Apple's New App Return Policy in Europe is a Big Deal for VoiceOver Users

Recently, Apple implemented a new 14 day no questions asked return policy in many European Union (EU) nations according to 9to5mac. The new policy allows customers to receive a full refund on App Store purchases within 14 days of receipt.

While this new policy is an important safeguard for all consumers, it is a major development for App Store customers who rely on accessibility features, such as VoiceOver, in order to use their devices. VoiceOver is a built in screen reader that allows blind and visually impaired users to use iOS devices and Macs.

While browsing the App Store, it is extremely difficult for VoiceOver users to determine if the app they are interested in purchasing is accessible. This often leaves the customer playing a guessing game with their money. For example, without the return policy a VoiceOver user who wanted to purchase a $20 app would need to hope that the app was accessible with VoiceOver otherwise their $20 purchase would be useless. Even if the app is inaccessible and unusable refunds are typically not granted.

The new policy allows VoiceOver users to download apps that may or may not be accessible without the risk of wasting money on an app that is totally useless for them. If the user downloads an app that is not accessible, they can simply return the app within two weeks and receive a full refund. In effect, this allows for a two week trial period for apps which will allow users to see if the app fits their needs. For VoiceOver users within the EU this will take the guesswork out of purchasing apps.

Unfortunately, the new return policy is only available in certain EU countries and is not applicable to customers in other countries. Hopefully, Apple will extend the policy to all customers regardless of which country they are in. Until that time, users in other countries will have to hope that the apps they are downloading are accessible.

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Keeble Keyboard for iPad: Flexible Text Input for Users with Special Needs

Keeble is a virtual keyboard for iPad made by AssistiveWare. The app is only available in English for iPads running iOS 8 and above. As a result of new features available in iOS 8 the Keeble keyboard can be used in almost every app on the iPad including mail, Safari, and messages. Keeble gives users a number of customization options to make text input easier for users with special needs such as motor challenges, dyslexia, and other disabilities.

One option available is the ability to change the appearance of the keyboard. Users can change the color of the keyboard which could be helpful for users with visual impairments. The higher contrast colors can be more easily seen compared to the white and gray colors of the default iOS keyboard. The layout can be change from a QWERTY layout to an ABC layout if desired.

Keeble also includes word predication to speed up typing; especially for Switch Control users. The word predication features is slightly more advanced than iOS 8's built-in word prediction. Keeble allows users to change the number of predictions offered above the three offered by the default iOS 8 keyboard.

Keeble also allows users to change how the keys respond to taps and presses. This is especially useful for users with motor challenges that may cause accidental taps or presses on unwanted keys. Hold duration can be set to change how long a key must be held before that character is entered. With this option enabled, quick accidental taps will not be registered. Additionally, the backspace repeat can be customized to avoid accidentally deleting text. A "select on release" option is also available which will enter text on release of a key instead when the key is pressed.

The last customization option allows users to turn on spoken feedback of the text they type. Feedback can be given letter by letter, word by word, and/or sentence by sentence. This feature allows people with dyslexia or poor spellers to confirm that what they words they think entered are the words that they hear being spoken back to them using text-to-speech. While this feature is useful it can only be enabled and disabled via the apps settings. If there was an option to turn on and off auditory feedback directly, it would be much easier to access the feature when needed and disable the feature when not needed. Users can totally turn off the iPad's speakers but this will also mute all other audio output. There is space on the bottom right of the number and symbol entry keyboard where quick access to this setting could be added.

The Keeble app costs $15 on the App Store. To download the app click here. Click read more below to view screenshots of the Keeble keyboard.

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AXS Map: Crowdsourced Accessibility Reviews of Businesses

AXS Map is an app available for iOS and Android that allows users to rank the accessibility of local businesses. Using the location of the device users can search for nearby businesses and rank the accessibility of the location in very basic terms. More detailed accessibility information and information for people with a wider range of disabilities would improve the app.

While accessibility standards established by the government are exact and technical, AXS Map uses a star rating system. For example, a businesses that is easily accessible to people with disabilities would earn a five star ranking. The app also allows users to rank a business based on the noise level, which can be helpful for people with hearing impairments, and by light which can be helpful for people with visual impairments.

I was recently involved in a "Mapathon" were a group of people used the app to map parts of the city. This experience helped me understand the value of the app, as some businesses had serious accessibility issues such as numerous steps with no ramps.

The data that is inputted through the app or the website can then be viewed by people interested in the accessibility of a business. For example, a person with a physical disability could check the app to make sure that a coffee shop had a ramp.

If the AXS Map platform becomes popular it could even prompt businesses with poor rating to make improvements.

While the concept behind AXS Map is good, the implementation is a little rough. The app is not intuitive to use and can be frustrating. However, it does work once you get familiar with the interface. The app also requires users to enter their email which could steer some users away.

To use AXS Map visit AXSMap.com or download the app for iOS and Android. Click here to download the app for iOS and click here to download the app for Android.

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New Add-On for OneNote Benefits Students with Dyslexia

Microsoft recently made a new add-on available for its OneNote software which aims to help students with dyslexia. The add-on works within Microsoft's note taking software and is currently available to download as a beta. Once installed, a new tab appears which gives users the option to read content using text-to-speech or dictate using speech-to-text. While both of the features have been available before it is nice to have a free option that can be used directly within OneNote: an application that many schools and parents already have installed as part of the Microsoft Office suite.


The text-to-speech reader mode is called "immersive reading mode" and includes some handy features. When activated the reader fills the entire screen with text from your OneNote notebook. While reading text is highlighted as it is read aloud. Users have the option to change the background color and text size in order to create a more comfortable reading experience. The add-on also includes the ability to highlight nouns, verbs, and adjectives in different colors; a feature that could be helpful for younger students. Microsoft even includes the ability for users to break words up into syllables.

It is exciting to see the fruits of Microsoft's enhanced accessibility initiatives. While the new features are not novel they seem easy to learn. Since the "Learning Tools" are free for OneNote users and easy to learn they may prove to be a great starting point for people new to assistive technology. Microsoft seems to be increasing their focus on accessibility. Recently, the company announced a new Chief Accessibility Officer and a reorganization of accessibility teams. Hopefully, with the new reorganization, "Learning Tools" is just the beginning of Microsoft's accessibility improvements.

The "Learning Tools" add-on available as a free download for Windows. Click here to learn more and download the add-on.

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New in iOS 10: Magnifier

 

Apple's newly released mobile operating system includes a new accessibility feature called Magnifier. The feature uses the device's built-in camera to enlarge objects placed in front of the camera. This can be helpful for people with visual disabilities who need to read small print. The feature can be enabled by navigating to Settings > General > Accessibility > Magnifier. Once enabled, Magnifier can be accessed by triple clicking the home button.

Magnifier's interface looks very similar to the camera apps interface with a few notable changes. One change is that Magnifier has a freeze frame button rather than a shutter button. Pressing this button freezes the image instead of taking a picture. Magnifier also has a zoom slider that is large and always visible on screen. The zoom slider allows users to zoom in further than is possible with the camera app. Magnifier allows users to zoom in up to 15x compared to 5x with the camera app (iPhone 7 Plus has optical zoom). However, the further a user zooms in the more pixelated the image will become. Magnifier also includes several high contrast options that can be applied before or after a freeze frame is captured.

Magnifier has several advantages over taking a picture with the camera app and then enlarging the image from the camera roll. The first advantage is that freeze frames are captured in full resolution. This means that users can zoom out after the freeze frame is capture. In the camera app, once a picture is captured using zoom there is no way to zoom out again. Another advantage of Magnifier is the high contrast modes that are available. Lastly, opening Magnifier by triple clicking the home button means that it is faster to launch than third party magnification apps.

There is one feature that unfortunately is not included in Magnifier which is the ability to save freeze frames for viewing at a later time. For example, if a person uses Magnifier to read a conference agenda the person may need to take multiple freeze frames of the agenda through out the day because only the most recent freeze frame can be saved.

It also may be difficult for some people to capture crisp images with Magnifier. At 15x zoom, even the slightest shake can make the image blurry. I wish Apple had added a capture timer to Magnifier. This could help eliminate minor shaking that occurs when a user reaches for the freeze frame button.

Overall, I think Magnifier will be greatly appreciated by people with visual disabilities and older people who have trouble reading small print.

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Nvidia may reveal dedicated ‘Turing’ cryptocurrency mining cards in March

Nvidia's next-generation presentation "Volta" graphics chip architecture in May May, which first appeared in the gv100 chip was firmly introduced into the NVIDIA Tesla V100 graphics card targeting data centers. While the GPU-specific will not appear in the Games products, Nvidia is expected to offer new graphics cards to the gaming market, possibly named "Torung", during the GPU Technology Conference (GCI) starting from March 26.

It may be confusing news and rumors by looking at the "amp" floating last week. The amp is supposed to be secure and loaded to replace the current NVIDIA based on Pascal GeForce 10 series graphics cards starting with the GV104 chip that serves as a new high-end solution. The cards are expected based on this specific chip to go retail on April 12, which is located in the classroom with reports that Nvidia will introduce a new family of games products in the GMC 2018.

He said, GV104 will power the supposedly GeForce 2080 and 2070. Meanwhile, the gv102 can address the high-end market enthusiasts like the upcoming Titan card that he described as the gt2080 Ti. Gv106 can target mid-range solutions while gv107 and gv108 serve customer oriented budget. But that leaves two questions: What about Volta and what's up with Torong?

Codename Torong stems from a Reuters article that covers the quarterly results of the NVIDIA conference calling with analysts and journalism last week. This article focuses on the NVIDIA struggle to keep the graphics cards in the securities of the players, and the miners are encryption that drives prices by draining supplies. Chief financial officer Collette Chris said that games that are in the past are low.

This leads us to the three symbolic names: Volta, AMP, and Torung. What we know is that the new architecture in Nvidia Volta resides in the v100 Tesla graphics card. We also know that Nvidia usually does not create different children for different markets. If anything, Nvidia creates a single generation architecture and produces a handful of different chips, tweaked on the basis that the design for multiple markets.

Everything is going forward at least still a Volta. But the amp and Torung code names can be used to describe the cards to two different markets due to the new nature: gaming and mining encryption. The previous rumors referred to the AMP symbol card games named at the time that toring signals are likely to mining encryption cards. These names can also be reversed, but it is very unlikely.

? The codename Torung stems from now Torung, the world of computer English, biologists, mathematical mathematics, and cryptographic analyst. Using its name for a class of plugins in custom graphic cards for mining encryption makes it logical due to its work on encryption. It helped the encrypted messages sent by the Nazis, contributing to the Allies winning the Second World War.

Given the extra games that focus on the cards are at all low times, this scenario based on the three-tier Volta is probably what the Nvidia plans to discuss in March March. There are also speculation that Nvidia has completely revoked the amp codename because it is used by an ARM server based on the same name maker. This does not matter giving the Volta still the GPU infrastructure while the amp and the Thuringia names just highlight two dominant audience focus.

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This Senator Sent Tinder a Valentine’s Letter to Demand It Finally Make Its Network Secure

While it’s certainly not embarrassing or uncommon to use a dating app, plenty of people don’t want to broadcast it. For Tinder users, though, that’s happening anyway, and it has been for a long time. Despite the fact that the company has known about its app’s security vulnerabilities for almost a year now, Tinder hasn’t yet made the necessary patches to its network to keep its users’ personal information safe.

So on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a lovely note to Greg Blatt, the CEO of Tinder, asking that his company get its act together. The problem, according to recent research, is that Tinder’s app doesn’t use HTTPS, which is a secure way of sending information online (though its website does). Wyden would like to see this fixed ASAP.

Checkmarx, one of the security companies that pointed out Tinder’s vulnerabilities, reportedly notified the dating app company in November that photos on the app are sent through an unencrypted connection. That means that anyone monitoring the network can pull information, like the user’s gender and sexual preferences. In other words, if someone knows how to monitor Wi-Fi traffic at a café or in at an airport, the type of information you’d prefer a random passerby not know could be traveling in plain sight. Business Insider first reported on Tinder’s security flaws with how the app stores photos in March 2017. And in October, Gizmodo reported that the app is also vulnerable to location tracking.

Wyden has made a habit of sending angry letters on behalf of Americans’ digital privacy to corporations and government agencies. In October 2017, he sent a letter to the country’s top voting machine manufacturers to ask what they’re doing to harden security in advance of upcoming elections. And in August 2017, he requested the Department of Justice provide more details about the agency’s policy on using stingrays, which is a device that pretends to be a cell tower and can intercept mobile phone data.

Tinder told Wired in January that the company is “working towards encrypting images” on the app, but Wyden is asking for results in addressing its security holes, and he put it in a way Tinder might understand, suggesting the company “swipe right on user privacy and security.”

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Blanka Makes His surprising Debut in road Fighter V subsequent Week

road Fighter V had a rocky start, but it’s now jogging at full velocity. After the properly-received Arcade Mode, you’d suppose Capcom could prevent supporting the name. however, that isn’t the case. New characters are coming all through the 12 months, and nowadays, considered one of the most important turned into announced. As you may see from the headline, it’s none aside from everybody’s preferred green-skinned guy-monster, Blanka.

Blanka first seemed in street Fighter II. He survived a plane crash over the Amazon, and discovered to fight like jungle creatures. He have become a favourite way to his savage moveset. regardless of his beastial nature, Blanka is jovial, which has endeared him to enthusiasts of avenue Fighter. As explained in a recent Capcom solidarity submit, Blanka now lives a peaceful life with his mother and is adapting nicely to society. matters take an interesting flip for the fighter whilst a salesman can pay him a visit with an offer to mass produce dolls in Blanka’s picture.

since this is avenue Fighter V, Blanka now has access to a new V-skill, V-Triggers, and critical art assault. each of those new moves additionally taps into the character’s ferocious nature. long-time Blanka players will virtually experience incorporating these new movements into their repertoire. the ones going up against Blanka customers may even need to make be aware of those actions. They sincerely appearance punishing.

gamers can obtain Blanka starting on February 20 for $5.ninety nine or with one hundred,000 fight money. He is also part of the Season three person pass which goes for $29.99. This specific season pass unlocks Sakura, Falke, Cody, G, and Sagat as they end up available. buying Blanka both through the season skip or one after the other additionally nets players his conflict gown, which comes with hues three-10 and his default costume with colors 3-10. there's additionally the oddball story costume and the incredible Nostalgia dress.

street Fighter V is available now on ps 4 and laptop.

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