Google i/o will soon descend upon us like a sky diver at the end of this month, however, the little company from Mountain View has already begun to give us good news with the official release of the 4.2 version of the Talkback screen reader for Android. This release contains two significant changes that are sure to make some long-time users happy, and some who were on the fence about Android even happier.
Firstly, the ability to launch and suspend Talkback has been added to the settings area. By placing a check in the checkbox for this option, you can activate or suspend Talkback with the long press of the volume up and down buttons simultaneously. If done correctly, your device will offer a confirmation box alerting you about the ramifications of turning Talkback off on your device. This box has a don t show me this again option for those who wish to have seamless triggering of Talkback s active state. Depending on the size of your Android phone or tablet, and if your unit offers a rocker switch rather than individual up and down volume buttons, the use of this feature might take some experimentation until you find it easy to use comfortably.
Another major, and optional, change comes to the presentation of Talkback s context menus, allowing available options to be displayed in a list rather than the traditional circle. Several multi operating system users have stated in the past that the traditional circle-based context menus were confusing and difficult to navigate. The new version of Talkback allows for a more flic and swipe-friendly list box of commonly used actions. However, the user must still draw the L gesture on screen to bring up these menus. That being said, all gestures can now also be reassigned, allowing for a very customized experience.
Additionally, along with the general bug fixes found in version updates, those who use a keyboard with their Android devices can customize shortcuts to invoke common commands in this release. Visit the What s New section of the Talkback page on Google Play to learn more and read the comments of what users are saying about the latest release.
Source: Google PlayCategory: News
No one has commented on this post.
You must be logged in to post comments.
Or Forgot username or password?
Register for free
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.
