Bits and Bobs

In this Tech Doctor podcast, Allison and Robert begin by discussing a blog post where the author has decided to switch from the Mac back to Windows because of concerns about Mac accessibility. They then share their opinions about an article that explains how Google has failed developers by not including all of the standard accessibility hooks in the Android operating system. Next, Robert describes two books that he has recently enjoyed. The first book is by Dave Eggers. It is called “The Circle” and is available on Bookshare. The second book is called “The Martian” by Andy Weir. It is available from Audible. Before leaving books, Robert and Allison talk about an iOS app that they use to keep track of what they are reading. The app is called “I Read It Now” and the developer has worked hard to make both the iPhone and iPad version fully accessible with VoiceOver. Next Robert talks about an online backup service which he has found to be totally accessible and extremely easy to install and utilize. The service is called Back Blaze. In addition to being an excellent online backup system for the Mac, Back Blaze has a fully accessible iPhone app allowing one to view and restore files directly from the iPhone. In the next section of the podcast, Robert and Allison discuss their favorite RSS clients. Robert describes Unread for the iPhone, Mr. Reader for the iPad and ReadKit for the Mac. Robert keeps all of these RSS apps synced using an RSS service called Feed Rangler. Finally, Robert and Allison compare and contrast the features an capabilities of current iOS book readers and players with the most current specialized player for the blind called the Victor Reader Stream. While Allison and Robert agree that the new generation of the Stream offers a very nice interface to internet radio stations, Bookshare and NFB Newsline, they feel that iOS apps still offer more variety and flexibility. They do not believe that using a touch screen is a significant barrier for most people.