Blind Bargains

Blind Bargains Qast 120: The Doughnut On The Desk


This is one of those times where we get to talk about actual new hardware with said hardware actually on hand. Joe has the new Google Home mini in the office and J.J. asks him questions about the little round Google Assistant. Jay Forry also returns to talk about the 5 films that turned out not to be good from the summer movie season. And then we get into the spirit of "All Hallow's Eve" in the "Last Word". So get that bowl of trick or treat candy, you know the good stuff you aren't giving out to the neighbors, as we will commune with the week's ghostly news and ghoulish access technology.

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In The News:

Microsoft is indicating that the free Windows 10 upgrade, for Assistive Technology users, will be ending on December 31st 2017

JAWS and the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Also, as we speculated during the recording earlier in the week, JAWS 2018, not JAWS 19 Now Released

Hartgen Consultancy has been preparing for the Fall Creators update and the latest version of JAWS. Visit this link to learn more.

Memphis International Airport joins the Aira Airport Network, offers new service for blind and low vision passengers

Envision AI app released for iOS

EnVision America releases database v6.5 for Win Dixie, Schwan's and other national retailers

The Bitcoin Whitepaper in Braille Can be Yours for Free Thanks to A Crowdfunding Effort

APH Blasts Through Textbook Barriers with Free Advanced Transcription Tool

iAccessibility, Amazon Element Unboxing

Demonstration: Google Home Mini

The new $49 Google Home Mini arrived in stores this week with 3 colors to choose from. Coral, chalk or charcoal make up the initial line up for this smaller version of the Google Home. J.J. asks Joe if his purchase of the charcoal model was on par with his original Google Home or was it relegated to being just a backup device in this initial look at the Mini. Much of Joe's thoughts can be summed up in this Wired review.

Interview: Jay Forry's Summer Misses

Jay Forry is back with us to talk about his pics for the 2017 summer movie season. This week we focus on the five films that didn't live up to jay's expectations. Joe mentions the yearly totals for each of the films in this look back at the summer. You can see these totals, and many more statistics, at Box Office Mojo.
The cool thing is that iTunes has many of the movies on this list with audio description support. "Wonder Woman", "Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2", "Spider-man Homecoming" and "Baby Driver" are available now from Jay's summer hits list. "Dunkirk" is not available on home video at the time of this recording, however, it did have audio description during the film's theatrical run. Now if you are the type who enjoys a bad movie, or a fan of mega franchises, then these movies from Jay's misses list might satisfy you. "King Arthur, Legend of the Sword", "Baywatch", "Snatched", "Transformers, The Last Knight" all sport audio description. "Rough Night" appears to be Closed Captioned only. We'd like to thank Jay again for dropping by and talking movies. We can't wait to hear about his thoughts on the Winter Movie season and his Oscar speculation next year.

Tip: Get A Google Home Mini For Practically Half Price

Just sign up to Google Express, purchase from WalMart, then wait for the device to arrive. Here is a link that outlines this process in a little more detail.

Sound Off:

Juan, a long time listener of the podcast, sent in his thoughts on the terrible California wildfires we spoke about in episode 119.

"Hello team,

First of all Thank you for sharing the updates on enchanted Hills Camp EHC. This camp has some of my greatest memories. I attended camp only for a short while, when I was 17-19 years old. Twice actually I went. It was and will always be the Home away from home; for the blind people in California, and the world. It was a much talked about place by teachers, students, parents, and everyone. It was like A Caribbean vacation resort in the middle of rwed woods, on a mountain, and with everything nature had to offer, along with a friendly community that made everyone feel welcome. I wish I could have visited a few more summers.
Hearing about the devastating fires makes me feel like rebuilding the sight and hoping it will be alright. I plan to donate some money, and encourage everyone to donate as well. Blind Bargains please keep informing us.

Sincerely,

Juan Manuel Avila "

From Rebecca Skipper comes this question regarding Windows 10 Fall Creators Update...

"Hi,

So far, I like the fact that it is easier to see storage options under settings and notification alerts in the system tray.
So, does OneDrive stop automatically synching everything to the device when you turn on another computer?
Does it synch only when you copy a specific file or folder?
If so, this would be great for smaller SSD drives."

Windows 10 can sync a lot of files and settings, including those with "Ease of Access", if you explore the options under Settings and then venture off into the Accounts area. However, One Drive does require a Microsoft Account and it can be a bit fickle at times when it comes to storing and backing up files. It is a great option for free storage and Microsoft Office tends to remind you of that often as it sometimes ends up being the default saved location for some file types. Joe even noted that it can act as a file manager of sorts for the Xbox one. But to answer Rebecca's question, yes but you need to be sure you are signed into your account and you want to also be sure that OneDrive is on by default at Startup.

Last Word:

It is our last show before Halloween. So we thought we would provide some levity in regards to this event.
Inside the World of a Halloween Sound-Effects Artist

Google Assistant gets playful with new Halloween-themed Easter eggs

Have a fun and safe Halloween weekend everyone!

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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.


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