All Cool Blind Tech Shows

If you’re having any issues after upgrading to Windows 10, there is an easy way to rollback to your previous version of Windows. But don’t wait too long as the clock is ticking.  The rollback option is available for up to 1 month after you upgrade, after that you’ll have to find your own way back to Windows 7 or 8.1 In this short podcast, we go through the rollback process on Windows 10 Pro system, using Microsoft Narrator and return to the familiar charms of Windows 8.1 in a matter of minutes. Please Note. Always ensure you backup your important files before attempting the rollback process.

Was your most favorite part of Windows 7 the handy search box that you first landed in when you opened it? Were you fighting against upgrading to Windows 8.1 because you could not be parted with your beloved search box companion? Well, not to worry, as Microsoft has heard you loud and clear. The new Windows 10 start menu combines the traditional look and feel of Windows 7 and merged it with many of the modern features of Windows 8. In this podcast, Cory demonstrates how NVDA is navigating the Windows 10 start menu and shows you how to quickly jump to various sections. Get the best of both the Windows 7 and Windows 8 worlds with the new Windows 10 start menu.

Was your most favorite part of Windows 7 the handy search box that you first landed in when you opened it? Were you fighting against upgrading to Windows 8.1 because you could not be parted with your beloved search box companion? Well, not to worry, as Microsoft has heard you loud and clear. The new Windows 10 start menu combines the traditional look and feel of Windows 7 and merged it with many of the modern features of Windows 8. In this podcast, Cory demonstrates how NVDA is navigating the Windows 10 start menu and shows you how to quickly jump to various sections. Get the best of both the Windows 7 and Windows 8 worlds with the new Windows 10 start menu.

Justin Wack hosts some lively discussion in this latest edition of the VIP Roundtable. Joined by Nelson Rego and Quentin Christensen, as they make their way through the recent tech news. First up for discussion is the upcoming Apple event and all the rumours and speculation it brings. Will the new iPhone really be unbendable and will Force Touch really be useful? And, more importantly, will we be able to get one in pink? Also will the long awaited new AppleTV show up and what can we expect from it if it does? Justin then moves on to give an unbiased and level headed rundown of the Samsung Unpacked Event and just why were sales of the Galaxy S6 so disappointing. And staying with Android, Quentin gives an explanation of the StageFright exploit which develops into a general discussion on security and the recent car hacks. Staying with the car theme, just how close are we to having self driving cars and how would they change your life as a visually impaired person. A revolution of mobility and independence or just a way to impress the ladies? Finally, with the recent release of Windows 10, the team talk about their upgrade experience and how will forced updates affect assistive tech users. They wrap the show up with a Cool Pick recommendation from each person. Cool Picks: Nelson Rego : AccessWorld app for iOS. Quentin Christensen : Dot Braille Watch. Guest : Mozilla Firefox Browser for Windows. Justin Wack : Kayak app for iOS. Also don’t forget to check out Quentin Christensens book, Making Windows Easy to See.Designed for users of tablets, laptops & desktop PCs! It’s the first book designed to help you not only get the most out of Windows 10, but also to help you set it up so you don’t need to squint Covering topics including: – Turning on for the first time, – Using larger fonts and magnifier, – Getting around Windows, – Common apps and tasks, – All in easy to understand language.  

Please note, before attempting any update on your computer, make sure you have any important files safely backed up. If you thought installing an operating system was boring, prepared to be proven right as we upgrade Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.  After downloading Windows 10 using Microsofts Media Creation Tool, we walk through every step of the upgrade process from running the setup program to finally signing in to Microsofts latest operating system. Although how you get your Windows 10 image and how the upgrade process is started may be different for you, everyone will go through some form of the upgrade steps shown in this podcast. This upgrade was performed  from within an activated Windows 8.1 pc, running NVDA 2015.2.  If you are running Windows 8, you will need to update to Windows 8.1 first.  However, Windows 7 users can upgrade directly to Windows 10. Useful Links. Microsofts Media Creation Tool. Tamas Geczy’s great guide to Windows 10. Make an accessible Windows Installation image With Cory Martin. NVDA Screen Reader. Vocalizer Voices For NVDA.

Just when we thought Microsoft’s new modern browser Edge would not be accessible, the folks over at NV Access had to show everyone that NVDA is literally on the Edge. While the functionality demonstrated here is only available at this time in the next release versions of the NVDA software and certainly is not recommended for production environments, the fact that it seems to be working very well gives us a very promising glimpse at what we can expect from Microsoft’s accessibility support and NVDA itself. Give this podcast a listen to hear how NVDA is successfully reading webpages in its virtual browser, just as it always has.

Just when we thought Microsoft’s new modern browser Edge would not be accessible, the folks over at NV Access had to show everyone that NVDA is literally on the Edge. While the functionality demonstrated here is only available at this time in the next release versions of the NVDA software and certainly is not recommended for production environments, the fact that it seems to be working very well gives us a very promising glimpse at what we can expect from Microsoft’s accessibility support and NVDA itself. Give this podcast a listen to hear how NVDA is successfully reading webpages in its virtual browser, just as it always has.

We are back to tell you the latest and greatest when it comes to Windows 10. Join us to hear our take on it and how you can best have an enjoyable experience with this revolutionary new version of Microsoft’s newest release. Cory Martin, Thomas Geczy and Leonid Prazdnik all welcome Quentin Christensen from 22 Point, a blogger and developer who also happens to be writing a book on Windows 10 from a blindness/low vision perspective. To view Quentin's excellent blog, click here. So pull up a chair and join us as we discuss our experiences thus far. Here are the highlights: * Windows 10 will launch on July 29th. The release will be staggered releases starting with desktop/laptops, then phones and Xbox. * The upgrade path for Windows 7/8 will be free if the upgrade offer is used within the first year, however a single user license is estimated at $129/£99/€135 to start. The free upgrade will be free for the duration of the lifecycle of the product it is running on. * Windows 10 is expected to be the last version ever, being upgraded with feature releases as time goes on. There will be a total of 7 versions: IoT, Mobile, Home, Enterprise and Professional, Mobile Enterprise, and Education. * Cortana is improved from the early beta days and now has the ability to dictate E-mail, as well as being more tightly integrated in to the OS with a highly polished feel. * Microsoft Edge will be the new browser from Microsoft, though for legacy support, Internet Explorer will also be offered. As screen reader users we may need to stay away from Edge for the time being, unless you’re willing to run nightly beta software. * Virtual desktops will be offered in Windows 10 and are quite useful, though may pose some key conflicts with other favorite Twitter software in the community. * The start menu has returned to an older style, though still offering the tiled approach for the modern apps. * The notification center has been greatly enhanced and now replaces notification balloons, allowing the user to scroll through and selectively or collectively dismiss notifications. * Screen readers are expected to support Windows 10 at launch, though currently NVDA is pulling ahead of the pack in terms of support. Give the show a listen to hear us discuss all of these highlights and much more. As always, feel free to contact us with any feedback you may have, we’d love to hear from you.

We are back to tell you the latest and greatest when it comes to Windows 10. Join us to hear our take on it and how you can best have an enjoyable experience with this revolutionary new version of Microsoft’s newest release. Cory Martin, Thomas Geczy and Leonid Prazdnik all welcome Quentin Christensen from 22 Point, a blogger and developer who also happens to be writing a book on Windows 10 from a blindness/low vision perspective. To view Quentin’s excellent blog, click here. So pull up a chair and join us as we discuss our experiences thus far. Here are the highlights: * Windows 10 will launch on July 29th. The release will be staggered releases starting with desktop/laptops, then phones and Xbox. * The upgrade path for Windows 7/8 will be free if the upgrade offer is used within the first year, however a single user license is estimated at $129/£99/€135 to start. The free upgrade will be free for the duration of the lifecycle of the product it is running on. * Windows 10 is expected to be the last version ever, being upgraded with feature releases as time goes on. There will be a total of 7 versions: IoT, Mobile, Home, Enterprise and Professional, Mobile Enterprise, and Education. * Cortana is improved from the early beta days and now has the ability to dictate E-mail, as well as being more tightly integrated in to the OS with a highly polished feel. * Microsoft Edge will be the new browser from Microsoft, though for legacy support, Internet Explorer will also be offered. As screen reader users we may need to stay away from Edge for the time being, unless you’re willing to run nightly beta software. * Virtual desktops will be offered in Windows 10 and are quite useful, though may pose some key conflicts with other favorite Twitter software in the community. * The start menu has returned to an older style, though still offering the tiled approach for the modern apps. * The notification center has been greatly enhanced and now replaces notification balloons, allowing the user to scroll through and selectively or collectively dismiss notifications. * Screen readers are expected to support Windows 10 at launch, though currently NVDA is pulling ahead of the pack in terms of support. Give the show a listen to hear us discuss all of these highlights and much more. As always, feel free to contact us with any feedback you may have, we’d love to hear from you.

With the recent public beta release of iOS 9, we give an overview of some of the new features in Apples next operating system.  Starting with the ability to use Siri voices with Voiceover, other new features explained such as the Proactive intelligence, Apples newsreader app and the improved Notes app will give you an idea of what to expect when it’s finally released in the fall. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

If you are a fan of Android, you might be aware of how different the typing experience on most keyboard solutions can be for the platform. Samsung, LG, and even Google all design specific keyboards which differ in the way they present key layouts or even speak some of the names for keys. For some, typing on Android might also seem slower than on rival operating systems. Usually this sluggish behavior is noticed when your finger makes contact with the keys on the keyboard – it takes a few seconds for the screen reader to announce which key you have touched. Enter the Blind Accessibility Keyboard , a $3 app which is designed specifically for blind and low vision users. Unlike most other products, it announces the key your finger lands on by using the default TTS engine on your device. Other customization options, such as the height of the keyboard, labels for specific keys, and even a settings backup/ restore function are provided for advanced users. In our experience, the keyboard can be a hit or miss depending on your device. For slower, more budget phones, typing might be slower or equal to the current stock solutions. For phones that are better with processor speed, it will probably feel faster and smoother. Other issues, such as not being able to hold the delete key to quickly erase text, are being addressed by the developer in a future update.

If you are a fan of Android, you might be aware of how different the typing experience on most keyboard solutions can be for the platform. Samsung, LG, and even Google all design specific keyboards which differ in the way they present key layouts or even speak some of the names for keys. For some, typing on Android might also seem slower than on rival operating systems. Usually this sluggish behavior is noticed when your finger makes contact with the keys on the keyboard - it takes a few seconds for the screen reader to announce which key you have touched. Enter the Blind Accessibility Keyboard , a $3 app which is designed specifically for blind and low vision users. Unlike most other products, it announces the key your finger lands on by using the default TTS engine on your device. Other customization options, such as the height of the keyboard, labels for specific keys, and even a settings backup/ restore function are provided for advanced users. In our experience, the keyboard can be a hit or miss depending on your device. For slower, more budget phones, typing might be slower or equal to the current stock solutions. For phones that are better with processor speed, it will probably feel faster and smoother. Other issues, such as not being able to hold the delete key to quickly erase text, are being addressed by the developer in a future update.

In this podcast, Justin shows us how to add web pages to the home screen on iOS. He also demonstrates how to give the icons custom names and launch them. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

In this podcast, Justin shows us how to add web pages to the home screen on iOS. He also demonstrates how to give the icons custom names and launch them. You can support the Cool Blind Tech Community By giving us a 5 star rating in iTunes. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.

In this podcast, Yannick gives us an introduction to the new Samsung Galaxy S6, and its own screen reader named Galaxy Talkback. Feel free to send Yannick any comments or suggestions below or via twitter at @YPlassiard. CBT would like to thank our loyal listeners for listening to this podcast by inviting you to join our Community and possibly join the CBT Team, where you can submit your own podcasts or articles.