Every week, the iHabilitation Man appears on Kelly and Company, an afternoon entertainment and lifestyle show on Accessible Media Inc. 
This page contains links to the apps and technologies presented each week by the iHabilitation Man. If there are apps that you would like to have discussed, click here to let us know.
Enjoy!
August 14, 2018
“Inside 1” Windows Tablet tactile braille tablet for Deaf-Blind Users
- Windows 10, 64 Bit
- 4GB RAM, 128Kb SSD
- 256Gb Micro-SD card reader
- Gorilla glass touch-screen
- 32 cell braille display
- Braille keyboard engraved in glass
- Vertical grooves either side of braille keyboard for gestures
- Engraved line for panning and routing
- Inclusive single device communication
- FF 2MP and RF 5MP cameras
- 5 MM headphone jack
- Mike and stereo speakers
- Wifi and Bluetooth
- Mini USB, USB 3.0 and HDMI
- 8 hour battery life
- NVDA preinstalled
- App suite called “Home”. Independent of Windows
More about Twitter’s forthcoming API changes and their effect on third-party apps.
(from Blindside podcast #98)
- Native app for push notifications
- Windows clients not affected
- Why Twitter is doing this
- API’s may shut down
- Twitterific working with MicroBlog, etc.
Good Skype news: The total abandonment of version 7 has been put off for an undetermined time!
And here are keyboard shortcuts for those wishing to move forward with Skype 8.
Ihabilitation news
- CNIB Windsor presentation via Zoom, August 21
- CNIB Braille conference presentation, October 18.
August 7, 2018
From Applevis
- Happy 10th Anniversary, App Store!
- Apple Releases iOS 11.4.1 with Improvements to Find my AirPods; HomePod Also Gets an Update
- Your iPhone now does Morse code, thanks to Google’s Gboard keyboard
- Twitterrific pulls the watch app, Today view & push for tweets from latest update
- Apple schedules Q3 2018 earnings release for July 31st
- Amazon’s iPhone app uses computer vision to identify and replace screws and other parts
- Tip: How to use USB Restricted Mode on your iPhone or iPad
Dolphin Easy-Reader updated
Changes in Version 2.1
- 2 new libraries are available through EasyReader: RNIB OverDrive (UK) and Libro Parlato (Italy).
- Stability and performance improvements have been made for downloading and reading books from KDD (Czech) and Project Gutenberg libraries.
- Privacy and security improvements to ensure EasyReader is compliant with the latest General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) including options to update your communication preferences at any time.
Read Dolphin EasyReader’s AppleVis App Directory entry for more information
Lodestone GPS updated
Current Version: 1.3 (July 21, 2018)
- Route support has been added. Routes are like a list of checkpoints but have a defined order and direction.
- An explore mode has been added. This is similar to the exploration mode in the old Symbian version. This mode lets you explore points around your current location or a specific point by compass direction.
- The speed of importing points has been doubled.
- A share option has been added to point actions to allow a single point to be shared.
July 31, 2018
This week’s feature covers everything from object recognition to comparative shopping.
Camfind was the world’s first mobile visual search engine and now it has more new features. The app, which has not had any updates in quite a while, has released an all new version.
A new patent filed by Apple is called Spatial Headphone Transparency (a.k.a. acoustic transparency or HearThrough mode). It uses microphones to include ambient sound which makes it seem As if headphones are not being worn. This effect is created because the ambient sound is combined with music, and played back in a new mix. Thanks to digital processing it sounds like the music is coming from speakers above your head rather than through headphones.
Facebook has experienced a $118 billion drop in its market value, because of growth slowdown and concerns around privacy standards. This is the worst single loss in stock market history. The company has concerns around growth rates, and that expenses will exceed income in 2019. Also, Facebook and WhatsApp continue to be blocked in China, the world’s biggest consumer market.
Interesting interviews from Blind Abilities
- Peter Walters – A Nuclear Scientist and Venture Capitalist: His Journey from Education to Employment
- TVI Toolbox Presents: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Carving His Pathway Towards Success, Meet Simon Bonenfant
- A Morning with tony Gebhard: An Extraordinary Musician, and a Dynamic Individual – Can You Say Metal?
- Meet Aira’s Agent Analyst, Patrick Lane – An Overview of the Aira Services Compliments of the Completely Booked Podcast
- That Blind Tech show #19
Blind Bargains Podcasts
- Audio: Wait, Walk And Cross The Street With Polara
- Audio: Rein In Kiosk Navigation With Storm Interface
- Blind Bargains podcast 149
iAccessibility podcasts
- Special Interview With the Creator of WayAround
- Special Interview With Patriot ViewPoint Creator John Palmer Gallery
- Unbox Cast 19 – Horizon Glasses
July 24, 2018
- Check out Chirp, the full-featured Apple watch Twitter client. Listen to a “Blind Abilities” interview with the developer here.
- Jonathan Mosen has updated his Aira blog to include all the newest features.
- Google is conducting many accessibility research studies. To participate, follow this link.
- New wireless braille embossing from Irie-AT.
- Check out “The Blind Life” channel on Youtube with over 400 videos about assistive tech and daily living tips. Especially useful to those with low vision.
- For more summer conference reporting, RNIB Connect Radio covers news from Sight and Sound Technology and begins coverage of Sight Village 2018.
- South-western Ontario residents may be interested in attending The Canadian Federation of the Blind of Ontario summer social barbecue on Saturday, August 18th. It is being held at Gibbons Park: 2B Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario, picnic site 4. Hamburgers, salads, chips, desserts, and drinks are provided. Cover charge is $10 to help with the cost of food and picnic site. You can send Email to sitedblind@hotmail.com for more information, or complete the RSVP via this Google form. There is also a public Facebook event.
July 17 2018
This week, among other things, we feature podcasts produced during and after the NFB and ACB conventions.
From Blind Abilities, we have Interviews with:
- Humanware
- Amazon
- and a successful massage therapist/Aira user.
From Blind Bargains, we have interviews with:
- Duxbury
- and Braille Design.
Companies like Mystic Access had convention specials without even being at the conventions. Even if you missed these sales, check out what Mystic Access has to offer. Specials like those offered during convention won’t be seen again until around Black Friday in late November.
Want to know more about NFB and follow its activities? Visit nfb.org. You can also subscribe to “The Nation’s Blind” podcast.
The June edition of Applevis Unleashed features:
- Free trials for non-subscription apps
- Turning on Apple’s new messages in iCloud
- Removing suggested contacts in mail
June 26, 2018
The Blind Side Podcast 90, discusses:
- “The Secret Sauce of Savvy Search” Mosen Consulting’s latest audiobook about making the most of Google search
- Mushroom Escape, the old-time radio drama station, returns, and
- an extended interview with Neal Ewers about the history of accessible audio production, accessible technology and more
Interesting podcast from the team at iAccessibility discussing techniques for coping with the constant and rapid changes in the world of technology and accessibility.
June 19, 2018
- This week we start with an app to help you write better English: Garner’s Modern Usage English Dictionary
- New USB Standard Aims to Make it Easier to Use Braille Displays Across Different Operating Systems and Hardware
- The iSee Podcast, recently featuring a series of episodes about the Apple HomePod. Also covers Google, Amazon home automation, Apple Watch and much more
From Applevis
- How to play fun audio games with Google Assistant
- Making daily tasks easier with IFTTT (if this, then that)
June 12, 2018
This week we feature two pieces of additional coverage of Apple’s 2018 World Wide Developers Conference, courtesy of Applevis Podcast 56 and Podcast 57.
A different slant on WWDC comes from Shelly Brisbin’s Parallel Podcast – a mainstream podcast with a sprinkling of accessibility. Shelly is the author of “iOS Access For All”, a book that is updated for each new iOS version.
And from Blind Abilities, yet more perspectives on WWDC in “That Blind Tech Show” Episode 17
From Applevis
- Check out the “Applevis Unleashed” podcast for May 2018.
- An Applevis podcast tells us how to download all of your iCloud music to your iDevice in a single procedure.
- How to delete old and inactive devices from “Find My iPhone”.
- How to tell if your iPhone was originally purchased new, refurbished, replacement or fancy/personalized.
From CoolBlindTech
- How to know which iPhone you have https://coolblindtech.com/how-to-know-which-iphone-you-have/
Cool Apps this Week
Travel Ear: Listen to the sounds of the world in 3D stereo
Blindfold Video: Take a video by simply opening the app!
June 5, 2018
First, a Hands Off Our Harnesses update.
- Please visit to read the minutes from the May 10 “Moving Forward” meeting. There will be a Memorandum of Understanding between the coalition and the Canadian Centre for Disability Studies.
- We also posted the latest Air Passenger Protection Regulations consultation paper to do with the Transportation Modernization Act which just received royal assent.
What’s new in accessibility from Apple’s 2018 World Wide Developers Conference
Jonathan Mosen’s Top Ten Wishlist for iOS12
May 29, 2018
For Apple, this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day was all about education. (For more about GAAD: Global Accessibility Day events.)
Here are a few articles:
From 9 to 5 Mac
From Tech Crunch
From Mashable
From Apple Insider
Apple brings Everyone Can Code to schools serving blind and deaf students
Google and Alexa
Google Home will soon Let You Talk Through A Phone Menu system.
Amazon just added two features to Alexa’s calendar abilities
Blind Abilities
Job Insights #4: Apps With Productivity in Mind for Education and in the Workplace
Blind Bargains
May 22, 2018:
For the best news browsing experience ever, on iPhone or iPad, try Google News.
Whether you have an Apple Watch or not, SleepWatch can help you monitor and improve your sleep habits.
Windows April 2018 Update and Freedom Scientific Products
Learn the official version of ‘What’s new in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update‘ from the Windows Experience Blog.
From the Freedom Scientific Blog comes “Freedom Scientific Software and the Microsoft Windows 10 Spring Creators Update. What You Need to Know“.
Upgrades for ZoomText and Fusion are available to make them compatible with the new version.