ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY BLOG | INVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Voice Dream Reader is an app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that supports people who prefer reading in different ways. Voice Dream can read documents from a number of sources with multiple high quality text-to-speech voices. Users can import PDFs, Word documents, text files, webpages, and even Bookshare books into the app. Once the text is loaded into the app you can listen to it using text-to-speech, highlight the text, search for a specific words or phrases, and get definitions for unknown words. Among many other uses, Voice Dream Reader is a terrific Bookshare book reader for students. Voice Dream also works very well with VoiceOver. Now, with newly released Voice Dream Reader version 3.0, new features have been added that makes the app even more useful.

Up until yesterday evening, Voice Dream only supported text. All images and formatting associated with a file were stripped away. With version 3.0 images and formatting within PDF files are retained. Now you can read a PDF in its original layout. Voice Dream still highlights each word as it is read aloud. It is easy to switch between layout view and text view depending on your preferences. Version 3.0 also includes more customization options. Users now have more control over the colors of the highlighting and spacing of the text. An improved web browser has been added that makes adding text from the web quicker and easier. New Ivona text-to-speech voices are also available for purchase in version 3.0.

With large PDF files page loading is slightly slow, but this problem only occur with very large files and does not effect text view performance.

In future updates image support maybe added for Bookshare books or other document types. I also hope iCloud sync will be added in a future update. At school I read my books on my iPhone and make new annotations, but when I get home and start reading on my iPad the annotations are stuck on the iPhone and I must search for the page that I left off on. iCloud sync would make this process much more seamless.

Voice Dream Reader is a must have app for iOS users with print disabilities or anyone who could benefit from reading with text-to-speech. Voice Dream Reader's well developed features make loading, reading, and annotating text easy. Knowing that the app has a developer that is open to feedback and actively developing new features is an added benefit. Voice Dream Reader costs $9.99 on the App Store. Click here to download the app. There is also a lite version of Voice Dream Reader that allows you to try it before you buy.

Click read more to view screenshots of Voice Dream Reader.

Launch Center Pro is an app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that allows users to launch apps and simple tasks directly from the app. Instead of launching Safari, navigating to the search site, and typing in your search, for instance, Launch Center Pro lets you directly search Google or Wikipedia; Launch Center Pro also can be configured  by users to set up group email, instead of having to type in the email address of each recipient.

Launch Center Pro uses a simple interface to make it easy to simplify some of your common actions and launch them quickly. I frequently text my sister "where are you?" Instead of launching the Messages app, finding my sister's contact, and then typing the message, I created a Launch Center Pro action that sends a text to my sister saying, "where are you?" Now, when I want to text my sister, I just touch the icon for this action and a text saying "where are you?" is on its way to my sister.
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Creating actions is easy with the built in action composer which gives users the ability to pick pre-made actions for apps they already have installed on their device. The action composer also allows users to customize the icon of the action to make it easier to find.

Launch Center Pro works with a number of apps, but support for more useful actions among third party apps is hit or miss. Some apps such as Prizmo integrate very well with the app allowing you to easily launch actions, but other apps such as Nike+ Running can be opened, but not further interacted with. It would be nice to be able to start a new run in Nike+ via Launch Center, but actions like that requires the developer to build special support for Launch Center Pro into their apps. Click here to view a list of the apps currently supporting Launch Center Pro.

I see Launch Center Pro as a great app for first time iOS users, and other individuals who struggle performing sequential functions. Launch Center Pro can make it easier for first time iOS users learn to use their devices. Instead of learning how to search Google, Wikipedia, Yelp, and Google Maps individually a simple search menu could be made with quick links to search all those services. In terms of accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, Launch Center Pro works well with VoiceOver and supports the Fleksy keyboard which is accessible.

Launch Center Pro costs $4.99 for the iPhone version and $7.99 for the iPad version. Click here to view the app for iPhone and click here to view the app for iPad. Click read more below to view screen shots of Launch Center Pro in action.

I have been following the digital writing market for some time now and was intrigued when I learned about a new product from Tegware, called the Tegware Bagel, which marries an iPhone case with a small Boogie Board eWriter display, which was released at CES 2014. Having reviewed the original Boogie Board when it was released, I saw first-hand how liberating it was to use for jotting down notes and for doodling and have enjoyed using one ever since. In fact, I now keep a Boogie Board Jot 4.5  on my desk at work to write down reminders and telephone numbers instead of wasting paper. There is a certain beauty in the simplicity of technology when it is done right and in this regard, Tegware has found a sweet
spot for using Kent Display's eWriter technology to marry it to an iPhone case. At first glance one might say why would you need to have another display when you have a digital device like an iPhone? That was my first reaction, but soon I realized that there are times when you just want to jot something down quickly when you are on the phone and having access to the Tegware Bagel is ideal for that.

The Tegware Bagel uses the pressure sensitive Boogie Board eWriter technology which gives you the smooth feel of writing on paper. The Tegware Bagel iPhone case is lightweight with a magnetic closure, has a good feel, and is made of high quality synthetic leather and is suited for the iPhone 5/5s and comes in a variety of colors to match your personal needs. The folio case comes with a stylus but in a pinch you could always use your finger. Once you jot something down you can quickly erase it by clicking on the erase button, which quickly refreshes the screen. The Tegware Bagel is powered by a non-replaceable built-in coin battery and has been rated for up to 50,000 erasures. If you have used the original Boogie Board then you will feel right at home using the Tegware Bagel. Writing or jotting down things feels really natural on the Tegware Bagel and is a really handy compliment to your iPhone. Short of being able to take the Tegaware Bagel out of the case to use in other venues, the product delivers a high quality writing experience for jotting things down when you are in a pinch. Now if Tegware can build the Boogie Board Sync into the Tegware Bagel it would take this product into a whole new realm!

ClaroPDF is an accessible PDF reader with many annotation options. The app uses text-to-speech to read any text based PDF. The app also includes numerous annotations options including highlighting, text boxes, underline, strikeout, shapes, and images. ClaroPDF includes a simple design that matches the interface of iOS 7. Unfortunately, there is no full screen option that hides all controls so you can better focus on your document. To start reading a PDF you can use the open-in feature of many other apps or import a document using Dropbox. Then you can use a number of high quality text-to-speech voices to read the document at up to 240 words per minute. It would be nice to see the maxim speaking rate increased to around 400 word per minutes for people who are able to understand high rates of speech. To start reading the document you can just tap on a word a press the play button.

Currently in version 1.2.6 there is a bug that causes layout issues with certain documents. The issue causes documents to not fill the entire screen.

Besides a great interface ClaroPDF includes a wide variety of annotation options. These annotations are easy to add and manage. ClaroPDF even includes the ability to add voice notes. One option that is not included is the ability to automatically add text notes to every blank in a document. This feature would significantly speed up the process of filling out forms.

ClaroPDF costs $0.99 and works on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Watch the video above to see ClaroPDF in action a click read more below to view screenshots of ClaroPDF in action. Click read more below for giveaway details.

Giveaway

RT & follow for a chance to win a promo code for ClaroPDF. iOS TTS app for PDFs. Terms apply. Check out my review http://t.co/6PJ7M1pegH
— Assistive Technology (@bdmtech) November 26, 2013

Retweet and follow the ClaroPDF below tweet  for a chance to win one of ten promo codes. Code expires on 12/24/13 and is redeemable only on the iTunes Store for the United Kingdom. Requires an iTunes account, subject to prior acceptance of license and usage terms. To open an account you must be above the age of 13 and in the United Kingdom. Compatible software and hardware, and internet access (fees may apply) required. Not for resale. Full terms apply; see www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/. For more information, see www.apple.com/support/.

Oh the years do catch up to you and when I turned and looked at myself in October 2012, I knew I had to chart a new course with regards to my weight and health, and so I decided to make some changes. I joined Weight Watchers in mid October and have been attending the meetings religiously which has helped to keep me focused and on track with their program. Each week our Weight Watcher leader encourages us to talk about a topic that  pertains to changing behaviors and thinking about food differently. Having a group of supportive members in the meeting allows us to share new strategies and tactics to help propel us in the right direction. As much as it is a diet - it is really about changing your attitudes and behaviors with regards to food and one's life style. Weight Watchers really instills in you the
importance of looking at the ingredients and the size of the food portions. Using their helpful Weight Watchers app for the iPhone, I can quickly determine the Point value and decide if it something that I will add to a meal- which is invaluable when I am shopping. During the meetings there is a great deal of emphasis on getting off of the couch and keeping active which I have really embraced. Of course being a gadget guy- I knew that in order for me to embrace this change, I needed to throw a gadget or two into the mix and so I decided to purchase a FitBit Zip- which I have been wearing for the past 6 months-which syncs up with my iPhone. The FitBit Zip is a really small digital pedometer that I wear on my belt throughout the day to track my steps and the distance I have walked. It is extremely unobtrusive and has worked flawlessly for the past 6 months providing me with the necessary feedback and encouragement. Yes- encouragement. You see if I walk the 10,000 steps a day it sends me nice messages and keeps me motivated. The feedback and the charting of my activity has really helped me to continue to lose weight on my journey.

I recently got my Kickstarter Pebble Smartwatch and have been using it with the RunKeeper app for the iPhone which has added another dimension to my exercise. Utilizing both technologies I can now track my walk and see the distance, pace, and time on my Pebble Smartwatch. Every five minutes RunKeeper will announce my progress and tell me my pace which really keeps me on track. Once I am home, I can go to the RunKeeper web page and look at the route I just walked, which is a lot of fun. Having tools like the
FitBit Zip and RunKeeper are keeping me motivated to stay on task and continue my new regiment. During this past week, I have walked 31 miles and continue to shed weight as I move closer and closer to my goal. Having joined Weight Watchers has been a god send and has motivated me to make the changes in my diet and activity level which will propel me to good health. For those of you out there who struggle as I do with weight management-commit yourself to a program - add a spice of technology- and walk your way to better health! You will be glad you did- I am!

"Accessibility features make it easier for blind and visually impaired customers to navigate their Kindle libraries, read & interact with books, and more. Enable VoiceOver in your device settings to begin."

VoiceOver support for the Kindle app comes shortly after the Nook app was updated with VoiceOver support. Despite VoiceOver support it is possible that certain books may have accessibility issues that make them inaccessible. Irronically, the Kindle iOS app is now more accessible for the blind and vissually impaired than physical Kindles. Kindle for iOS is avalible as a free update in the App Store.

Click read more to view screenshots of the Kindle app.

Proloquo2Go 3.0 is coming soon according the maker AssistiveWare. If you are unfamiliar with Proloquo2Go click here for background information. Proloquo2Go is the most well known alternative and augmentative comunication (AAC) apps for iOS devices. AssistiveWare does not seem be resting on its laurels and has some exciting new features planned for upcoming version 3.0. One of the new features is something AssistiveWare calls ExpressivePower. This new features will allow users to create buttons with certain intonation and emotion. This is great news for people who uses Proloquo2Go for everyday communication. Users will also be able to switch between voices more quickly in version 3.0. Version 3.0 will also include greatly improve switch access and more options to manage switches. Proloquo2Go 3.0 will be a free update for all current users in the next month or so. Proloquo2Go is avalible in the App Store for $189.99.

Click read more below to view videos about Proloquo2Go.

Has someone ever asked to borrow your iPhone to call home, but then went through your personal information? Hopefully not, but it has happened to many kind-hearted phone lenders. Luckily using the built in Guided Access feature you can hand over your phone with less worry. Guided Access is designed as an accessibility feature but can be used by everyone. To learn more about Guided Access click here. Even with this feature use caution and common sense when lending your phone to people.

To get started, go to "settings" then "general" and then "accessibility". Guided Access is only avalible in iOS 6. In the accessibility menu go to Guided Access and turn it on. Then you will have to set a passcode. Make sure you remember your passcode. Now when you want to lend your phone to someone go to the app you want them to use and triple click the home button to start Guided Access. After turning on Guided Access no one will be able to access any other app without knowing your passcode. When you get your phone back just triple click the home button again and type in your passcode to unlock your phone. Watch the video above to learn more.

OK, I'm a bit of a geek and I admit it. I have used hundreds of software titles and apps but setting up a file server-that I have never done. So when Kanex offered me the opportunity to review the Kanex meDrive File Server I was a little hesitant but thought I would give it  try. I had watched their video on their web site and thought - wow that looks easy. So last week, when the Kanex meDrive File Server arrived, I was eager to see just how easy it really was to set up. The Kanex meDrive File Server is a little smaller than an iPhone in an all white enclosure that resembles what you would expect to purchase from Apple In the box you will find the Kanex meDrive File Server and a micro USB cable, an Ethernet cable, and getting Started Guide. To power the Kanex meDrive File Server you will need to plug it into a power adapter which is not supplied. I found an Eveready Power USB Adapter at Staples for $5 dollars which is plugged into the supplied cable. I next plugged the Ethernet cable into the Kanex meDrive File Server and then plugged that into my wireless router. Next, I then plugged in a 2 GB Flash drive into the hot swappable Kanex meDrive File Server which served as my storage. With the Kanex meDrive File Server connected I downloaded the Kanex meDrive App from the App store to my iPhone and opened the app. I configured the meDrive app and within seconds I was up and running. Who knew that I could install a file server on my home WiFi network so quickly.

The beauty of having a file server set up in my home is that I could back up and store my files that I routinely save when I use Keynote and Pages app. Both apps support the Copy to WebDav which is ideal for the Kanex meDrive File Server. To test out the Kanex meDrive File Server I went to Pages on my iPhone and used the Copy to WebDav command. Once I entered my IP address and user name and password for the file server drive into the dialog box I was able to save my files to the Kanex meDrive File Server. It was incredible just how fast it took me, to configure the file server once I took it out of the box. In addition to supporting WebDav, I was also able to import pictures and videos which was a great way for me to back up my files. All in all, the Kanex meDrive File Server was easy to set up and could be a great tool to use on your iPad in the classroom to store and curate Keynote, Pages, Numbers and other Apps that support Copy to WebDav. Kanex meDrive File Server is available from Kanex for $99 and is well worth the money. Set-up was a snap and n excellent value proposition!

Learning Ally has started to add text  to a handfull of audiobooks in its collection. Learning Ally is an audio book library for people with print disabilities. The audio books with intergrated text download and opparate just like any other Learning Ally audiobook. If you prefer to just listen to the book and not read along you can do so. The book is read aloud with human narration and each paragraph is highlighted as it is being read. The text and highlighting help users follow the words as the text is being read which can help with comprehension. Some people might find it easier to follow the text if it highlighted word by-word or line- by-line instead of  paragraph-by-paragraph, but including text is a great new feature.

The app on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch still does not allow for background download or reading which means that when you close the app the audiobook will stop. Even with these shortcomings it is exciting to see  human audio and text in one easy to use app.

One title I found with the new feature is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Learning Ally will begin offering more titles with text and audio in the future. To download the free Learing Ally app click here.

Click read more below to view screenshots of the app in action.

While having an iPhone 4S has made me much more productive, it seems that wherever I am, I am always looking to plug it in for a quick charge. One of the downsides to owning an iPhone4S is the battery life-make no mistake about that. If I'm traveling and away for the office it not unusual for my iPhone 4S to be down around 10%  by the end of the day. That is where an external battery charger come into play. I recently had a chance to review the Summit 3000, from MyCharge which is a 3000mAh Rechargeable Power Bank and have to say it did a great job of keeping my iPhone fully charged while I was on the road. According to MyCharge, the Summit 3000 will give you 13 plus hours of talk time and 10 plus hours of Browsing on your smartphone.

The Summit 3000 is about the size of the iPhone 4S only a little thicker. What is unique about the Summit 3000 is that all the connectors are built-in so there is no need to worry about toting your cables with you. The Summit 3000 comes equipped with the 30 pin Apple Connector, Micro USB and a full sized USB Port.The Summit 3000 is extremely well designed and pleasing to the eye and feels good holding it your hand. The Summit 3000 can be easily and quickly charged with the built-in ultra-fast wall charger. To check the battery level of the Summit 3000 simply press the button on the front panel and an array of five LED's will light up and the Summit 3000 will announce using text to speech the battery level- nice feature!  Once fully charged you can charge up to three devices at once making this ideal if you own other electronic devices in addition to the iPhone.

In my tests I was able to charge my iPhone 4S which was at 50% charge in two hours. After I had charged my iPhone 4S to full capacity, I checked the Summit 3000 which still had 50% charge, which meant that if I needed to I could have gotten another nice charge out of the battery. I also tested the Summit 3000 with my Kindle PaperWhite which was down to 50% and it took about hour and half to charge it to full capacity using the Summit 3000.

The Summit 3000 is an ideal rechargeable battery bank that can be used to charge not only your iPhone but your iPad and tablets as well. I know that from here on in, I will not leave my home without my Summit 3000 in my case. MyCharge makes a full line of rechargeable batteries with real innovative features- but having the built-in cords makes it an ideal battery for the  person on the go. So now, I always have my Summit 3000 in my bag wherever I go,  and have the confidence knowing that my iPhone and electronic devices can be easily charged when I am on the go. Go to MyCharge to take a look at the full line of rechargeable battery banks.

I know I may be a little late to the party- but in any case, I do want to share with you an awesome reading app, Voice Dream Reader for the iPad and iPhone which has a number of unique features which makes it a real stand out. I also want to thank Winston Chen the developer for contacting me and giving me the opportunity to review Voice Dream Reader. I had a great conversation with Winston the other day and we had a chance to talk about Voice Dream  Reader and where he saw it going. Voice Dream Reader has been very well received in the assistive technology arena and offers users a number of wonderful features at a very low dollar entry point.  Voice Dream Reader can be purchased in the app store for $9.99

First and foremost, Voice Dream Reader is an excellent app for reading a whole host of different formatted files which include: PDF, ePub, Text, Word, PowerPoint, Pages, Keynote, RTF, and HTML. Voice Dream Reader comes standard with the Acapella Speech Engine installed with Heather. If you would like you can add additional voices for a nominal fee right from within Voice Dream Reader for $1.99, for each additional voice. Voice Dream Reader has a clean and fluid interface which should take minimal training to learn how to use. To have Voice Dream Reader read text simply click on the play button on the bottom of the screen. Voice Dream Reader supports a number of fonts as well as the Open Dyslexic font as well as giving the student the option to change the size of the font and the color theme.When Voice Dream Reader starts to read the controls fade into the background allowing you to simply concentrate on the text on the screen. Voice Dream Reader will select the a line of text and highlight each individual word in yellow. You can quickly move about the screen by double tapping at a new location to start Voice Dream Reader reading from that point in the text. You also have the option for start reading text from a chapter, bookmark or highlight. Students can look up definitions, bookmark and highlight text on the screen which makes it invaluable for when students need to utilize the tool for studying and reviewing material. Voice Dream Reader integrates with Dropbox, Pocket, Instapaper, and Bookshare.

What is most impressive is that Voice Dream Reader now supports both Personal and Organizational Accounts, giving students who need access to their books an economical way to access them. I had a chance to download a book from Bookshare and it worked flawlessly. I really like the way Bookshare is integrated into the app giving students access to their books when they need them right within the program. Likewise, having integration with Dropbox is ideal and one that I applaud. With so many students saving their work in the cloud it makes it really easy to access notes and files which can be read from within Voice Dream Reader. If you haven't already done so I urge you to take a look at Voice Dream Reader-it is a great app and a great entry point.

I have included a screencast to give you an overview of Voice Dream Reader

I'm sitting here today on Thanksgiving Day reflecting on just how thankful I am for family and friends who helped us out during hurricane Sandy! Thankfully our house was spared, but for many like myself we were without power for many days and only resumed our regular schedule last week. To say the least it was very disorienting not having a regular schedule and moving around New Jersey from family and friends to find homes that had power.

The college where I teach got hit hard and was without power for two weeks. During this time, we were alerted about the college closing via an automated system that emails and phones us to give us periodic updates. Because of the nature of the damage there were some faculty and students who reported having trouble getting emails and for a lot of us our only consistent way to get information was using our cell phones which worked pretty well- as long as you were able to keep it charged. There were many times during the two week period without power that I sat in the car and charged my iPhone. Keeping informed with my colleagues, students and friends was important to me and Facebook proved to be a great way to keep in touch and update everyone. I can see going forward that social networking sites like Facebook will become a bigger part of the overall communications system when there are natural disasters. With my iPhone 4S, I was able to check in and get updated information from friends and family. Text messaging proved to be another great way to get in touch with friends and because of the low bandwidth requirements the messages got through when at times it was hard to make a cell phone call.

One other tool that I relied on during Sandy, to communicate with my students was Remind101. Remind101 is a  text messaging service that allowed me to push messages to my students. Remind101 pushes messages in one direction and does not allow recipients to reply. At the beginning of the semester I had my students in each of my classes sign up for the service, which only took a minute or so. Once the students signed up I could now send them up to 140 character messages via my Remind101 iPhone app. Remind101 was great during the hurricane Sandy and allowed me to update my students and keep them abreast as to what was happening. I highly recommend using Remind101 to push messages to students, parents or any one else that is part of your network. I can't say enough for Remind101 and how it allowed me to stay in touch with my students during a natural disaster. So when you are putting together your disaster communication plan consider including Facebook and Remind101.