Breaking In Windows by COOL BLIND TECH

Not a month has gone by since We posted an article on Narrator including AI-driven image tags and Microsoft is back at it yet again, though with an older project which finally has made public fruition. Introduced at Build 2016, this project had a goal of bringing powerful image recognition technology which could be used to augment every day life, especially when combined with the power of the cloud. Today, The app is available in the iOS app store in the United States, Canada, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore, for free. In a post to the Microsoft Accessibility blog, Microsoft explains it in this fashion . The app uses artificial intelligence and the camera on your iPhone to perform a number of useful functions. Reading documents, including spoken hints to capture all corners of a document so that you capture the full page. It then recognizes the structure of the document, such as headings, paragraphs and lists, allowing you to rapidly skip through the document using voiceover. Identifying a product based on its barcode. Move the phone's camera over the product; beeps indicate how close the barcode is – the faster the beeps, the closer you are – until the full barcode is detected. It then snaps a photo and reads the name of the product. Recognizing people based on their face, and providing a description of their visual appearance, such as their gender, facial expression and other identifying characteristics. Recognizing images within other apps – just tap Share, and Recognize with Seeing AI. In our experience, the app is able to even read computer screens in the short-text channel mode, and does so instantly as you move your arm towards and away from text. Reading coupons in a newspaper is more intuitive than having to wait for a picture to be snapped, and bar codes are often recognized in under 30 seconds thanks to the way it guides the user to it. Face recognition works well and can be taught to recall faces of loved ones after you take 3 pictures of them. Easily, this app rivals more expensive solutions and will become a must-have tool within any vision-impaired iOS user's arsenal. The incredible power of Seeing AI lies in not just the cloud, but also at being able to perform this recognition offline and in real-time. Turning airplane mode on during a page scan still kept up with scrolling printed text, however features such as bar code and face/scene detection will require one. Join Jessica to understand just how intuitive the app really is in this podcast and see for yourself what Seeing AI can do, as not even ten thousand words could give it full justification. She walks through the app, from the quick start guide to the various channels in great detail. The official tutorials for the app, comprised of 9 videos, can be found at this link of a YouTube playlist.

If there was a word which is to define the era that dominates this early 21st century, it no doubt would be the cloud. Everything has moved to incorporating some cloud-based feature or another. Whilst screen reading has done OCR and other image recognition prior, this too was relegated to locally performed magic, rather than anything that used the cloud to process data. The rise of huge AI clusters which now can process trillions of calculations a second has created a better opportunity for so much more to be off-loaded to these systems. For Microsoft, this is called Cognitive services and it is a platform any developer can leverage to create AI-generated content for an image. Once you combine this with a screen reader, things get very interesting. Such has happened in the latest Windows 10 insider build, 16226 Could a screen reader some day suggest labels for controls through an intelligent API which can interpret the icons? Could a computer describe a powerPoint presentation, typically full of rectangles and decorations? To be clear, Apple is also doing this in iOS 11, though the image processing they use is all on-hardware, not cloud-based. Microsoft is first to announce this to the public, and users will be able to compare it to that of iOS 11 once the public beta of it is released. Narrator is noteable for being able to generate full-sentence descriptions of images, rather than just a few words or phrases which explain its content, as done on iOS and Facebook. The insider program is open to anyone, and submitting feedback is highly encouraged if you venture into this world. As well as having lots of patience, and perhaps not a main computer that you install it on but a virtual machine or spare. Do you see ways in which you would use this technology for yourself to help understand the web or apps better? Feel free to let us know in the comments.

There are many twitter clients that are available for Windows, but very few are designed to work with screen readers. In this podcast, Leonid demonstrates the interface, as well as several useful features on TWBlue, a free, open source twitter client. Let us know what you think in the comments!

In this podcast, I demonstrate how to use Reaper to import a piece of audio, select a portion of it, and export it to GoldWave in order to make a ringtone for the iPhone. Those wishing to make tones for Android may follow these steps, but no exporting to GoldWave is necessary. Just save it in Reaper and transfer it to your phone. Have fun! If you're wishing to get Reaper and GoldWave, look no further: Here's Reaper Here's GoldWave

In November of 2016, Jenny Lay-Flurrie revealed to Cool Blind Tech, in an exclusive announcement, that braille support was coming to Narrator. Now the feature has rolled out in Windows 10 insiders build 15025. It is still in beta, but James Oates has decided to give us an early look at this new feature. He also shows us the new mono-audio feature that has been added to Narrator.

In this episode, James Oates demonstrates how to setup Windows Calendar on a PC running Windows 10 Anniversary Update. He shows us how to create an event and send out a calendar invite. He reviews the keyboard shortcuts available in Windows Calendar, and he creates an event using Cortana. During this demonstration, James uses Narrator with ETI Eloquence for Windows. Eloquence is an add-on that can be purchased here.

We're always excited to see good quality audio games, particularly ones with high bars in sound and game play hit the market. One fault many games suffer from is replay-ability - can I still do cool post-game action and have things feel more random in the story after I'm done? Or have I just wasted $39 of my money for a week's worth of distractions, anticipation, and nervous fits over not being able to complete my game? When playing Manamon, these were some of the factors that lead us to consider it a great choice for an Audio game. It's at least a year's worth of development effort which culminates in an action-packed adventure featuring a Pokemon-style environment with similar concepts. For example, trainers are tamers, but just like Pokemon, you have starter characters and types. You complete quests on a journey to uncover the hidden operations of the Shadow Kingdom, and battle to become more and more powerful through levelling up your Manamon and turn-based fighting opponents. We recommend two resources for your journey, friend. The main Manamon game page for downloading and ordering, and The Audiogames.net forum topic where you can find a turn-by-turn walkthrough of the game, if you get a little stuck in a puzzle. I wouldn't completely spoil the fun with it, though - but in-game clues are sometimes less obvious. Good luck on your travels, and may Ziognioss be with you.

In this episode of the REAPER series, Alex shows you how to switch and combine takes in an audio track to make one cohesive track. We listen to some seriously underwhelming takes, and some really cool and intricate ones. Takes are sections of audio that are recorded, most likely multiple times and are able to be combined to make a "perfect" section of music. Next, he discusses automation. Automation is a way to alter plugin or track parameters by creating an envelope that automatically gets triggered when the project is played. For example, increase a track's volume for a guitar solo or vocal line. In the example Alex increases and decreases the volume of his solo/lead guitar track to emphasize various parts where needed. Alex then shows us track templates and their conveniences.

In this episode, James Oates introduces us to the built in Windows Mail client, which is a part of Windows 10 Anniversary Update. He shows us how to configure multiple accounts, create a signature line for our outgoing mail, how to create and send a message, how to reply to a message, how to activate a link within a message, how to quickly navigate a webpage using Microsoft Edge, how to search for a message, how to find all of your mail folders, how to use mail filters, how to format text in a message, and how to create and send a message using Cortana. Throughout this podcast, James uses Narrator, the built-in screen reader from Microsoft. He also shows us most of the handy keyboard shortcuts for Windows Mail.

Welcome back. Here, Alex walks us through editing presets by hand using Notepad. Since basically everything that's good isn't accessible in the music world, you gotta do silly and time-consuming workarounds. Depending on what kind of tone maniac and audio aficionado you are, you might decide to go through this.

In this podcast, James Oates shows us how to use the Groove Music app. Groove Music is a built in application that comes with Windows10. He provides us with all of the key strokes that are available for Groove Music. He shows us how to search for music and create a playlist. He demonstrates the new feature that allows us to edit a song's metadata. He shows us how easy it is to control Groove Music by using voice commands with Microsoft's digital assistant, Cortana. Finally, he shows us how to stream music to a mobile device without having to purchase a Groove Music Pass. It has taken awhile, but Microsoft finally has a legitimate rival to Apple's iTunes application.

In this episode of the Audacity for Windows series, we go through some every-day edit commands. Sprinkled with humor and sarcasm, Alex brings you to the wonderful world of checking general loudness of audio selections and exporting some uncompressed glory. Mac users: Stay tuned; we have Audacity things in the works. There are few but vital differences between Windows and Mac builds of Audacity. Note: Some effects (like the reverb) are separate from Audacity and can be downloaded by searching Google. There are several excellent VST plug-ins for many audio applications.

This supplemental series is for those who have the Superior Drummer plugin from Toontrack. We already assume you have the plug installed, and move into navigating the interface, which is actually quite usable for simple things with NVDA. If you need to add drum libraries to your drum path, you've come to the right place. Part 2 covers advanced topics.

In this podcast, James Oates tells you everything you need to know about the latest update to Windows 10. He explains the Task Viewer, virtual desktops, the new Start Menu, Cortana's enhanced performance, Microsoft Edge, extensions for Microsoft Edge, the all new and powerful Narrator, Windows Ink Workspace, the new Settings app, projecting to your computer from other devices, the new Feedback app, the find your Windows Phone feature, how to lock your screen, and the new short cut for accessing your calendar. He also shows you how to setup the new Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Alex begins a little tutorial on Audacity for Windows using NVDA. He goes through some preferences that are useful and then shows off the interface a bit. Future episodes in this series will cover real editing: Selection, cutting and pasting, zooming in and out to really hone in on a bit of audio you wish to manipulate. Stay tuned!

In part 4 of REAPER, we record a simple multi-track music project using VST plugins, MIDI drums, guitar amp simulators and some equalizers. Remember that in Part 3, we created our tracks and made a guitar folder to make things simpler to quickly navigate the tracks in your project. In Part 4, we proceed to record two guitar tracks as well as a bass track. After, we briefly learn about the master track and limiters. Recabinet and Thermionik An excellent freeware master limiter Superior Drummer PS: This episode is noticeably quieter than previous ones. This is because of the nature of demonstrating effects. I didn't want to degrade the properties of a limiter and other things.

Part 3 is finally here. Alex shows some preliminary configuration options for setting up REAPER to record music on Windows. This includes per-project media folders and using the metronome. He also quickly blabs about MIDI devices. Stay tuned for part 4 where we record an actual bit of music. PS: A vocal mixing episode is in the future, as well as basic external effect mixing and processing. All from a hard rock and metal musician prospective, of course. :)

In this podcast, Alex demonstrates NVDA Remote, a free add-on for NVDA that makes it possible to control another computer using speech and Braille. This lends itself to many uses: tech support, accessibility testing, remote programming and just all around fun. Visit NVDARemote.Com to download the add-on. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

In this podcast, Alex describes the NVDA gestures dialog and remapping or adding keystrokes for NVDA's commands. Visit the NVDA Homepage eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

In this episode, Alex quickly shows you how to start recording with REAPER. He then edits out a burp and explains the various ripple modes used for splitting and removing items. ESight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.

Welcome to the Reaper on Windows series. In this series, Alex will show you how to start using Reaper for your audio needs. Reaper is a full-featured digital audio workstation (DAW) with tons of capability for a reasonable price tag. In this episode, Alex demonstrates installing the unofficial OSARA keymap and explains some features of OSARA and Reaper. At the end we make silly noises with effects. This is intended as a general overview and why Alex enjoys REAPER so much. We'll get into specific topics later. In future episodes, we'll explore recording, in-depth effects usage, actually getting things done. Suggestions are welcome. If Alex has the know-how, it'll most likely make it into this series. OSARA is an open-source Reaper extension that allows screen reader users to enjoy Reaper more fully by exposing inaccessible features of Reaper and making controls speak better and more accurately. The Reaper homepage OSARA Homepage ESight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here. You can support CBT, by picking up your free audiobook here.

If you have always wanted to try out an operating system but you don't want to risk losing your files, one good solution is to install it on a virtual machine. A virtual machine allows you to install an OS in an isolated environment, so even if anything goes wrong, your primary OS is still intact. It also lets you experiment without forcing you to part with your current OS. In this podcast, Leo walks you through installing Windows 10 on VMware Player, a free software which allows you to install an operating system on a virtual machine. If you don't have a copy of windows 10, the best way to obtain an iso image is through the media creation tool. To help with the initial install, the talking Windows PE iso is also used. Only the initial install of windows 10 is covered, so if you're stuck at the welcome screen, this podcast will show you how to complete the installation. Enjoy!

Was your most favorite part of Windows 7 the handy search box that you first landed in when you opened it? Were you fighting against upgrading to Windows 8.1 because you could not be parted with your beloved search box companion? Well, not to worry, as Microsoft has heard you loud and clear. The new Windows 10 start menu combines the traditional look and feel of Windows 7 and merged it with many of the modern features of Windows 8. In this podcast, Cory demonstrates how NVDA is navigating the Windows 10 start menu and shows you how to quickly jump to various sections. Get the best of both the Windows 7 and Windows 8 worlds with the new Windows 10 start menu.

Just when we thought Microsoft's new modern browser Edge would not be accessible, the folks over at NV Access had to show everyone that NVDA is literally on the Edge. While the functionality demonstrated here is only available at this time in the next release versions of the NVDA software and certainly is not recommended for production environments, the fact that it seems to be working very well gives us a very promising glimpse at what we can expect from Microsoft's accessibility support and NVDA itself. Give this podcast a listen to hear how NVDA is successfully reading webpages in its virtual browser, just as it always has.

We are back to tell you the latest and greatest when it comes to Windows 10. Join us to hear our take on it and how you can best have an enjoyable experience with this revolutionary new version of Microsoft's newest release. Cory Martin, Thomas Geczy and Leonid Prazdnik all welcome Quentin Christensen from 22 Point, a blogger and developer who also happens to be writing a book on Windows 10 from a blindness/low vision perspective. To view Quentin's excellent blog, click here. So pull up a chair and join us as we discuss our experiences thus far. Here are the highlights: Windows 10 will launch on July 29th. The release will be staggered releases starting with desktop/laptops, then phones and Xbox. The upgrade path for Windows 7/8 will be free if the upgrade offer is used within the first year, however a single user license is estimated at $129/£99/€135 to start. The free upgrade will be free for the duration of the lifecycle of the product it is running on. Windows 10 is expected to be the last version ever, being upgraded with feature releases as time goes on. There will be a total of 7 versions: IoT, Mobile, Home, Enterprise and Professional, Mobile Enterprise, and Education. Cortana is improved from the early beta days and now has the ability to dictate E-mail, as well as being more tightly integrated in to the OS with a highly polished feel. Microsoft Edge will be the new browser from Microsoft, though for legacy support, Internet Explorer will also be offered. As screen reader users we may need to stay away from Edge for the time being, unless you're willing to run nightly beta software. Virtual desktops will be offered in Windows 10 and are quite useful, though may pose some key conflicts with other favorite Twitter software in the community. The start menu has returned to an older style, though still offering the tiled approach for the modern apps. The notification center has been greatly enhanced and now replaces notification balloons, allowing the user to scroll through and selectively or collectively dismiss notifications. Screen readers are expected to support Windows 10 at launch, though currently NVDA is pulling ahead of the pack in terms of support. Give the show a listen to hear us discuss all of these highlights and much more. As always, feel free to contact us with any feedback you may have, we'd love to hear from you.

In this episode Quentin gives a demonstration of the currant version of Microsoft's Windows 10. He looks at the differences in TTS and other features in Windows 10 as compared to previous versions of Windows. It is advised when installation of any beta or technical preview software be installed on a secondary testing device as it may result in corruption or loss of data.

In this latest episode, Cory Martin takes a look at the latest NVDA 2015.1 and gives an explanation of NVDA Object navigation and how one can use it in a variety of ways. Cory shows using object navigation on the web, to manipulate dialogue boxes, to maneuver between different windows, copying text from on-screen and to check out object navigation in Microsoft Word. He also gives a hint of what is possible with touch screens or a traditional mouse/touchpad. Lastly, Cory gives a brief overview of the new reading mode in Microsoft Word which uses the web-based browse mode to navigate Word documents. If you've struggled with understanding how to use object navigation in NVDA before, hopefully this podcast will help clear up some of that mystery.

We have shown you that Levtec Winstaller works with the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926 from Microsoft, however that demonstration used the Winstaller driver to deploy the Windows image. Winstaller does support loading NVDA with the actual Windows setup. With this option enabled in the Winstaller image, a visually impaired person can use the same setup program that a sighted person would utilize. If you would prefer to use the setup program provided by Microsoft, such as if you were doing an install over a previous installation of Windows or repairing a copy of Windows that was not booting, this might interest you. This is a quick demonstration of what the Windows setup program looks like and how it works. Please remember that we are demonstrating what would be considered to be an advanced topic and you should not attempt this yourself unless you have an understanding of what you are doing. This has the ability to erase data and therefore if you intend to deploy and install Windows in this way, please remember to keep backups of your data and prepare yourself to restore your computer to a previous state if necessary. Cool Blind Tech is not responsible for damage resulting out of the use of the information provided here.

In this episode, James Oates demonstrates “NPR One”, a universal app from National Public Radio, available on all Windows devices. He shows how to start playing NPR with just a simple key stroke on a PC, and a voice command on a Windows Phone. If you enjoy National Public Radio, you will love this app. NPR One is also available for iOS and Android.  

In this episode, James Oates updates us on the status of Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926. In this build, Microsoft has added Cortana, an interactive personal assistant, to their operating system. It is currently limited and in its early stages, but it still is very impressive. He also uses Narrator as the primary screen reader, since NVDA and JAWS are still not currently able to work with Universal apps.  

In this edition of CBT, Brandon Cross shows new users of the NVDA screen reader how to navigate the basic elements of a web page. He describes the different ways one can move around, and demonstrates the feedback users can expect. Click here to navigate to NVDA's home page.

With a piece of software called Winstaller from Levtec, one no longer needs to use an answer file for unattended deployment of Windows operating system. This opens up huge opportunities for those of us who cannot see and wish to work in a professional IT setting, or just for fixing our home computers. While Winstaller has existed for some time, there have been a number of advancements in the software. One of the biggest of these is that Winstaller is able to deploy the latest version of Windows 10 Technical Preview which at the time of this demonstration is build 9926. In this podcast I will show you how this can be done and I will provide all the links to the tools you will need to install your own copy of the latest technical preview from Microsoft. Firstly, you will want to visit this page to download the technical preview. You may also visit your favorite search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo to search for "Download Windows 10 technical preview". You can obtain Winstaller from Clicking here to visit the Levtec Winstaller page. Next, you will need a method of mounting .ISO files, which are images of CD or DVD disks. Once you have obtained the .ISO for the technical preview, you may mount it with a free utility called Slysoft Virtual Clone Drive. This software will emulate a virtual DVD drive on your system and can load various image types, one of which happens to be .iso files. If you wish to install in a Virtual Machine or VM, I highly recommend using VMWare Player at this link. Give the podcast a listen to hear me create the image, deploy it to .ISO for use or to a USB drive and to install it in a virtual machine.

In this episode, James Oates reviews Microsoft Outlook for iPhone and iPad. He demonstrates the email client and calendar features. He shows us how to access files on cloud services, open them with additional apps, and send them as attachments. He then proceeds to show how to send and view messages from your contact list. Finally, he walks us through the settings for the application. This is an incredibly complex and powerful application which will prove useful for many users of iOS. From the developer: Why use Outlook?   Manage your inbox • Outlook automatically triages your inbox for you, surfacing your most important email. Less relevant email is placed in your “Other” inbox. • Swipe to quickly delete, archive, or schedule messages. • Schedule emails and they will return to your inbox at a later time.   Your calendar built-in • Switching between your email and calendar apps is a thing of the past. Outlook includes your calendar and notifies you with appointment reminders. • Find available meeting times and share them in email or schedule a meeting.   Attachments made easy • View and attach any file from your email, OneDrive, Dropbox, and other accounts with just a few taps. • Send large files even if you haven't downloaded them to your phone.   Find anything fast • Filter your inbox to only show messages that are unread, flagged, or have attachments, with a single tap. • Quickly find the right messages, people and files by typing just a few letters. • Outlook shows people you communicate with most often, and lets you conveniently drill down to see all related emails, meetings and files.  

In this episode, James Oates demonstrates how to stream music and play a radio station using an Xbox Music Pass subscription. He shows us how to play a movie on Netflix and pin a favorite TV show to the start screen. Finally, he reviews the accessibility of the popular Twitter client, Tweetium. Throughout the episode, James is relying heavily on Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant. Since Cortana is integrated into the Music and Netflix applications, it makes the experience quite simple.

The new year is also a fresh look for us! With that we are launching Breaking in Windows, a show dedicated to the discussion, review and demonstration of all things Microsoft and Windows related. What better a way to Break out our new show than to bring you what's new with Windows 10! It's almost straight out of Star Trek! James Oates brings Cory Martin, a recent addition to the CBT team on board to discuss the Microsoft event and to hash out what this could mean from an accessibility perspective. The year of 2015 is shaping up to be a very active one with some exciting changes at Microsoft, we will need to stay tuned to see how things play out and to see how the assistive technology venders will innovate to stay ahead of this ever-shifting landscape. Finally, although holographic technology may not be useable by those of us who are traversing life in the dark, the impact on product design might hold some surprising and possibly very welcoming changes for us. To hear us discuss this event in detail give this show a listen!

In this episode, James Oates shows us how to add a Skype contact and make a Skype call using Cortana. He shows us how to compose a Tweet and check our timeline on Twitter. Finally, he demonstrates the functionality of the email application. Threw out the episode, he is using the built in screen reader, Narrator, on a Nokia Lumia 635 running Windows Phone 8.1.

In this episode, James Oates tells us about Microsoft's new operating system coming in 2015. He shows us the new Start Menu, Task Viewer, and the Virtual Desktop Viewer contained in the current version of Windows10 Technical Preview.

In episode four, James Oates introduces us to Tweet Free, a fully accessible Twitter client for Windows8.1. He walks us through version eleven of Adobe Reader for reading PDF files. He demonstrates Adobe Digital Additions for reading eBooks. He shows us how to add a RSS feed to Microsoft Outlook. Finally, he demonstrates making a phone call using Google Voice inside of Google Hangouts.

In episode 3 of James Oates Exploring Windows 8.1 series, James switches from JAWS15 to NVDA2014.3 and shows us four free popular applications from the Windows Store. He walks us threw how to use Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and YouTube. James also demonstrates Xbox Radio and Google Hangouts. Many thanks to Brandon Cross for his time in editing this podcast.

In this first episode of a series, James Oates gives us an overview of accessibility options on Windows Phone8.1. Using an entry level Nokia Lumia 635, he demonstrates the built in screen reader Narrator, and runs through the apps you will find on your phones start screen. A run through of the Ease of Use options, a quick look at Internet Explorer and an introduction to Cortana, your personal assistant gives us a great insight to how Microsoft are shaping up after their slow start in Windows Phone accessibility.

In part two of Exploring Windows 8.1, James Oates takes us on a tour of all of the applications that are pre-installed on the start screen. The following applications are included in the demonstration: Mail, Skype, One Drive, Reading List, Calendar, Weather, Finance, Video, Music, Sports, Internet Explorer, News, and the Windows Store. James also briefly demonstrates Google Now on Chrome.

In this podcast, James Oates walks you through the layout of Windows 8.1. He explains live tiles, and how to change the appearance of the start screen. He shows you how to find your applications, and how to add them to your start screen or task bar. He shows you how to use the file explorer and search feature, add keyboard short cuts to access your most frequently used programs from anywhere on the computer, how to have your computer show the desktop at startup instead of the start screen, and how to bypass the login screen when starting your computer.