Blind Bargains Audio: Featuring The Bb Qast, Technology News, Interviews, And More

We last caught up with AudioEye on the CSUNATC19 Exhibit Hall floor with news of their advancement into the kiosk access space. The internet has evolved a lot in the 2+ years since that interview and that is where J.J. starts with Dominic Varacalli, President, of AudioEye. The pair discuss the hot button topic of overlays, user testing and how the company is educating their customers to understand that access is a journey rather than a one and done service environment. If you are interested in joining the user testing program, visit this page for more information. Also, to obtain services, travel to the AudioEye website for more details. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Fou

It has been a long time since we ve welcomed back Earl Harrison, and HIMS, to our BBQ convention coverage microphones. A lot has happened since ATIA20, and a lot has happened to Earl specifically. JJ chats with Earl Harrison, National Account Manager for HIMS, about his return to the company after a scary bout with the virus in November of 2020. The pair then move along to a deep dive of the newly announced BrailleSense 6 notetaker. Topics discussed cover a wide range of questions that were sent in by our fans on Twitter. Tune in, or read below, to learn a physical description of the product and some of the general menu structure. Earl provides some insight into the new approach with the BS6, how this device differs from the Polaris, and he addresses the Android update elephant in the room directly. To learn more about the new BrailleSense 6, including transplant and trade-in options, visit the BS6 product page. Additionally, check out the HIMS YouTube channel as well for up-to-date information about the v

The most articulate person in the world probably could not accurately describe a Despicable Me Minion character in great detail. Or at least not at a level that could be discerned at a quality that rivals the act of holding one in your hands. Caroline Karbowski, CEO and Founder of See3d, and Ian Matty, Manager Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, sit down with J.J. to talk about how their organization lets people 3d print cartoon characters and so much more. See3d, with assistance from the OSU Innovation Center and the Mountain Lakes Public Library Makerspace, have created over 1400 3d models ranging from anatomy to astronomy and even famous geographical locations. Hear how the process works, or read the transcript below, for making a request for a design. And learn how others are working hard to make the tools involved with 3d printing better with access technologies. To make a request, or join the See3d community, visit their homepage Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you

So, the title of this interview infers that there will be some discussion of audio description within this conversation. And there is, we promise. But can you really blame J.J. for being nostalgic when talking to the author of more than 14 NBP books, and soon to be a retiree, Judy Dixon? UEB and Web Braille are some of the topics covered before the pair move on to her latest book Audio Description: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Use It"". Listen in, or read below, as Judy talks about the "independence of Braille" and how it impacted her journey with technology throughout her career. To purchase the book, visit the National Braille Press Bookstore page And to reach Judy directly, send an email along to judy@judydixon.net Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile app

The Etch A Sketch and Spirograph are some of the most successful toys available for introducing young people to the world of art. However, there are not many touch friendly equivalents for those searching for a tactile based option that would offer a similar experience to those classic toys. Daniel Seth Lubiner, Founder and CEO, and Brian K. Edwards, President and Chief Operating Officer, of TouchPad Pro Assistive Technology are out to change that by creating new products like the Braille Doodle and the TouchPad Pro. Hear the pair tell J.J. how these products were inspired by Braille students, transformed into an Indi Gogo project and how that process is leading to eventual product distribution. To learn more about the TouchPad Pro, visit this link to hear an audio described video of the introductory model. Additionally, to learn more about the company, visit the TouchPad Pro Assistive Technology website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and

Steven Scott proudly proclaims to J.J. that he is indeed a "serial podcaster" during this interview. And it is hard to disagree with that statement when you consider the circumstances that led him to the place he finds himself with his career so far. Hear, or read the transcript below, as Steven regales J.J. with highlights from his more than 20 years of speaking into a microphone. Plus learn what is next for the RNIB, Double Tap and all-around Blind guy who talks tech. To keep up with Steven, and to get more information on his new podcast, follow him on Twitter @TechTalkerSteve Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology

Blind and Visually Impaired job seekers often must play a guessing game when it comes to the determination if a possible employment avenue will fit within their specific needs for access. That is why J.J. was eager to sit down with Roy Baladi, Founder at Jobs for Humanity, to explore how his organization is looking to build healthy bridges between employers and those interested in employment. Tune in, or read the transcript below, to learn where the drive to assist others came from and where the trajectory may lead to in the future. To know more about Jobs For Humanity, or to browse their postings, visit the Blind.Jobs website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the B

J.J. notes at the top of this interview that the BBQast rarely interviews people within the Remediation and Testing sector of A.T. unless the subject of the interview stands out in a very crowded field. That is why he sat down with Samuel Proulx, Accessibility Evangelist for Fable, to discuss their unique approach to commercially available User Centric testing. In this chat you can hear how A.T. users of varying degrees of knowledge can embark on a pathway towards obtaining testing experience through resources provided by Fable. Additionally, those who are seeking something beyond automated testing can find a talent base curated by Fable from their growing community. To learn more about services offered by Fable, visit the company website or Follow them on Twitter @Makeitfable Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology

There are products on the market that are so well recognized for what they do that they truly need no introduction to fans of this podcast. But even long-time users of a product might not be aware some aspects of their favorite Assistive Technology can undergo a slight change during a yearly release cycle. Shelly sat down with Matt Ater, Vice President of Corporate Business Development at Vispero, to talk about some of the recent changes that are coming in an update to ZoomText 2021. The pair discuss the importance of the new Zoomy digital assistant, how user settings now migrate between updated versions of ZT and Matt then demos the functionality of Background Reader. To learn more about ZoomText, Fusion or any of Freedom Scientific's Low Vision products, visit the FS website. Also, be sure to check out the Freedom Scientific Training channel on YouTube as it has tons of great resources on various Vispero products. Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the lat

Our virtual convention coverage is in full swing, with a deep dive into the happenings at Humanware. Joining J.J. in the simulated Exhibit Hall is Peter Tucic, Blindness Products Brand Ambassador, for his first interview in front of the BBQast microphones. The pair discuss all the features in the new Brailliant BI 20X and 40x units along with how they differ from the APH models. They then turn their attention to the Victor Reader Trek and its most recent GPS update. But that is just the tip of the iceberg as they cover more ground, including the recent service outage. To learn more, join the BI-X mailing list at brailliant-bi-x-users+subscribe@groups.io or visit the Humanware website Blind Bargains Virtual Exhibit Hall coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employmen

As we lead up to our exhibit hall coverage for 2021, we start with an extended interview and deep dive into GoodMaps. Thanks for listening. Sponsor; Goodmaps, Maps with a Mission J.J. interviews GoodMaps ™ CEO, Jose Gaztambide to learn about the evolution and exciting developments at GoodMaps. Tune in to learn more about GoodMaps ™ indoor positioning technology, the philosophy behind developments, and their vision for the next five years. J.J. also gives listeners a detailed demonstration of GoodMaps ™ free iOS and Android app, called GoodMaps Explore, with both outdoor and indoor functionality, by going through pieces of the audio tutorial that he and Mike May created. You can experience various features first-hand, to name a couple, location description, getting warmer, and customization settings. To learn more: Visit the GoodMaps website and join our newsletter to keep up to date with us (contact form at the bottom of the home page). Tune into the GoodMaps YouTube channel for product demonstrations.

Over the past decade, audio description has become much more prevalent for TV shows, movies, and streaming content. But often, current events, especially those that unfold live, don't get that same treatment. This is just one of the areas which is covered by Talk Description to Me, an informative, dynamic, and casual podcast from Christine Malec and JJ Hunt. As the hosts put it, the podcast is "Where the visuals of current events and the world around us get hashed-out in description-rich conversations." Listen to episode 222 to learn much more about the podcast, their background, and some of the amazing episodes that have been produced. From breaking political and social issues to descriptions of various dance styles, there's sure to be something you ll find interesting. To learn more, visit the Talk Description to Me website. You can also follow them on Twitter: @TalkDescription or find them on Facebook or Email feedback to TalkDescriptionToMe@gmail.com support the podcast on Patreon Christine al

This is kind of funny. Our last show, episode 220 from December, was in 2020. And now BBQ 221 starts off 2021. Okay, it was funnier when we said it out loud during this show than in print. It s a good thing we have a couple of demonstrations of a new speaker and the Chromecast with Google TV to fall back on instead of us relying on calendar-based humor. There is even an actual honest to goodness real news section for the show this go around. Plus, there is a bit of Sound Off and we ignore all food based New Year s Resolutions in the Last Word . So, charge up those Bluetooth remotes and join us for a new installment of the BB Qast. 0:02:50 In The Impromptu News: I.D. Mate Is Being Discontinued It's Back! Accessible Apps releases Chicken Nugget version 4.71, bringing AI image descriptions, new sounds, and More Humanware introduces new line of Brailliant BI ex Braille displays Victor Reader Trek updated with new GPS features and more December's Sight Tech Global Archives are worth the read GoodMa

Behold, our 800th piece of audio content on the site. We originally planned this outlandish over the top celebration thingy, but 2020 being what it is, we have opted out of that and we shall just strike our best couch potato poses while binging out on some audio described content instead. Good thing John Sweet and Petr Kucheryavyy, Senior Managers of Accessibility at Charter Communications, are on hand this episode to tell us how we can start our A.D. feast with the free Spectrum Access app. Tune in to hear about the app, the Born Accessible approach the team is taking towards their services and hear demos of Spectrum Access and Spectrum News. Additional Information: If you would like to learn more about the products mentioned in this episode, visit the Spectrum Accessibility Page and view the Spectrum Mobile Accessibility Options site You can also email the teamspectrumaccess@charter.com or call theSpectrum Accessibility Customer Support Team at 1-844-762-1301 Holiday Gift Guide Extra Don's Photo Blan

Last year David Bradburn, President of Zoomax USA, shared with us the launch specifics for Acesight. in our latest interview Joe gets an update on the progress of not only the Acesight, but a sneak peek at a new product in the wearable line. The duo also discuss the Snow 12 portable Video Magnifier and a quick log entry from the BBQ's unofficial Travel Correspondent. To learn more about the products mentioned in this interview, visit the Zoomax website. ATIA 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld. For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.

Welcome to our 6th annual Blind Bargains Holiday Shopping Guide. Once again, we've brought the deals straight to your audio feed. Sit back and relax as some of your favorite merchants, or perhaps some that are new to you, tell you about their latest products and services as well as some holiday deals. We'd like to sincerely thank all of the companies who were apart of this show. Below you'll find information about each company in the order they appear in the show. We hope you have a socially-distanced, safe and fulfilling Thanksgiving weekend. Ending the year with a boom at Envision Working around the clock, led to a final boom at the end of 2020 where Envision can proudly present the Envision App as the best text recognition app on the market today and our Envision Glasses have officially hit the market. Best text recognition app out there! We have met all of our (and your) development milestones for 2020. You know us as a great recognition app, but we have put all of our powers together to create the best t

It's been awhile since we did a full-on cooking show, and many of our regulars have acquired a growing amount of cooking gadgets and essentials. So we decided to do our biggest cooking show yet, with Shelly Brisbin, Ricky Enger, J.J., and the podcast debut of regular contributor Tangela Mahaffey. In the Kitchen with the BBQ Crew This episode brings you audio from our test kitchens and homes across America as we endeavor to cook a variety of meals. No matter your cooking experience, we trust there will be something in this episode for you. Here's links to many of the products and services we mentioned: All prices from Amazon are as of the time of posting. Shelly says you need to be a bit patient for sous vide cooking, but it can be well worth the wait. She uses the Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano - $129 JJ recommends the Secura Air Fryer XL 5.3 Quart 1700-Watt Electric Hot Air Fryer - $69.45 You can cook healthy dinners, or just make lots of bacon. Ricky, who has a knack for finding awesome

In order to be more environmentally friendly, we at the BBQ decided to combine our October and November Apple event wrap up shows. It is the podcasting equivalent of removing the charger plug from the box. Okay, seriously, we changed things up a bit and invited Greg Stilson on to talk about the new Macs and iPhones. Greg has launched a few products over the years, and we thought he could speak at longer length about what it takes to do that than J.J. and Joe could. Plus, he brings along the bonus of saying a bunch of new stuff that you have not heard from us on the many hours of wrap up shows we have done in the past. And to borrow an Apple turn of phrase, we think you re going to love it . Discussion Topic: Apple s One More Thing Event Here s a whole lot of links that we touched upon during our conversation. Picking Apart Apple's "One More Thing" Announcements Here's how to rewatch Apple's 'One More Thing' event Here s everything Apple didn t announce at its November Mac event Love

October is a time for ghouls, ghosts, and game demos. Yep, keeping with a long-standing tradition that happened somewhat organically without us realizing it, we give you another reason to break out the earbuds in order for you to experience life beyond The Vale . And speaking of new experiences, Ricky dropped by the office of beeping and talking to discuss the Nuraloop earbuds with Joe. Lastly, but technically in the middle of the show, we hear from the new voice of the Amazon Echo. Listen in to hear the first ever F bomb hiding somewhere within the minutes of BBQ 216. Links to topics mentioned in this episode We go over the Nuraloop at the top of the show. To skip to the Alexa bits, go to 32:30 or jump to the 40 minute mark to hear "The Vale" demo. Nura wiki Nuraloop product page How It Works | Music in full colour | Personalized sound Review: Nuraloop brings personalized audio to people on the go Nura NuraLoop review: The sound of custom earbuds without the price NuraLoop - The Worlds Firs

Summertime is the perfect season for going to the beach, camping, and of course buying computers. Okay, that last one is more geared towards the tech sector who aren t necessarily going to readily engage in the first two activities mentioned. Join Patrick, Joe and first timer Alex Hall As they discuss how each one of them navigated the computer buying process. Listen in as the trio breakdown what access issues they encountered and what tips they recommend for those about to consider the addition of their own shiny new laptop or desktop. Additional resources Here are some links to aid you on your new computer buying adventure. Feel free to add more in the comment section below or tweet us on the Blind Bargains feed Should You Build a PC in 2020? Where You Should Splurge When Building a PC (and Where You Shouldn t) Build a pro-level PC gaming setup in three steps Graphics card zombies: 7 GPUs you absolutely shouldn't buy now Gaming TV or gaming monitor: which screen solution is best? How to buy a gaming la