Most "standard" computer games get harder because they get faster, relying on the player's reflexes and coordination keeping up. For example, in Tetris the blocks appear and drop faster and faster as your level increases:

Untimed games or time-independent games are those where you aren't penalised if you play a game very slowly, have bad reflexes, or don't posses the hand-eye coordination to time your movements accurately. Games like this are "turn-based" where any game actions only occur in response to the player's actions, and don't have any other timers or time-related limitations. One of my favourite time-independent games, Drop7, is another block-dropping game but each block only "falls" once you tell the game where to put it. Drop7 increases the difficulty by changing the mix of blocks which are dropped and by adding a layer of hidden (grey) blocks at the bottom of the screen after a number of moves:

Time independent games share all of these things:

• Game pieces aren't animated in a way that changes where you need to hit them, so taking extra time to initiate a move doesn't cause your target to shift.
• There is no timer limiting the amount of time you can take to play each move or the time taken for the overall game.
• Being fast or slow doesn't change the number of points awarded for each move or for an overall game.
• The app doesn't "reset", losing your position in the game, if the device is turned off.

If you aren't sure if a game fits all these requirements, a good way to check yourself is to open the game and choose exactly where you'll tap the screen to make a move ... then put the device down for 5 minutes before coming back and tapping the screen exactly where you had previously decided. If there's no disadvantage (or advantage) to your 5-minute pause that's time-independent. If you could do the same pausing routine at any point during the game then the whole game is time-independent.

Why would you want to know if a game is time-dependent or not? There are a large number of disabilities that affect timing, most of which come under these general categories:

• Conditions that affect perception (eg vision impairment, conditions affecting how the brain interprets perceptions, sensitivity to animated movement) which may slow down how fast you understand what the game's state is.
• Conditions that affect thinking or memory (eg brain injury, intellectual impairment, memory impairment) which may slow down your decision about which move to make.
• Conditions that affect movement or reactions in the limbs used to control the iPad (eg cerebral palsy, quadriplegia) which may slow down your ability to make the move you've decided to make.

An extra effect of time-independent games is that collaborative gameplay becomes possible. This could be a parent playing with a child, two friends playing together, a therapist playing with a client, or a partner-assisted play scenario where the player indicates their desires by their own methods and the partner physically touches the game devices for them.

A surprisingly small number of games actually fit the requirements for being fully time-independent, so for this list I'm broadening the definition a little. If the game does have some time-dependent elements but these can be adjusted by the player or aren't essential to regular play then I'll make a note of this in the list:

• A Monster Ate My Homework! (one of my favourites!)
• Aqueduct 101
• Arcs Free
• BeeCellsHD/BeeCells Lite (one of my favourites!)
• Blocks
• Boggle (has an overall timer but player can adjust from 1 to 10 minutes)
• Bookworm
• Brain Games 3 IN 1
• The "Choice Of" series of interactive fiction games
• Doodle Fit
• Drop7 (one of my favourites!)
• Geared HD
• PatternSrch
• Sliderz HD
• Solitaire and Spider Solitaire
• Squramble
• Stone Flood (one of my favourites!)
• TradeNations (this is a simulation game of the "Farmville" or "Sims" type)
• Trism (mostly untimed, it requires quick movement of iPad's angle for best multi-move cascades but you can play perfectly well without these)
• Word Abacus (one of my favourites!)
• Words With Friends (like online Scrabble)

These others are games that people have suggested may be time-independent, but which I haven't tested myself:

• Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials
• Samantha Swift And The Fountains of Fate
• Psychoban HD

What's your favourite time-independent game?

- Ricky Buchanan

The American company Lasered Pics is now making keyguards available for the iPad. Keyguards are available which conform to the shape of the standard iPad keyboard and special-purpose keyguards for Proloquo2Go, TapSpeak Choice and Speak It! are also available. All iPad keyguards are made from 1/8" (0.3cm) thick clear acrylic and come with optional 1/16" (0.15cm) bumpers which can raise the keyguard above the screen to prevent accidental touches.

Standard iPad keyboard guards come in both landscape and portrait orientations and will suit QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ keyboard layouts.

Proloquo2Go keyguards are also available for both portrait and landscape orientations and keyguards can be ordered that suit all current Proloquo2Go options including standard and large toolbar sizes, and optionally "wide" mode. Tap Speak keyguards can be made to suit 2-56 items and also come in portrait and landscape orientations. Speak It doesn't have any layout options available at the moment. Lasered Pics report they will be designing a keyguard to suit Proloquo2Go's word prediction mode keyboard, and are also working on keyguards for additional AAC apps.

Lasered Pics keyguards can be used with the standard Apple iPad case, with no case, or with any other case that does not obstruct the front of the iPad. The website advises that the current keyguards will not fit properly when used with the OtterBox iPad case.

Keyguards are smaller than the iPad's full size so they should fit both the original iPad and iPad 2 with no problems.

Current keyguards also cover the "home" button but this may be optional in the future. I can imagine it would be a bonus for some users, as preventing access to the "home" button has been a problem for some.

Steve from Lasered Pics has advised me that anybody wanting a keyguard for a different iPad application should contact him via the website. He couldn't give me a price for a custom keyguard as it depends on too many factors, but it can certainly be done.

Standard iPad keyguards cost US$19.95 each, but until 31 March 2011 you can get a 10% discount for ordering 2 or more TapSpeak keyguards - use the promo code TAPSPEAK when checking out!

- Ricky Buchanan

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

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

Recently 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

There 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.

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.

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.

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