Double Tap

Today on the show, Steven sits down with Colin Hughes, a disability advocate with muscular dystrophy who struggles with movement and breathing. He shares his unique perspective on the accessibility features of Apple's latest announcements, particularly the Vision Pro and the improvements in dictation in iOS 17. Colin, who interacts with technology primarily through voice due to severe muscle weakness, highlights the potential of these advancements. Colin's transformative experience with the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses underscores the potential of accessible technology like Vision Pro. He shares, "I could not take my own photos and videos that so many people take for granted every day until I put on the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses and hey, presto, I could take my first ever photo, my first ever video." Despite his excitement about these advancements, Colin also raises concerns about the physical nature of the Vision Pro and the potential impact on the development of accessibility features in existing Apple products. He concludes, "I feel that in 10 years from now, Apple will have lightweight glasses. I think that is the end goal, and they will get there, but I think Meta might get there first." There’s also more listener comments following the announcements this week from Apple and also a request from listener Anne-Marie to promote a Facebook group supporting Nicky Button, who is blind and walking from the Orkney Islands in Scotland to Worcestershire to raise awareness of blindness and educate people on the needs and aspirations of people who are blind. You can find out more about Nicky’s trip by following her and joining her Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1802341066766453/?ref=share Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss more announcements from the ongoing Apple Worldwide Developers Conference taking place this week in Cupertino, California. Much of the discussion focuses on a video launched by Apple during the event, which shows how VoiceOver will work on Apple Vision Pro: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10034/ There’s also a demo of how the text-to-speech voice Eloquence has new customization options, and journalist and author Shelly Brisbin drops by to talk about the event from a partially sighted perspective. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) /0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun review the latest announcements from Apple at their Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino, California. They discuss the biggest news of all, the Apple Vision Pro, which is a VR-style headset that is essentially a computer inside a headset. But will this be accessible to blind people? The team discusses what they know so far. Also, there’s a discussion on the future of iOS with the latest version, 17, due to be released later this year. Plus there are updates to TV OS, Mac OS and Watch OS too. The guys review all the latest with the help of regular AMI contributor Michael Babcock. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today’s episode sees the return of an old favourite segment known as "What Steven Bought This Week." Steven has a shiny new jingle and an equally shiny new gadget in a box, so why is it that Shaun seems less than impressed? Next up it’s on to the newly-updated Phone Link app for Windows. Phone Link is an app that allows you to make calls, message and read notifications on your phone from your computer. Previously, it only supported Android phones but with its most recent update, it now supports the iPhone. Steven gives us a guided tour around the app and shows us what it can do. All this, your feedback and an epic Embarrassing Blind Blunder. Plus, don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for all the news from Apple's WWDC event. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun review the week here at Double Tap. AMI’s Grace Scoffield joins the team to bring us the news, featuring some serious news from Amazon's Ring, which has just settled with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for a whopping $5.8 million over privacy violations. We're also saying goodbye to celebrity voices on Amazon’s Alexa-enabled devices, and the BrailleWear glove developed by ORama AI is set to revolutionize the way people read Braille. Also, BlackRock Neurotech is making strides with their brain implant technology, and we discuss the future of the Microsoft Soundscape app, which is going open-source in June. And we get into the nitty-gritty of some cool tech updates. If you've got the Hable One Braille input keyboard, you'll want to tune in for Shaun Preece's tips on updating your device. We're also reviewing the official ChatGPT app from Open AI, which just launched in 40 new countries, courtesy of Thomas Domville, also known as Anonymous. We also bring up our earlier discussion this week on the quality of audio description with blind journalist and advocate Robert Kingett. He's been working with Netflix to ensure their original content is audio described, and he's got some fascinating insights to share. And of course, we're getting hyped for Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference and the much anticipated Apple headset wearable device. Useful links from this episode: Petition to request Microsoft doesn’t end support for SoundScape: https://chng.it/yz7H8vDdTB Thomas Domville from AppleVis talking about the official Chat GPT app for iOS: https://www.applevis.com/podcasts/introduction-official-chatgpt-ios-app Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the big news from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, who have just announced their new Meta Quest 3 VR headset. Marc Aflalo from Double Tap TV joins the guys to fill us in on the announcement. Read more about the new Meta Quest 3 headset here: https://about.fb.com/news/2023/06/meta-quest-3-coming-this-fall/ There’s more discussion following our conversation with AMI host Becki Zerr about the end of Soundscape from Microsoft. Listener Paul sends in an email detailing the case for trying out BlindSquare as an alternative. Find out more about BlindSquare here: https://www.blind-square.com/ And, with Apple’s WorldWide Developer Conference around the corner, Patrick O’Rourke from MobileSyrup.com joins the guys to talk about what might appear, plus Steven quizzes Patrick on getting writers from the disability community into the room when it comes to tech coverage. Check out the Mobile Syrup website here: https://mobilesyrup.com/ Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

In this insightful episode, Steven Scott is joined by Robert Kingett once again to talk about his latest work called Social Audio Description. They discussed Robert’s key part in developing more audio description for streaming services, in particular Netflix, in the early days, and how his hard work paid off when the streaming giant announced it would add audio description to all of its original content moving forwards. A contentious topic of cultural preferences in audio descriptions was also explored. Some argue for accents tailored to local listeners, but the consensus was that the main focus should be on ensuring the quality and availability of audio descriptions, regardless of accents. The conversation then turned to the exciting yet controversial role of artificial intelligence (AI) in audio descriptions. While Robert voiced skepticism about AI's role, Steven expressed excitement over emerging AI capabilities, particularly GPT-4's ability to provide detailed alt text for images, a development that could revolutionize media consumption. You can learn more about Robert's work at blindjournalist.wordpress.com and socialaudiodescription.com, a pioneering collective hiring blind audio description writers. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the latest opinion from leaders in the field of artificial intelligence that it will, in fact, exterminate all of us at some point in the future. It’s a cheery subject and Steven wonders why the people who are creating the tech are seemingly so concerned about it, while Shaun doesn’t appear to care less. Read more about the story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65746524 Also, June marks the official end for Microsoft SoundScape as an app developed by them and will move to an open source model. AMI host and contributor Becki Zerr joins us to discuss her thoughts after only recently beginning to use it. Listen to Becki’s AMI-audio podcast, called Raising Kindness, here: https://www.ami.ca/Raising-Kindness/recent_episodes Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun delve into the Inbox to discuss your feedback about recent episodes, including solutions for CD ripping software and disk cloning software for PCs. Shaun also talks about issues relating to updating his Hable One to the latest software and how he worked round it. Links to items discussed in this episode. Double Tap and AMI only offer these links for reference - we cannot take responsibility for the content of these links or any harm the software has on your computer. Casper Disk Cloning Software: https://www.fssdev.com/products/caspersecure/ Exact Audio Copy: https://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/ DB Power Amp: https://www.dbpoweramp.com/cd-ripper.htm Hable One Support Pages: https://www.iamhable.com/support/software-updates Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the app that they never discussed. Call Annie is an app for iOS that uses the latest ChatGPT technology to bring you a human-like virtual assistant you can talk to just as if you were having a FaceTime call with a friend. Although Steven’s attempts to demonstrate the app were shaky, download the app and try it for yourself on iOS here: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/call-annie/id6447928709 Also, Thomas Domville, also known as Anonymouse on the AppleVis website, joins the guys to demonstrate the new ChatGPT app for iOS that is now available in 40 more countries, including the UK and Canada. Listen to the longer and more in-depth review from Thomas directly from the AppleVis website: https://www.applevis.com/podcasts/introduction-official-chatgpt-ios-app And, of course, there’s more of your feedback. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

On the Express this week, Steven and Shaun discuss what’s been in the news this week with a look at Open AI’s Chat GPT app arriving in more countries, including Canada. Plus there’s news on Neuralink, who claim the U.S. FDA has approved human trials to begin on its implant device, which could have an incredible impact on people who are disabled; and iACast podcast host Michael Noise talks about accessibility of the new Final Cut and Logic Pro apps for iPad. There’s also discussion following our interviews this week about Reaper accessibility and the state of Apple accessibility. Plus, Shaun goes dotty about Braille following his latest purchase. Here are links to follow from today’s show: Neuralink says it has approval from FDA to begin ‘human’ trials of its implant device: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65717487?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA Catch up on what was announced at MS Build this week: https://www.engadget.com/watch-the-microsoft-build-2023-keynote-in-under-10-minutes-202055599.html?guccounter=1 Open AI Chat GPT app launched in more countries: https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/25/chatgpts-new-app-comes-out-of-the-gate-hot-tops-half-a-million-installs-in-first-6-days/2 But Why not Canada? This article might explain: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-privacy-investigation-chatgpt-1.6854468 Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet launched: https://press.aboutamazon.com/2023/5/introducing-the-all-new-fire-max-11-amazons-biggest-and-most-powerful-tablet-yet Catch up with episodes from Michael Noise on his iACast: https://iaccessibility.net/cate-gory/ia-cast/ Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun delve into the Inbox to hear and discuss more of your comments following the past few episodes of the show. Steven also discusses his busy week travelling, and how an old piece of tech he found in the drawer really made the difference. And why was Steven talking to the Canadian Government? What has he done? Thankfully, it was all in the aid of promoting digital accessibility. You can watch and listen to Steven’s appearance via the Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion website : https://ccih_ccdi_2023.vfairs.ca/ Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven welcomes special guest Robert Kingett, a blind author, accessibility consultant and journalist. The conversation delves into Robert's background and his journey as a journalist who is blind, providing a unique perspective on advocacy and how it has evolved for him over time. A significant part of the discussion revolves around the importance of learning Braille and the challenges of learning it later in life. Robert shares his personal experience of sudden vision loss and how it impacted his life, highlighting the importance of technology in bridging the gap between people who are disabled and non-disabled. Robert also opens up about his turbulent childhood, growing up with a single mother struggling with drug addiction. He talks about the importance of control and stability in his life, and how technology and creative pursuits provided that for him. The conversation then shifts to Robert's educational journey, where he shares his decision to attend a school for the blind. Steven and Robert discuss the importance of providing children with the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their visual abilities. To learn more about Robert, visit his website: https://blindjournalist.wordpress.com/ Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)2 Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun meet up with an old friend to discuss an old problem-accessibility bug in Apple products. Scott (a.k.a. Kayaker) joins the guys to talk about accessibility bugs across Apple products and his recent experiences getting long cane training at a facility in Michigan. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven is nowhere to be found so Shaun takes the reins firmly in hand. He is joined by Scott Chesworth and Jenny Brennan to talk about the joys of using Reaper and their involvement in the development of the tools used to make Reaper more accessible to people who are blind. For more information on the website discussed on the show, visit www.reaperteacher.com. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun review the week in accessible tech news, starting with the biggest story of the week: Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Steven reviews the latest announcements across the major tech companies and we hear from Joe Devon, one of the co-founders of the day itself. Also, there’s an update from Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley, who talks about how the beta phase is going and where he sees more potential for the app to thrive, including using wearable devices and providing navigation support. There’s also a demo of the Aiko transcription app using the Open AI Whisper transcription service. The app is available on iOS and Mac OS; Thomas Domville from Apple Vis demo shows it works. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email:feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, we tell you who has made it onto the lucky list of five winners to access the Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer feature. Don’t panic if you didn’t win, as the team at Be My Eyes have told us that another round of testers will be added very soon. Also, there’s more from Global Accessibility Awareness Day, including news from Google on updates to the Lookout app, Microsoft Xbox sharing news on their latest accessibility updates within their app, console and website, and Samsung updating their earbuds to be more accessible for those who are hard of hearing. And there’s more of your feedback, including solutions for Rebecca, who is having trouble with getting her Audible books on the Victor Stream, and comments from Eric (also known as ET) about the accessibility of the Compass app on the Apple Watch, and another from Darren, who has concerns about the state of USB players on sale today. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email:feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun dedicate the episode to the people who were instrumental in creating what is now known as Global Accessibility Awareness Day. They spend the hour with Joe Devon who, along with his friends, developed the day after it was clear there was a need to educate people on building accessible websites, services and apps. It all started with a blog post that still to this day goes viral each year. Read the blog post from MySQL Talk here: https://mysqltalk.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/challenge-accessibility-know-how-needs-to-go-mainstream-with-developers-now/ Follow the Double Tappers online where they will be sharing lots more news and content about Global Accessibility Awareness Day using the hashtag #GAAD or #GlobalAccessiblityAwarenessDay. Watch more from Joe Devon as he talks to Steven and Marc on Double Tap TV to discuss how AI will enable accessibility in the future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkqyrG1gMMs Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, it’s another packed episode discussing Amazon’s latest product release called the Echo Pop. Read more about the new Amazon Echo Pop here: https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/17/23726684/amazon-echo-pop-smart-speaker-new-show-5-display-price The guys also discuss Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, who appeared in front of the U.S. Congress to urge lawmakers to build regulations for companies investing in and building artificial intelligence systems. Read more about Sam Altman’s appearance in front of the U.S. Congress here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65616866 Also, Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer continues to grow with more businesses coming on board and utilizing the new AI software the company has to make their support offerings more accessible and knowledgeable. And there’s a chance for you to get in early on the beta access programme. Make sure to listen and find out more. Read more about the latest news from Be My Eyes here: https://www.bemyeyes.com/ And, did you catch Steven and Shaun with Carrie Morales (also known as Carrie On Accessibility) on her YouTube channel? Why not check it out now and share your thoughts? Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEefDYC35DM&t=5s Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss the latest news from Apple, which has introduced a number of new accessibility features that will be coming out later this year. The news comes ahead of this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 18th. Read more about the latest news on upcoming accessibility features from Apple here - https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2023/05/apple-previews-live-speech-personal-voice-and-more-new-accessibility-features/ Also, there’s more of your feedback, including comments on audio description, sadness about the loss of the Microsoft Soundscape app next month, and more on one listener's ongoing issues with their blood glucose monitoring app. Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email:feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir