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David Woodbridge recently took a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney. During the flight, he had the option of testing out the in-flight entertainment system on an iPad provided by the airline. He really didn't know what to expect, but he was optimistic. Much to his surprise, triple click home turned on VoiceOver, and the entertainment app was very compatible with VoiceOver. He even said in his blog post on AppleVis that he was so excited about the accessibility of the system that he lost all track of time. Since the iPad is the most popular tablet, hopefully other airlines will follow in Qantas's footsteps, and offer accessible in-flight entertainment for their customers. If you've experienced other in-flight entertainment options on other airlines that were accessible, tell us about your experience in the comments.

One of my favorite apps on my iPhone is TapTapSee. This app allows me to take pictures of objects, and have them identified. I can even identify what's in my pictures that I have on my camera roll. Yesterday, the makers of TapTapSee announced on twitter that their app is now compatible with Android as well as iOS. Features in the Android version are the same as they are in iOS.

Last October I wrote about a new company called 64 Ounce Games. They are a company dedicated to making board games accessible to the blind. Over the past six months they have been working on ways to modify board games tat you can already buy and they are developing their own board games. One of their goals is to use braille and QR codes to provide information that is on the cards in a game. In order to do this though, they need to purchase an embosser. For this, and to raise funding for their own games, 64 Ounce Games has launched a KickStarter campaign. The reception in the first three days has been overwhelming, and they have already reached their original $7,500 goal. The campaign is still going on however, and more money raised will enable them to reach stretch goals, including creating dice for some popular RPG games and making accessibility kits for additional titles. Those who contribute to the campaign can receive one of their original games called Yoink! or receive brailled sleeves for games like Coloretto or the Resistance. To learn more about 64 ounce games, and their mission to make board games accessible, visit my original post.

One of the features in the Apple Maps app that visually impaired users most appreciate is the ability to look at the map before they go on their route. This feature has just been added to the newest version of BlindSquare. In this short podcast from the developers, Sandra describes how to both access and use the integrated maps feature. She explains how to follow streets as well as how to change cardinal directions. To use this feature, be sure to upgrade to version 1.64.

Sendero is continuing to upgrade their Sendero GPS options for the BrailleNote and the BrailleSense. They have just released version 2014, and if you're upgrading from an older version, it will only cost $49. Also, if you're a new customer, they've dropped the price for Sendero GPS to $599. Another announcement, according to the Sendero press release, is the introduction of Key Maps. This feature is available for users on the BrailleNote. This virtual navigation option allows users to download maps directly to the BrailleNote using Wi/Fi, virtual navigation to a new destination, route recommendations to destinations, and easy to search contact information for businesses.

Currently, Pandora 1 subscribers pay $3.99 a month or $36 per year to listen to Pandora without ads. According to Lifehacker, they've just decided to raise the monthly charge to $4.99 per month starting in May and to eliminate the yearly subscription option. For current Pandora 1 subscribers, your monthly charge will not change. Also, if you have a yearly subscription, when you are up for renewal, you will be charged the old rate of $3.99 per month. Basically, if you're interested in locking in at the $3.99 per month rate, you'll need to start subscribing before May.

Rose Waagon, who is best known for her blog Chicks Dig Macs, is working on a book to help the blind cook. Her survey is designed to find out what kinds of topics people are most interested in, and to find out what areas of cooking people feel like they need the most assistance in. The survey includes 21 questions.

Last week, Senators Warren of Massachusetts and Brown of Ohio introduced a bill that would make changes to Supplemental Security Income SSI. The bill is called the Supplemental Security Restoration Act of 2014. As it stands now, those who receive SSI benefits must not have more than 2,000 dollars in cash or assets or they will lose their benefits. According to Disability Scoop, one of the proposed changes in the bill would raise the maximum amount to $10,000. The bill would also eliminate the restriction on family and friends providing assistance such as housing or food to SSI beneficiaries and raise the income level that beneficiaries can receive before losing their benefits. . If you think this is an important bill, contact your senators and ask them to support the bill.

According to Samsung Mobile Press, Samsung is releasing three new accessories for the Galaxy Core Advanced. The goal of all of these accessories is to make the phone a more powerful tool for people with visual impairments. The ultrasonic case provides audible and tactile feedback to alert the user about objects that are within 2 meters of them. The optical stand scan provides the user with an optimal angle and distance to capture text and have it read aloud. Finally, the voice label tool allows users to label objects and addd a voice tag.

A team from the MIT media lab have created the first wearable technology that will help someone with a visual impairment navigate. The technology uses vibration in a shoe or insole to tell the user about left or right turns while they're navigating to a destination. The shoes/insoles pair with a GPS app on an Android, Windows, or iOS phone. According to entrepreneur.com, the technology is primarily designed for people in the developing world. However, the shoes/insoles could be helpful to anyone as a fitness tracker because the device is also designed to count steps and calories burned. This Ted talk highlights the journey for the creator of the Lechal shoe and shows how it works.

As of this week, the shoes or insoles can now be pre-ordered for $100 if you are sighted, and $50 for those who are visually impaired.

The 2014 Winter Paralympics started Friday in Sochi, Russia. Over the next 8 days, athletes will be competing in five different sports. This year’s U.S. team includes six visually impaired athletes, competing in alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, and the Biathlon. Let's take a moment to learn about the athletes representing the United States.

The team at Hollywood Access Services announced today that they are deciding to shut down the company. The team, which was comprised of descriptive audio professionals has spent the past few years trying to expand descriptive audio and enter into new markets. Last year, they released a track for the movie Philomena on the MovieReading app for the iPhone. They also have done tracks for shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, and The Walking Dead. According to the email to customers, the tracks they've already created will still be available for purchase from iTunes or Amazon for the next year. Visit the Solo-DX website to find ways to buy their tracks.

I reached out to the team at Solo-DX to learn more about why they are shutting down. This was their official response: "Thank you for your email and kind words. Unfortunately, our company was not getting enough business to cover expenses, and after stretching ourselves as far as we could, we had to make the hard decision to shut down. We truly wish we could have lasted to get MovieReading more on its feet, but we hope that the enthusiasm the app generated and the in-roads we made will help them continue on and get more content."

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A graduate student at San Francisco State University is studying the use and experience with audible pedestrian signals. Much of the research about audible signals has only focussed on traffic engineers and O and M instructors rather than the end users. The survey includes 29 questions and should take between 10 to 15 minutes to complete. If you don't feel comfortable taking the survey online, you can email apssurvey.sfsu@gmail.com to set up a time to complete the survey over the phone.

This year is HIMS 15th anniversary. In celebration, they are asking customers and those interested in HIMS products to fill out a short five question survey. Everyone that participates will be entered to win one of five $15 Starbucks gift cards. The questions cover: why you're interested in assistive technology, what disability related topics you're interested in, what products or services interest you, and what topics you would like to have a webinar discuss.

The Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University is studying the use of magnification by people with visual impairments. The purpose of the study is to learn about the experience of those who use magnification. Improvements for usability and productivity can than be made based on the responses from participants. The survey includes 26 questions.

A team of researchers at MIT have just designed the first prototype OCR scanner that fits on your finger. The device, which is currently known as the finger meter, allows the user to scan over text with their hand and have the text read aloud. The video on the website demonstrates someone using this device to scan a document.

Beyond reading pages of printed text, this device could be a great option for reading labels on products, finding out the price of items, and so much more. It could also be a great benefit in the classroom for students who don't have access to a portable OCR solution.

On the website, there is an option to provide your email address if you want to stay informed about the progress of the project.

If you're a fan of the Papa Sangre games and the Knight Jar, consider donating to the KickStarter Campaign from Somethin Else. The team wants to release their newest game, but they need more funds in order to finish the project. Their newest offering is called Audio Arena: Zombie Defense. In the game, your job is to fight zombies as a blind warrior. According to the KickStarter page, what sets this game apart is the audio engine. Unlike other first person shooters, not only are there no visuals, the audio experience is like none other.

Reading regular sheet music can be a challenge for people with low vision. A new app for the iPad aims to solve this problem. Music Zoom is a sheet music app that allows users to enlarge their sheet music easily. Users are also able to scroll through the music using wired/wireless foot switches, or gestures on the screen. Other features of the app include: in app highlighting to draw the eyes to important sections of the music, inverting colors to white on black, and importing music from scanned images or the photo library. Music Zoom can be purchased for $19.99.

If you thought that the BrainPort was strange, researchers in Israel are now developing a contact lens that would tell the blind what they are seeing through tactile stimulation on their eye. The device uses a smart phone camera to take a picture and than translates that image into a set of electric pulses that the wearer would feel on the eye. The researchers feel like their field testing has been promising, but before this device ever comes to market they have to go through full clinical testing. Tell us what you think of this idea. Would you feel comfortable with having images drawn for you on your eyes? Is this preferable to the BrainPort which uses the tongue?

Enhanced Vision has just released their latest desktop magnifier called the Merlin Ultra HD. This magnifier has an HD camera that has a wider lens to improve image quality. Some other features of this magnifier include: easy to use tactile controls, LED lighting for better image quality, adjustable tilt for the screen, and 1.9 X to 104 X magnification depending on size of screen and XY table chosen. For pricing and more information, contact Enhanced Vision at (888) 811-3161.