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This week, we continue our coverage of CSUN 2022? Turns out we found some interviews in a closet somewhere that for whatever reason were never released. Thankfully, the subject of this tactile graphics exploration is still around and ready to serve up more than 6,000 graphics and growing. Below is how Joe described in words this interview in 2022. Stay tuned for more coverage of some year of CSUN and other things coming soon. Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD's EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC, With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUN 2022?: BTactile The "Last Word" has been known to be that part of a BBQ episode where Joe can astound, annoy?, J.J. with tales of superheroes or their movie counterparts. Yet J.J. has not experienced reading a comic strip on his own until 2022 at CSUNATC. John Alexis Guerra Gomez, Co-Founder of BTactile, takes J.J. on an amazing tour of tactile delights that came courtesy of the many images curated by the BTactile repositories. John and his wife began the service in 2015 to provide a place where others can find suitable images for an array of tactile options such as 3d printers and other methods for creating tactile materials. The privately funded service utilizes more than 23 sources across the globe that is presented in an easy to use searchable format. Tune in to hear J.J. become an art critic in real time thanks to the team at BTactile. To search the collection yourself, visit the site at this link

This week's show features the last of our CSUNATC24 interviews. It also features JJ's return to his vocal stylizing of some famous songs. We apologize in advance for that. By the way, if you have been looking for us on what used to be Twitter, well, don't. Our official feed has moved to Mastodon, and you can experience the same content you know from us there. Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD's EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC, With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUNATC24 Interview: Jenny Axler And Earle Harrison With HIMS Our last interview from Anaheim is a bit of a, 2 for 1, bonus. J.J. found a secluded spot for coffee while catching up with Jenny Axler, International Technical Manager HIMS International, and Earle Harrison, National Account Manager HIMS Inc. Both Jenny and Earle have spoken to us before, however, it has been a while since we've spoken to HIMS. So, there was a lot to learn from the pair. First up, we get the low down on the new Braille eMotion note taking device. For fans of HIMS's previous units, there are a lot of familiar designs here. Then, we get an overview of the SensePlayer and a deeper dive into the Smart Connect remote function for iOS and Android. Pre-orders for the Braille eMotion are already live. And you can find out more about various products, including Video Magnifiers, at the HIMS Inc. website.

We are back with another interview from the CSUNATC24 Exhibit Hall floor. Only one more to go after this one. Take your bets now as to who holds the last interview slot. And no, just because a robot makes a surprise appearance, the last interview is not with eBot thankfully. Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD,S EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC, With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUNATC24 Interview: Alex Russomanno and Sile O,Modhrain of Newhaptics We have been covering the exciting world of Multiline Braille Displays for a long time. And we are moving ever closer from fantasy to reality as the EBRF standard emerges onto the scene. As a result of so many placing effort into this space, we are now starting to see some new Braille technologies arise to provide a new kind of tactile feel to the need for a new style of display. JJ caught up with CEO Alex Russomanno and Sile O'Modhrain, CXO or Chief Experience Officer, of Newhaptics To talk about their Braille bubbles approach to the multiline display. That is to say, J.J. found out how compressed air can be used to drive pins on a display rather than him using a wand to wave bubbles around in the air. Listen in, or read the transcript, to learn how this new 3 line 24 cell display has been 12 years in the making. And why this technology earned a National science foundation grant for a display that allows multitouch with its multiline Braille implementation. The unit is in pre-production now, however, to stay up to date with a possible product release next year, visit the official Newhaptics Website

JJ is back with some sad news about his AI driven co-star. But do not fret too much as he has some other AI powers up his sleeve with another CSUNATC24 interview. Also, as we are reaching the end of our California coverage, drop us a line about what you thought were the big takeaways from ATIA and CSUN. Send your ideas to feedback@blindbargains.com and we may feature those comments in a future episode. Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD S EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUNATC24 Interview: Amos Miller of Glidance We have discussed various mobility enhancements for years on the podcast. However, it looks like we may now have the real deal on the horizon from the person behind Microsoft Soundscape. Amos Miller, CEO of Glidance, spoke to JJ from the Exhibit Hall floor about the new mobility aid. This device aims to be the first in what Amos calls intelligent Guides that can assist the existing skills of a cane or Service Animal user. The device utilizes a series of cameras, radar and on device chips to process travel faster than reliance on a current day cell phone. This speed of calculation allows the user to navigate and compensate quicker in challenging environments. Tune in, or read the transcript, to learn how Amos feels about how Glidance can work alongside various navigation apps to provide even greater flexibility when it comes to orientation and mobility. Pre-orders for Glidance are planned for the Spring of 2024 with a possible launch window in early 2025. To learn more, and hear a described video about the unit, visit the official Glidance website.

We are back to prove last week was not a one off April Fools joke. And we have an interview about a product you old timers might know, but in a more modern style than you might remember. Plus, for good or bad, this interview is not from Florida and does not feature a poolside parrot in the background. Break out your floppies and those connector cables that are worth more than gold for BBQ 226. Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD S EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUNATC24 Interview: BT Speak And Bryan Blazie For some the letters BNS mean a lot. The Braille N Speak was the very first Braille experience for an older generation that was new to computing, let alone, a portable Braille display. Having speech and Braille with an almost instant on wake time was transformative in a way that some now find with a mobile phone with a display over a Bluetooth connection. With that in mind, and with support of his father Dean, CEO Bryan Blazie of Blazie Technologies is out to recapture those retro stylings in a whole new package. JJ got a chance to talk with Bryan about the new BT Speak and learn how the Raspberry Pi made this reentry into the notetaker space possible. Note, the interview and transcript refer to a second model. Post interview, the team has indicated that there is only one unit at launch. To learn more, and keep up with the latest, visit the Blazie Technologies website.

Things like grammar and sentence structure are hard. That's why we do more talking than writing on this site. Except, for a considerable time, we haven't been doing a lot of that either. Well, that changes today as we replaced the batteries, dust off the cobwebs and have knocked off some of the krust with an all new BBQ episode featuring an interview from CSUNATC24! Sponsor: A.T. Guys Now Has Zoom Products For Sale The ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, THE WORLD'S EASIEST RECORDER With the push of a button the H1essential captures perfect audio for musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators. Simply hit record and discover the power of 32-bit float. 32-BIT FLOAT MAGIC' With 32-bit float recording, you never have to adjust levels. The H1essential captures every nuance of your sound ensuring high quality in every take. THE FIRST HANDY RECORDERS WITH ACCESSIBILITY The Essential Series was designed with Accessibility for the visually impaired. Navigate the menu with audible descriptions through the built-in speaker or headphones. Creators can choose English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian or Chinese.* Find out more about the ZOOM H1essential 32-Bit Float Recording Talking Voice Recorder, and the other Zoom products now available, at the A.T. Guys store today! CSUNATC24 Interview: Mike Buckley CEO of Be My Eyes BE My Eyes may now be a service with a worldwide reach, however for the BBQ Crew, it holds a special place in our audio hearts as the service was our featured interview in our official first episode back in January 2015. Since that time the service has gone on to be used by millions and JJ sat down with Mike Buckley, CEO of Be My Eyes, to talk about several subjects regarding the three services the company offers. Listen to the pair discuss how Be My AI has grown over the last year to become a Visual Interpretation tool for reading menus, describing objects and even a bird finder. The conversation gives some insight into the Open AI partnership and how that impacts the service when it comes to regional privacy concerns. Mike also touches upon the importance of business partners as it pertains to their successful Customer Service initiatives and how that led them to the recent announcement of the Service Directory that will allow you to easily find information for directly reaching well known branded companies. Lastly, the discussion turns to the upcoming launch of the muchly user requested Be My Eyes for Windows that is slated for a debut later this year. To learn more about the products and services mentioned during this interview, visit the official Be My Eyes site A Quick Programming Note: Sure, we released this one on April 1st. But, we promise, this is not a one off thing. We have more CSUNATC24 coverage heading towards the interwebs as you read this. And we have some other surprises along the way. We are trying out some new things, some new formats and some new tech. Although we hope to circle back to some familiar voices too. We thank you for listening and please be aware that some content may have shifted in the overhead bins while we were in flight.

It would be truly wild if you could take the skills you have learned through playing audio games, like Swamp or Tactile Battle, and transfer them into real world Orientation and Mobility. Surprisingly enough, J.J. did just that when he spoke to Brandon Biggs, Engineer with the Smith-Kettlewell | Eye Research Institute, during our CSUN 2020 coverage. A lot has happened in two years and Brandon is back to demonstrate the Audiom project. Audiom is a browser based inclusive map system that utilizes Open Street Map data in ways that allow the user to explore the world around them in a manner that provides more information than what can be parsed by a screen reader by itself. Tune in, or read below, to experience demos of this new system of navigation. Also, be sure to check out our previous coverage of the TMaps initiative as it is a great partner technology mentioned in this interview. Be sure to visit the Audiom public beta website to test drive this software for yourself. Audiom is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, and National Institutes of Health. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Neal Kuniansky, Director of marketing and Sales for Duxbury Systems, is no stranger to the BBQ Exhibit Hall microphones. Moreover, he might be slightly infamous for his aid in a past April's Fool podcast. But this interview is about Duxbury's future and J.J. gets the low down on the new features in 12.6 for Windows and Mac OS. Tune in, or read the transcript below, to get some insights on EBRF and multi-line braille display support as well. To learn more about 12.6, which has been released since the time we recorded this, or to purchase an upgrade to an existing product, visit the Duxbury Systems website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

We began our 2022 CSUN coverage with a discussion about some of the upcoming initiatives from APH. But hearing about the Dynamic Tactile Device Project over Zoom wasn t enough for J.J. s curiosity. That s why he managed to brave the conference labyrinth and find Greg Stilson, Director of Global Innovation for APH, and lay his hands upon the DTD himself. In this demo you will learn more about the current prototype unit while J.J. navigates through images, floor plans and other examples. Greg then goes on to explain more about EBRF, how the unit differs from the DotPad and why he is optimistic about how the DTD will bring a whole new layer of context when it comes to reading textbooks in the classroom. To learn more about the project, and to see if there will be a demonstration coming to your area, visit the Dynamic Tactile Device Project site Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Braille Screen Input, or BSI, is a great choice for those who like that approach on a touch sensitive glass screen. But there is now more than one way to input a cord these days andFreek van Welsenis, Co-Founder of Hable, offers to J.J. another alternative for smartphone navigation. The lightweight Hable is a Bluetooth enabled input device for Android and iOS that has been sweeping its way across the EU. And now it sets its sights on a U.S. launch. To learn more about the device, visit the official Hable website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Higher end math and computational thinking are skill sets that can provide amazing opportunities to many at a young age. The problem that persists is how do parents and educators find the right accessible tools for mastering these abilities in the K-12 environment? We have featured APH s Code Jumper in our previous convention coverage. However, that s just the start for APH s Road To Code offerings that teach students the concepts of sequencing, loops and block coding. J.J. spoke to Leslie Weilbacher, APH Regional Outreach Specialist for the Northwest Region, about some of the new programs and products that can assist in the teaching of coding fundamentals. The interview covers products like the Colby Mouse, Code Quest and Snapino s Snap Circuits and Snap Rover. Lastly, programs like the National Coding Symposium and Access Academy are discussed. To learn more about the products mentioned, with additional links to educational resources, visit the APH Road To Code website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Transcribed by Grecia Ramirez Directly, and actually in person, from Anaheim, it s blindbargains.com coverage of CSUN 2022. Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology; Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings; access technology book reviews and mobile apps; and how they can enhance entertainment, education, and employment, log onto AccessWorld. The American Foundation for the Blind s free online technology magazine. Www.afb.org/aw. Now, here s J.J. Meddaugh. J.J. MEDDAUGH: Blind Bargains virtual Exhibit Hall coverage, CSUN 2022 and beyond and across the pond. Hey. I rhymed myself. I will have an award for me later. No. I m just kidding. Ed Rogers, Managing Director, and Charlie Harding, Marketing Distribution Manager for Bristol Braille Technology. The Canute is alive, and we have updates to share. Welcome back to the podcast. ED Rogers: Thank you very much. It must have been a couple years. CHARLIE HARDING: Hi. JM: Yes. Absolutely. And this is your first time, I think, Charlie, on this? CH: It is my first time, so thanks for having me. JM: Yeah. Sounds great. And we ll get back to you in just a second, Charlie. Welcome. I want to talk to Ed first though because we ve been talking about the Canute for a few years, and you got a bit of a head start on some of the other multiline things that have been out there. The Canute has actually shipped. We ve seen units in hand. But why don t you go ahead and give an update on the current status of the Canute and what s going on. ER: Yeah. We started shipping right at the start of 2020, about the same time as the pandemic, actually. And JM: What a time. ER: -- we shipped perfect timing. We shipped a batch of machines out, our very first commercial machines. And then, again, at the end of 2021, we shipped another batch out. And what we are focusing on now is on making sure that the customers that have those machines can actually start to do some more interesting things with them. Because we built these machines and we sold these machines as eBook readers. This is a paperless Braille page, a full Braille library. And, of course, as it s got nine lines, you get the kind of context that you don t get on any other Braille Display because it s 40 cells by nine lines. That s a third of a Braille Ready File, a BRF file. So that was our initial focus. But we re now starting to think about varying the uses people put the Canute to. JM: So before we get into what some of the people are using the Canute for, let s just talk about that. The Canute, like you said, has gone through a couple different runs now. But I know there s been certainly, the part shortage has been affecting lots of different industries and such. How are things looking as far as the Canute users in so far as people who want to think about getting into the Canute? ER: Well, we ve been very heavily affected like many, many factory-owned businesses and like a lot in this industry. At this moment, the machines that are out there are the machines that are available, so there s very limited stocks for people wanting to buy them. But there s hope that the situation can resolve itself soon. These things are being worked and we re working through them. But meanwhile, we do have machines out there in the field being used, and yeah. We hope to go back into production very soon. Like I said, we finished our last one just at the at the start of 2022. JM: Yeah. I can realize that too. It s a product that is specialized and takes a certain set of parts, so I think there s an expectation that it s not the type of product that you re going to order today, and you re going to have these things delivered tomorrow; right? ER: No. One of the things which is making Braille Displays, especially multiline Braille Displays, such a challenge is that the Canute has of course that being 40 cells by nine lines, and each of those cells is a six-dot because it s a six-dot system. That is 2160 -- please write in if I ve got that wrong. That s a lot of moving parts. Now, we went for an approach which has enabled us to sell the Canute as approximately the same price as a 40-cell Braille Display, which is to use a very mechanical system where we actually have although we have something like 2 thousand pins, we only have about a thousand moving parts. I say only, but of course, that makes for a very complicated machine to build. As it is though, we re quite proud, to be honest if you ll forgive us we re quite proud for manufacturing it here in Bristol, in the U.K. We buy the parts in, we had a great team building these machines, and they re all, you know, hand-built, effectively, by us, and then sent out to the customers. JM: I think there s a lot of potential going forward. But let s talk about, first, what people are using the Canute for now. And, Charlie, you re a little bit newer to Bristol, and I think you ve talked to a lot of customers about what they are using the Canute for, so why don t you go ahead and give me a couple examples of what you ve been hearing from users. CH: Oh. Absolutely. It s been really nice, like, getting to know people that are using their Canutes. And like Ed was saying that we originally started making them as an E reader, but then, obviously, we found out that there s a lot more that can be done with them. So I mean, for example, we ve sold one to a girl who s headed off to university. She s doing an English literature degree, so not only can she use it to read for fun, she s using it to help her with her studies. Saves them a lot of paper as well. JM: Yeah. CH: Less to carry about in a bag. We ve spoken to an undergrad student who is doing simultaneous music and physics degrees. JM: Wow. CH: And what he really found helpful with the Canute is being able to read multiple lines of content when it came to reading music. So he was able to do the notes and see the lyrics, essentially. And so instead of having to keep cross-referencing, he was able to do that in one place. And he said that he d wished he d actually had access to it when he was doing his physics degrees because he probably would have carried on with that line of career sorry with that line of education now. It would have made his physics and Maths sets a lot easier to understand and to have done that work. And again, he mentioned that, like, not having to use as much paper was really, really good. And then, finally, there s someone that works with us now, one of our interns, who s been absolutely invaluable. And she s said how great it s been for using for Maths, again, with things like complex equations. And she s said that the you know, it s actually improved her calculation speed and her accuracy because she s able to read the Maths and use that data in a, just, much more effective way. So yeah. In all, like, we love people buying the Canutes and sort of reading for pleasure and catching up with all those books and things, but, before, they ve had to wait for them to be delivered and all this paper and these, you know, five-foot tall series of books. And actually seeing people really engaging with the technology and using it to help them with their education and their careers has been really, really lovely. And we re really happy to keep sort of pushing on and improving that functionality for people. JM: Yeah. The cost of paper alone, you re looking at $40, $50 for a thousand sheets. And I m sure that s just going to keep going up, you know, so I can see CH: Oh. I completely agree. I mean, this economy. JM: Absolutely. And that s just going to keep adding up, and, you know, when you don t have to buy paper, and you can have, essentially, a device that works as a refreshable embosser is how I ve described it to some people, that can just keep pumping out Braille over and over really can be beneficial. CH: Absolutely. And it s just one of those and I mean, even if you don t care about the environment -- and I, you know, waggle my finger at anybody that doesn t -- but it s, you know, it s just a space-saving thing, you know. I mean, we those books are pretty bulky, and just being able to set a Canute on your desk and sort of plug it and go almost is it s invaluable, really. Yeah. It s really freeing people up to get on with things that they want to do rather than sitting around waiting for deliveries, paying for paper, you know. It s really beneficial. JM: Great. So we ve talked for a long time about the other potential uses of the Canute, and, full disclosure, A T Guys, we ve sold the Canute as well. And one of the big things that keeps coming up is either how do you load in other types of books besides BRF and TXT files or will it have, quote, unquote, screen reader support? Ed, you ve been doing a little bit of work in these areas. ER: Yeah. We ve been doing a bit of work in those areas. It s been one of those relationships which has really grown during the pandemic, initially, thanks to the Google Chrome OS team, but later on, we ve had our -- we ve been working directly with the BRLTTY team. Now, for those who don t know, this is a screen reader led by Dave Mielke. And this is a screen reader that s used for lot a lot for very technical uses. It s a console screen reader -- JM: Yeah. ER: -- rather than a graphical user interface screen reader, and we ve seen some real improvements on it. And as a result, you can plug your Canute now into a computer into a Windows computer or a Linux computer, and you can then bring up a console and you can use text-mode programs. You can do your own programming. You can for those who use the CommandLine. This is a really powerful tool. And what we re really talking about here is for people who want to take make advanced uses of the Canute, who people who are very tech savvy. And this is still quite early days for multiline Braille being used in this way. So we are certainly looking for people to start dipping their toes in the water. People who are maybe who do something related to computer science for their work. It could be as simple as if you ve got a program that outputs logs, and you just want to be able to see that directly on your, you know in a columner format. You want to be able to see the actual columns of the log, you can plug a Canute in, run this program in the background, and have your Canute output those things. Like I said, these are very technical things. But some of these areas are areas where Braille readers can really excel, especially when given the same kind of context that you get with multiple lines where you can compare like Charlie was saying with the music. You can compare the results on one paragraph with the result on another paragraph. JM: I want to ask a really tech sorry. Sorry. Go ahead go ahead. ER: You were saying about users using different files on their Canutes. Now JM: Yes. ER: -- the Canute accepts Braille-ready format as its input like many Braille Displays like many stand-alone Braille Displays. That s its default format. What we re working on now and this would be for all existing customers is -- this does not require using a screen reader just a small upgrade that people can go on someone s SD card where they could put some of the more common formats like TXT on it, and it would convert that to a BRF that you can then read on the device without having to do the conversion on your computer. This has not yet been released, but it will be released, and that will be for all existing customers. So once we do that, we can start to play around a little bit because you can people can come in and say, well, I put my DOCX format on it, and it was great, but could you maybe change it so that there s some space between the header and the paragraph underneath it, and we can go, Sure. Well, let s change the format so it really fits with that. And you can t do that unless you ve got multiple lines. And for me, what s important as well is that you can t easily achieve the true, sort of, representation of white space unless you have 40 cells by multiple lines. Because when you get shorter than that, you can t represent most BRFs, and it becomes very difficult to do tables or tabular format and to do indentation. So for example, if you re trying to represent functions in code, then you need to be able to indent things quite far. And that s where things like having 40 cells with nine lines can mean you can see one function, and then you can see the next function underneath it. This is all stuff that s in that requires the this is future development, but what -- like I said, at the moment, what people can do is they can have a go at using the BRLTTY screen reader if they are very technically savvy. Otherwise, if they re just someone who wants to be able to read their documents on the Canute, they can get in contact with us and we can let them know when that s ready. JM: I m going to ask one really technical question, but I ll try to phrase it in a format I won t lose 99 percent of our listeners. So when you re connected to the screen reader, which is a console -- so CommandLine where you type commands and it would output something, is it set up in a way that everything that is output would come to the Canute, or is it set up that it will only output to Canute if you implicitly tell it to, as in like redirecting output to a printer or a text file? ER: Well, also attempting not to lose 99 percent of your listeners. There are two answers to that. The simple answer is when you re using BRLTTY as your main screen reader, everything which is on the console on the CommandLine will be output to the Canute. So if you use CommandLine programs and that outputs to the console, that will then output to the Canute once you ve set it up correctly. There is something called BRLAPI, which means that you can choose what to output to the Canute. So a program if a program has been built especially for it to support Canute, it can do that in a choosy sort of way, which brings us onto using Duxbury with the Canute, which is something that they ve been developing. And it s very exciting, the idea that you can plug a Canute in on a window s machine, have your Duxbury DBT latest version running, and the Braille output on DBT will be simultaneously output to the Canute. JM: And that s another way to solve the file format challenge as well because it s eliminates an extra step. ER: Yeah. And of course, Duxbury DBT has some of the most advanced ways of representing tables, for example, and has a the sort of support for conversion that in some ways, you can only get through that program. JM: These types of features I mean I think it s really important to show what s possible with Canute as you look towards creating more units, as you look towards, you know, going back into production, I do feel like it s important to show some of these things that have been kind of talked about as possibilities, to show them as reality as you try to go in to make more of these; right? ER: Right. That s very much what we re looking at doing over the rest of this year and early next year. JM: Charlie, you wanted to talk to a little bit about the future of Bristol and the Canute and kind of transitioning us to where that leaves us next as more of these software features come in, as more interest develops. Obviously, there s going to be a desire to create more units. So what s the near future look like for the Canute? And whoever wants to answer this I guess the other related question is how does the Canute fit in now with all these other multiline products and graphics products being announced? CH: I think well, I mean, I ll take the first question. JM: All right. CH: Thanks, Ken. We ve got some really exciting plans, actually, in the mix. We just we really want to get the Canute out to more users, essentially. That s the goal. And we really want to, sort of like what Ed was saying before, like, really expand what people are using the Canute for, and, you know, part of that, really, think further about what Braille can be used for. I think, sort of a people assume Braille reading yes. Absolutely. But, you know, as we ve been discussing, like, there s so much more that can be done with it. So what we re hoping to do is to organize some fundraisers and get the Canutes into some blind specialist schools and have them sort of set up to, again, specialize in certain subjects. We want to give kids, sort of, access to Braille, but not just traditional reading. You know, that s really, really important. You know, we want kids to read. Brilliant. But, you know, it s just really kind of giving them access to something even more exciting. And then, you know, with, hopefully, that becoming a success, we d like to expand that again and send it out to adult Braille users. And what we d like, actually, is for anybody interested in our, sort of, funding endeavors wanting to get involved, wanting just some more information is to sign up on our mailing list on the website. It s a super easy box just to fill in. We will be releasing this information in its entirety, hopefully, over the next, kind of, couple of weeks, once we ve got all our ducks in a row. And then hopefully, fingers crossed JM: Right. CH: And then on the 30th of April, in Bristol -- in the U.K., obviously -- we re going to be doing a demo of some of the work that we ve been doing with our group, the Braillists. So we re really looking forward to getting some hands-on feedback on what we re up to. We ve had a little bit of showing show-and-tell, as it were, in the last couple of weeks, and everyone s been really, really positive, which has been lovely. And then, fingers crossed, we should be making it out to the NFB convention this year in some way, shape, or form. So that s sort of a little laundry list of everything that we re hoping to get sorted in the next six months, I d say. JM: Awesome. Maybe -- I guess I ll let Ed take the other part of that before we go. ER: Yeah. JM: Lot of things going on. Lot happened at CSUN with tablets getting announced. And another thing that s related that I think applies to Canute is the new development of the EBRF format. So how does the Canute play into all of that? ER: Well, the EBRF format itself is an interesting development if it comes off the ground. This would be the what do I want to say necessarily the second attempt at this. But this is certainly tied with the portable embosser format, and I hope that we get further with this because I think it s very important that there is a Braille format -- or formatted Braille which can hold some metadata. So EBRF or XMLBRF would be an advance for spreading Braille around, and I look forward to getting involved in how that develops. On the CSUN, you were able to attend that, J.J.? I wasn t actually able to attend this year. But I gather there were some interesting new tablets being announced or being demoed or promised to be demoed. JM: Yeah. Oh, yeah. We did definitely did see a lot of that in various stages of development. Nothing that is being sold today, but certainly stuff that is being talked about especially from Dot and APH. ER: Yeah. And what I find interesting is the focus appears to be very strongly on graphics, which is interesting. And I suspect, in the long run, complementary to what we re doing. Of course, the Canute has been on the market now for two years. And our focus is very much on multiline Braille. And we do experiments with graphics on the Canute using contractions -- two-letter contractions -- to represent a grid of, for example, buildings. So you can sort of move around a map like that. These are experiments that we ve tried and we ve but these are very much focused on Braille itself. So some of these new tablets I ve seen are very focused on Vector graphics and on Bitmap graphics, and it ll be very interesting to see where they go with that. Like I said, our own focus is going to be kept strictly on a format of Braille which fits with high-quality formatted Braille that you would otherwise send to an embosser. It s like -- you said yourself, it s like a refreshable embosser. So that means 40 cells wide as opposed to 20 cells or 32 cells wide. That s very much an important fact for us. And I think where we would end up seeing this shaking out in a few years, if some of these tablets come to market and if they are a comparable price, is a split between tablets which are focusing on being able to output graphics and the Canute which is still talking more about tabular content. So that s tables and text which has where the focus is really on the context around each character and each cell. JM: Sounds fair. We look forward to seeing you perhaps in New Orleans if that happens. And of course, anyone who is in the U.K. can meet up at the end of April. Charlie, you want to give out the contact information if people want to sign up, get involved, help with fundraising, maybe express interest in buying one of these things in the future? What s the best way to do that? CH: Yeah. Absolutely. They can Email me direct. I love to get Emails. It s Charlie, C-h-a-r-l-i-e, dot Harding, H-a-r-d-i-n-g, at Bristol Braille dot ORG. That will come straight to me, and -- yeah. I will be happy to pop you in a mailing list, give you an update, have a chat, anything like that. No problem at all. (Charlie.harding@bristolbraille.org.) JM: Awesome. Thank you, Charlie, thank you, Ed so much for coming on the podcast. We always appreciate it. ER: Thank you, J.J. CH: Thanks so much. ER: Have a good rest of your week. For more exclusive coverage, visit blindbargains.com or download the Blind Bargains app for your iOS or Android device. Blind Bargains audio coverage is presented by the A T Guys, online at atguys.com. This has been another Blind Bargains audio podcast. Visit blindbargains.com for the latest deals, news, and exclusive content. This podcast may not be retransmitted, sold, or reproduced without the express written permission of A T Guys. Copyright 2022. An emerging theme from our CSUNATC22 coverage revolves around the future of Braille beyond a single row of cells. We've spoken to several A.T. makers about this over the years, specifically in BBQ 200, but a lot has changed since 2019. J.J. caught up with Bristol Braille s Ed Rogers, Managing Director, and Charlie Harding, Marketing Distribution Manager, to talk about what it has been like to release the multi-line display during Pandemic times. The trio then cover some of the success stories of canute users and how these successes have led the team to think beyond eBook reading for future updates. File conversion, Duxbury compatibility and Screen Reader support are discussed along with some thoughts about the EBRF format. To learn more about the canute in the U.S., visit the A.T. Guys website. For other inquiries, visit Bristol Braille on the web. Also, be sure to keep up with many things regarding Braille by heading over to the Braillist Foundation Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Many of you might be familiar with Dot through their first entry into the market with the Dot Watch. Since then, the company has grown their offerings beyond the Braille timepiece and are now reaching into the realm of tactile graphics. J.J. traveled to the CSUN basement to talk with Daniel Hyun, Director of Operations for Dot Incorp, about their new technology shown at the Exhibit Hall. The pair discuss how the team has iterated to a 4th generation of Braille Cell, their drive towards Accessible Kiosks and then the conversation moves to the Dot Pad prototype. Fans of Open Source Projects won t want to miss the discussion about the API mentioned in this interview. To learn more about Dot, including the Dot Watch, visit the official website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Shelly brought us our first look at the Envision Glasses almost two years ago at CSUNATC20. A lot has happened since the team debuted that initial pair. And J.J. caught up with Karthik Kannan, Cofounder and Chief Engineer of Envision AI, to find out more. In this interview you will learn about the expansion of the platform, how the new Envision Ally app works and what upcoming features are on the horizon for the Glasses and Envision AI app. To learn more about the products mentioned in this interview, including the ability to schedule a virtual demonstration, visit the Envision AI website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

Earlier in the feed we featured a chat with Randy Ahn on innovation at HIMS. But for those who are eager to learn more JJ spoke with Thomas Simpson, VP of Marketing and Sales for HIMS Inc, about the announcement of pre-orders for the BrailleSense 6 Mini. The pair discuss what s in store for those who are seeking the new Android based notetaker, upgrade paths and initial feature sets for the new device. To learn more about pricing, listen or read the transcript below, and visit the HIMS Inc website to pre-order the unit Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit https://www.afb.org/aw

The BBQ Crew has long established themselves for bringing you their unique take on the news from the Exhibit Hall floor. In this interview J.J. sits down with Randy Ahn, CEO of HIMS Inc, to talk about the latest innovations from the company who brought you the BrailleSense and BookSense product lines. We hope you enjoy this very special simhae jamsu. To learn more about this product, or other offerings, visit the HIMS International website

Joe and Patrick take the wheel this week as J.J. is off to CSUNATC22. In another headphones recommended show, Joe takes us on a tour of three apps that he came across in 2021. Swerve through obstacles in Space Wave Race, become a short order cook with Blinded Chef and transform into a swashbuckling adventurer as you explore the mysteries of the Sonar islands. It really is all fun and games this week on episode 224 of the BBQ. Space Wave Race 2:35 From the Apple App Store page "Only the true heroes of space can become champions of Space Wave Race: the intergalactic championship that will take you to challenge the best pilots in the galaxy! LISTEN, MOVE AND SHOOT TO BEAT YOUR ENEMIES IN THE GREAT SPACE RACE Fly through a myriad solar systems, space ruins, unknown engineering structures, asteroids and incandescent stars to win the battle. Be the first in this intrepid running race fighting your enemies. Prove what galactic material you are made of! UNLOCK DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPACESHIPS Enjoy the experience playing with different spaceships designed for battle. Unlock more spaceships by playing the game. PLAY CHALLENGING GAME MODES Includes several game modes with different complexities and gameplay: Championship Mode, Single Race Mode, Endless Galactic Mode. DESIGNED TO BE accessable Space Wave Race has been developed to be fully accessible, including modes for players with reduced mobility, visual and/or hearing impairment and dyslexia. Expressly created to enjoy the experience without losing a single detail in all conditions." > This game is also available on PC/Mac [via the Steam service. And you can see what others have said about the game at this Apple Vis page. Blinded Chef 14:50 Taken from the Google Play Store page "Take control of a chef and lead him from a street hot dog vendor to a head chef in a restaurant. Test your hearing, reaction and memory! Play, cook, find new dishes and earn achievements. For those who find the game too easy, there is a hardcore mode inside. Inside you will find: 6 dishes normal and hardcore modes random trial achievements leaderboard Rules: Listen and remember which ingredients you need to make a dish, swipe in the appropriate direction to select the required ingredient and confirm your choice with a swipe up. All ingredients are in different groups and the more complex the dish, the more groups and ingredients. For example: A client asks you to cook burger of pork meat, lettuce, tomato and mushrooms. Use the following combination: Swipe right to choose pork meat, swipe up to confirm, swipe right to choose lettuce, swipe up to confirm, swipe down to choose tomato, swipe up to confirm, swipe left to choose mushrooms, swipe up to confirm. You can also find this game by visiting the Apple App Store and you can hear "Friend Of the Show" Jessie Anderson's YouTube review at IllegallySighted Sonar Islands 21:44 Noted from the game's developer Mental Home website "Sonar Islands is a MULTIPLAYER ONLINE game, where all relevant events happen in your ears. On various islands you explore and discover, seek hidden TREASURES and conquer OBSTACLES. Every new island has a special atmosphere and a different gameplay. Do your best to fortify your islands and be clever enough to take the gold from your opponents. Visit the ancient TEMPLE island, the ancestors built, where snakes are biting and down falling parts may block your way. Take a trip to the JUNGLE island, watch abandoned lions on your way, but be aware of the tree traps, set up by the natives. You can go up, but there is no coming down. The FUN FAIR island is a happy place to be. You can shoot toys coming towards you. Some carry a treasure, some carry a bomb, that's the risk. The VOLCANO island is a chilly place, for some too hot, especially if you step near the lava flows. Ash and stone rain down due to the eruptions of terraforming, raise your shield to protect you. In the MACHINE HALL you will meet the friendly robots from Feer, but this time you carry a stun gun to short-circuit their brains, at least for a while, till their self-repair is complete. On PING island you will get a sonar device for orientation, send out a tone and the echo tells you, where to go. That s good, because you may discover, this island is a labyrinth. High up on the TREETOP island you have to deal with wind and mosquitos. The wind is really disorientating, leaves are rustling, while the mosquitos chase you. And don't fall, while balancing on the twigs. On the ELECTRO island you face the invisible power of ELECTRICITY. Tesla coils sparkle round their high voltage, better shoot some metal confetti to divert the current. The nice thing here are catapult plates, they make you fly all over the island. A pity, that you don t know where you will end up. Happy vacation!" > Nab the game either from Google Play or Apple's App Store. Up next, no kidding, actual in person for reals with two people in front of one microphone interviews recorded at CSUN 2022! And if you haven't heard it yet, or read the transcript, Greg Stilson gave us an amazing update with all the goings on over at APH

Greg Stilson, long time friend of the show, has not appeared in front of the BBQ microphones since November 2020. So, he had a lot to cover with J.J. in this look at what is happening at the American printing House. The pair catch us up with updates on Mantis Q40, Chameleon 20 and Code Jumper. Then the party really starts with the duo delving into products like Juno, the upcoming Poly and a deep dive into what it takes to bring the Dynamic Tactile Device Project from development to purchasable product. Learn what EBRF is and why it is important to the future of multi-line Braille Displays in this interview. To learn more about the products mentioned, or to inquire about the regional user s groups Greg mentioned, listen to the file or read the transcript below. You can also find out more about products, manuals and accessories by visiting the APH website Sponsor: American Printing House for the Blind Since 1858, APH has operated in Louisville, Kentucky, empowering people who are blind or visually impaired by providing accessible and innovative products, materials, and services for lifelong success. APH's vision is for an accessible world, with opportunity for everyone. Visit APH.org to learn more about their products and services.

In late January the BBQ Crew reconvened in Clubhouse to talk about some of the trends they experienced in 2021. JJ, Joe, Patrick, Ricky and Shelly rolled through the year that was, before taking on the daunting task of their 2022 predictions. Tune in to find out if you agree with the viewpoints of the BBQ Crew. And sound off with your own insights in the comments section below or tweet us @blindbargains on Twitter. Note: The iOS Braille bugs mentioned in this program were finally addressed in a recent 15.3.1 patch. It is too soon to tell if this will resolve the issues mentioned in the podcast, however, the sentiment that there should have been a patch sooner in the iOS 15 release cycle still remains. For those who rely on Braille for their primary form of using the device, this was a devastating problem, not a mild nuisance that could be easily ignored. So, the remarks made are still valid for future iOS releases, and we hope this whole debacle results in stronger and tighter testing results before a future release to the general public. 3:30 COVID The group talked about their experiences when accessing the sign up pages for vaccines and boosters. Regional differences vastly impacted the Crew as there was no uniformity amongst the various rollouts from the local providers. Test kits were another topic discussed with the group noting the lack of access on that front as well. Visual interpreter services are helpful, but there is no direct way to read your test results privately at this time. 16:31 Supply Chain Issues Everywhere JJ tells tales of woe on what it has been like to stock, ship and work with his partners over the last year at our sister site A.T. Guys. Ricky noted the trouble Humanware had with comments on social media regarding meeting demand after the launch of their new BI-x Braille Displays. Joe echoed that Google ran into the same problem with the debut of the new Pixel 6 line. And sometimes the product might be in stock, yet the Amazon shipping time might be longer than you'd expect. Patrick stated that it was not just an electronics issue because he waited a few months for a specialized part made out of plastic. Shelly relayed that having an alternate choice in mind is crucial when making a big ticket purchase, like appliances, as the most popular option may take a few days after forever to arrive. She adds that luck and research may help when making those kinds of purchases. 22:20 NLS Braille Display Beta How are Braille Displays and Girl Scout Cookies alike? Well, it turns out that the model of display offered to you depends on your location in the U.S. This is kind of like the naming convention for a famous flavor of delectable cookie. We will not declare whether Zoomax or Humanware is a Samoa though. The conversation then turned to the reasons why someone would still buy a Braille Display in the commercial market if they already have an NLS badged model. Upsell features, like notetaking options and quieter operation, may still allow other models to stand out. Joe said that having familiarity with Braille gives someone better justification for moving up to a 40, or even an 80, cell model to complete tasks in education or at a work setting. JJ pondered if an open model approach may drive up commercial prices of displays as it has in some international territories. We then move on to a discussion about self-contained devices like the HIMS BrailleSense 6 and the APH Mantis. Ricky says that the idea of using a self-voicing all in one Braille notetaker is still a popular choice for some types of jobs and for students. The easy exporting of materials, along with wireless connections to the internet or a smartphone, are powerful tools to have on hand. Not to mention that having a backup display is incredibly helpful as well when it comes to using another display over the NLS model. 34:50 iOS Issues Patrick and Ricky go into depth about the problems they have been encountering for months with iOS 15 and Braille Displays. In some cases, the issues are severe enough to freeze or hard reset their iPhones. Joe noted that touch targets have been problematic too as he said that visually placing your finger on a button did not always correspond to Voiceover recognizing the correct focus point. Screen recognition was not a work around method either for interacting with explore by touch navigation. JJ added that it seemed like QA and the core development teams are not catching these things prior to release. 40:00 Windows 11 The Crew admit to who is running the shiny new OS from Microsoft. JJ submitted that there was no real urgency to take on 11, that Windows 10 still has some life left and Shelly mentioned that Microsoft has been signaling that through their upgrade statements so far. Ricky said that her 4 year old system was not compatible and that she was not going to lose sleep about it. Joe, who is crazy enough to have it on 4 computers, felt like there was not a compelling feature that was a must have at launch. But he did say that the OS was a work in progress and new features would be arriving in waves outside the traditional service pack delivery method. 47:40 Accessible Gaming On The Rise In 2020 Ricky finished her first Playstation game when she beat The Last Of Us 2 . Last year she completed her first Xbox game when she knocked out all the achievements in The Vale". JJ has been playing Harthstone and Wordle through the use of accessible mods. These games join a growing list of mainstream titles that are becoming more accessible by design or by a third party modification. People are playing the Jack Box games with screen readers on multiple platforms. Joe was thrilled that Microsoft was providing audio description in their gaming announcements, and he pointed out that their was a Most Accessible Game category at the Game Awards for the past two years. Sadly, Nintendo is the only mainstream videogame console on the market that does not have speech on board natively. Yet the most remarkable thing in gaming came from iOS and the incredible support the community provided to the developer of SwordyQuest. It has been seven months since the game launched and there are new features being added as a result of a dedicated, and very vocal, fanbase. A well-deserved Golden Apple from Apple Vis was an acknowledgment of not only the amazing efforts of a developer, but a tribute to a community who rallied around that developer when gamer toxicity emerged early on in the game s life cycle. Finally, both Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass seem to have no screen reader friendly titles to offer those looking for mobile all you can play gaming. 55:10 The Future Here are the group s predictions for 2022. Joe: a flood of new dongles but none will be accessible Ricky: Resurgence of fewer touch screen-driven devices; people will rethink things and return to more tactile operations Patrick: parts shortage may affect accessibility and future designs Shelly: augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality products; very expensive and prototypy, not likely accessible J.J.: A graphics tablet from a new source JJ is heading off to CSUN in March. And the BBQ will keep playing around with platforms like Clubhouse for listener engagement. But you might find that our little show may take on new topics from time to time. The truth is that the landscape is changing rapidly, but Assistive Technology is consolidating so much that there is not really a wealth of news to cover in the way we used to provide that to you in the past. Therefore, we are going to take the road less traveled and explore stories and things that interest the BBQ Team. We are not giving up our in person event coverage, and the mandatory Apple/Google/Microsoft event thingies, but we want to talk about things beyond our original tech focus. We hope you will find these subjects as interesting as we do and, as always, we appreciate your feedback along the way as we conquer new avenues of information and entertainment content. Related Links At-Home Coronavirus Tests Are Inaccessible to Blind People - New York Times (subscription required) Why many blind people can't take an at-home COVID-19 test - Texas Standard Sight Tech Global Returns for Year Two - AccessWorld The Holy Braille : The development of a new tactile display combining Braille and graphics in one experience - Sight Tech Global featuring Greg Stilson of APH and Andrew Flattres of HumanWare

The BBQ Crew has been talking about the joys of 3d printing for some time now. But J.J. really wanted to know more about the process and what it takes to make an idea go from CAD design to cake design. That is why he sat down with Matthew Suggs, Founder of 3D Wolf Paw Printing, to learn more about how one goes about printing materials on mass. Matthew has more than 10 3d printers of various size and type. He gives J.J. a crash course on the materials used, the time it can take to print something and how he enjoys the experience of holding the fully realized project. To commission a product, email Matthew at blind.grey.wolf@gmail.com. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

We last caught up with AudioEye on the CSUNATC19 Exhibit Hall floor with news of their advancement into the kiosk access space. The internet has evolved a lot in the 2+ years since that interview and that is where J.J. starts with Dominic Varacalli, President, of AudioEye. The pair discuss the hot button topic of overlays, user testing and how the company is educating their customers to understand that access is a journey rather than a one and done service environment. If you are interested in joining the user testing program, visit this page for more information. Also, to obtain services, travel to the AudioEye website for more details. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

It has been a long time since we ve welcomed back Earl Harrison, and HIMS, to our BBQ convention coverage microphones. A lot has happened since ATIA20, and a lot has happened to Earl specifically. JJ chats with Earl Harrison, National Account Manager for HIMS, about his return to the company after a scary bout with the virus in November of 2020. The pair then move along to a deep dive of the newly announced BrailleSense 6 notetaker. Topics discussed cover a wide range of questions that were sent in by our fans on Twitter. Tune in, or read below, to learn a physical description of the product and some of the general menu structure. Earl provides some insight into the new approach with the BS6, how this device differs from the Polaris, and he addresses the Android update elephant in the room directly. To learn more about the new BrailleSense 6, including transplant and trade-in options, visit the BS6 product page. Additionally, check out the HIMS YouTube channel as well for up-to-date information about the various lines of HIMS products. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

The most articulate person in the world probably could not accurately describe a Despicable Me Minion character in great detail. Or at least not at a level that could be discerned at a quality that rivals the act of holding one in your hands. Caroline Karbowski, CEO and Founder of See3d, and Ian Matty, Manager Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, sit down with J.J. to talk about how their organization lets people 3d print cartoon characters and so much more. See3d, with assistance from the OSU Innovation Center and the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, have created over 1400 3d models ranging from anatomy to astronomy and even famous geographical locations. Hear how the process works, or read the transcript below, for making a request for a design. And learn how others are working hard to make the tools involved with 3d printing better with access technologies. To make a request, or join the See3d community, visit their homepage Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

So, the title of this interview infers that there will be some discussion of audio description within this conversation. And there is, we promise. But can you really blame J.J. for being nostalgic when talking to the author of more than 14 NBP books, and soon to be a retiree, Judy Dixon? UEB and Web Braille are some of the topics covered before the pair move on to her latest book Audio Description: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Use It"". Listen in, or read below, as Judy talks about the "independence of Braille" and how it impacted her journey with technology throughout her career. To purchase the book, visit the National Braille Press Bookstore page And to reach Judy directly, send an email along to judy@judydixon.net Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

The Etch A Sketch and Spirograph are some of the most successful toys available for introducing young people to the world of art. However, there are not many touch friendly equivalents for those searching for a tactile based option that would offer a similar experience to those classic toys. Daniel Seth Lubiner, Founder and CEO, and Brian K. Edwards, President and Chief Operating Officer, of TouchPad Pro Assistive Technology are out to change that by creating new products like the Braille Doodle and the TouchPad Pro. Hear the pair tell J.J. how these products were inspired by Braille students, transformed into an Indi Gogo project and how that process is leading to eventual product distribution. To learn more about the TouchPad Pro, visit this link to hear an audio described video of the introductory model. Additionally, to learn more about the company, visit the TouchPad Pro Assistive Technology website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

Steven Scott proudly proclaims to J.J. that he is indeed a "serial podcaster" during this interview. And it is hard to disagree with that statement when you consider the circumstances that led him to the place he finds himself with his career so far. Hear, or read the transcript below, as Steven regales J.J. with highlights from his more than 20 years of speaking into a microphone. Plus learn what is next for the RNIB, Double Tap and all-around Blind guy who talks tech. To keep up with Steven, and to get more information on his new podcast, follow him on Twitter @TechTalkerSteve Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

Blind and Visually Impaired job seekers often must play a guessing game when it comes to the determination if a possible employment avenue will fit within their specific needs for access. That is why J.J. was eager to sit down with Roy Baladi, Founder at Jobs for Humanity, to explore how his organization is looking to build healthy bridges between employers and those interested in employment. Tune in, or read the transcript below, to learn where the drive to assist others came from and where the trajectory may lead to in the future. To know more about Jobs For Humanity, or to browse their postings, visit the Blind.Jobs website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

J.J. notes at the top of this interview that the BBQast rarely interviews people within the Remediation and Testing sector of A.T. unless the subject of the interview stands out in a very crowded field. That is why he sat down with Samuel Proulx, Accessibility Evangelist for Fable, to discuss their unique approach to commercially available User Centric testing. In this chat you can hear how A.T. users of varying degrees of knowledge can embark on a pathway towards obtaining testing experience through resources provided by Fable. Additionally, those who are seeking something beyond automated testing can find a talent base curated by Fable from their growing community. To learn more about services offered by Fable, visit the company website or Follow them on Twitter @Makeitfable Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

There are products on the market that are so well recognized for what they do that they truly need no introduction to fans of this podcast. But even long-time users of a phentermine for sale product might not be aware some aspects of their favorite Assistive Technology can undergo a slight change during a yearly release cycle. Shelly sat down with Matt Ater, Vice President of Corporate Business Development at Vispero, to talk about some of the recent changes that are coming in an update to ZoomText 2021. The pair discuss the importance of the new Zoomy digital assistant, how user settings now migrate between updated versions of ZT and Matt then demos the functionality of Background Reader. To learn more about ZoomText, Fusion or any of Freedom Scientific's Low Vision products, visit the FS website. Also, be sure to check out the Freedom Scientific Training channel on YouTube as it has tons of great resources on various Vispero products. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit .

Our virtual convention coverage is in full swing, with a deep dive into the happenings at Humanware. Joining J.J. in the simulated Exhibit Hall is Peter Tucic, Blindness Products Brand Ambassador, for his first interview in front of the BBQast microphones. The pair discuss all the features in the new Brailliant BI 20X and 40x units along with how they differ from the APH models. They then turn their attention to the Victor Reader Trek and its most recent GPS update. But that is just the tip of the iceberg as they cover more ground, including the recent service outage. To learn more, join the BI-X mailing list at brailliant-bi-x-users+subscribe@groups.io or visit the Humanware website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amoxil offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

As we lead up to our exhibit hall coverage for 2021, we start with an extended interview and deep dive into GoodMaps. Thanks for listening. Sponsor; Goodmaps, Maps with a Mission J.J. interviews GoodMaps ™ CEO, Jose Gaztambide to learn about the evolution and exciting developments at GoodMaps. Tune in to learn more about GoodMaps ™ indoor positioning technology, the philosophy behind developments, and their vision for the next five years. J.J. also gives listeners a detailed demonstration of GoodMaps ™ free iOS and Android app, called GoodMaps Explore, with both outdoor and indoor functionality, by going through pieces of the audio tutorial that he and Mike May created. You can experience various features first-hand, to name a couple, location description, getting warmer, and customization settings. To learn more: Visit the GoodMaps website and join our newsletter to keep up to date with us (contact form at the bottom of the home page). Tune into the GoodMaps YouTube channel for product demonstrations. Follow GoodMaps on Twitter: @GoodMaps_A11Y Find GoodMaps on Facebook Email feedback to info@goodmaps.com

Over the past decade, audio description has become much more prevalent for TV shows, movies, and streaming content. But often, current events, especially those that unfold live, don't get that same treatment. This is just one of the areas which is covered by Talk Description to Me, an informative, dynamic, and casual podcast from Christine Malec and JJ Hunt. As the hosts put it, the podcast is "Where the visuals of current events and the world around us get hashed-out in description-rich conversations." Listen to episode 222 to learn much more about the podcast, their background, and some of the amazing episodes that have been produced. From breaking political and social issues to descriptions of various dance styles, there's sure to be something you ll find interesting. To learn more, visit the Talk Description to Me website. You can also follow them on Twitter: @TalkDescription or find them on Facebook or Email feedback to TalkDescriptionToMe@gmail.com support the podcast on Patreon Christine also has a personal Patreon for her projects. Blind Bargains now has a club on the Clubhouse app. Be sure to follow us for engaging conversations about technology and much more. And be sure to stay tuned for much more coming veryy soon.

This is kind of funny. Our last show, episode 220 from December, was in 2020. And now BBQ 221 starts off 2021. Okay, it was funnier when we said it out loud during this show than in print. It s a good thing we have a couple of demonstrations of a new speaker and the Chromecast with Google TV to fall back on instead of us relying on calendar-based humor. There is even an actual honest to goodness real news section for the show this go around. Plus, there is a bit of Sound Off and we ignore all food based New Year s Resolutions in the Last Word . So, charge up those Bluetooth remotes and join us for a new installment of the BB Qast. 0:02:50 In The Impromptu News: I.D. Mate Is Being Discontinued It's Back! Accessible Apps releases Chicken Nugget version 4.71, bringing AI image descriptions, new sounds, and More Humanware introduces new line of Brailliant BI ex Braille displays Victor Reader Trek updated with new GPS features and more December's Sight Tech Global Archives are worth the read GoodMaps Explore starts their navigation journey Larry Skutchan: Access Tech Visionary Retires 0:19:27 Demonstration: Tribit Stormbox Pro 40-Watt Bluetooth Speaker; 360-degree Sound Its the largest and loudest speaker from Tribit yet. Everything you love about Tribit's high-quality speakers in a supersized, yet compact form. 40 watts of power, XBS bass technology, 360-degree sound, and more. Buy two and pair them together for room-filling stereo sound. Want portable with a punch? With one independent subwoofer and two, mid-high frequency drivers, this 2.1 system is unique for it's combined portability and power. You'll notice the beautiful, full-spectrum sound thanks to AptX decoding and AKM7755 DSP. It's the highest fidelity sound, bolstered by strong bass and all with less than 0.5% distortion. Bass You Can Feel What's a great speaker system without full-bodied bass to bring the feeling alive? You can't miss the Tribit XBass Technology it will get your foot tapping and the party moving. It's the kind of bass you actually feel, not just hear! Excellent Connectivity Stay connected to your music. Supported by Bluetooth 5.0 and a Qualcomm QCC Bluetooth chip with ultra-low latency, the speaker prioritizes top-notch audio quality. Plus, you can even connect 2 devices to the speaker at the same time for multi-point functionality! No Fear in the Pool Meet your new pool pal! A little splash is nothing to the Stormbox Pro, which is waterproof (IP 67) up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Hey, life happens, right? This speaker will stick with you through waves, drops and more! 2 Speakers, Triple the Fun One speaker runs the party, but two blows it through the roof! Imagine getting concert-like, stereo sound when you pair 2 speakers together. Maximum sound for an unbeatable auditory experience. Boosted Battery Life Nothing kills the party faster than a dead speaker! Behind the curtain is a beefy 10,000mAh battery, giving the Tribit StormBox Pro up to 24 hours of power. Plus, you can charge your phone or other devices on it! Features APT-X decoding function Charge other devices from the built-in battery 40 watts of power with high power, X-bass 2.1-channel sound system, independent woofer 360-degree sound Stereo mode (when two speakers are connected) IPX67 Waterproof Playtime up to 24 hours To learn more about this device, and many other new tech offerings, head on over to the A.T. Guys product page 0:25:17 Demonstration: Chromecast with Google TV J.J. and Joe discuss the good, the bad and the very ugly sides of the new Chromecast with Google TV. The device was released in October and for something that is so round it has a lot of rough edges. Does the duo think this new entrant in the streaming wars can stand up to the various amazon Fire Sticks or the Apple TV? Short answer, um no. Check out the below links to know more. Chromecast with Google TV at the Google Store Chromecast with Google TV: An Accessibility Review The Best Settings to Try on Your Chromecast With Google TV How to access the full Play Store on the Chromecast with Google TV Tip: THE 5 BEST CHROMECAST REMOTE SHORTCUTS Joe had J.J. perform some of these helpful shortcuts live during the Chromecast demo. Note, some of them require some memorization with Talkback. 0:57:08 Sound Off: Long time listener Jan Brown wrote in about Braille issues in iOS 14.3. While we recognize that there are some outstanding issues with displays in 14, none of them really compare to the big one that was introduced in 14.4. Read the Apple Vis article below to know more and please turn off automatic updates until you can verify that it is safe to upgrade in the future. [Updated With Important Warning for Braille Display Users] Apple Releases iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4; Bringing a New Direct Touch Setting for VoiceOver Users 1:00:17 Last Word: Joe and J.J. note that the Pizza Hut Detroitt Style Pizza is not real Detroit-style pizza Taco Bell Fire Chips REVIEW: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream Girl Scout Cookie Season Begins The 7 Best King Cake Delivery Services of 2021 222 sounds like a nice round number for an episode. And we ll be back with more in the future.

Behold, our 800th piece of audio content on the site. We originally planned this outlandish over the top celebration thingy, but 2020 being what it is, we have opted out of that and we shall just strike our best couch potato poses while binging out on some audio described content instead. Good thing John Sweet and Petr Kucheryavyy, Senior Managers of Accessibility at Charter Communications, are on hand this episode to tell us how we can start our A.D. feast with the free Spectrum Access app. Tune in to hear about the app, the Born Accessible approach the team is taking towards their services and hear demos of Spectrum Access and Spectrum News. Additional Information: If you would like to learn more about the products mentioned in this episode, visit the Spectrum Accessibility Page and view the Spectrum Mobile Accessibility Options site You can also email the teamspectrumaccess@charter.com or call theSpectrum Accessibility Customer Support Team at 1-844-762-1301 Holiday Gift Guide Extra Don's Photo Blanket can provide you with the warm fuzzies this winter by adding your favorite picture to a blanket. To learn more, call 409 333 0432 or Email myphotoblanket@icloud.com

Welcome to our 6th annual Blind Bargains Holiday Shopping Guide. Once again, we've brought the deals straight to your audio feed. Sit back and relax as some of your favorite merchants, or perhaps some that are new to you, tell you about their latest products and services as well as some holiday deals. We'd like to sincerely thank all of the companies who were apart of this show. Below you'll find information about each company in the order they appear in the show. We hope you have a socially-distanced, safe and fulfilling Thanksgiving weekend. Ending the year with a boom at Envision Working around the clock, led to a final boom at the end of 2020 where Envision can proudly present the Envision App as the best text recognition app on the market today and our Envision Glasses have officially hit the market. Best text recognition app out there! We have met all of our (and your) development milestones for 2020. You know us as a great recognition app, but we have put all of our powers together to create the best text recognition app out there. Let's start at the beginning. We started 2020 with adding dynamic type support and the jump to page feature in document scanning. We then went on to many much-requested features like adding support for more file types like Word and ePub and topped it up with the library feature. This means you can import types of documents read them and save it within the Envision app itself. We're rounding off the year with two more unique features - firstly column detection, so now newspapers, recipes and many more documents with columns are easy to read. And you can also translate entire documents to in over 50 different languages. For everyone who has not had a chance to (re-)try Envision after all implementations, we give everyone 14 days Envision for free, also those who have already tried Envision before. After the free trial, you receive 35% off our annual subscription! Please try everything out on iOS or Android and get yourself the discount from December first onwards until the 31st Start your trial now And now on to even bigger news in 2020, Envision has officially launched the Envision Glasses. Envision Glasses are now worldwide available. "Now Shipping Worldwide: Envision Glasses, the Most Advanced AI-powered Assistive Glasses Ever Made for the Blind and Visually Impaired". This is the headline of the press release Envision sent out this week. For those who haven't heard about the Envision Glasses yet, this is what our co-founder Karthik Kannan mentioned: "We're delighted to bring Envision Glasses to market and empower blind and visually impaired people worldwide with greater independence and a hands-free, easy way to see' the world around them through the spoken word." We invite you to visit our Envision Glasses website and explore what the Glasses can do for you. No matter where in the world you are, we've got you covered. iOS Access for All I'm thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch (iOS 14 Edition). It s the most comprehensive iOS accessibility resource anywhere! iOS Access for All guides you step-by-step through Apple tools designed or people with blindness, low-vision, hearing impairments, and motor disabilities. Readers also learn how to make the most of all apps installed by Apple, along with iOS. You will also find reviews of over 100 outstanding App Store apps that happen to be accessible. Visit www.iosaccessbook.com to get your copy and save 15 percent for a limited time. A. T. Guys This is my favorite message of the year to write, because we get to talk about holiday shopping and deals. It's also exciting because we just rolled out a brand new website. If you just want to see all of the deals in one place, Go here to view all of our holiday specials. We'll be adding and rotating deals from time to time, but most deals are good through December 6. Yes you can order over the phone as well starting on Monday at 269-216-4798. I know we are running a bit behind on phone calls lately, and we truly appreciate your patience as we work to provide an enhanced level of customer service. Aftershokz Huge Sale Aftershokz is known for huge holiday discounts, and this year's may be the best ever. Get the high-end Aeropex bone conduction headphones for $124.95 with free shipping, a $35 savings. Or check out the brand new OpenMove, the latest entry-level pair, available now for $79.95. Aftershokz makes some of the highest quality headsets on earth, and we think you'll love how lightweight and versatile they are. Go here to browse all Aftershokz products WayAround AIRA Sale Did you know? WayAround and AIRA have partnered for a huge promotion, and this means you can get tags on sale. Enter coupon code AIRA for 10 percent off any order of WayAround products such as stickers, buttons, clips, or magnets through the end of 2020. There's no limit to the amount of tags you can get with this deal. Go here to apply the WayAround coupon and save 10 percent. Upgraded Victor Reader Trek Now Available Humanware has just released a big software update for the Victor Reader Trek, their standalone book reader and GPS. The new update gives more accurate maps, and a host of improvements to help you travel or explore your surroundings virtually. The update is free for current owners, or you can get a brand new Victor Trek now on sale. Get the Victor Reader Trek now for $649 More Deals Here's some of the other great deals we have for you. Be sure to check our website for everything we have to offer. Tribit QuietPlus Active Noise Cancelation Bluetooth Headset $69.95, Save $10. This over-the-ear headset can connect via Bluetooth or a headphone jack and gives great sound and peace and quiet. Xfactor -Karaoke Microphone & Bluetooth Speaker

It's been awhile since we did a full-on cooking show, and many of our regulars have acquired a growing amount of cooking gadgets and essentials. So we decided to do our biggest cooking show yet, with Shelly Brisbin, Ricky Enger, J.J., and the podcast debut of regular contributor Tangela Mahaffey. In the Kitchen with the BBQ Crew This episode brings you audio from our test kitchens and homes across America as we endeavor to cook a variety of meals. No matter your cooking experience, we trust there will be something in this episode for you. Here's links to many of the products and services we mentioned: All prices from Amazon are as of the time of posting. Shelly says you need to be a bit patient for sous vide cooking, but it can be well worth the wait. She uses the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano - $129 JJ recommends the Secura Air Fryer XL 5.3 Quart 1700-Watt Electric Hot Air Fryer - $69.45 You can cook healthy dinners, or just make lots of bacon. Ricky, who has a knack for finding awesome products that are about to be discontinued, makes hummus using the Braun FP3020 12 Cup Food Processor - $174.56 It still looks to be in stock as of this writing, so you may want to jump on this one quickly. You can also get the hummus recipe from Inspired taste that inspired Ricky. Tangela gives us a Blue Apron accessibility review. You don't need to be an expert cook, and that, in fact, is one of Blue Apron's strengths, if you can fit the cost of their meals into your budget. It slices, it dices. No actually, the Ninja Foodi just does a lot of things, and Ricky is a fan, as long as you remember the preset times for various functions. She uses the Ninja OP301 Foodi 9-in-1 Pressure, Slow Cooker, Air Fryer and More - $147.60 Check out these ULTRA Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas from SWEET PEAS AND SAFFRON. Shelly speaks highly of the Cuisinart CSB-79 Smart Stick 2 Speed Hand Blender, Stainless Steel/Black - $89.99 And we bring back the old debate. Regular InstantPot, or a Wi-Fi model. With the price of the Wi-Fi model much lower than before, it gets a bit more interesting. Ricky has the Instant Pot Smart WiFi 8-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker - $89.99 J.J. stands by his trusty Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker - $79 So we've shared what's cooking at our house. What are you having, and what's your favorite accessible gadget? Sound off in the comments.

In order to be more environmentally friendly, we at the BBQ decided to combine our October and November Apple event wrap up shows. It is the podcasting equivalent of removing the charger plug from the box. Okay, seriously, we changed things up a bit and invited Greg Stilson on to talk about the new Macs and iPhones. Greg has launched a few products over the years, and we thought he could speak at longer length about what it takes to do that than J.J. and Joe could. Plus, he brings along the bonus of saying a bunch of new stuff that you have not heard from us on the many hours of wrap up shows we have done in the past. And to borrow an Apple turn of phrase, we think you re going to love it . Discussion Topic: Apple s One More Thing Event Here s a whole lot of links that we touched upon during our conversation. Picking Apart Apple's "One More Thing" Announcements Here's how to rewatch Apple's 'One More Thing' event Here s everything Apple didn t announce at its November Mac event Love or hate Apple silicon, this is just the beginning The Inside Story of Apple's M1 Chip How Intel lost Apple Here's what you need to know about the first three Apple silicon Macs Apple announces its first new laptop with its own chip instead of Intel s The biggest difference between the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is a fan Apple M1 Chip Revolution: Apple Silicon for MacBooks and Mac Mini Reasons to switch to Apple silicon right now and why you might want to wait How Apple Silicon on a M1 Mac changes monitor support and what you can connect New MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Still Have 720p Camera, But Apple Promises Better Quality From M1 Apple Silicon M1 Emulating x86 is Still Faster Than Every Other Mac in Single Core Benchmark Parallels, VMWare confirm Apple M1 support amid silence from other virtualization companies Microsoft: Office will be about 20 seconds slower initially on Apple Silicon, Rosetta 2 All the apps and games Apple promises for Arm-based Macs There s a question mark hanging over Apple s Arm Macs Sorry, but the new MacBook Air is not faster than 98% of PC laptops iOS apps will run on Apple Silicon Macs, but major developers have already opted out of the Mac App Store The New Features, Changes, Improvements, and Bugs in macOS 11 Big Sur for Blind and Low Vision Users What's new in MacOS Big Sur in under 3 minutes macOS 11.0 Big Sur: The Ars Technica review macOS Big Sur: The MacStories Review macOS Big Sur 11 top features the Mac gets a new UI, Control Center, 4K YouTube, & more 11 Things You Can Do in macOS Big Sur That You Couldn't Do Before Don't bother trying to update to Big Sur if you have a 128GB Mac macOS Big Sur launch appears to cause temporary slowdown in even non-Big Sur Macs Does Apple really log every app you run? A technical look Apple Responds to macOS Privacy Concerns, Explains Why Apps Were Slow to Launch Update Apple explains and addresses Recent server outage reveals potential Mac privacy concerns macOS Big Sur update is bricking some older MacBook Pros Native Instruments warns macOS Big Sur can damage its music hardware Big sur and recovery mode problem What happened during the troubled Big Sur launch, and why Apple can't let it happen again Your Computer Isn't Yours Apple's remaking Mac computers, and it's taking control to do it How to run Aperture, iPhoto, and older versions of iTunes on macOS Big Sur Hands on: iPhone 12 Pro Max in the real world The iPhone 12 Pro Max Is Entirely Too Much Phone, but It's So Good iPhone 12 Pro Max It's all about that camera iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max hands-on: How they compare with the 12 and 12 Pro Hands-on: iPhone 12 mini versus iPhone 12 Pro Max design First Impressions From New iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max Owners The iPhone 12 Pro: Why It Felt the Right Choice for Me, and Early Impressions iPhone 12 - Unboxing and First Impressions Review: The iPhone 12 mini is a lot of iPhone in a tiny package iFixit shares first part of its small-bodied iPhone 12 mini teardown iPhone 12 mini teardown shows what Apple shrank to make a tiny flagship Apple Says Hearing Aid Sound Issues With iPhone 12 Models Will Be Fixed in Future Software Update Fix coming for iPhone 12 MFi hearing aid static issues Apple confirms iPhone 12 MagSafe problem what you need to know iPhone 12 mini owners report unresponsive lock screens Group SMS issues plague iPhone 12 upgraders See what lidar can do on the iPhone 12 with this 3D-scanning app Apple Adding Customizable People Detection Capability to LiDAR-Equipped iPhones and iPad Pro with Upcoming Releases of iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 How to tell which aspect of 5G you've connected to on iPhone 12 How to manually manage 5G to optimize for speed or battery life on iOS How to force restart your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro YouTubers can't stop destroying the iPhone 12 Brazil has by far the most expensive iPhone 12 in the world, at least for now Apple TV app is now available for download on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Side note We were deeply saddened to learn that friend of the show, Tom Dekker recently passed away from cancer. Tom s views on training and technology came from his ability to be kind and compassionate. And that is something that is in short supply these days. Here is our interview with Tom from 2015 s ACB Summer Convention coverage. Also, we mourn the loss of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek who ended his bout with Pancreatic Cancer earlier this month. As J.J. notes during this episode, Jeopardy is one of the more Blind friendly game shows on T.V. today. Moreover, it was recently announced that the Contestant application process has been made more accessible to those who would like to test themselves against the Big Board .

October is a time for ghouls, ghosts, and game demos. Yep, keeping with a long-standing tradition that happened somewhat organically without us realizing it, we give you another reason to break out the earbuds in order for you to experience life beyond The Vale . And speaking of new experiences, Ricky dropped by the office of beeping and talking to discuss the Nuraloop earbuds with Joe. Lastly, but technically in the middle of the show, we hear from the new voice of the Amazon Echo. Listen in to hear the first ever F bomb hiding somewhere within the minutes of BBQ 216. Links to topics mentioned in this episode We go over the Nuraloop at the top of the show. To skip to the Alexa bits, go to 32:30 or jump to the 40 minute mark to hear "The Vale" demo. Nura wiki Nuraloop product page How It Works | Music in full colour | Personalized sound Review: Nuraloop brings personalized audio to people on the go Nura NuraLoop review: The sound of custom earbuds without the price NuraLoop - The Worlds First Earphones To Automatically Learn and Adapt to Your Hearing Samuel L. Jackson - celebrity voice for Alexa How to talk to Samuel L. Jackson using Alexa 10 Funny Things To Ask Samuel L. Jackson On Alexa Official page for THE VALE | fallingsquirrel Falling Squirrel on Twitter Jessie Anderson's The Vale Beta (audio game) Mixer archive Orbit Writer Premium TPU Snap-on Case SNL New Normal

Summertime is the perfect season for going to the beach, camping, and of course buying computers. Okay, that last one is more geared towards the tech sector who aren t necessarily going to readily engage in the first two activities mentioned. Join Patrick, Joe and first timer Alex Hall As they discuss how each one of them navigated the computer buying process. Listen in as the trio breakdown what access issues they encountered and what tips they recommend for those about to consider the addition of their own shiny new laptop or desktop. Additional resources Here are some links to aid you on your new computer buying adventure. Feel free to add more in the comment section below or tweet us on the Blind Bargains feed Should You Build a PC in 2020? Where You Should Splurge When Building a PC (and Where You Shouldn t) Build a pro-level PC gaming setup in three steps Graphics card zombies: 7 GPUs you absolutely shouldn't buy now Gaming TV or gaming monitor: which screen solution is best? How to buy a gaming laptop Why laptop integrated graphics aren't terrible anymore Buying a laptop docking station? Avoid these 5 mistakes TinyPilot Overview TinyPilot: Build a KVM Over IP for Under $100

The ninth month on the calendar brings along Pumpkin Spice and another Apple event. Refreshingly the event focused on things that were not the iPhone For a change. Somehow, despite 2020 being well 2020, the event was full of interesting news. Join the BBQ Crew as J.J., Joe and Shelly Brisbin Break down the staggering number of iPads and Apple Watch editions in this mandated by Tech Podcast Law required Apple event wrap up show. Discussion Topic: Apple s Time Flies Event Another wrap up show, another pile of links that inspired the conversation. Everything Apple Announced at Today's iPad and Apple Watch Event in Just Seven Minutes All About Apple's "Time Flies" Event Apple posts ASL interpreted recap video of its September event 5 things you may have missed from Apple's September 15 event Comment: No iPhone 12 keynote this month, and that s a good thing Apple TV+ and gaming made a huge splash last year. We haven't heard much from them since Apple hid an AR Easter egg in its September event announcement All the things Apple got rid of at Apple's September 15 event Comment: Yesterday s Apple event was a solid one Apple will now give customers an entire year to buy extended warranty for products Apple just made AppleCare Plus way better with more coverage and lower replacement fees Apple One Subscription Plans Announced Apple One bundle includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and more Introducing Apple One, Apple s subscription bundle answer to Amazon Prime Here's how much money you can save with an Apple One services bundle Is Apple One a bargain? It s complicated Spotify levels antitrust criticism over Apple One subscription bundle, Apple responds Apple says its new Apple One services bundle isn t unfair to Spotify Apple Releases iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 With Home Screen Redesign, App Library, Compact UI, Translate Apple launches iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 on just one day s notice 17 Things You Can Do in iOS 14 That You Couldn t Do Before The Accessibility Bugs Introduced and Resolved in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for Blind and Low Vision Users What s New in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for Blind and Deaf-Blind Users Apple surprised iPhone users with a next-day iOS 14 release. App developers are pissed iOS 14 vs iOS 13 vs iOS 12 vs iOS 11 Speed Test iOS 14 on the iPhone 6S and SE: Performance is fine, other stuff is not iOS 14 default app settings automatically reset to Mail and Safari after reboot A bevy of new features makes iOS 14 the most secure mobile OS ever Quick Tip: A Workaround for the VoiceOver 'Lag' in iOS 14 How to add, remove, and customize widgets How to Use the App Library on iOS How to Send an Audio Message with Siri How to Setup Back Tap on iOS How to Access and Use the New Back Button Menu on iOS 14 9 best new iOS 14 hidden features we found for your iPhone 6 iOS 14 features to try as soon as you install Apple's update on your iPhone New iOS 14 widgets you can try today YouTube s website now blocks iOS 14 s picture-in-picture mode unless you pay for Premium What's new in HomeKit in iOS and iPadOS 14 Apple quietly adds new streaming device categories to HomeKit in iOS 14 iOS 14 MAC randomization privacy feature may cause Cisco enterprise network issues Google tells Chromecast users to grant apps Local Network permission in iOS 14 iPadOS 14 Review: A welcome refinement of the iPad experience Apple has sold a total of 500 million iPads in the last 10 years Apple Introduces Redesigned 10.9-Inch iPad Air With A14 Chip, All-Screen Design, Touch ID in Power Here s all of the essential info on Apple s brand new iPad Air 4 Apple's redesigned iPad Air sports 10.9-inch display, A14 Bionic chip The new iPad Air goes all-screen, adds Magic Keyboard support Apple Unveils New 8th-Gen 10.2-inch iPad With A12 Chip, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Support Apple updates eighth-generation iPad with A12 processor Apple iPad (2020) hands-on: A better kind of basic Apple addition: How a $329 iPad can grow to almost $1K Compared: 2020 iPad Air versus 2019 iPad Air Compared: 2020 iPad versus 2019 iPad and 2018 iPad How to Use VoiceOver Recognition on iOS and iPadOS How to Setup Headphone Accommodations on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for Supported AirPods and Beats headphones How to Use Real-time Headphone Audio Level Measurements and Adjustments on iOS and iPadOS How to Set Default Email and Browser Apps on iOS and iPadOS Apple Releases watchOS 7 With New Watch Faces, Family Setup, Sleep Tracking, Handwashing Help and watchOS 7 Review: Not some sleepy software update Apple Releases watchOS 7; Bringing Sleep and Handwashing Tracking, New Faces, Complication Enhancements, and More Checking the Health of Your Apple Watch Battery watchOS 7: How to Use Optimized Battery Charging on Apple Watch Apple Watch Series 6: 7 Things The Keynote Didn t Mention Apple has discontinued the Ceramic Apple Watch again Apple Watch Series 6 reviews: Brighter always-on display stands out, mixed results for blood oxygen Apple Watch Series 6 Reviews Roundup: Brighter and Faster, Blood Oxygen Measuring Requires Precise Apple Watch SE First Impressions: Good Price for Surprising Similarity to High-End Models Apple Watch Series 6 vs. Apple Watch SE: Hands-on first impressions Apple Shipping New Apple Watches Without Power Adapter, but iPad Air Includes 20W USB-C Charger Apple Watch Series 6 is the first to include the U1 chip, here s how it could be used Compared: Apple Watch Series 6 versus Apple Watch SE versus Apple Watch Series 5 What's the difference between Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6? What's the difference between a cellular and GPS-only Apple Watch? Apple debuts one-piece Solo Loop, Braided Solo Loop along with Apple Watch Series 6 How to measure your wrist for Apple's Solo Loop bands What you need to know about the Apple Watch s new Family Setup feature New Apple Watch Series 6 has blood oxygen sensor & bright new colors Apple Watch Series 6 Blood Oxygen Monitoring Available in Most Countries Worldwide What Is VO2max? Apple announces health studies, partnerships focused on Apple Watch Apple Fitness+ will offer workouts on any screen Best Buy and CVS offering free Fitness+ access to Apple Watch owners, more Peloton CEO says that Fitness+ is a 'legitimization' of fitness content Peloton launches new Bike+ exercise bike featuring Apple Watch GymKit support Comment: Without smart exercise hardware, Apple Fitness+ is no Peloton killer Fitness+ a glimpse into Apple s future How the Fitbit Sense plans to beat the Apple Watch with health data, not features Fitbit has one big advantage that Apple can't match when it comes to sleep tracking Apple mocked for Apple Watch 'Deployment Buckle' gaffe Apple s new Family Setup aims to make Apple Watch a kid tracker Apple Watch SE & Family Setup aims for a slice of the kids GPS tracker market Apple Cash Family will let parents securely send money to their children Apple Releases tvOS 14 Function101 Apple TV remote review: Better design than Apple s, with a few drawbacks How to stop strangers from connecting to your AirPlay on Apple TV Strategy Analytics: Apple TV holds 2% market share in fragmented streaming devices industry Does the Apple TV have a future? Apple TV+ Ranks Last in Interface, Content & Overall Satisfaction in Recent Study See : Apple TV+ s Jason Momoa Drama To Resume Production In Toronto In October SEE: Recruiting and Auditioning Instrumentalists and Vocalists How to sign into CBS apps and CBS com with your Apple TV Channels subscription Apple will roll out 'offer codes' for app subscriptions with iOS 14 Apple Renames Apple Beats 1 Apple Music 1, Not to Be Confused With Apple Music or Apple Music Four wins and three misses for Apple Card in year one One year later, the Apple Card is a huge but controversial success Apple Pay Was Not Disruptive But Apple ID Will Be Apple Releases Safari 14 for Mac Ahead of macOS Big Sur Launch Apple respectfully trashes Chromebooks Apple is making Shazam a bigger part of your iPhone Apple refining Siri to cut down on mistaken activations, and to draw less power Apple wins fresh patent for under-display Touch ID How to set up a second shared Apple ID for the App Store Apple once again loses retail staff bag search case Apple Settles Class Action Lawsuit Over Powerbeats 2, Agrees to Pay $9.75 Million Lawsuit claims Apple Maps infringes on navigation patents Apple let the FBI access iCloud account of protester accused of arson | Business Insider Australia Opens Antitrust Inquiry Into Apple's App Store Apple settles antitrust lawsuit in South Korea with 100 billion won worth measures Developers highlight more anomalies in Apple s 30% cut Major news publishers ask Apple what can get them an App Store deal like Amazon s Italy is investigating Apple, Google and Dropbox cloud storage services Apple's antitrust fight could spell the end of iOS as we know it Apple And The IDFA: Privacy Power Move Or Cash Grab? Apple rejects 3rd-party Tesla app update as it strictly enforces written consent for third-party Ten years ago, Epic helped to legitimize iOS as a gaming platform with a small demo Ridley Scott flattered by Fortnite s 1984 parody, but didn t love the message Today, Apple made changes to its app review process to save face with devs Apple apologizes to WordPress, won t force the free app to add purchases after all Apple issues new rules for App Store that will impact streaming game services from Google and Microsoft Microsoft snubs Apple s olive branch to cloud gaming: a bad experience for customers Google Maps is back on the Apple Watch after abandoning it three years ago What Android gets right that the iPhone gets so wrong 9 things I learned switching from the iPhone SE to the Google Pixel 4a I did the unthinkable: I traded my Mac for a PC Apple Losing Wireless Earbuds Market Share Even as AirPods Sales Grow Russian roulette with Airpod Pro Firmware, thoughts and Woes Mark Zuckerberg on why he doesn t want to put an Apple Watch on your face Is Apple's Smart Ring a future nobody asked for? Amazon, Apple, and Google s open-source smart home standard is on track for a 2021 launch iPhone users: Do this simple thing every week How to Find Your Mac s Screen Resolution Twelve years later, Apple is still trying to erase mac.com email addresses Six years ago Apple and U2 upset people by giving them something for free Apple's New iOS 14 Will Have A Pickup Truck Emoji Designed By Ford But It Has A Big Problem. Truck Where is the iPhone 12? Sadly, we did not cover IFTTT Or HDMI Handshakes In this episode. However, if you want to hear more Shelly And J.J., roll over to The Parallel where they talk Android 11 In episode 35. Also, to bring balance to The Force, we will talk about 11 once Google has their upcoming Chromecast event on September 30th. Followed by yet another Apple event in October. That s right, more wrap up shows are on the way stay tuned?

It finally happened! Enough stuff has transpired for us to do a proper old school news filled episode. Or as we now call it during the After Times , a retro inspired BBQ show. Join J.J., Joe and Patrick as they learn how to do a thing again that they have spent 10 years already doing prior to the release of this particular audio program. Breaking news talk of Audio Description, a tip, a bunch of Sound Off and the return of the Last Word will give you that nostalgic feeling for sure! In The News: Breaking: AIRA Scales Back its Free Five Minute Call Offer Breaking: With Nearly Seven Months Before the Event, #CSUNATC21 has Gone Virtual Humanware news from the NFB Convention There was a lot to parce from Humanware's Summer Convention announcements. Joe asked Andrew Flatres for a quick summary in July and here's what he sent along. Head on over to Humanware if you would like to know more. "Briefly showcased some low vision products, including the Reveal 16/16i, Explore 5 and 8 and Prodigi connect. New route preview mode for the Trek, that allows you to walk your router virtually. Future "HERE" MAPS are coming. BrailleNote Touch Plus recent update includes a new scientific calculator, allowing both UEB and Nemeth entry. One-handed mode Learning tables, assisting your braille learning between uncontracted and contracted. PDF and OAuth is coming soon. A NEW Brailliant BI-40 is coming to the market. Take the opportunity to get a free BI-14 now when ordering the BI-40. HW buddy application - an application available on ios and playstore free of charge. The app allows you to stay updating with what is happening at HumanWare, and contains how to guides on HumanWare's products to make learning easy, simple and enjoyable." JAWS/ZoomText/Fusion 2020 August Update Is Live Hadley launches new look WayAround update brings Multi-User Support in version 3.1 for iOS EnVision America updates the I.D. Mate for background server changes How to Use Google's Android Braille Keyboard for Typing Making the most of your Zoom Audio: Presentation Recording now Posted New Orbit Writer has been updated Discussion Topic: Even More News Yeah, we have not been blathering on about the news in a good long while. Yet there was not really anything going on to wrap a podcast segment around lately until all that stuff at the top of Show Notes arrived. Still, we have been reading and listening to what is out there in case something came along. Joe has compiled a few metric tons of info that occurred since late April and you can read his summations in the 4 articles below. BBQ In Review: A pile of news to smooth things over until our next podcast BBQ In Review: A pile of interviews to smooth things over until our next podcast BBQ In Review: A pile of helpful tips to smooth things over until our next podcast BBQ In Review: A pile of Last Word items to smooth things over until our next podcast Joe and J.J. also discussed Audio Description, or the lack there of, in some prominent streaming launches that have come about since March of this year. HBOMax and PeacockTV both sported difficult to navigate user interfaces and did not contain Audio Description at launch. Apple announced a new bundle of services that features Apple TV Plus, CBS All Access and Showtime. Showtime does not offer A.D. currently, however, Apple TV Plus and CBS All Access do have it for newer titles. Joe mentioned the quiet launch of Audio Described tracks on Microsoft Movies and TV Making our previous recommendation of using Movies Anywhere timely to get the most out of your movie purchases on various services. Lastly, not mentioned on the show but still noteworthy, Quibi also launched with no description tracks available. The pair noted the controversies surrounding Twitter s mistakes with launching Audio Tweets and Facebook s Avatar features. Each launch had some silly access self-inflicted avoidable issues. And each Social Media Giant had to make some public apologies after the debut of the feature on each of their respective platforms. Tip: Silence Notifications In Zoom Chances are that you might have had to use the Zoom Conferencing software recently. Furthermore, you might have never wanted to use it again because of all the notifications it will kindly inform you of in a meeting with a lot of participants. If so, then you need to review the Screen Reader Alerts under the Accessibility Options area of Zoom as it has new features based on a bunch of feedback from users. J.J. walks us through the current slate of Windows Web browser options and highlights a few of them that help him keep his sanity during Zoom meetings. Sound Off: Angela writes in to tell us "Bose frames are not discontinued" "Bose is augmented reality related projects have been discontinued, not the Bose frames themselves." In June, when Angela sent along this email, Joe would have disagreed with her as the multiple versions of the Frames had been heavily discounted at Best Buy and other retailers. However, since that time, the Bose Frames have returned to their original price and the replacement lenses have been restocked. It appears like they may even get a second run now. Or a possible scaled down Frames option If this recent FCC filing harkens a restart for the Frames line. No matter what happens, Angela is right that the AR portion is discontinued with some apps dropping those features or off the App Store all together. Roger has some questions aftr listening to BBQ 212 "Hi Thank you for this podcast which was interesting, especially the stuff about Narrator. I am a JAWS user with JAWS 2020 home edition. A couple of questions that I can t get answers to: How can I tell which version of windows I have. Can you talk me through the key strokes to find out this information. When I use Narrator it talks far too much. When I am in Excel it gives the cell and row information before giving the content of the cell. How can I get it to read the information in the cell first and most of the time that s all, I don t need the cell and row details. Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks. Roger" J.J. notes that you can do a Windows Key and type in System Information to learn about your version of Windows. You can also perform a Windows Key plus the letter I to go to your Settings Panel, then Choose the System option and go to the About tab. Either will help you find out more about your computer and Windows version. As for the Excel question, we do not know what version of Office is being referenced here. That is why we recommend using the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk As things get rather strange if you have a boxed copy of Office or if you are subscribed to Microsoft 365. Jan Brown, long time listener, sent along a relateable email aptly titled "How I ate my way through house arrest" "The day before the Governor issued the shelter in place order, I went for coffee with two friends. We hugged and then joked about it. I believe this state of affairs has brought us closer in a good way. We have listened to Bard books together. We started with Stephen King's The Stand which we thought was particularly right for this situation. We always try to have great home meals, particularly on Sunday nights. We try to have a great red wine from one of our wine clubs on Sunday evenings. We often have a good steak with various sides depending on whim and what we have purchased. I go to Safe Way, our big food emporium on Thursdays. The wine guy there was able to locate both paper towels and toilet paper when we needed both the most. I go with a friend as I have for at least a decade. Yes, I certainly pay her. At the end of the shopping trip, we get coffee either from the in-store Starbucks or the Peet's down the way. One staff member from this particular Safe Way contracted Covid 19. No, of course they didn't tell us the identity of that person. I tend to go out for an early morning latte to the coffee place a couple of blocks away. One of the baristas there gave us a couple of masks and when I tried to pay, was told it was her way of giving back. A friend came to our county the other day and asked if she could bring in and out burger with fries and milk shakes to our house. How could we refuse? She brought these lovelies over and then left. The same day, an organization in our town which tries to serve senior types like us, I reckon, dropped off flowers at our house. They came from a group of folks who garden and have more flowers than they can use. I was really touched. We are not isolated any more than anybody else, but I was still touched and my husband was too. I have been doing Zoom family meetings and church meetings and have found them a lot of fun. I do it on my i-Phone 11 and still have trouble pointing the camera correctly. I have also done a couple of gym trainings through zoom. My Guide Dog immitated me and went up and down and made the trainer laugh. So, you see, This is not a bad thing for us. I hope all is well with you. Thanks for the interesting podcast and enjoy life Jan Brown" Last Word Just a quick note here, instead of the usual food oddities that occupy this space, please support your local restaurants. The native eateries provide uniqueness to your city, township, or community. Check out the local online editions of the newspaper or Business Journal for recommendations. Most of them have been highlighting the best places to find your favorite foods that are not served by a chain brand. And, if all else fails, open Google Maps and do a search to see what Local Guides in the area are saying. You can even check if the place you have in mind has a favored delivery option as they get more of the sale that way. Windows 95 turns 25 A History of Windows 95 Development We would sincerely like to thank everyone for reaching out to us on Social Media, email, and other methods to find out if all of us on the BBQ Crew are okay. It really does mean a lot to us. We touch on this at the end of the program. We really are not sure how the podcast flows in the future. Although it may feature more BBQ Bytes, Bites?, as the A.T. Industry at large begins to figure out how to offer things in this new disrupted economy. We know there will still be some hardware and software announcements on the horizon. So those of you out there who are a fan of our wrap up shows are covered. The rest of our typical programming will be an interesting and exciting challenge for us. And after 10 years of podcasting, in various forms and places, we are actually fine with having to reinvent our way to providing you the content you have become accustomed to from Blind Bargains. Be safe, be well and wear your mask to help others if not yourself. Until next time thanks for listening!

The summer brings the heat and the box fans out from their hiding places from within the closet. We have been laying low to stay cool. And there is nothing like lying under the ceiling fan on a lazy summer day with a big pile of Braille to keep you company. In this episode, courtesy of J.J., you will find two demos and an interview with Jared Rimer discussing Braille Translation. Grab a cool beverage and relax in your best outdoor lawn furniture while you enjoy BBQ 212. Demonstration: Windows Virtual Desktop The latest update to Windows 10 is not a groundbreaking release, however, there is a lot to unpack if you rely on Narrator. One area that saw improvement with speech was the Virtual Desktop feature of Windows. In this demonstration J.J. will use Narrator to customize and give a brief tour of the virtual spaces he inhabits. Interview: Jared Rimer - Braille 2000 J.J. notes at the top of the interview that it has been 10 years since we last discussed the Braille 2000 product at CSUN. A lot has changed in a decade and we learn that The Talking Edition is the only known tool that can read contracted braille files as naturally spoken prose. Jared Rimer, Accessibility Consultant for Braille2000 LLC, takes us through what has come along in the new Braille 2000 Talking Edition for Windows. The pair chat about the issues that can arise from converting text to Braille, the mysteries that come from Back Translation and there is even a demo of the training materials that are available that can assist you in learning the product. There is an evaluation trial available and you can find out more by heading over to the Braille2000 website Demonstration: V7 Deluxe USB Stereo Headset with Microphone, J.J. demonstrates one of the new summer products over at our sister site A. T. Guys. The V7 USB stereo headset with microphone is ideal for Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and other video chat applications. They feature high quality sound output and a noise -cancelling microphone, perfect for busy environments. The microphone also has 300 degrees of range to move out of the way when not in use, and it can be worn on the left or right side. The Headset has an adjustable headband and memory foam ear pads for all day comfort. The USB powered Headphones also feature a nearly 6-foot cable that has convenient in-line volume and mute buttons Compatible with most desktop and laptops PCs through a standard USB port. Simply plug the USB cable into your Windows or Mac computer, no drivers required. On the cable, you will find three buttons. The longer, rectangular button near the top will mute or unmute your microphone. Below this are two smaller buttons for Volume Up, then Volume Down. All buttons are easily found by touch. This is an on-ear headset and quite comfortable. It does not go over the ear. To learn more, visit the A.T. Guys V7 Deluxe product page for the headset. Tip: Narrator Scan Mode J.J. notes that the recent Windows update brings tones and more to Narrator's Scan Mode, that's Modifier Key plus Spacebar, for browsing in Edge, Chrome and even Firefox. Give it a try if you have updated to the latest Windows that arrived recently in the 2004 update. The next episode will find us talking about news and new hardware. Then it will be all fun and games for a while.

Apple filmed their annual keynote for WWDC in Apple Park, not in front of a live studio audience, where many upcoming changes were announced for software and hardware. J.J., taking time out from gathering requests for Orbit Writer Braille Keyboard Smartphone Companion Preorders, and Joe, trying to steal back the PS4 controller from Ricky so he can play the Blind friendly The Last Of Us 2 , asked Jamie Pauls, who was editing a new episode of the Eyes Free Sports Podcast , to join them in this summary of the event s big news. Expect there to be info dumps a plenty as this is a wrap up show after all. And be sure to learn more about what was discussed in the copious pile of links down below. Enjoy these additional resources from the internet on the subject of WWDC 2020. WWDC 2020 Apple TV page Apple WWDC 2020 keynote in 18 minutes WWDC 2020: New Software and Fresh Chips Apple's exceptional WWDC 2020 keynote should be a model for future shows After virtual WWDC, Apple should never go back to live keynotes Comment: I d like pre-recorded WWDC keynotes every year, but we won t get them IoT sensors, machine learning and chips were the real stars of Apple s WWDC 2020 Six ways the pandemic was on display at Apple s WWDC Boot Camp Is Dead on New Macs and 8 Other Things Apple Didn't Say at WWDC Here s everything Apple didn t announce at WWDC WWDC: VoiceOver Gains New Image Description Capabilities among other Changes New Apple accessibility features coming this fall make technology usable and more accessible to all Apple packs iOS 14 with new accessibility features, like AirPods Pro audio tweaks VoiceOver efficiency with custom rotors Creating an Accessible Reading Experience Create a seamless speech experience in your apps Make your app visually accessible App accessibility for Switch Control iOS and iPadOS 14: The MacStories Overview iOS 14 beta: It's complicated finally iOS 14 accessibility feature performs actions by tapping your iPhone Here's how to assign a shortcut to iOS 14's new Back Tap feature New iOS 14 feature lets the iPhone alert you if it hears sounds like a doorbell or fire alarm Sound Recognition is a powerful new Accessibility feature in iOS/iPadOS 14 Apple details hand and body pose detection in WWDC 2020 session iOS 14: Developers can now take advantage of the U1 chip thanks to new 'Nearby Interaction iOS 14 s new Home screen widgets aren t as powerful as you might think Phone Calls Will Finally Stop Taking Up the Entire Screen in iOS 14 Apple s new iOS 14 home screen brings Windows Phone Live Tiles back to life Several new iOS 14 features take inspiration from Samsung s One UI If iOS 14 was Android 11, it would be coming to the Samsung Galaxy S6 With iOS 14, Apple once again crushes Android makers on software update support App Library is here to help you sort through your app clutter Apple gives in: iPhone and iPad users can finally change their default mail app and web browser this fall iOS 14 will let you change your default email and web browser apps Someone, Please, Explain: WTF Are App Clips Exactly? App Clips could be a Trojan Horse for Sign In with Apple App Clips could be just the start of a new approach enabled by 5G iPhones First take: With iOS 14, Apple changes the very idea of an app Messages is so much better in iOS 14 and here's why Siri Suggestions might just be iOS 14's greatest widget Apple adds encrypted drive support to Files with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 Apple gets it write with Scribble on iPadOS Why Apple still refuses to give the iPad a calculator iOS 14 protects your privacy in important new ways TikTok to stop reading user clipboards after being exposed by iOS 14 privacy feature TikTok and 53 other iOS apps still snoop your sensitive clipboard data iOS 14 includes revamped Podcasts app with curated suggestions AirPods and AirPods Pro Updates Coming With iOS 14 iOS 14 and tvOS 14 bring all-new Game Center, expanded Xbox and Playstation controller capabilities iOS 14: HealthKit expands ECGs with new API, new symptom tracking and mobility types Video: 9to5Mac Watch Time 26: What s new in watchOS 7? Sleep tracking, face sharing, hand washing watchOS 7: Hands-on with native Apple Watch sleep tracking Apple is killing Force Touch on the Apple Watch with watchOS 7 watchOS 7 now supports DRM audio streaming, opening the door for music apps You can run Shortcuts locally without your iPhone in watchOS 7 macOS Big Sur: The MacStories Overview The Mac s iconic startup chime is back in macOS Big Sur macOS Big Sur improves battery insight, retires Network Utility tool macOS moving from skeuomorphism through flat design to neumorphism designer Apple Silicon Mac mini dev kit looks like a desktop iPad Pro How fast are Apple s new ARM Mac chips? It s hard to tell The Mac s future is on a collision course with the iPad WWDC 2020: the iPadification of the Mac is coming, no touchscreen required Accessibility design for Mac Catalyst If Catalyst Apps Are the Future of Mac Software, the Future Currently Doesn't Look Too Bright for Voiceover Developers must opt out if they don't want their iOS apps on Mac Messages looks different yet familiar in macOS Big Sur Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak Discuss Apple Silicon Transition, Lack of Boot Camp Support, and More Apple's Rosetta won't support virtualization software like Parallels Here s what s happening to Boot Camp amid the Apple silicon transition Apple s new ARM-based Macs won t support Windows through Boot Camp Tech Tent: Apple says goodbye to Intel Microsoft vague on the future of Windows virtualization on Mac following Apple Silicon transition Losing Boot Camp for Arm Macs is no great loss Intel promises to support two-year transition to Apple Silicon Former Intel Engineer Explains Why Apple Switched to ARM Intel s Skylake Processors Was The Tipping Point For Apple To Finally Transition Away From Intel Apple's new tools can help developers port Chrome extensions to Safari Apple is bringing Face ID and Touch ID to the web with Safari 14 Apple adds WebP, HDR support, and more to Safari with iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur What's new in HomeKit in iOS 14 DOJ 'taking the first steps towards' Apple antitrust probe in the U.S Department of Justice Takes Hard Look at Apple's 30% Tax Apple approves Hey email app, but the fight s not over Hey founder on Apple's app approval process following fee backlash Hey opens its email service to everyone as Apple approves its app for good The App Store is coming under increased scrutiny in U.S. antitrust probe Apple will soon let developers challenge App Store rules Comment: This week s keynote quietly tackled five of Apple s antitrust issues Apple Just Castrated The IDFA, Sending An $80 Billion Industry Into Upheaval Apple's new Find My accessory program goes beyond iPhones and tracking fobs Fleetsmith customers unhappy with loss of third-party app support after Apple acquisition Gaming on Apple platforms is set for some big changes here are a few Five of the best new features coming to Siri Launch Google Assistant on Your iPhone as Quickly as Siri You Can Saddle Up Your Mac Pro For $400 but You Still Can't Ride It Sound Off: Here is a couple of comments from Twitter captured from our BBQ feed during recording. @pitermach From the event itself? Home screen widgets are cool. Running iOS apps on a Mac might be if they give more care to the platform's accessibility as a hole. What excites me more is the stuff that was revealed later. Stereo recording on iPhones, the watch getting rotor and Braille... @ed_edwardson Not being able to run VM s on their new CPU s is going to be a major productivity killer for me. I hope Apple will finally put serious resources into improving Mac VoiceOver. It s way overdue. Last Word: Shout outs to our friends over at ACB Main Menu for turning 20 years old. Check out their earlier festivities commemorating this milestone over at the Main Menu Archive

It is time for another BBQ Bite, or Byte as we have not really settled on that yet, as we keep delving back into our pile of holiday tech gifts to talk about on the show. In this episode Ricky will talk about what Joe gave her, Sennheiser Ambeoes, and Joe will converse with Ricky about the Bose Frames she provided him. There is a whole lot of moving in stereo in this virtual audio extravaganza. And you may want to listen in a good pair of headphones for the full effect of the cat and construction. Confused? Tune in and all will be revealed in 3d audio. Links to information and products mentioned in this episode Sennheiser AMBEO Smart Headset - Mobile binaural Now Discontinued Virtual Haircut Bose Frames Official Site Bose Frames, Apple AirPods 2nd Generation, and Plantronics M180 Headset: A Practical Guide to Three Bluetooth Earphones for People with Visual Impairments Bose Frames | How to Change Bose Lenses Bose Radar on the App Store - Apple OverHerd on the App Store - Apple EarPlay on the Apple App Store Travelear Official Site

usually our first "In Studio" episode after convention coverage is the traditional wrap up show where we dissect and discuss a particular event 20 minutes longer than we really should. But, as you already know, these are strange times and we find ourselves amongst the BBQ Crew reflecting on life after CSUN instead of our normal post con conversation. J.J. and Shelly talk about their return travel adventures while Joe remarks what it was like to watch the goings on from home. We do talk some tech this week, however, it is scattered throughout the run time of the show in between tips and musings about what has to be considered for future gatherings within the Blind and Low Vision communities. Sound Off and the Last Word find their way in towards the end of the program. So, we did not deviate too far from the norm. Or at least our version of that. Links To Information Mentioned COVID 19: Mask Sewing Instructions 5 Considerations for Running a Virtual National Convention during COVID-19 Aira updates policies after Corona Virus outbreak Tyler Littlefield creates accessible Covid-19 statistics tracker Free Basic Scripts for the Zoom Conferencing Platform Mosen Consulting Offers Free Audiobook about the Zoom Meeting Platform Hadley Presents: COVID-19 and Vision Loss - Hadley Institute ... COVID-19 and Vision Loss Part 2 Apple Launches New $399 iPhone SE With 4.7-Inch LCD Display, A13 Chip, and Touch ID Star Trek Discovery, and Picard, now have Audio Description and are perfect for lockdown binge watching Zoom Call - SNL Tip: Our Suggestions For Online Shopping Depending on the service you utilize locally, build your cart ahead of time that way you can jump on any available delivery times. Joe notes that Instacart tends to be better at finding open slots in the morning, as shoppers log in that day, while J.J. has better luck with Shipt the night before he makes an order. Think about making an order that will last at least a week with ingredients that can make more than a single meal. Some on the panel talk about how they became spoiled with 2 hour delivery and "in the moment" menu making decisions. You do not have to buy in bulk, unless you want to, if you plan out your food choices in advance and consume your most perishable edibles first. If using contactless delivery, the more detail you can give a delivery person the better. You can avoid mix ups by describing your apartment complex, home and outside markings in the optional areas in the check out or delivery note sections of the app. For example, "Street numbers are on the curb and our mailbox is missing a door". Remember that the person bringing your stuff needs this information and if your area has bad lighting, a large dip at the end of the driveway or some other hazard, it could impact their ability to provide you with good service. Loyalty cards can save you money! Sam s Wholesale adjusts their prices if you have a membership number entered in Instacart. And Shipt does the same if you have entered your Costco account info. Local grocery chains may have some benefit as well, but you will need to check which ones are on offer in your app of choice. Subscribing to the Express, Membership or Delivery Pass yearly membership thing does save money. You can avoid many fees, skip some delivery costs and possibly gain other perks by having a Door Dash, Postmates, Shipt or Instacart subscription. If you plan on using these services more often, beyond say twice a month, you really should break down and join up with that service because it is way more expensive to try and get by with an "as needs dictate" approach. Tip your shoppers and delivery people. Some services are rating you in the same way you rate their delivery experiences. Just like Uber, you can get a bad reputation and this may cause you to wait longer for an order. Recently Instacart had to address a situation regarding people removing large tips after a delivery was completed so they could jump the line in the customer pool. Shoppers and food delivery drivers do not make much and not tipping them for their time and effort is wrong. Besides, it is way cheaper to tip than take a Rideshare back and forth to the same store. We discussed these tips on Twitter recently. Some out there feel strongly that announcing that you are Blind can result in better service or a more detailed description of a replacement product for a missing item. Others who do not wish to disclose their vision status state that they can get the same level of interaction if they tell their shopper that they are using a device that doesn't show pictures, like an Apple Watch, when in the same scenario. many of these apps do not have a share sheet option for exporting a picture to Seeing AI or Visual Interpreter services. Go for what seems to be the more comfortable option when it comes to interacting whit your shopper. Lastly, due to higher demand, these apps are updating constantly to scale up to meet the needs of their growing customer bases. Providing helpful feedback about the app's access, process and experience is really important as you could be helping others out there who could run into the same bottleneck you encountered. For the most part these services work well on PC, iOS and Android. But that does not mean they work well all the time every time. Sound Off: Reginald George left these remarks in the Comment Section of ep 206 "Why does no one comment on these great podcasts? And if they are, why don't you post them? I have seen Blind Love, and listened to the interview here. He was very lucky to be able to pull them altogether to be on the show. The movie is absolutely fantastic, and this podcast gives good incite into how five strangers can become friends after working together on a project like this. It was quite a refreshing departure from the typical technology fare, and I commend you for making it happen. Reginald George CATIS Washington Services for the Blind" We really appreciate the kind words. We were already starting to gear our little podcast to cover topics beyond our original scope pre Pandemic. And now we think we can talk a bit more than tech around here in future. That is not to say we are going to abandon the horse that got us here, we just like to ride a few others out of the stable from time to time. Last Word: yeah, what a surprise, its food related. Polar Pizza Ice Cream Treats | Baskin-Robbins MY COOKIES ARE POPPING! Trolls OREO Cookies REVIEW Oreo Tiramisu - 12.2oz : Target And go back to BBQ 176 for more snack suggestions that J.J. still finds palatable today We are not sure what, or when, 210 is or will be at the time of this writing. We have a few ideas. In the meantime, may we suggest that you reread your copy of the most infamous book in the galaxy and take some comfort from those friendly letters on the cover by saying to yourself... "Don't Panic"

As J.J. says early on during his interview with Brandon Biggs, Engineer with the Smith-Kettlewell | Eye Research Institute, "There's a lot to unpack here". The pair even commandeered an entire Platinum Ballroom, okay CSUN wasn't using it honest, to talk about indoor navigation and mapping techniques. Tune in, or read the transcript below, to hear how audio games like "A Hero's Call" can pioneer a tested user experience for providing and effective way to perform indoor navigation tasks. Also, hear a demo and learn how the term XR came about for describing hybrid reality experiences. To learn more about this technology, visit the Smith-Kettlewell | Eye Research Institute website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

A running theme throughout our CSUN 2020 coverage has been how strange the event has been due to restrictions on travel that were falling into place at the time of these recordings. Some Exhibitors were unable to attend and props to John Palmer, President of Patriot Vision Industries for showing some , of TrySight's products at their table as a friendly gesture. In this interview Shelly gets her hands on the Patriot Pro, mentioned during our ATIA 2020 coverage last month, and she gets a product overview of the newly announced Patriot Voice EZ. To learn more about the products mentioned in this interview, visit the Patriot Vision Industries website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

If you do these convention coverage events long enough, well, you end up having some compromising audio and photos being taken of you as a result. Somewhere out there are pictures of Joe with his interview microphone near an odd place on eBot the Robot's chassis. And now the BBQ Crew has a few funny pictures of J.J. thanks to Blindspot Consulting, Inc. and their Accessible Photo Booth. Leah Shaull and Scott Tate walk J.J. through the process of taking the photos while they chat about the company's web remediation, kiosk access design and other services that they provide. Currently the Podcast Team is working out the demands of J.J.'s blackmail and what it would take not to release these photos. But in the meantime, you can find out more on the subject of Blindspot Consulting, by visiting their website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

It has been almost a year since we had Karthik Kannan, Cofounder and Chief Engineer of Envision AI, on the program to talk about pricing plans and the release of the Android version of the app. So, with a new product announcement and pre-order campaign underway, Shelly swung by the booth at the emptier than normal CSUN Exhibit Hall floor to test out the new Envision AI Glasses. The interview covers topics such as why Google Glass v2 was chosen as the first delivery system outside of smartphones, how the company is taking a platform agnostic approach to future versions of the app and the drive to work with others in the A.T. space to adopt more wearable tech approaches. And don't miss Shelly's real time demo using the glasses to read nearby objects and text. To learn more about the Glasses, or the app for iOS and Android, visit the Envision AI website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

We've been lucky enough to capture the success of the Be My Eyes team on our microphones for years. And while the BBQ doesn't have 6 million volunteers, and 200,000 Blind or Low Vision users, we are happy to record another fantastic milestone in their amazing story. J.J. had Will Butler, VP Community, and Alexander Hauerslev Jensen, CCO, by the scaled down Blind Bargains Suite/Room/Alcove to chat on what's happened since our July 2019 interview in Las Vegas. The trio cover topics such as the new funding announcement from last month, where they believe the Specialized Help Platform can grow in the future and the launch of their secondary "13 Letters" podcast. And keep your ears open, or scan the transcript below, to catch a Blind Bargains Qast exclusive bit of news. You can keep up with all the latest information, or join the community, by visiting the Be My Eyes website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

In July 2019, Joe caught up with Kimberly Cline at her LVI America debut In Las Vegas to talk about her excitement for future Video Magnifier products. And that enthusiasm is echoed by Charlie Collins, Director of Sales, when he speaks to Shelly about the new MacViewer device. The pair talk about the specs of the unit, discuss the new improved toolbar experience before noting that the Video Magnifier is also available for Chrome OS and Pcs as well. If you would like to know more about the products mentioned in this interview, visit the LVI America website CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.