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Amongst updates to the iMac series of computers, Apple yesterday announced an external bluetooth trackpad. This works exactly like the MacBook’s built-in multi-touch trackpad but has a working area of approximately 4.3 by 4.3 inches (11cm by 11cm). A full set of gestures, including the VoiceOver “trackpad as screen” gesture control are available.

Almost all of the newer Mac models come with the Apple Remote control, and they can be used for a surprising amount of your computing. So what’s available for those of us who have a Mac that didn’t come with a remote, or who need a different remote for accessibility? There’s a huge range that will have an option appropriate for almost any user, no matter your assistive technology needs.

There have been a lot of articles on a lot of websites about accessibility and disability and assistive technology as they relate to the iPad since the specifications were first released. Now that people obtain the iPads to use themselves, the pace of articles is still increasing.

MacSpeech Dictate is a great program but learning so many commands all at once can be very intimidating. I’ve put together a full list of all the known commands for MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.*, ordered by their function, to help you learn and remember them.

It’s been announced that the MacSpeech company has been purchased by Nuance. Nuance are the company behind the Windows product “Dragon NaturallySpeaking“ and other recent Dragon products for iPod Touch and iPhone. So what does this mean for MacSpeech Dictate and the other MacSpeech products? What would you like to happen?

As expected, at their press gathering this morning Apple announced their new product: the iPad. So what’s an iPad? Will the iPad be accessible, and what will it mean for accessibility in general?

This video shows one way to create new commands for MacSpeech Dictate - using the “Menu Item” command type. The article also discusses using the “Press the key combo” command to accomplish things which have no menu entry.

What would you do if you lost all your files because your computer’s hard drive failed? For less than $100 and with no technical knowledge you can have a backup of all the files on your computer, and you’ll never need to worry about hard drives failing and losing all your files.

Accessible technology has changed Juergen Manthey’s life. Usually, somebody with his disabilities would be expected to exist in a nursing home and watch daytime television which they couldn’t even turn on or off without somebody’s help. Instead, Juergen is really living.

The iPhone and iPod Touch don’t have a lot of voice control commands, but they’re very picky about you getting the wording precisely right. We’ve compiled a printable cheat sheet you can store with your iPhone/iPod Touch while you’re learning them.