As I said last week, I would confirm the pairing of Focus Blue displays from FS with the newly released iOs 10.2 which is now confirmed. Following is a technical support bulletin from FS.
http://www.freedomscientific.com/Support/TechnicalSupport/Bulletin/1625
Speaking of iOS: besides iOS 10.2 being released, you’ll find updates for watch os, Apple TV os, and Mac OS: no accessibility improvements to note as yet.
Olitech Mobile Phone
Just a reminder to folks that the Olitech is a large print mobile phone suitable for folks with low vision, not for people who are blind or who use speech output: only the keypad speaks, not the menus of the phone.
Windows 10 upcoming release in Spring (US) 2017 has a number of accessibility improvements including finally support for refreshable Braille displays:
https://www.slashgear.com/windows-10-creators-update-to-include-new-accessibility-features-for-braille-narration-03466255/
Microsoft continues its excellent development work in accessibility improvements for Word on Mac, iPhone and iPad:
https://support.office.com/en-US/article/What-s-new-in-accessibility-for-Word-for-Mac-iPhone-and-iPad-c681eb25-549e-4d1d-a970-e52450c701de
AccessWorld for December 2016
In this issue, these articles caught my attention: Microsoft Word with NVDA Training Guide, Game Review - Timecrest: The Door, Accessible Recipes for Cooking and Entertaining, and What is NEW in Mac Sierra and the New MacBooks.
http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw171201
AirPods arrived, but no chance to put them through their paces, will report back in the new year with a podcast.
In case you don’t want to wait for my podcast, here is a guide on the use of the AirPods from iMore:
http://www.imore.com/airpods-ultimate-guide
Similarly, I have now got my hands on a loan MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, and will report what I think in the new year.
Dr Robert Carter who produces the Tech doctor Blog and Podcast has done an excellent job of overviewing the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar:
http://www.dr-carter.com
For those that may need a bit of help with their Apple products over the Christmas/new year period from an accessibility point of view, the Apple Accessibility Helpdesk is only closed in the US on Christmas and New Years day, so you can still contact them outside of these days on 1300 365 083.
I haven’t checked the operational hours for the Disability Helpdesk from Microsoft: but they can be contacted on 1800 280 300.
