On February 9, 2018, Apple finally released the highly anticipated HomePod to the general public. I was lucky enough to receive one as a gift from Cupid for Valentine’s Day and I thought that I would share my first impressions of Apple’s latest gadget.
The HomePod is Apple’s smart speaker which, according to Apple, takes the listening experience to a whole new level. It comes equipped with Apple’s virtual…
Without a doubt, one of the biggest areas of growth in technology currently is in home automation, or smart home technology. Over the recent Christmas holiday I decided to take my own first tentative steps into this world.
Up to this point, to some extent, I have been skeptical about smart home technology, asking myself for example "Isn't it actually easier to flip a light-switch on the wall as I enter the room than to invoke a smart assistant such as Siri, or to take my…
Many options available on Mac and iOS can be processor intensive causing not only battery drain, but slowing down VoiceOver's response time over all. Choosing the ones that are best suited for my needs and turning off the ones that are not, can help. It can save battery life and give my device less to do, allowing it to pay quicker attention to me. :-)
Okay I admit it, I am a…
Welcome to the January 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
Apple's iOS operating system doesn't suffer from a paucity of ebook readers. In fact, the situation is so exemplary that one might ask for advice when it comes to selecting between the $14.99 Voice Dream Reader and the free but feature-rich Dolphin EasyReader. And I haven't yet mentioned Apple's very own…
Along with the release of iOS 11.2.5, today has also seen the releases of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, watchOS 4.2.2 and tvOS 11.2.5.
According to MacRumors, today's macOS release focuses on security and under the hood improvements:
No major…
Apple has today released iOS 11.2.5 to the public.
According to Apple's release notes, via MacRumors, this update includes the following changes.
HomePod support
Siri News
Apple has today announced that its HomePod speaker will Launch in the United States, UK and Australia on February 9, with orders beginning Friday, January 26 via Apple's online store or the Apple Store app.
HomePod will also be available from select resellers in each country, such as Best Buy in the United States, John Lewis and Argos in the UK, and Harvey Norman and…
Apple has today released iOS 11.2.2 and macOS 10.13.2 Supplemental Update, bringing a software fix for the 'Spectre' vulnerability reported last week.
According to Mac Rumors, both iOS 11.2.2 and macOS 10.13.2 Supplemental Update contain software fixes for the 'Spectre' vulnerability.
As iOS 11.2.2 and macOS 10.13.2 Supplemental Update appear…
What does it mean to make a truly accessible app? How can you go beyond meeting minimum accessibility standards and make something that VoiceOver users will find intuitive and enjoy using? In this post, I want to try to answer those questions from a user's perspective. I will not be covering the code you should use; instead, I am trying to describe what makes an app easy to use for me, as a VoiceOver user, and I encourage members of the community to add their own views in the comments.…
This post is a follow up to my post from December, Braille Display Users Deserve Better From Blindfold Games. In this post, I acknowledged the efforts of Marty for speech users, but pointed out the lack of accessibility for braille display users. While the use of a display is a luxury for some, for the deaf-blind this is not the case, as a display must be relied…
In my previous post, "Mac Scripting, Hello World", we looked at 'tell blocks' where indented commands could be sent to specific applications. The commands were indented one tab spot, while the blocks were finished off with an 'end tell' command. There are several types of blocks, tell blocks, if blocks and repeat blocks to name a few…
For years, I've used bone conduction headphones from [Aftershokz](http://www.aftershokz.com]. A few weeks ago, I got myself an early Christmas present: a set of Apple's AirPods, the wireless earbuds Apple released in late 2016. I'd heard a lot about AirPods, and had held a set some days prior to my purchase, which physical handling finally pushed me over the edge and sent me to the nearest store that had my new toy in stock.
Having used Aftershokz for years, and…
Welcome to the December 2017 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the sixth annual AppleVis Golden Apple Awards.
Since their launch in 2012, the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards have afforded blind and low vision users of Apple products the opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the hard work and dedication which developers have put into making and maintaining great and accessible iOS and macOS applications over the given year.
Below are the winners…
When you think of audio games, the Blindfold series of iOS games from Kid Friendly Software probably come to mind. Certainly, the Blindfold Series of games have been a huge hit within the blindness community. With over 80 titles now available, it makes sense that blind and low vision users around the world would flock to these games.
As a speech user, the Blindfold Games are completely accessible and easy to learn. The consistent menu…
We are pleased to announce that voting is now open for the AppleVis Golden Apple Awards of 2017; read on to find out which apps and developers have been shortlisted and how to cast your votes.
First launched in 2012, the AppleVis Golden Apples is an opportunity for blind and low vision users of Apple products to recognize and acknowledge the hard work and dedication which developers have put into making and maintaining great and accessible iOS and macOS applications over the last…
A Message from St. Nick
Shortly after a quick stop at the Island of Misfit Toys, I always visit the good little boys, girls, geeks and nerds of AppleVis Land. It is difficult to know exactly what to bring you every holiday season, but I am rather fortunate. Members of AppleVis Land love to share their opinions, and that is clear both from the forum postings, as well as their wish lists sent to the North Pole.
I reached into my mailbox and pulled out a few of the…
When I’m not listening to punk rock, helping my dad set the thermostat, or reading audiobooks, I do occasionally make an attempt to contribute to society. I talk at local blind support groups about using technology.
Most of the groups I visit are at…
Apple has today released iOS 11.2.1 to the public, bringing a fix for a zero-day security exploit in iOS 11.2 that allowed unauthorized access to HomeKit accessories.
This vulnerability was patched server-side last week by Apple, but today's release now fixes this on the operating system itself.
As iOS 11.2.1 appears to be mainly a security update, we do not expect this release to contain…