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Putting Bookshare.org Books On The iPad

By David H Cohen on January 29, 2011

Logo for Bookshare serviceAs the Technology Coach for Educational Vision Services, the program in the NYC Department of Education that serves students in our school system with visual impairments, I have been looking for a way to provide students with low-vision access to large print using the iPad. Our students are registered with Bookshare.org but it has been a stumbling block converting the DAISY formatted books into the epub format that can be read on the iPad. While there are numerous options for our students who are auditory or Braille readers, there has been a large disconnect in taking advantage of technology for our students who require large print and alternate contrast for visual reading.

The first thing I noticed is that while the iBooks app is great, it doesn’t provide the flexibility in adjusting text size and contrast that is available in the free app Stanza. I tested it with several visually impaired students and determined that Stanza was preferable for reading books on the iPad.

Calibre is a free, cross-platform e-book convertor. While it won’t recognize DAISY, it will recognize HTML documents. Firefox can open up the XML file in the DAISY book folder downloaded from Bookshare. Using Firefox, you can convert the XML file to an HTML file that Calibre recognizes and retains most of the book’s format, including images in the DAISY book. This is particularly useful for NIMAC sourced textbooks that rely heavily on graphics.

During the Welcome Wizard, I set up Calibre to save files to an eBook folder I created in my Documents folder. While I chose the iPad as my Output Profile, it did not stick and had to be selected again in Calibre’s Common Options Preference pane. The Base Font size can be adjusted in the Common Options Preference pane as needed by the intended reader. Calibre takes the HTML file and converts it to an epub file, saving it in a folder sorted by the author.

I wanted to find a way of transferring the epub book to the iPad without having to worry about syncing the iPad each time. Dropbox proved to be perfect for this. A teacher can share a folder with the student and use it to transfer the book to the iPad wirelessly. This is especially helpful the majority of our students are served using the itinerant model and the teacher can get the book on the iPad remotely.

While Dropbox cannot open the epub, it will transfer the book to the Stanza app. Once in Stanza, the text can be adjusted to the reader’s preference for size and contrast. The iPad’s built in Zoom can provide even further magnification if needed.

I understand this is a bit laborious and I am looking for a method to automate the process. I needed a way that would work on both Macs and Windows as our schools are cross platform. I also wanted to focus on a method using free software as we are a school system and budget is a concern.

What you need

Note that all of these applications and apps are free.

  • On your own computer, install these – they will all install correctly on Windows, Mac, and Linux-based computers:

  • Onto the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch where you want the books, install these (links are directly to the App Store):

After you have unzipped the downloaded book from Bookshare, these are the steps to take on your own computer:

  1. Open Firefox. Use the File>Open File command and open up the XML file in the Bookshare book’s folder.
  2. In Firefox, select File>Save Page As. Navigate to your preferred folder (I created one called eBooks for this purpose), rename the file to the book’s title with the extension “.html” and in the Save As drop down box, select Web Page, Complete. Quit Firefox.
  3. Open Calibre. Add the HTML file you created in step 2 to your Calibre library. For larger NIMAC books, especially ones with lots of graphics, this can take a long time. You will need to add the author’s name as this is not picked up by Calibre.
  4. Select the book in the Calibre library list and choose the Convert Book icon. You can adjust the Base Font Size by clicking on the Look & Feel icon in the left pane. Click the OK button to process it.
  5. Navigate to the author folder created by Calibre. Open the book folder and find the .epub file created by Calibre. Transfer it into your Dropbox.

The next steps must be taken on the iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) where you want the book to be read:

  1. Open the Dropbox App on the device. Select the book you transferred in the previous step. After Dropbox attempts to open it on your iPad, you will get a message that Dropbox cannot open the file. This is fine. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, select the “Transfer to” icon. Select Stanza from the list.
  2. Stanza will open up and import the book. You can now read it the book in Stanza, adjusting the font, text and background colors to your preference. Images will not be magnified but you can use the iPad’s Zoom feature to enlarge them if necessary.

- David H Cohen

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Hand-e-holder For Mounting iOS Devices

By Paul Natsch on January 11, 2011

The Hand-e-Holder used with an iPadRecently I’ve stumbled upon a new holder for the iPad that I hoped would end up being the missing link I’ve been looking for in my quest to find a way to make the iPad work for me. It’s called the “Hand-e-holder” and it’s unlike any other holder I’ve seen thus far.

Hand-e-Holder device

The Hand-e-Holder used with an iPad

The Hand-e-holder was developed by Burns Computer Services. The intent was to make an easy-to-use, versatile holder for the iPad and other similar devices. The description from the website is as follows:

The Hand-e-holder allows you to hold and view your iPad/tablet device comfortably in your hand, while providing a 360° rotation.

I’ve been using an iPod Touch for over two years but I’ve always been restricted to using it in portrait mode because that’s how it’s mounted on my wheelchair armrest. While this has worked out fairly well for me I’ve always hoped to find a method that would allow me to easily rotate my iPod Touch to either portrait or landscape mode without assistance from anybody else. Having the ability to do this would seem to be of greater importance with an iPad, which has been one of the obstacles preventing me from getting one.

When I first saw the Hand-e-holder I immediately noticed the “adapter plate” portion of the device. It’s like a miniature turntable attached to the holder itself which allows the 360° rotation. I figured if I could somehow mount the adapter plate on my armrest that I might have the solution I’ve been looking for. I spoke to Mike Burns, the founder of the company, and he was gracious enough to send me a slightly modified Hand-e-holder to see if it would work for me and my iPod Touch. As it turned out the straps on the Hand-e-holder were long enough that I could fasten it to my armrest by just wrapping them around the armrest securely with the adapter plate portion sitting squarely on top of my armrest. Then it was only a matter of attaching the “Dual Lock Ring” to the back of my Ipod Touch. The adhesive on the ring is quite strong but can be removed without damaging your device. Once the Dual Lock Ring was attached I was able to mount my Ipod Touch to the Hand-e-holder (which is attached to my armrest as in the picture) as often as i like. In other words, the iPod Touch can be removed from the Hand-e-holder as often as needed. This is useful because there are times when friends or family want to use it, which would be kind of difficult if it were permanently stuck to my armrest. At first it was hard to believe how secure the Ipod Touch was sitting on my armrest like this but as long as you press hard enough when remounting it the Dual Lock Ring really does “lock” it back in place. If you check out the video on their website you’ll see this clearly demonstrated with an iPad. I must note however that i had to place the Dual Lock Ring directly onto the back of my iPod Touch for it to function correctly. At first I had tried attaching it to the back of the cheap rubber case my iPod Touch had been encased in but it didn’t stick well at all. Once the rubber case was out of the equation that’s no longer an issue. In fact, it sticks so well that I really don’t see a need to find a case that would work with it. However, if you feel more comfortable using a case there is a video on their website that shows you how to modify your case to work with the Hand-e-holder.

The Hand-e-holder wrapped around my wheelchair armrest

The Hand-e-holder wrapped around my wheelchair armrest

So now the big question. Does this allow me to independently rotate my iPod Touch? I’m happy to say the answer is most definitely YES. I can’t do it as easily as somebody with a fully functional hand, which isn’t a surprise, but the important thing is I can now do it all by myself. So now if I want to do something on my iPod Touch that works better in landscape mode, like watch a YouTube video or play a game, I can put it that way. If it’s not something that’s already in landscape mode I only need to tilt my wheelchair back a little bit to get the iPod Touch’s accelerometer to do it’s thing and change the orientation. It’s pretty awesome and after only a few days it’s demonstrated how much I’ve been missing by not having this capability. I can even leave my dock connector plugged in constantly as before (my iPod Touch receives a constant charge from my wheelchair battery) no matter what orientation it’s in.

Independently Rotating The iPod Touch from portrait to landscape orientation

Independently Rotating The iPod Touch from portrait to landscape orientation

These encouraging results gave me some hope where the iPad is concerned. However in my case there was also the question of whether there’s enough space for me to mount it in the same location as my iPod Touch. They also offer various iPad stands and clamps that are compatible with the Hand-e-holder and further improve its accessibility and usefulness. My hope was the clamps could take care of the space problem, if there ended up being one. Fortunately I ended up getting a golden opportunity to answer all these questions regarding the iPad as Mike Burns was gracious enough to offer to send me some of the clamps and a loaner iPad to test things out! So I got to see first-hand if there’s some way this can work out for me.

Upon receiving the iPad I immediately discovered, as expected, that it is much too large to mount directly on my armrest in the same fashion that my iPod Touch is. So that left me with the clamps. I tried several positions and locations to no avail. No matter where I placed the iPad with the clamps it either prevented me from using my wheelchair controls, or messed with the width of my wheelchair for doorways and such, or both.

iPad mounted on my armrest using one of the C-Clamps attached to the Hand-e-holder

iPad mounted on my armrest using one of the C-Clamps attached to the Hand-e-holder.

However it became readily apparent that the clamps he sent me are incredibly versatile. They can be placed just about anywhere and at any angle. The problem for me though is that my limited arm movement just doesn’t allow for many potential locations on my wheelchair. In all honesty the perfect location would be right where my wheelchair hand controls are and they obviously can’t be moved. To Mike Burn’s credit he’s determined to make this work for me so as of this writing the book isn’t yet completely closed on the iPad and my wheelchair. So if they come up with another solution that works I will be sure to update this article.

But despite the inability (thus far) to get this to work for me it occurred to me that this COULD work very well for other physically disabled individuals. It perhaps could even be the difference between getting an iPad and not getting an iPad. I mentioned above how versatile the clamps and stands they offer are. So versatile that I really believe that others would be able to successfully mount an iPad on their wheelchair in an accessible position. You can get a good idea about this versatility with the pictures below. You’ll notice this versatility extends beyond the wheelchair as well. I was able to easily mount the iPad to my kitchen counter and the side rail on my bed, both of which made the iPad easily accessible to me at those locations. And even when attached to one of the clamps it’s still possible to easily rotate the iPad between landscape and portrait orientation. The possibilities are really endless here. Being able to use the iPad in bed so easily, especially with a modified mouthstick, was a surprising revelation for me. My iMac can’t really be moved around very easily so whenever I lay down in bed, to watch TV or take it easy, I’m pretty much cut off from the Internet and anything computer related. I have tried to use my iPod Touch in that position but the screen is just too small to make it practical. The iPad, however, works extremely well in that position. And since the iPad can do so many of the same things that a computer can (and as I learned in some cases can do certain things a little better) it was like my computer was right there with me! It’s so useful and convenient to have that capability that I’m now seriously considering getting an iPad of my own. It would certainly be a lifesaver whenever I get sick or have some other type of medical problem that keeps me bedridden for any length of time.

The iPad mounted on my bed rail

The iPad mounted on my bed rail

So if you have some way to interact with an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch (like with the Pogo Stylus or the mouthstick solution I spoke of) but are unable to actually hold the device the Hand-e-holder may be the solution you’re looking for. There are actually other potential solutions out there, like the ones from RJ Cooper, but none are as simple and inexpensive as the Hand-e-holder solution. I can really see the Hand-e-holder potentially making a huge difference for physically disabled people such as myself. So if you think this may be of any benefit to you I encourage you to check out the Hand-e-holder. You could even contact them and they will help you choose the best solution for your needs.

- Paul Natsch

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Ellie’s iPad Provides New Opportunities

By Charlie Doremus on December 9, 2010

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Accessibility Changes Lives.

An iPadComing from a Windows background and being fortunate to have relatively good vision for a “partially sighted” person, I never gave much thought to screen readers and speech programs. My home computer was a standard issue off-the-shelf model with no adaptive features. My partner, however, is legally blind and has cerebral palsy, she is also a non-typist. She had little interest in the machine outside of casino games like blackjack – her computing sessions often ended with the blue screen message “you have performed an illegal function”, causing her to believe the constabulary may soon be at our door. Despite this, there was always an interest, on her part, to understand how computers worked.

The computing landscape changed overnight when the iPad was released: now those interested in computing but in fear of keyboards could join the party. Being a touch-screen device, the iPad offered internet access with the touch of a finger. My partner, once limited to playing blackjack, was now able to explore a world that until now had been hidden from her. Apps, music downloads, iBooks, twitter and face book were just a finger tap away.

Ellie tests out her new iPad

Ellie tests out her new iPad

Surfing the internet has now became part of daily life for her. Now instead of watching TV or listening to local radio, my partner is keeping up with world events, following her favourite sports teams, and reconnecting with friends located thousands of miles away.

She has gathered a long list of followers on both twitter and an app reviewing site called chomp, here she has rated better than 7,200 apps in 9 months!

The future can only bring more into her life as the products she uses are improved and her skills grow.

The iPad has changed the lives of countless individuals and I have been privileged to have a grandstand seat as one disabled user went from a person in complete fear to someone who considers their Apple devices more useful than shoes.

- Charlie Doremus

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Dragon Dictate 2.0 Review

By Lisa Connor on November 15, 2010

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Speech-to-Text Compilation.

Icon for Dragon DictateI’ve been using Dragon Dictate 2.0 for Mac for about two weeks along with Growl. Overall, I’m glad I upgraded although there are still some problems with the system.

Installing the upgrade was very easy. In fact, I still have MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.9 on my computer because while I paid for an upgrade what I got was a new copy of [dd] 2.0. When you go to upgrade one of your profiles from a MacSpeech Dictate profile you will have to redo the training but it doesn’t take long.

Once you have Dragon Dictate 2.0 installed you will notice minor cosmetic changes in the interface. Overall, you should be able to dictate just as you did before. Most of the changes seem to be additions rather than changes or subtractions. Also, Growl version 1.2 can be used to notify recognised text rather than having a window always visible on the screen. Later versions of Growl do not work as well at this time.

I primarily access my computer using Zoom and was hoping that the new Mouse Grid feature would enable me to use my mouse less. While Mouse Grid is fairly easy to use, even for someone with low vision, it depends on there being “clicks” of the mouse. So, I haven’t been able to use it to look around my screen.

Dragon Dictate is much more stable than MacSpeech Dictate. I can now use websites that involve Flash, such as YouTube, with Dragon Dictate running. It is still a good idea to save your profile regularly but crashes seem more infrequent.

The Available Commands Window has had some changes. More choices are now listed. Some of the commands seem shorter. This makes it easier for someone like me whose disability affects their voice and breathing. Most of the commands work beautifully. The only one I’ve had trouble with is “reply to this message” in Mail.

Lisa using Dragon Dictate on her Mac

Lisa using Dragon Dictate on her Mac

One thing that has not been fixed is that I’m still experiencing small words like “the” and “A” being recognized when I am not speaking. Admittedly, part of this may be caused by my use of a Plantronics 995 headset, which is not approved. Clearing those words with “scratch that” can cause glitches with what I’m doing. Oddly, muting the microphone with the headset doesn’t always stop this problem so I strongly recommend putting Dragon Dictate to sleep when you won’t be using it for a few minutes.

Overall, I would recommend Dragon Dictate 2.0. The increased stability alone makes dictation easier. Plus, with the increased number of available commands and Mouse Grid I think that Dragon Dictate will be more useful for those who have trouble using their hands rather than just preferring to speak.

- Lisa Connor

If you are going to buy or upgrade any version of MacSpeech Dictate from the USA or UK. stores, please consider using these links in this article. If you do, I'll get a commission - a small percentage of the sale price. It won't cost you anything and it will help to support me and ATMac.

Get MacSpeech Dictate 1.5: Better, Stronger, Faster

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Switch Control For iPod/iPad/iPhone Music

By Ricky Buchanan on November 11, 2010

An iPhoneThere are three hardware-based options of which I’m aware for accessing the music playing functions an an iPod, iPhone, or iPad, as well as customisable software programs. These won’t help you to use the programs on an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad – just to play the music, audiobooks and podcasts you’ve already put onto the device.

Each option has different features, and of course different things work for different people so I’ll let you know as many features as I have knowledge of, and we can go from there:

SpaceKraft’s iPod Switcher

This is the simplest controller, with only three buttons. It has a desktop docking unit where the iPod sits plus a wireless controller unit with the three buttons.

The iPod Switcher with a traditional type iPod

The iPod Switcher with a traditional type iPod

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track.

Switch access: This unit does not allow your own switches to be plugged in, only the unit’s own built-in buttons can be used.

Compatibility: The sales page just says “iPod”. There’s no clear indication of which iPods it will operate with – it looks like the dock part would only fit specific sizes of iPods.

Wireless controller size: 24cm wide, 19cm deep, 7cm tall.

Button size: Unspecified.

Cost: £295

Notes: The switcher control box is battery powered. The page says “Operates on 240v” which implies the dock section needs to be plugged in to operate, however.

RJ Cooper’s BIG iPod Remote

Five-button remote with large brightly coloured buttons on the top, separate switches can also be plugged in.

RJ's BIG iPod Remote being used by an elderly woman

RJ's BIG iPod Remote being used by an elderly woman

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down.

Switch access: The unit’s own built-in buttons can be used or any/all of these buttons can be replaced by separate switches.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Wireless controller size: 8″ wide x 5″ deep x 3″ tall.

Button size: The large green button is 1-3/4″ and the smaller buttons are 1-1/4″.

Cost: US$119

Technical Solutions’ iScanMP3 (formerly SwitchPod)

Single switch visual/auditory scanning system, including adjustable scan speed.

The iScan MP3 plugged into a traditional style iPod

The iScan MP3 plugged into a traditional style iPod

Functions it controls: Play/Pause, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume up, Volume down, Power on/off.

Switch access: Plug in any standard switch.

Compatibility: It should fit any iPod/iPhone/iPad except the iPod Shuffle.

Cost: AU$190

Other Options

There are some ‘easy music controller’ programs for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad which present an interface that’s easier to operate for those with limited dexterity. They generally operate by gestures, where a single tap gesture anywhere on the screen will operate either the ‘pause/play’ function or the ‘next song’ function. Some are configurable so that you can define what gestures mean what.

These are some cheap options I recommend:

Gesture Player
This is the one I use myself to listen to my audio books. Specially cool things about it:

  • Compatible with both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch. Most seem to be iPhone/iPod Touch only.
  • Clearly displays the function you have activated, so you know what’s happening.
  • You can pick a default playlist to use. Most seem to only have the option to use the full library.
  • Can adjust the sensitivity of the gesture recogniser, more sensitive requires the gestures to be more accurate before they’re recognised.

About the only thing that isn’t perfect about this one is there’s no ability to configure which gesture does what!

Swiper Music Player
Swiper has slightly different controls, so a single tap to the screen moves to the next track and a long tap (press-and-hold) is needed to operate the play/pause function. It also displays the music’s cover art so you can see pictorially what’s playing. Swiper is for the iPhone/iPod Touch only, there’s no iPad native version.
LeechTunes
LeechTunes allows some controls to be customised, but basic controls seem fixed, including a single tap operating the play/pause function. There are a bunch of different “skins” to change the appearance and a software function to lock the program in either portrait or landscape mode. It also has iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad versions.

- Ricky Buchanan

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Back To The Accessible Mac: Accessibility Implications From Apple’s 20 October Event’

By Ricky Buchanan on October 24, 2010

Apple logo in reflective blackThere was a special Apple event in Cupertino on the 20th of October entitled “Back To The Mac”. We were treated to a plethora of Mac-related announcements which have plenty of fantastic accessibility implications. I’m going to briefly run down what each announcement was, and why it matters for Mac accessibility.

State Of The Mac

Firstly Apple’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Tim Cook told us how the Mac was faring as a platform and the news is very good. There are more Mac users and Mac developers than ever before, and Apple is making plenty of money off all of us. The full information is available in MacLife’s article: State of the Mac: “The Momentum Has Never Been More”.

Why does this matter for accessibility: Firstly, there’s no danger that Macs and OS X will be going away which is of course good! The iDevices and iOS are great but they don’t do everything that everybody needs and it wouldn’t be good if OS X disappeared at this point.

The fact that Apple as a company is making plenty of profit, despite the world economy, is good news for accessibility because unfortunately accessibility progress is often one of those not-very-visible things which tends to be cut back if a company hurting. This is obviously not something that Apple users need to be worrying about just now!

Steve Jobs discussed the new iPhoto included in iLife '11

Steve Jobs discussed the new iPhoto included in iLife 11

iLife ’11

The newest edition of the iLife suite (including iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand) will be iLife ’11, and is available immediately. Improvements to the iLife suite include full screen modes for iPhoto, more ways to create iPhoto slideshows, audio filters and a ‘movie trailer’ mode for iMovie. GarageBand will sport some timing “fixer” technology knows as GrooveMatching and Flex Time, as well as new amplifiers and instrument lessons for aspiring piano and guitar players.

iLife 11 runs on three adjacent MacBooks

All of the iLife programs will be significantly updated.

It wasn’t announced on the day of the event, but Maccessibility reports that iLife ’11 also sports significant accessibility improvements, especially accessibility improvements in GarageBand. They don’t cite their sources but Maccessibility are known for generally being accurate.

iLife ’11 requires that you use the Snow Leopard operating system, and is available now for US$49 for an individual installation and US$79 for a family pack.

FaceTime Now Available For Mac

FaceTime, the video phoning application available on the iPhone 4 and newest iPod Touch, is now available for the Mac computer also. The downloadable version is still in beta so it may have a few problems, but it has been reported by members of the MacVoiceover list to be fully accessible to VoiceOver users.

Because FaceTime can be used to call people via a regular mobile phone number as well as via an email address, and is available on the very portable iPhone 4, it has been eagerly used by the Deaf community for video phoning. Having the service available on the Mac will be a huge bonus to Deaf users who don’t have access to an iPhone 4 but know people who do, as well as to others who have family and friends with iPhone 4 or the new iPod Touch which also uses FaceTime.

FaceTime is free for Mac users and you can download it right now!

OS X 10.7 Lion Preview

After OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard will be OS X 10.7 Lion, expected to be available in mid 2011.

Lion will import some of iOS’s good features back into OS X, including more multitouch gestures, a new Mac App Store, app home screens, full-screen apps with no menu bar at the top, auto save and apps that resume where they left off when relaunched.

OS X Lion will have many features imported from the iOS devices.

OS X Lion will have many features imported from the iOS devices.

Some of these things have accessibility potential for those with neurological impairment: things like auto-save and resuming where you left off when you launch an app make memory problems less of a problem. The simplicity of getting apps via a Mac App Store which takes care of downloading and installing for you means there’s one less infrequently-done task to learn and remember, a bonus for those new to the Mac as well as an accessibility boon.

Multi-touch gestures that match those used on the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone will be great for some users – I use the mouse extensively myself and find gestures are fantastic. Unfortunately these require a high level of fine motor control in multiple fingers, so multi-touch is generally not very accessible to several groups including those who must use a stylus or a mouth stick, and are completely out for those who can’t use a trackpad but need an alternative pointing device such as a joystick or trackball. Hopefully all multi-touch gestures will be implemented with keyboard equivalents so that users aren’t left out in the cold.

The Mac App Store could also make it easier to spread the news about accessible apps and apps to aid accessibility, as has happened with the existing App Store. This would undoubtedly be a good thing, but I am concerned that app developers may be the losers in this new scenario – several things about the iOS App Store are very difficult for developers to manage and I wouldn’t like to see developers give up on their accessibility apps for the OS X platform because of App Store issues. Hopefully this will not be an issue, but it does concern me. We won’t have to wait long to find out: The Mac App Store will be launching for Snow Leopard within 90 days!

Also new to OS X Lion will be Launch Pad: a new way to launch apps from your desktop, similar to how it’s already done on the iPad. This means that users can keep commonly used apps right in front of them without cluttering up the dock – another win for easy usability which also helps those with neurological issues.

A final new feature called Mission Control was also described but I can’t tell you how easy it is to use because I didn’t understand it! It has elements of Spaces, Expos and the Dashboard all mixed together, and I hope it’s useful.

New MacBook Air Models

Two new Macbook Air laptops were announced, one 13.3 inch model and one 11.6 inch model. These don’t have touch screens but were described by Steve Jobs as what happens when “an iPod hooks up with a MacBook”!

The 13 inch model is a tiny 2.9 pounds, and it shares many great features with the iPad: the ability to instantly start up, offering great battery life (7 hours of use has been quoted), amazing standby time, solid state storage with no optical or hard drives, and it’s thinner and lighter than ever. The 11.6 inch model is pretty much the same, but with more of the “smaller and lighter” at only 2.5 pounds, and with a bit less battery life because there’s less battery fitting in there.

Side on image of MacBook Air 11 inch held in a hand

The 11.6 inch MacBook Air is almost unbelievably small

For those who find the iPad is not accessible due to their disabilities, or those who just don’t like typing on an iPad, these new laptops look to be a fantastic option. With instant start-up they will be great for taking notes in class, for use as communication devices, and other situations where waiting a few minutes for your laptop to boot just isn’t sensible.

Having only solid state storage (“flash memory” like your iPhone, iPad, or camera has) and no hard drive or CD/DVD drive means the laptops are small and light but also that they have very few moving parts except the keyboard itself – Apple hasn’t said so but I strongly suspect they will be more robust because of this. We’ve seen how much an iPod Touch or iPad can survive being dropped or otherwise battered around in daily use – imagine a laptop that would probably be OK if knocked off a desk or wheelchair tray! And of course smaller and lighter laptops mean less mounting equipment is needed for those with special positioning requirements.

I think that these new laptops will be “the iPad for switch users”, and others who need non-standard input devices that the iPads don’t cope with yet. I still hope, of course, that the iPad will grow into coping with a wider variety of input devices but these new MacBook Air devices are a “mid point” between the regular MacBooks and the iPads in terms of size and weight. You can get a glimpse of it in MacLife’s First Look at the 11.6″ MacBook Air article.

The 11.6-inch MacBook Air starts at US$999 with 64GB (US$1199 for 128GB) while the 13.3-inch model starts at US$1299 with 128GB and is also available with 256GB for US$1599. Both models are shipping now.

And so…

All in all, these announcements are a huge win for accessibility for Macs and Mac users in multiple ways. I am thrilled to see that Apple’s commitment to accessibility continues unabated, and that their passion for Universal Design rubs off in the direction of accessibility so very often.

Which announcement are you most excited about? I really really wish I could get myself one of those teeny tiny laptops, but in the absence of a spare thousand dollars I’m most excited about OS X 10.7 Lion and the new iLife ’11. Those are things I can actually use, and use soon.

Here’s to the future!

- Ricky Buchanan

PR images courtesy of Apple. Screenshots by me.

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HippoRemote Replaces Your Keyboard, Mouse, and Remote Control

By Guest Post on October 12, 2010

Icon for HippoRemoteGuest post by Blake Watson.

I’ve tried a lot of remote apps, but for me, HippoRemote gets the nod. Once you go through a surprisingly painless setup process, HippoRemote will connect to your computer and hand the reins over to you. Your iPhone is now a fully-featured multi-touch trackpad. Tap the keyboard button at the top of the screen and HippoRemote will provide you with a standard iPhone keyboard with some extra features attached. Explore further, and you will see that HippoRemote turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an advanced media browser that lets you interact with some of the coolest media programs on your Mac, including the built in stuff like iTunes and Front Row as well as third party apps like Boxee and Hulu Desktop. Let’s walk through some of HippoRemote’s features. HippoRemote comes in a few different flavors, so we’ll be looking at HippoRemote Pro.

The Keyboard

HippoRemote provides a keyboard with recently typed strings.

Basic keyboard view in HippoRemote Pro

The keyboard behavior of HippoRemote is arguably the best available on a remote app. Most standard iPhone keyboard behavior is present. For example, spacing after a period or a comma will change the keyboard from the punctuation layout back to the alphabet layout. Tapping the shift key once will keep it activated until you tap a letter, then it is deactivated. If you want CAPSLOCK then double tap the shift key to activate it, then tap it once when your done. These behaviors are the Apple standard, but many remote apps do not use them because of the way characters are sent to the computer. I find that these behaviors are important because they increase typing efficiency.

In addition to replicating iPhone’s standard keyboard behaviors, HippoRemote takes advantage of iPhone’s built-in ability to predict what you are writing. HippoRemote displays what you are typing in a text field on the phone at the same time that it is sending it to your computer. If you misspell a word, you can tap on it to see substitutes and HippoRemote will make the correction on your computer automatically. HippoRemote also displays a list of the last few strings you’ve typed. Touching one will re-type that string.

Besides standard keyboard layouts, HippoRemote provides arrow keys and modifier keys (command, option, etc.) as well as the full range of function keys.

HippoRemote adds one feature that I haven’t seen in other remote apps: it has support for TextExpander Touch. TextExpander Touch allows you to create snippets of text that can be automatically triggered by specified shortcodes (eg, “fn” could expand to your full name). You don’t need TextExpander on your Mac for these to work, as TextExpander Touch expands the snippets before they’re sent to the computer.

The keyboard supports vertical and horizontal orientations. And in the Basic or Lite versions of HippoRemote, the keyboard and the trackpad can be displayed at the same time.

Multi-touch trackpad

HippoRemote acts as a multi-touch trackpad and includes a left and right mouse button

Multi-touch trackpad view in HippoRemote Pro

The multi-touch trackpad features left and right mouse buttons as well as the ability to use tapping, two-finger scrolling and other gestures. If you are like me, and have trouble using more than one finger, you will appreciate HippoRemote’s unique scroll button. By moving your finger from the bottom of the screen to the middle, you activate a scrolling knob that allows you to scroll by moving your finger in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. That means you can use one finger to scroll without the need to look down.

Like the keyboard, the trackpad supports vertical and horizontal orientations.

Profiles for Remote Control Panels

HippoRemote Pro can give you control panels (via profiles) tailored to apps like Firefox, Pandora, and Hulu Desktop.

Browsing profiles in HippoRemote Pro

HippoRemote Pro can change its interface based on what application you are using. For example, I am currently in the Mac OS profile. At the bottom of the trackpad area, there are several buttons that allow me to do things like trigger Spotlight and Expose or run macros that control volume, press eject, open Dashboard and other functions. Switching to the iTunes profile provides a control panel for manipulating playback. Switching to the Pandora profile allows you to control the Pandora web app. There are dozens of profiles installed with HippoRemote and more can be added from inside the app itself. If you are technically inclined, there are instructions for making your very own profiles.

Extras

On top of all these great features, HippoRemote includes a native web browser and Twitter client. You can even open links from HippoRemote’s Twitter client directly in your Mac’s web browser.

Different Versions

HippoRemote comes in three flavors: HippoRemote Lite (free, ad-supported), HippoRemote Basic ($1.99USD), and HippoRemote Pro ($4.99USD). Unfortunately, it’s a bit confusing as to what features are found in which versions. For the purpose of this review, I used the Pro version. If you are looking to replace a keyboard, I recommend getting the Pro version. At about five bucks, you’ll be getting all of HippoRemote’s features at a fairly inexpensive price compared to most assistive technology software. However, if having the trackpad and keyboard display simultaneously would be useful for you then you will want to grab the basic version.

If you need to know about a specific feature and you can’t find it on the HippoRemote website, feel free to contact the developer. He actually has an interest in making HippoRemote even better for people with disabilities and will value any feedback you provide. That being said, you can always send me an email too.

Alternative Apps

Here are some other apps that are similar to HippoRemote. Depending on your needs, one of these might work better for you. I have these apps installed on my iPhone. Although I am not planning to review them at the time of this writing, you can email me if you have questions about them.

Rowmote Pro, $4.99USD, by Evan Schoenberg
Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, can simulate the Apple Remote Control including support for dozens of applications.
TouchPad, $4.99USD, by Edovia, Inc.
Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, great user interface, Windows compatible, media remote.
Touchpad Elite, $0.99USD, by iTeleport LLC
Good keyboard behavior, can type locally and then send a paragraph at once, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote.
Air Mouse Pro, $1.99USD, by R.P.A. Tech, INC
Optional accelerometer-based “air” mouse activated by physically moving the iPhone/etc in the air, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote, separate iPad compatible app.

Conclusion

If you can operate an iPhone or iPod Touch, you might find that typing with HippoRemote is faster and more efficient than typing with an onscreen keyboard. And as an added bonus, you get some powerful, easy-to-use controls for interacting with popular media applications. And if you happen to be a Windows user, you’re in luck. HippoRemote is compatible with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X.

- Blake Watson

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How Do I Use ZVRS With My iPhone or iPod Touch?

By Ricky Buchanan on October 10, 2010

An iPhoneFor our USA readers: This video describes how to set up your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch with the ZVRS app and use it to call the ZVRS ASL (American Sign Language) video relay service.

Video is in ASL with closed captions and transcript available.

- Ricky Buchanan

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Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.0 Announced

By Ricky Buchanan on September 21, 2010

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Speech-to-Text Compilation.

Icon for MacSpeech DictateNuance Communications today announced the release of Dragon Dictate for Mac 2.0, a paid and rebranded upgrade for MacSpeech Dictate.

This is a major upgrade, bringing Dictate much closer to the Windows based Dragon NaturallySpeaking product. Major features include:

  • Uses the same speech recognition engine as the new Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11
  • Mouse movement with voice commands using a 3 by 3 grid system is now built in.
  • Mouse clicking with voice commands including clicks with modifiers, double clicking, etc., is now built in.
  • Proofreading documents with the Mac’s built in text-to-speech commands is now also included.
  • More than one microphone can now be attached to a single profile.
  • New editing commands have been added so they match the commands that will be familiar to Windows Naturally Speaking users.

This sounds like it could now function as a complete keyboard replacement for disabled Mac users, which is great news!

Unfortunately my computer is still off being fixed (the first fix only worked for a few days), so I haven’t had the chance to try this new version. As soon as is humanly possible, I will be getting myself a copy and testing it out. Meanwhile, Dan Cohen at GearDiary has reviewed Dragon Dictate and declares it ‘awesome’ – not a bad start!

Dragon Dictate for Mac costs US$199 including a basic microphone. The upgrade costs US$49 for a downloadable version, more if you need the upgrade on CD or want to purchase a new microphone at the same time.

If you use this banner to purchase your upgrade online I will get a small portion of your upgrade price, which will help support me and ATMac:

Get MacSpeech Dictate 1.5: Better, Stronger, Faster

Have you upgraded yet? Are you planning to upgrade soon, or later, or not at all? And what new feature are you most excited about?

- Ricky Buchanan

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Stories: iPad Users With Disabilities

By Ricky Buchanan on September 9, 2010

An iPadThere have been a plethora of stories in the mainstream news and in blogs about the iPad and the amazing positive effects it’s having for people with various disabilities. Children with autism are the subject of many of these stories, but there are plenty of others who are getting amazing results from their iPads too.

I haven’t been able to keep up with all the stories, but here’s a round-up of some of them. If you know of more, please leave a comment at the bottom of this post:

The Wall Street Journal itself has written about the iPad for people with disabilities: Using the iPad to Connect: Parents, Therapists Use Apple Tablet to Communicate With Special Needs Kids is a great article and includes quotes from Steve Jobs and also a video showing some use of the iPad:

Making weird cool – Robert Rummel-Hudson talks about why he thinks the iPad is a game-changer for AAC and why it’s important to have devices that don’t say “I have a disability!” as soon as you walk into a room with one.

Zach’s A Mac – Zach is a 3 1/2 year old boy with cerebral palsy who’s learning to use an iPad.

I use my iPad while wearing fingerless gloves to help prevent accidental touches by the palm of my hand.

I use my iPad while wearing fingerless gloves to help prevent accidental touches by the palm of my hand.

The iPad: a Near-Miracle for My Son With Autism – Shannon Des Roches Rosa writes about her son Leo and how the iPad has helped him.

iHelp for Autism by the SF Weekly is a long and well balanced story which explains some of the iPads possibilities as well as its limitations, talking to teachers and other experts as well as parents of kids with autism. This article also includes sections about Leo and Des Roches.

Opinion: Why The iPad Isn??t For Me – Paul has quadriplegia and is an ardent iPod Touch user but for him the iPad would be a step backwards in terms of accessibility. In this article he explains why.

Karen Janowski has written Why I Love the iPad for Education: Initial Observations. Karen is an assistive and educational technology consultant who writes excellently and makes many good points.

The Muscular Dystrophy’s Magazine, Quest, has published Barbara Twardowski’s The iPad: A Disability Friendly Device? which evaluates the iPad for people with various types of disabilities. It’s a balanced look at the pros and cons of the device, and lists ATMac as a website useful for people using an iPad so it must be a good article ;) .

From the wonderful Katilea, an adult AAC user, we have several great posts about her new iPad:

N0thingbuteverything has written several articles about the iPad as used by her 5 year old son, ‘S’, who has cerebral palsy:

Kate Ahern from Teaching Learners With Multiple Special Needs has written iPossibilities for Those with Significant Special Needs and their Teams listing many apps suitable for those at the more severe end of the ‘special needs’ spectrum.

Trying out an iPad in Greece - this is definitely a world-wide phenomena.

Trying out an iPad in Greece- this is definitely a world-wide phenomena.

Caleigh’s Mum writes about her daughter’s use of the iPad with Proloquo2Go for communicating. Caleigh has cerebral palsy and there are several videos of her using the iPad included too:

Heidi has established a whole blog – Junior’s Voice – about her son’s journey with the iPad as a communications device. He uses the iPad via eyegaze with a helper holding the iPad to “read” the eyegaze and physically touch the screen in the right places.

Finally one of my favourite bloggers, Glenda Watson Hyatt, who has cerebral palsy also got herself an iPad and has been surprised by its usefulness:

In personal news, I have just got my own Mac back after it spent two weeks out of action after the video card, so I had only the iPad and my iPod Touch to keep me occupied. I learned a lot about using the iPad which I’m going to show you in future posts. Unfortunately I also got tendonitis in my hands from using them too much, and I have a hernia repair operation scheduled in a week’s time, so I’ll be at least partially out of action for a few more weeks and ATMac will be slow. Please be patient with me while I work on healing!

Hope you enjoyed the stories above – what other iPad disability-related stories have you seen?

- Ricky Buchanan

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