, and they will no doubt deliver.

In this free update, the languages supported by the VRS are now expanded to 14, with more on the way.

The Companion software now supports conversion of MS Word documents to HTML, and PDF documents to text files, so that they can be played on the Victor, which is very convenient.

There is also an optional paid release called the Softpak, at a cost of $49, which also brings support for DOCX and EPUB files to the Stream, as well as the ability to record in WAV and MP3 format, and support for MP4 audio files (including iTunes), and Audible Enhanced Audio Books.

For more information, visit the Downloads page at Humanware

News: Free Mobile Geo 2.5 Released with 2010 Maps (Blind Bargains)

2010-05-26T02:05:00Z

News: Free Mobile Geo 2.5 Released with 2010 Maps (Blind Bargains)
from Blind Bargains

Code Factory has released a free update to its Mobile Geo GPS software. Version 2.5 includes support for 2010 maps, the ability to look up addresses by a ZIP Code, manual route creation, and severalother new features and bug fixes. Check the link on this post for a complete list of changes. The update is free for users of version 2 and available now.

..Go to the Code Factory website..

News: Free Update to KNFB Reader V6.4 Released (Blind Bargains)

2010-05-26T01:38:00Z

News: Free Update to KNFB Reader V6.4 Released (Blind Bargains)
from Blind Bargains

KNFB Reading Technology, Inc. has released version 6.4 of their KNFB Reader Mobile software. This latest release adds color recognition, glare detection, tilt feedback, the ability to export captured text to the notes application, and various bug fixes. This version is free for all existing KNFB Reader Mobile customers.

..Go to the KNFB Reader website..

News: ZoomText 9.18.8 free bugfix update released by AI Squared

2010-05-26T01:17:00Z

News: ZoomText 9.18.8 free bugfix update released by AI Squared
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 26 May 2010

AI Squared today released a free update to fix many minor bugs affecting users of the leading magnification software package.

Already supporting Windows Vista and Windows 7, this update focused on many little bugs affecting performance over a long period of machine usage, use of the screen reader in Office 2002, 2003, and 2007, and fixed the lack of support of hotkeys on the Windows logon screen.

The free update is retroactive to any owners of ZoomText 9.1 and above, which means you should already have been running 9.18, the last major update released.

For a full list of changes, please see the release notes

If you are running ZoomText 9.1, but lower than 9.18.8, and the software isn't automatically updating for any reason, download this latest version directly from the updates page

Review: Socially caller ID for Symbian Phones

2010-05-24T11:35:00Z

Review: Socially caller ID for Symbian Phones
from MobileTopSoft

Socially is a revolutionary caller ID app for Symbian s60 5th edition mobile phones. It resides on your mobile phone and embeds dynamic Social Network data and context into the Address Book, Incoming Calls, Idle Desktop Screen and much more. Socially features

- It tracks all your friends, across multiple social networks in one place on your phone.
- Automatic Social Alerts pushed to Phone!
- Rich CallerID on incoming calls!
- Integration with Phone Address Book
- Block Pesky Callers!
- Caller's Last Conversation Context!
- Location of Annonymous...

** Note: 3rd party review. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: No Skype For Windows Phone 7 Handsets

2010-05-24T11:27:00Z

News: No Skype For Windows Phone 7 Handsets
from MobileTopSoft

Bad news for Microsoft and those planning to get a Windows Phone 7 handset later this year, the popular VoIP application called Skype will not be available for the platform. I understand that the reason this is so is because Windows Mobile has been losing users and marketshare thus the folks at Skype will focus on Android, iPhone and Symbian platforms.

Some chatter on the Internet has it that lack of users and marketshare is not the only reason, but because of Windows Phone 7 development which relies on Silverlight for applications or something of the sort, for whatever reason though, Microsoft need to do something drastic to keep it developers interest in the platform or else things will just continue to go downhill.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Tutorial: Get Notified If Someone Logs into Your FaceBook Account

2010-05-24T11:21:00Z

Tutorial: Get Notified If Someone Logs into Your FaceBook Account
from Fred's Head APH

With all the privacy issues surrounding Facebook recently, you may be keeping a closer eye on your FaceBook account activity. Use this built-in Facebook feature to get notified when a computer besides your own accesses your account.

Even if you've dug around Facebook's privacy preferences, you may have missed this handy little feature. By enabling it, you can register your computer (and any other private computers from which you access Facebook regularly), and receive email and SMS notifications when a computer other than one of your registered ones accesses your account. It's a nice safety net to have should anyone ever get your password or otherwise hack your account.

** Note: 3rd party tutorial. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Tutorial: How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account

2010-05-24T10:54:00Z

Tutorial: How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account
from Fred's Head APH

Facebook makes it pretty easy to deactivate your account whichwill temporarily hide your information. However, if you want topermanently remove your information, the "permanent delete" option ismuch harder to find. This article will cover two easy ways to erase yourFacebook account so you can QuitFacebook forever.

** Note: 3rd party tutorial. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Blog: Mass memory: a balancing act that Nokia can learn from?

2010-05-24T10:45:00Z

Blog: Mass memory: a balancing act that Nokia can learn from?
from All About Symbian

With Steve borrowing an X6 for a few weeks (expect his thoughts on Nokia’s first capacitive screened smartphone next week) one thing we wanted to look at was the relatively slow speed of the music player on my X6. While we’re comparing over Skype and not side by side, there’s still a marked difference between Steve’s 16GB X6 and my 32GB X6. And we have a theory....

And we think that it comes down to the speed of the chips used in the mass memory of the device, or at least seems the most likely explanation.

The simple answer is that Nokia are “using slow chips because they are cheaper”, but that doesn’t tell the full story, or the thinking behind that decision.

** Note: 3rd party blog. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Tutorial: Supercharge Your (non-Nokia) Phone: 40 Tips and Tricks

2010-05-24T10:34:00Z

Tutorial: Supercharge Your (non-Nokia) Phone: 40 Tips and Tricks
from PC World

Avoid annoying people, make free phone calls, and manage your life with these 40 tips and tricks to supercharge your smartphone, your 'dumb' phone, and your kitchen phone.

Looking for an easy out from a lousy date? Feeling like a rat in a phone-tree maze? Wishing that someone could transcribe your voicemail messages and e-mail them to you? With this assortment of phone tips, tricks, and services, you'll be able to navigate your phone with MacGyver-like ingenuity.

** Note: 3rd party tutorial. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Video: The Best Netbooks For Business, Entertainment, Battery Life and More

2010-05-24T10:22:00Z

Video: The Best Netbooks For Business, Entertainment, Battery Life and More
from PC World

The best netbooks from several different perspectives are discussed and described in this short video blog from PC World. Follow the link below, and the video should start playing by itself. If it does not, locate and press the 'play' link on the page.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Managing your 250MB iPad 3G plan

2010-05-24T10:02:00Z

News: Managing your 250MB iPad 3G plan
from Computer World

For $15 per 30-day cycle, you can consume a combined total of up to250MB; unused data isn't rolled over, so it expires. For $30 per month,AT&T provides truly unlimited data--as with the iPhone 3G and 3GSplans.

I don't know about you, but if it means saving $180 over12 months, I'm willing to be a little creative.

That $180 savingsis in the U.S. only, of course. Carriers in Europe and Japan justannounced service...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Seagate confirms 3TB hard drive for 2010, possible 32-bit OS issues

2010-05-24T09:53:00Z

News: Seagate confirms 3TB hard drive for 2010, possible 32-bit OS issues
from Engadget

Seagate has been pushing the areal density envelope for years now, but by and large, these "developments" we hear about typically fade into the cold, harsh winter night without ever amounting to anything tangible. Not so this go 'round, with the company confirming to Thinq (and reaffirmed on our end) that it will be "announcing a 3TB drive later this year." If you'll recall, 2TB drives have held the crown for the world's largest since early 2009, and if all goes to plan, we'll be able to buy drives 50 percent larger than even those before the dawn of 2011. The company didn't talk details -- we're still left to envision a price, release date and...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Humanware's 2010 Braille Literacy Award winner announced

2010-05-20T06:24:00Z

Blog: Humanware's 2010 Braille Literacy Award winner announced
by Ted Mc from BlindMind.net, 20 May 2010

Humanware today announced its 2010 Braille Literacy Award winner. The annual award reflects excellence in braille learning during the early stages of a child's life, and comes with a prize (other than the relief of knowing your child is literate!) of a Mountbatten Braille Writer Learning System.

The award goes to the Jones family of Minnasota, who are raising 2 visually impaired children and teaching them braille since a very young age.

The Jones family writes, "Literacyis the key to any child's future and we are learning that "Braille" literacy isthe key to our second and third children because of their visual impairments.Reading and writing is a basic fundamental form of communication and if youcannot read or write, you cannot support yourself as an independent person.Braille will be the only written communication for our daughter and second son."

Many who have become blind or visually impaired later in life may have trouble grasping the importance and life-changing independance that literacy provides. Being able to spell, read and write may sound almost trivial to some in today's electronic age, where we can get pretty much everything in some type of audio format. But for someone looking to break into the heavily anti-disabled workplace, you almost have to be better than everyone else, not just equal, and certainly not sub-standard. And like almost everything else in life, braille and literacy in general are best learned early...it is incredibly harder to do as an adult if you don't have that grasp on literacy already, so it becomes all the more important to be done at the earlies of ages.

Congratulations to Brian and Heather Jones for their commitment to their children's education. Read more about them, and Humanware's braille initiatives at:

More info aboutHumanWare support for Braille Literacy

News: Audio description increasing on DVDs in the USA

2010-05-17T11:12:00Z

News: Audio description increasing on DVDs in the USA
from Media Access Australia

Audio description (AD) is gaining momentum in the USA with 13 DVDs released to the Region 1 market with AD so far in 2010.

Although there are still teething problems which the studios, the Audio Description Project and WGBH are working out, consumers are beginning to see the results of their efforts over the last few years to make DVDs accessible to people with vision impairments.

Recent steps forward include the USA’s alternative term for audio description, DVS, beginning to appear on DVD covers. (DVS stands for Descriptive Video Service.) Also, consumer education about purchasing means that more people are aware that they need to purchase the theatrical version of the...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Revolutionary laser treatment gives hope to Australians facing blindness and low vision

2010-05-17T10:59:00Z

News: Revolutionary laser treatment gives hope to Australians facing blindness and low vision
from The Australian newspaper

THOUSANDS of Australians facing certain blindness have been given hope of a complete cure from a single, painless laser treatment developed by Australian scientists.

The claim yesterday by internationally renowned ophthalmologist Ian McAllister follows verification of his ground-breaking laser treatment, which is the first cure in the world for the debilitating condition central retinal vein occlusion.

RVO is the fifth-most common cause of blindness in...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Orange and T-Mobile Merge in the UK to Become Everything Everywhere

2010-05-17T10:29:00Z

News: Orange and T-Mobile Merge in the UK to Become Everything Everywhere
from MobileTopSoft

A new carrier has emerged in the UK following the merger of two important UK carriers, Orange and T-Mobile. The new company will be called Everything Everywhere and it will manage these two existing UK brands which will continue business as usual, like nothing happened.

That means that Orange and T-Mobile branding will still be maintained in the UK. Each company will have its own shops, its own devices and prices but at the end of the day all the cash will go to Everything Everywhere, the mothership of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Review: iON BatteryTimer Tells Symbian Phones When They Will Run Out of Battery Juice

2010-05-17T10:21:00Z

Review: iON BatteryTimer Tells Symbian Phones When They Will Run Out of Battery Juice
from MobileTopSoft

A battery-dedicate application is always welcomed no matter what smartphone you happen to own. In case you currently use a Symbian S60 3rd Edition smartphone then we have just the right application for you that will tell you more about your device's battery. iON BatteryTimer is the app in question and it's available in the store for just 4.95 Euros.

** Note: 3rd party review. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Nokia sues Apple in Wisconsin for infringement of Nokia patents

2010-05-17T10:09:00Z

News: Nokia sues Apple in Wisconsin for infringement of Nokia patents
from SymbianOne

Nokia announced that it has today filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin, alleging that Apple iPhone and iPad 3G products infringe five important Nokia patents.

The patents in question relate to technologies for enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices. These patented innovations are important to Nokia's success as they allow improved product performance and...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: A new style of audio description under discussion

2010-05-17T10:00:00Z

News: A new style of audio description under discussion
from audiodescription.com.au

Next Wednesday, 19 May, an expert panel at the City University London will discuss a new style of audio description (AD) which has recently been developed by researchers there. Called ‘cinematic audio description’, this style of AD aims to convey the ‘full cinematic experience’ by incorporating into the descriptions information about the way a film has been shot and edited.

Traditionally, audio describers have been trained to avoid the use of cinematic terms like ‘close-up, ‘long shot’ or ‘fade out’, and to concentrate instead on supplying a more narrative description similar to a novel. The research project, ‘Calling the Shots’, has already produced one film described...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Blog: The Telcos' Secret Anti-Net Neutrality Strategy

2010-05-17T09:49:00Z

Blog: The Telcos' Secret Anti-Net Neutrality Strategy
from SlashDot

NoMoreHelio writes "The political blog ThinkProgress lays out big telecom's plan to attack net neutality. The blog obtained a secret PowerPoint presentation from a telecommunications industry front group (PPT) that outlines the industry strategy for defending against regulatory attempts by the FCC. The industry plans to partner with two conservative 'astroturfing' groups, best known for their work seeding the Tea Party movement. Today's revelation from ThinkProgress comes as Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) joined various telecom-funded front groups to unveil an anti-net neutrality bill."

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: OWC Releases 480GB 2.5-inch Solid-state Drive

2010-05-17T09:22:00Z

News: OWC Releases 480GB 2.5-inch Solid-state Drive
from PC World

OWC has announced four new solid-state drives. The Mercury Extreme Pro SSD is available in capacities ranging from 60GB to 480GB.

According to OWC, the SSDs feature sustained data rates of 285MBps and 7 percent overprovisioning (extra storage space that the drives uses for background processes to preserve SSD reliability). OWC also claims that the new SSD use less power, which helps preserve laptop battery life.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Apple Promises Fix for iPad Wi-Fi Problems

2010-05-17T09:13:00Z

News: Apple Promises Fix for iPad Wi-Fi Problems
from PC World

Apple will issue a fix to answer complaints from iPad owners of weak wireless signals, dropped connections and slow surfing speeds, the company said in a recently-published support document.

But some users were skeptical that a patch would solve their problems.

"A very small number of iPad users have experienced issues with Wi-Fi connectivity...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Mozilla sets Firefox 4 release for November

2010-05-17T09:03:00Z

News: Mozilla sets Firefox 4 release for November
from PC World

Mozilla plans to ship a beta of Firefox 4 next month, and a final by the end of November, a company executive said yesterday.

In a 50-minute presentation, Mike Beltzner, the director of Firefox, spelled out not only the timeline for the next major upgrade, but also outlined the new features, changes and technology enhancements the company hopes to pack into the browser.

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: The cybersecurity boom

2010-05-17T08:54:00Z

News: The cybersecurity boom
from The Washington Post

When cybersecurity firm Triumfant was founded in late 2002, it developed software meant to assist help desks in managing information technology problems. The company soon found a more valuable use for its software: detecting malicious acts on networks of computers and making automatic fixes.

Earlier this year, the small Rockville-based firm, which has fewer than 20 employees, announced it is partnering...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Cinema access court decision in USA breaks down barriers

2010-05-08T11:19:00Z

News: Cinema access court decision in USA breaks down barriers
from Media Access Australia, 2 May 2010

In a complex legal decision in Arizona, the door has been opened for a negotiated deal that will make closed captioning and audio description more likely in cinemas in the USA.

The decision in the appeals court against the Harkins cinema chain confirmed that closed captioning and audio description are “auxiliary aids and services” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is important as it shows that a...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Podcast: Talking Vision explores the bionic eye (Vision Australia)

2010-05-08T11:06:00Z

Podcast: Talking Vision explores the bionic eye (Vision Australia)
from Vision Australia Radio, 1 May 2010

With the launch of a prototype bionic eye in late March, Vision Australia Radio's Talking Vision program explores bionic vision developments:

Orthoptist Marion Rivers, Vision Australia's Sydney West Team Manager, describes bionic vision and discusses progress with research to date.
Professor Robyn Guymer from the Centre for Eye Research Australia explains the Bionic Vision Australia initiative in light of the recent bionic eye announcement.
Dr Kevin Murfitt, Chair of Vision Australia comments on the significance of these developments for people who are blind or have low vision.

Note: 3rd party Podcast. A new browser will open if you proceed to source article/audio **
..Read full story..

Review: Can Your Symbian Phone Do ThreadSMS?

2010-05-08T10:25:00Z

Review: Can Your Symbian Phone Do ThreadSMS?
from MobileTopSoft, 1 May 2010

Threaded SMS is a very popular feature found in some of the most popular phones we currently have available on the market. In order to get it, you don't necessarily need to buy an iPhone especially if you currently happen to own a Symbian...

Note: 3rd party review. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

Blog: The secret spec list of the Nokia N8 revealed... probably.

2010-05-08T10:01:00Z

Blog: The secret spec list of the Nokia N8 revealed... probably.
from All About Symbian, 30 Apr 2010

Never say we don't do some investigative reporting - in all the fuss of the launch of the Nokia N8, I've been sent out to find something exclusive about the latest smartphone from the slightly leaky walls of Espoo. And I think I've hit paydirt. Did you suspect Nokia was holding back on some of the N8's more fantastical features? If so, you're right. Read on for what's really in the N8. Honestly...

All N8s will ship with a specialised Finnish magnetic screwdriver, so you can take the cover off the uniblock of aluminium and replace the battery while out and about.
Early test N8s will be sent out to testers disguised in...

Note: 3rd party blog item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: Dolby & Nokia have you surrounded -- 5.1 Surround Sound comes to mobile devices

2010-05-02T09:41:00Z

News: Dolby & Nokia have you surrounded -- 5.1 Surround Sound comes to mobile devices
from Daily Mobile 2 May 2010

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. announced a collaboration that will see Nokia incorporate Dolby surround sound technologies into select handsets worldwide. The two companies revealed their collaboration following the launch of the Nokia N8, Nokia’s latest smart phone based on the Symbian^3 platform, and the world’s first smart phone to incorporate Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound technology.

Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to aritcle **
..Read full story..

Tutorial: Accessible Electronic Documents

2010-05-02T09:28:00Z

Tutorial: Accessible Electronic Documents
from Vision Australia, 1 May 2010

Electronically delivering information is becoming increasingly important as this means of communication becomes more widely used in our modern world.

However, for those who have a print disability and have difficulty accessing standard print material, much of the available electronic information is inaccessible.

Following are some techniques and guidelines that can be applied to make electronic documents more accessible. This will ensure that you...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..

News: HTC to Pay Microsoft Royalties for Every Android Handset Sold

2010-05-02T09:15:00Z

News: HTC to Pay Microsoft Royalties for Every Android Handset Sold
from Daily Mobile, 29 Apr 2010

It looks like not only Apple has a problem with HTC allegedly infringing a few patents as it looks like Microsoft's patents have also apparently been used without authorization by the same cellphone maker.

But unlike Apple who has sued HTC, Microsoft has decided to sing a licensing agreement with HTC and thus make some money off every...

** Note: 3rd party news item. A new browser will open if you proceed to article **
..Read full story..