#AppMondayTAS-iOS 6 - new accessibility options

In case you missed it, Apple announced last week that they will be releasing iOS 6 sometime this Fall.  There have been quite a few additions and changes that were mentioned (and some that were not) and I thought I'd share some of them here.

Voiceover changes -  one of the big drawbacks to using Voiceover was that you couldn't use it with Zoom and/or Assistive Touch so you'd have to pick what you like to use.  That is changing with iOS 6.  Now Voiceover will work with them so you can use them all as you use the device.

Speak Selection - a little known feature of iOS 5 is called "Speak Selection", located in the Settings - General - Accessibility, once on you can highlight text and you will get an option to have it spoken to you.  This works in most parts of the OS and is most helpful when using mobile Safari.  In iOS 6 it will have the addiditonal feature of highlighting the words as it speaks them.

Siri Improvements - many of the improvements in Siri are related to finding more information, but one is a big change.  Siri will now give you to option to launch apps (not sure if it's all apps or just the standard Apple apps), making these devices even easier to operate.

Guided Access - This new feature add a few different capabilities.  It gives you the option of disabling the Home Button so you have to stay in the current app.  This could be very useful for a person using the device as a communication tool.  It also allows you to block off certain portions of the screen (like settings buttons or ads) to keep individuals from accessing them.  I haven't seen how it will work exactly, but during the keynote they mentioned it was as easy as drawing a circle around the screen.

There are a few more announced and unannounced changes, you can find all of them here at Apple's website.  You can also find some more info about the accessibility features at Luis Perez's Blog.

Patrick

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R.I.P. #SteveJobs #ADEdu #Apple

In my eyes, Steve Jobs was a true leader & great force behind revolutionary, accessible, classroom-friendly technology.

-  Jeremy

#iPhone4S, #Siri & #iOS5 - #a11y #accessibility #assistivetech #spedchat

iPhone 4S

Earlier today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at their "Let's Talk iPhone" event.  While this new model is not much different than the iPhone 4 on the outside, its inside has been completely overhauled.  The iPhone 4S features the A5 dual-core chip as well as a better camera (8MP, 1080p).

Pricing:  $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB), & $399 (64GB).  
Pre-ordering for iPhone 4S begins online on October 7 and in-store purchasing on October 14.

Siri

The most revolutionary component of the iPhone 4S with regards to accessibility would have to be the "intelligent agent", Siri.  Siri not only performs speech-to-text translation but also recognizes complex voice commands!

• Siri understands what you say.  Have a conversation with your iPhone as you would another person!
  
• Siri knows what you mean.  It is proactive and will ask you questions until it finds the information you are looking for.
  
• Siri can help you easily accomplish a variety of daily tasks, such as set reminders, schedule appointments, find directions, find locations near by, perform web searches, and much more!
  
• Siri can read & dictate notes, text messages, or e-mails.  Dictation also works with third-party apps.  Anywhere you see the keyboard, you'll see a microphone too!

This breakthrough software upgrade makes the iPhone more accessible for individuals with special needs, who benefit from the ability to interact with their smartphones using natural voice.  The potential benefits of an "intelligent agent" like Siri for students who have special needs are mind-blowing!  Let's think about a simple daily task like maintaining a planner.  How cool would it be if a student (or teacher) could easily setup reminders for assignments by simply speaking into the student's device?  There are many more possible uses of Siri for students with special needs.  I will write another post soon to share the ideas I have.


Unfortunately, Siri will only be available on the iPhone 4S. The reason for this limitation being that the voice activation features are processor intensive (requiring the A5 chip).  Additionally, Siri relies on the integration of Apple's new iCloud service, as voice commands are processed on a remote server.  To activate Siri on the iPhone 4S, just hold down the HOME button for a few seconds.

Siri will be a beta for the time being, as it only supports English, German, and French voice input.  There are more language add-ons and tweaks to come.  Furthermore, there has not yet been any mention on whether or not Siri will be available for the iPad 2, which also sports an A5 processor, or Mac laptop and desktop computers.

iOS 5

Apple also announced iOS 5 will be released to the public and available as a FREE download via iTunes next Wednesday (10/12).  iOS 5 will be compatible with iPhone 4S/4/3GS, iPad 2/1, and iPod Touch 3rd/4th generation.  Accessibility features of iOS 5 include flashing LED alerts, custom-vibration alerts for phone and SMS messages, an interested split keyboard interface, multi-touch gestures, and voiceover “element labeling” to enhance the screen reader user’s experience.

I can't wait to hear what everyone in the field of special education has to say about the new accessibility features of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S, especially Siri!


-  Jeremy

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Apple iPad 2

Today Apple announced the release of the iPad 2 and they have made some changes!  The iPad 2 has a dual core processor (A5) and is 2 times faster than the original iPad.  It also has faster Graphics processing. Even with that speed increase they are able to keep the 10 hour battery life!  It is also thinner (8.8mm) and lighter (1.3 lbs.).

They have also added front and back cameras to the iPad 2.  The back camera can take 720p video and still photos, while the front camera is enabled for Facetime (and presumably Skype!).  They've also updated the Gyroscope, Compass and Accelerometer to be more accurate.  And last, and one of the most asked for features from teachers, the ability to mirror your iPad display on a TV!  Finally a way to show off apps.

I think Apple has some some great things with this version of the iPad.  I think adding the camera will add a ton of functionality to apps like Pictello, Proloquo2go, iCommunicate, and many, many others.  The smaller size and lighter weight will make it even more accessible to students.  They kept the price the same, the cheapest model - 16GB WiFi only is still $499.  I think it's a great upgrade and will make this an even better product!


Patrick


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Apple Infographic

Research by Online Degrees.org

Here's an interesting inforgraphic on ways that Apple technology is affecting our lives.  Apple products have been game changers on many different fronts.  While there are arguments against using them exclusively (mostly due the the closed nature of the products), they have caused a revolution in how we access the internet and communicate with others, and have spurred many other companies to create similar products!

http://www.onlinedegrees.org/research/apple-education/




Patrick


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Apple iPad - Comments

I was very excited to find a lively debate happening on the comments for my post about the upcoming iPad. I wanted to clear up a few points, because I don't think I made myself clear.

First, I am actually quite excited by the release of this device. I have used iPod Touches for about a year now for student engagement and think it is a great product. One thing that I've had trouble with is the size of the iPod screen, it makes it difficult for students to access if they have sort of fine motor control issues. This is one place that the iPad will excel.

Second, yes I missed the information about support for VGA output for projectors and such. Thanks to sean5155 for this information:

Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable.

Another commenter, D Scintille, talked about the lack of Flash support

Flash is a resource hog. It eats batteries for lunch. I am glad there is no Flash. It will make the web so much faster.

In principal I agree with this statement. Flash is a resource hog, and causes many more problems that I'd like to admit, it limits the usefulness of the iPad. Some sites like Voicethread, Animoto & Glogster are great places for content, but would be unusable on the iPad, unless they have an app. Animoto has one, but as far as I know the other websites do not. Hopefully, this will push the web to more content using HTML5, which allows for videos, storage, and many other things without the need for plugins like Flash, but until that happens the iPad will have some limitations. Even with this limitation I know I would use this device.


Now to the last commenter, constableodo. There's a few points that I'd like to address.

That's what all the tech-heads will be choosing by basing their purchase on a hardware feature set no matter how sparse the downloadable content may be or how unwieldy the interface is.

While admittedly I am a bit of a "tech-head", and love gadgets, I do not buy items on hardware alone. I agree that many devices are hampered by bad browsers or proprietary software. I applaud apple on the iPhone and opening up the entire web, with no changes needed, to a mobile platform. And I know that they will also allow the iPad to access as much of the web as possible. While I've not used an iPad the reports are that it has a very fast processor and that's an important part of a device like this, there are times when the iPhone & iPod Touch just feels like it drags.

There are consumers out there looking for some easy solution to grab content and the iPad offers that solution. One touch content shopping for the low-tech consumer. With thousands of apps and games ready to go on the iPad out of the box, there's no way it will fail.

Actually, I completely agree with this statement. The iPod made the music industry change, the iPad will bring changes to publishing and the availability of books. It will also make content more accessible to more people by bringing Text-To-Speech (Blio), adjustment of size, and interactive content to anyone with an iPad. An iPad in every child's hand as they enter 1st grade would be an amazing learning tool for them to have to their entire school career.

The reason I'm waiting for the 2nd Gen is because of Apple! They do an amazing job of upping the ante with each new generation of product and I think some of the things I want (a webcam) will be available soon. I also think it might be best to make sure there are no major bugs or problems, while this probably not a problem, I think it's prudent. I appreciate and encourage all the comments, please let me know your thoughts!

Patrick

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Apple iPad

So, I've taken my time, but I've finally decided to write about the iPad.  As you probably know from previous posts I was pretty excited about the release of the Apple iPad (Year of the Tablet & E-Reader). One of the reason's I've waited so long to post is that I wasn't sure what I thought about what Apple is releasing.  On some level I'm very please and think the iPad has great potential, but I'm also a little disappointed (here are the technical specs).  Let's look at the good and the bad:


The Good


Large screen - the iPad features a large 9.7" screen.  This increase in real estates makes it a huge plus over the iPod Touch & iPhone.  As you know I use these devices currently with my students, and some have trouble accessing them due the the size of the buttons, just too small.

Accessibility Options - the iPad will have the same accessibility options that the iPhone has which includes screen magnification, audio preview of items, white on black display, mono audio & closed captioned content.

The Price - $499 for a basic model with Wi-Fi, that's a great price point and not out of range for lots of people.  Most analysts expected it to be much higher ($999 or more).

The Access - for a small amount you can be constantly connected, $29 a month for unlimited 3G access. There's even a cheaper plan for 3G access.  The iPhone has created a culture of people who expect constant connectivity and the iPad is just going to fuel that need!  This may be the push to get better wireless standards adopted quicker - 4G or LTE.

The Apps - All of the 150,000 iPhone apps will work on the iPad (including Proloquo2go!).  They will work in a small form or you can stretch them to take the entire screen, but from what I've heard they do not look very good like that.  Also if you have already purchased the app, it will work on your iPad without having to purchase again.

The Bookstore - it's being called iBook and so far all the publishers are inline to provide content.  This is the area the iPad is going to excel.  This is going to be a device consume content on - books, TV shows, and movies.  I think Blio was specifically designed for this device in mind, but that's just my speculation!

The Speed - not having actually touched one I cannot fully attest to this - but I hear it's fast!  As fast as you PC or laptop, but that's not surprising because everything gets faster.  From the reports it makes the experience of using it very pleasant.


The Bad

No webcam - not sure on why they left this out, seemed like a very basic feature...

$130 for 3G - really it costs $130 to outfit a device with a small radio to pick up 3G signals?  Seems a little far fetched to me...

No Flash - the iPhone & iPod Touch have not suffered without Flash, but it is a very integral part of the web.  Until HTML5 becomes the standard this will be a problem for the iPad.

No video output - while not a critical feature, this would make it a great device to store some content and watch on a TV or projector.


My Thoughts
So, what conclusions have I come to?  First, I don't think I can make a real decision until I hold and use an iPad.  Second, it has potential, as a content consuming device (book reader, movie watcher, music, etc...).  Also as a communication device, with external speakers and Proloquo2go it would make a very interesting platform.  Third, I think the size makes a huge difference, the reason the iPod can be hard to use for many students is the size, this fixes that.  Fourth, we'll just have to wait and see.  There is no way to know if this device will take off or not, but I think I'll be waiting for the 2nd generation before I get one.


Patrick

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Apple Event

If you are eagerly awaiting Apple's next announcement (Jan 27, 10:00 PST) like I am, you may want to watch the action live! If you head over to the Technologizer blog you can watch the event as it happens - Apple Tablet Event. The blogs are abuzz that a Tablet device will be announced as well as new iPhone software, but we won't know until Jan. 27, so check it out!

Patrick

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The Year of the Tablet

Around the geek community it's been much discussed that Apple will soon be releasing a new product. Dubbed "The Tablet" there are many rumors, and thoughts about what this device may be. The basics are this - the device would be either 7 or 10 inches, full color screen, 3G & Wi-Fi connectivity, a forward facing camera, and tons of other possible components. One of the best thoughts about the device is from the Daring Fireball. And check out This Week in Tech episode 228 (around 3 min they talk about the Tablet)

So these are all rumors, but some seem more plausible than others. Most of the rumors center around a 10 inch device, so about the size of a piece of paper. That's a great size to view books, magazines and textbooks. They also focus on the fact that publishers have been contacted by Apple execs to see if they would be interested in publishing on a device like this. The implications for AT are large. Imagine a device that could read text, re-size text, and include graphics, videos, and interactive content. A textbook would be something interactive, and could include content from all over the internet. Textbooks are usually out of date before come out and have no way to make them more accessible (see Joe's Non-Netbook) this device would create something that could be changed at any time.

Connectivity is what everyone is looking for in devices these days (just look at the rise of the iPhone, Droid, etc...) and more than likely a Tablet would include 3G cellular service. Personally I'd love to see 4G or WiMax (broadband speed access spread over an entire city), but not sure that's a possibility due to limited coverage (only available in about 20 cities around the country). Now imagine an always on internet connection combined with Alexicomtech. Now you have a portable communication device, that can be changed as a child grows. Combine that with the ability to access the internet, and you have an amazing AAC device for any student.

Another rumor that seems to be prevalent is a forward facing camera. This would allow a person to hold the device and look into a camera, making video conferencing very easy. Programs like Skype are great, but they are tied to laptops and desktop computers. The iPhone has a Skype app, but you are limited to voice calling. I can imagine using "The Tablet" device for students to sit at their desk and contact other students, professionals, or friends.

I am really excited by the possibilities that 2010 seems to be bringing. I'll be looking forward to seeing what Apple might do (apparently they have reserved a space at the end of Jan. for a product announcement) and will post once something is announced! It's going to be an interesting year!

Patrick

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