We bring balance to the Force this week with a look at the recent Google Hardware Event. However, Apple Fans, that isn't all we talk about as some of the hardware discussed can connect to iOS as well. We also have "Sound Off", a tip and the craziness that is the "Last Word".
In The News:
If You Only Take One Survey This Year, Make it WebAIM's Screen Reader Survey
Hitting Refresh on Accessibility
Rethinking Web Accessibility On Windows
No Need to Wait Around, Be My Eyes for Android has been Posted
Playstation firmware v5.0 adds more minor changes to TTS access
No Need to Wait Around, Be My Eyes for Android has been Posted
National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of AV START Act
Amazon s new Fire TV will ship with Fire OS 6.0 (based on Android Nougat)
Roku unveils faster media players, universal remote and a new OS
Discussion Topic: Google Event 2017
Seven product announcements, nine videos and all under 120 minutes. Google sure packed in a lot of information during their event and we unpack some of that during our deep dive at what we thought mattered from mountain View. Here is just some of the articles we refer to during this portion of the program.
Sundar Pichai says the future of Google is AI
$49 Google Home Mini announced to compete with Amazon s Echo Dot
Google's Home Max Goes After HomePod With a Big Ass Sonos Clone
Google now lets you send messages through the Google Home to unsuspecting roommates
Everything you need to know about Google Home Max
Pixel 2: What You Need to Know About Google's New Top Android Phones
Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What's the difference?
The Google Pixel 2 XL vs. the competition: Cameras rule
Pixel 2 comes with a free Google Home Mini
Google guarantees three years of Android software updates for the Pixel 2
Pixelbook hands-on: stunning hardware for Chrome OS afficionados
Made for Google program goes official, denotes approved accessories
Google wants to sell you this USB-C to 3.5mm/USB-C adapter for $44.95
Google's Pixel Buds are $159 wireless headphones with real-time
Google s Pixel Buds use Assistant to auto-pair to your phone, just like Apple s AirPods
Google reveals new Daydream View VR headset for $99
Google unveils a $249 smart camera that decides what s worth photographing
The Pixel's missing headphone jack proves Apple was right
Google is using its biggest advantage as a weapon to totally embarrass Apple
Spotify voice commands now work on any Google Assistant-supported device
Original Google Pixel gets a new lower price
Google Assistant now has a male voice option
Google follows Amazon with multi-step smart home routines and kid-friendly accounts
Google Just Invented... Lifelogging?
Inside Google s massive hardware ambitions
Tip: Easier Reading In Word 2016
J.J. reminds us that you can read documents in Microsoft Word 2016 easier if you view them from the "Draft" area. To do this, press Alt plus W to jump focus to the "View" tab. From there navigate to "Draft View". Joe notes that Screen magnifier users who rely on speech for some tasks would also like this tip for long reading sessions, rather than shrinking a document down a few sizes, as speech can encounter problems when viewing pages in modified views.
Sound Off:
Charlie Smith provides us an update to a previous story in the News Feed...
"Hi everyone:
I am currently testing Asana, and as stated in the subject line, it is accessible beyond explanation.
All the buttons are labeled correctly, tabs work beyond well, and all is good with VoiceOver.
I am not working in a team, I just love to assist anyone developing apps."
Jim writes in with his take on iOS 11's shortcomings.
"Hello, I really enjoyed your Blind Bargains podcast regarding iOS 11.
One significant bug that no one seems to discuss often is this horrible rendering of PDF files, for example in Ibooks.
Epub files are fine, but PDF'S jump around all over the place, so that the experience is ruined, completely ruined.
Many user guides and class materials are distributed in PDF format, so I am highly disappointed with this bug.
I should try importing PDF files into another app, I do not know if that might yield better results.
At any rate, I always enjoy the podcast.
Thanks.
Sent from my jPhone"
Last Word:
Music and dogs are this week's subjects at the center of the Last Word.
Another Taylor Swift cover song for J.J.
Got it licked! St Bernard dog Mo breaks Guinness World Record for longest tongue
Four weeks of mainstream tech sure can wear a team out. So that means there will be another apple Event, looking at you Home Pod, to come before December. And we already know Microsoft has a few things in the pipeline past the Windows Fall Creators Update. Oh, yeah, there is that new Victor Reader Trek too. It seems there is no sleep until we are eating turkey at Thanksgiving. Tune in to 118 to hear what's next.
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
