Technology E-newsletter Winter 2017Issue 3

WelcomeWelcome to the Winter edition of ‘Tech News’. We are delighted to bring you this edition,

which contains lots of info on updates to existing technology, details on new and emerging

technology and some great info from our contributors.

We have been very excited with the response to ‘Tech News’ since we launched in May of

this year. We are looking forward to continuing to develop this publication in 2018 and your

contributions are always welcome.

Stuart Lawler

Head of Technology Innovation, NCBI

In this edition

Latest News

New Product Releases

Technology Podcasts

Emerging Assistive Technologies

Recent and Upcoming Events

Sharon Shortcuts

Technology Tutorials

App of the Month

Latest News

World's first text message sent 25 years ago

On 3rd December 1992, Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old software programmer from the UK

sent the first SMS (Short Message Service) from a computer to a mobile phone belonging

to the then-director of Vodafone Richard Jarvis.

The message read simply: "Merry Christmas."

One year later in 1993, Nokia introduced an SMS feature with a distinctive ‘beep’ to signal

an incoming message. Today, Merry Christmas messages are sent by millions all over the

world using texts, videos and emojis.

Marking the 25th anniversary since the first text, Neil has imagined a more modern version

of his 1992 Christmas message, this time using emojis.

In Neil's words: “In 1992, I had no idea just how popular texting would become, and that

this would give rise to emojis and messaging apps used by millions. I only recently told my

children that I sent that first text. Looking back with hindsight, it’s clearer to see that the

Christmas message I sent was a pivotal moment in mobile history.”

Survey reveals 9 out of 10 Irish adults own a smartphone

A mobile consumer survey from Deloitte has revealed that 90 per cent of 18-75-year-olds –

or about three million people – in the Republic of Ireland now own or have access to a

smartphone, a figure which ranks among the highest in Europe.

Irish consumers use their smartphones an average of 57 times daily with some heavy

users admitting to checking their devices more than 100 times every single day, according

the study published this month.

Our smartphone obsession spans the entire day, with 40% of people in Ireland looking at

their devices within five minutes of waking and just under a third checking them within five

minutes of going to sleep.

New Product Releases

Freedom Scientific Release JAWS 2018

On 31st October, Freedom Scientific released the much anticipated version 2018 of

JAWS® for Windows. Significant new features of the globally popular screen reader

include:

Version number changes to “2018” to match the upcoming ZoomText® and

Fusion™ version numbers.

New direct document OCR support with Freedom Scientific PEARL® Camera and

Twain flatbed scanners.

Expanded OCR access of BMP, JPG, JPEG, GIF, TIF, TIFF, PNG, PCX, and PDF

image files.

Support for Microsoft Edge, Windows 10 Fall Creators, and Office 365 updates.

Support for Windows 10 Microsoft Mobile Voices.

Updated support to Liblouis Braille Translator version 3.3.

New web verbosity feature giving users great control as they read.

Looky 10 Handheld Video Magnifier

The new Looky 10 from Rehan Electronics is the largest-screen handheld device on the

market, and comes at a price lower than many 7-inch models.

Looky 10 is also 1080p Full HD, for a crystal-clear image, both on your desk and at a

distance. It read signs at coffee counters and other such tasks with the distance view

feature. Examine photos or reading materials with the close view feature. And even do

your hair or makeup with the mirror/self-view camera that faces you.

The device has a special panning system that permits users to pan around and explore all

areas of a zoomed image from a live image, without the need to capture/freeze the image

first. So, you can read the entire area visible to the camera without the need to constantly

move the device around the desk, like with many other handhelds.

SuperNova Magnifier and Screen Reader Version 16

SuperNova 16 includes a host of new and innovative features specifically designed for

people with vision impairments:

New SuperNova USB – Choose SuperNova 16 on the SuperNova USB and enjoy

instant magnification for any PC, in your pocket!  The new ‘Guest mode’ needs no

installation, but instantly delivers magnification, colours, highlights, speech, Braille

& more on the go!

New Control Panel – Clear, easy to see, easy to learn. The updated SuperNova

control panel magnifies beautifully with no pixilation, so it’s always perfectly crisp

and easy on the eye.

New ‘Media’ tab - SuperNova’s most unique entertainment, Scan & Read and

Book access features have been brought together under a new Media tab.

Orbit 20 Braille Reader support – supporting affordable braille from the Royal

National Institute of Blind People, Canadian National Institute for the Blind,

National Federation of the Blind, The Norwegian Association of the Blind and

Partially Sighted, Perkins School for the Blind, Sightsavers & Vision Australia.

SuperNova Enterprise – Our newly introduced SuperNova edition - SuperNova

Enterprise - supports remote access to networks running Citrix and Remote

Desktop Services and includes new support for Server 2012 and client access to

all editions of SuperNova and Screen Reader.

Technology Podcasts - Christmas EditionNCBI's monthly Technology Podcast takes a look at the world of assistive technology for

people with sight loss, but with an Irish slant. The podcast features interviews, product

demonstrations, tutorials and occasional lifestyle segments with people throughout Ireland

and abroad.

Christmas Podcast Out Now!!NCBI's Christmas Technology podcast is now available to download at:

http://www.ncbi.ie/technologypodcast

This month Sharon Lyons is back to introduce us to Google Docs, and she also has a

lovely Christmas recipe to share!

Stuart talks to Tina Paulick, who is a low vision user of iOS and who has some useful tips

to share.

Finally, we hear an excerpt from a presentation given by Microsoft's Hector Minto, as part

of the recent FreedomTech Assistive Technology Assembly, which took place in Dublin in

November.

Our podcast is also peppered with some surprises from NCBI colleagues, so listen up!

Emerging Assistive TechnologiesVictor Reader Trek - talking book player and GPS

The VictorReader Trek from Humanware combines the world renowned simple book

reading and media playback experience of the VictorReader Stream with the navigation

guidance technology found in the Trekker Breeze.

With the press of the online button you can toggle between the always-on Orientation

guidance mode and offline or online book reading:

Take a long bus ride and read books or listen to podcasts.

Need to check where you are?  Simply toggle to the orientation mode and press

the “Where Am I” button.

With the press of that one button, Trek will tell you:

o Your current nearest address

o Cardinal direction you are traveling

o Description of the next intersection.  (Whether it is a 3 way or 4 way

intersection, which streets go which direction and approximate distance)

Next instruction if you are following a route

Want to mark that specific intersection to return to on a future trip?  Simply drop a

voice tagged landmark and you can receive turn by turn directions to that exact

point.

Want to navigate to a specific address?  Use Trek’s familiar telephone keypad to

quickly type the address.

If you don’t need to get off the bus, simply press the toggle button again and you

will be back in your book or podcast exactly where you left off.

NuEyes - Electronic Glasses for Low Vision

NuEyes smart glasses are voice activated magnification glasses with optical character

recognition built in.The glasses feature an HD digital camera mounted on the center bridge

of eyeglass frames to stream images to built-in 3D stereoscopic HD display lenses.

NuEyes is referred as “smartglasses” because it uses software similar to that in

smartphones. This will allow regular updates to the software as the technology continues

to advance. The NuEyes low vision glasses offer OCR (text to speech), in which a

document can be read to the user. Also, with Wi-Fi connection TV and movies can be

streamed directly to the low vision glasses. Earbuds let users listen to a text reader or

other media via a Bluetooth-connected device.

A full Android computer allows the “smart” glasses to function as an Android tablet with

downloadable apps and a full web browser, including social media applications.

Wireless, battery-powered, and hands free voice-activated interaction allows for effortless

use. Real sight is replicated through auto-focus, switching between ranges according to

tasks to simulate human eyes. A variable magnification from 1x-12x enables these ranges.

Short-range vision allows reading small text and seeing up close. Mid-range vision will help

in seeing faces or watching TV. Long-range vision allows sight for far away, such as

looking outside a window (with included optional 2x lens).

A broad range of features can be personalized, so people with a wide array of conditions

can use the glasses, such as those with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, ocular

albinism, optic atrophy, cone-rod dystrophy, forms of glaucoma, Stargardt’s disease, optic

nerve hypoplasia, Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, nystagmus, retinopathy of

prematurity, forms of retinitis pigmentosa, And other conditions.

Recent and Upcoming Events

NCBI Fundamentals in Assistive Technology Course

In September of this year, NCBI launched its first ever online training programme, entitled

‘Fundamentals in Assistive Technology’.

The course, an initiative of NCBI’s Technology Specialist Team, was designed to provide a

broad overview of assistive technologies used by people with impaired vision and ran over

12 weeks. Students learned how assistive and mainstream technologies can work together

to provide access to solutions in environments including education, work and leisure.

It was primarily delivered online alongside two on-site training days where students were

given a chance to try out much of the technology that features in the course for

themselves.

Interested in learning about assistive technology?If you are interested in participating in the next Fundamentals in Assistive Technology

Course set to take place in 2018 please let us know. You can contact Stuart Lawler or JP

Corcoran in NCBI on 018307033.

NCBI Virtual Technology Club – Next Session Thursday 25th January

The Virtual Technology Club was established in 2017 in recognition of the fact that for

many people with sight loss who rely on technology to live an independent life, it can be

difficult to travel to access training or support, or to meet other users and share knowledge.

 

Our Virtual Technology Club takes place on line. Participants learn and share from each

other in a space where knowledge and experiences can be exchanged freely.

 

Since it was launched in April of this year, the club has enjoyed participation from

technology enthusiasts from all over the country and international sight loss community.

Guest speakers regularly appear on the virtual club and new participants are invited to join

the conversation at any time.

 

How does it work?From January 2018, Virtual Tech Club sessions will be run on Zoom - a high definition

video conferencing and desktop sharing software. Using Zoom will allow people all over

the world to dial in using a standard telephone, which we hope will make the club even

more accessible. 

Next Virtual Technology Club SessionThe next session will take place on Thursday 25th January at 7pm. All club sessions are

available as podcasts at www.ncbi.ie/technology. Please Get in touch for more information.

Sharon's Shortcuts – IT Training without the Mouse

Tech News is delighted to be back with more Sharon's Shortcuts!

 

Sharon Shortcuts is an online resource managed by Sharon Lyons for anyone who loves

to use keyboard shortcuts, whether out of choice or necessity. The site is primarily aimed

at helping those who use screen readers, such as NVDA or JAWS.

 

Shortcut of the WeekSharon’s Shortcuts sends out an email every Monday with her Shortcut of the Week. Right

now she is counting down her top 6 shortcuts every Monday all the way up to Christmas,

which is not to be missed! Visit http://sharons-shortcuts.ie/   for more information.

 

Latest Pocket PodcastsSharon’s Shortcuts also has a section called Pocket Podcasts. This contains the Sharon’s

Shortcuts slots from each monthly NCBI Technology Podcasts, including a list of shortcuts

from each episode as a handy reference.

Check out Sharon's   Shortcuts   Pocket Podcast for   November 2017 . November's pocket

podcast is all about using Google Calendar (calendar.goole.com).

Contact Sharon on info@sharons-shortcuts.ie or through the Contact page if you are

interested in attending a workshop

  Technology Tutorials

This month, NCBI’s Technical Support Officer Paul Traynor provides us with a

step by step guide on getting started with Narrator - the popular screen reading

app that is built into Windows.

Technology Tutorial: Getting Started with Narrator

 

Accessibility tech guru and close friend of NCBI David Nason is back to with a

video tutorial on how to edit text on iOS devices using VoiceOver commands

and gestures.

Technology Tutorial: VoiceOver for iOS: Editing Text

App of the MonthBe My Eyes app for Android

BE MY EYES … The app that everyone is talking about, is now available for use on

iPhones and Android phones.

 

Be My Eyes is a FREE mobile app specially designed to assist people who are blind or

visually impaired. Read on to learn how it works and what it can do!

First you download the app from either the App Store (iPhone owners) or Google Play

(Android owners) and the new app will appear on your home screen. Once downloaded,

you will need to confirm your email address and then you are ready to go. Click on the

following link for some tips for your first call, or read on to find out how it works and what

the volunteers can do for you. Link to tips  http://bemyeyes.com/how-to-make-your-first-

call/

Once the app is opened, with the press of a button, the app establishes a live (free) video

connection between blind or visually impaired users and a sighted volunteer. The

volunteers are available per language and time zone, so its ok to ring them at any time day

or night. Every day, volunteers are helping solve challenges both big and small in the lives

of blind and visually impaired people. With over half a million users across 150 countries,

Be My Eyes has grown to become the largest online community for blind and visually

impaired people. Here are some ways that people are using “Be my eyes”:

Finding lost items

Describing pictures, paintings or other pieces of artwork

Matching or explaining colours

Reading labels on household products

Reading on computer screens, if websites are inaccessible, or screen readers are

not available

Shopping in supermarkets

Identifying the expiration date on perishable food packages

Familiarizing yourself with new locations

Distinguishing between products (Canned foods, shampoos and soaps, spices

etc.)

Determining if lights are turned on or off

Finding out when public transportation (busses, trains, etc.) are departing or

arriving

Resolving electrical or technical issues

For more information, here is the link to their home page http://bemyeyes.com/what-is-be-

my-eyes/ where the app can also be downloaded for either phone..

Keep in TouchIf there is something you would like to see featured in the next issue of Tech News please

get in touch. We would love to hear from you!

Please email technews@ncbi.ie or call on 018307033.