Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Volume 424
The Week's News in Access Technology

A Flying Blind, LLC Publication
http://www.flying-blind.com/

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Greetings,

1) Many people have waited for this with excitement, and now the BARD Mobile App for iOS is here, allowing users to listen to any NLS talking book on their device, or read any braille file, from NLS or elsewhere, on a Braille display. Here is the user guide:
https://nlsbard.loc.gov/apidocs/BARDMobile.userguide.iOS.current.html

And the same guide is to be found here in a number of other formats:
http://www.cbtbc.org/books/bard_mobile/index.php

Finally, here is a YouTube seminar from NLS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLzZvPdJ7dU&feature=youtu.be

2) Talking Windows 7 Pre-installation Environment makes it possible for blind Windows users to independently install and repair Windows installations, as well as access files on computers that will not boot. It is free:
http://blog.bryansmart.com/talking-windows-7-pre-installation-environment/

3) From the TechKnowMore blog of the RNIB comes a post listing some accessible games:
http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/computersphones/updates/techknowmore/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?id=180&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social_media&utm_content=accessible-games&utm_campaign=techknowmore

4) Jonathan Mosen will discuss iOS 7 on Tek Talk on GMT Tuesday, 1 October at 00:00:
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

5) Speaking of Jonathan, he has some rather definite opinions about the poor quality of Apple's Braille support:
http://mosen.org/index.php/the-apple-braille-crisis-its-got-to-be-fixed-for-the-kids/

6) Because they posted an MP3 version of the aforementioned Bard Mobile User Guide under their audio section, I had a look at the JAWS Users List home page. It's worth browsing the page even if you are not a user of JAWS. The pages several sections contain a wealth of old and new audio instruction and tips:
http://www.jaws-users.com/

7) The web site for the popular iOS reading app Voice Dream Reader gives lots of information about using the app successfully:
http://www.voicedream.com/?page_id=2466

8) Some Canadians can now get free memberships to Bookshare through the CNIB:
http://www.cniblibrary.ca/iguana/www.main.cls?v=6d0059d6-6493-4520-a5f4-8a3b8395e49c&CSPCHD=0000020700002czdIc0b7x0000HaGv2Ho1KJyQ7t7ZN48ujA--#bookshare

9) In the post "Accessible Tools for Work and Play," we learn what Mike May and Gena Harper have in their home offices and around the house:
http://senderogroup.com/products/homeproducts.htm

10) Here is a nice thorough list of possible Siri commands for iOS 7:
http://www.applevis.com/guides/ios/ios-7-siri-command-list

11) For $100 for a desktop or $150 for a laptop, blind people can receive computers from Computers for the Blind. Write for more information:
info@computersfortheblind.net

12) In audio material:

The latest Tech Doctor podcast is entitled, "Learning iOS 7 the Easy Way":
http://www.dr-carter.com

TA DemoCast 26 features the BARD Mobile app for iOS:
http://techaccessweekly.com/democast/2013/09/21/ta-democast-26-bard-mobile-for-ios/

From AppleVis: A review of the iPhone 5S:
http://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/review-iphone-5s

A Journey Through Pages for iOS: Part 4:
http://www.applevis.com/podcast/episodes/journey-through-pages-ios-part-4

And a CAVICast on martial arts for the blind:
http://www.cucat.org/cavicasts/2013/20130916_martial_arts.mp3

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