[infoshare] Meeting Notes for Saturday, September 28, 2008
- From: "Lynne" <superlynne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <infoshare@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2008 21:09:33 -0400
InfoShare Meeting Notes
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Well, Gang, as you know, we had a most exciting meeting last Saturday where
several systems, devices and services were discussed. I'll try to summarize
and provide links to the best of my knowledge and seriously fading memory.
Apple/Windows System:
We eagerly await Sharon's assessment (and demonstration) of this innovative
computer, which houses the Leopard and Windows XP operating systems. We also
hope that she is able to receive assistance as she makes her way through
Leopard, Safari and VoiceOver (Apple's screen reader). Sharon advised that the
Apple store where she purchased the machine is conveniently located in the
Chelsea area.
Gateway Windows Home Premium System:
Maria proudly showed off her latest toy from Tiger Direct
(www.tigerdirect.com). After a thankfully brief stint with the screen readers
Windows Narrator, NVDA, and System Access to Go, all with varying degrees of
success, she is happily using JAWS for Windows version 9. She is also able to
dispel the oft-heard myth that Vista is a pain to use and users of assistive
technology should stick with Windows XP.
Windows Narrator using Microsoft Anna: great for when you have no other
synthesizer. It reads icons on the desktop, Windows Mail, and Internet
Explorer. You can also use this screen reader at startup to enter your
password.
NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access): a free open-source screen reader that works
reasonably well with the Vista Home Premium operating system. There are
several similar and familiar JAWS keystrokes. If you don't have an issue with
Robby Robot, you'll be fine. It's a bit quirky but it does work. To be fair,
you do have the ability to change to the Microsoft Anna or VW Kate
synthesizers.
Website: www.nvda-project.org
Open-source software: applications that are available to programmers to add
and improve. The browser Mozilla Firefox is an open-source browser. NVDA
works very well with this application. Again, several common navigational
keys such as H to move through headings are available. I also find the MP3
Help files quite helpful.
System Access to Go: a free version of a screen reader you can use if you have
a steady connection to the Internet. Exit your browser and System Access to Go
let's you know right away. Access this screen reader by opening the Internet
Explorer browser; typing www.satogo.com and Enter. System Access to Go will
guide you through the rest of the installation. Fear not! It is only
installed for the life of the session. No remnants are left on your computer
once you exit. You also need not get in and out of forms mode. By the way,
the developers at Freedom Scientific have created their own version of this
feature and call it Autoforms. It is now the default behavior when surfing
with the Internet Explorer browser and JAWS version 10.
Updates:
Window-Eyes 7.0-Now offers scripting language and support for iTunes.
JAWS 10 Beta-Now offers new synthesizers and AutoForms. Will soon support a
version of iTunes, but you'll still need to purchase the famous JTunes scripts
(available at T and T Consultancy)if you want full functionality in this
popular application.
Talking iPod-I believe I mentioned this new animal at the meeting and have now
heard two reviews. In order for your iPod to speak, you must check a button
that tells iTunes to add Speech support. Small talk files are created that are
read by your system's speech engine. This is exactly how our iAudio MP3
players work and we've been using them for almost two years. Very little is
new in this business, I tell you.
End of updates-for now.
Creative Zen Stone MP3 Player:
Music, books, podcasts, described movies and television shows-the stuff of
life. This tiny, colorful player plays MP3's and WMA (Windows Media Audio)
files. It has 1 gig of storage. Copy (Ctrl-C) and Paste (Ctrl-V) your files
to the player in minutes. It's a wonderful device that I carry on a daily
basis.
The player is available at www.amazon.com.
ZMate Dane Electronics MP3 Player:
This player holds 2 gig of storage on an SD card. You simply plug the tiny USB
cable into the player and your computer and copy and paste as usual. If you
aren't able to acquire the Creative Zen Stone player, this is a reasonable
alternative. It hasn't made its way into my pocket so much yet, but it will,
I'm certain. For those of us who use card readers, this little player is
identical in functionality.
Internet Speech:
Surf the Internet with your phone. Lucia sent info through the list and we're
going to have a live demo, so I won't go into much detail here. Enter on
this link to hear a product demo.
http://www.internetspeech.com/audio/product_intro.wav.
Visit the following links to read two great articles on accessible and
inaccessible audio players-courtesy of afb.org.
http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090504
http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090404
I thank you all for your participation-whether on this mailing list, in person,
or both. Have a wonderful rest of the week
Hope you found this helpful.
Lynne Tatum, Chairperson
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