The following comes to us from LifeHacker.com: 

Mark

What To Do If You’ve Forgotten Your iPhone’s Passcode

Some passcodes are so effective that even you can’t remember what they are. If you’ve locked yourself out of your iPhone, it’s not to complicated to get back in. Here’s how.
The Methods That Don’t Work
There are plenty of methods on the internet claiming to help you bypass the password you’ve set on your lock screen but most of them are ineffective. Older versions of iOS had a bug that allowed you to sneak in by making a fake emergency call. This no longer works. Other tutorials suggest that you can delete the passcode file from your iPhone’s keychain directory using iExplorer, iPhone Browser, or SSH on your jailbroken device. That no longer works either. We even tested to see if Find My iPhone’s passcode lock tool would allow us to set a new passcode lock and overwrite the one you’d forgotten. It does not. 

While you’re welcome to try out any methods you do find online, we’ve tested as many as we could locate and only one works. If you’d rather not spend your time trying tricks that no longer work, read on for instructions on the official method that does.

The Method That Always Works
Restoring your iPhone is a surefire way to wipe out the passcode or password you can’t remember, but performing a normal restore won’t work as your passcode will prevent it. (Arrgh!) Fortunately, this is easy to override. Just follow these steps:

1.
Even when your iPhone is locked up, you can still sync it with your computer. Do that first so all your data is backed up in iTunes. If you’re using iCloud, you might want to switch it over to your computer for now just to be sure your information is safe.
2.
Put your iPhone into DFU mode. To do this, reboot your iPhone by holding down the power and home buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds. When you see the Apple logo, let go of the power button but continue holding down the home button. Soon you will see an image displaying a USB cable, the iTunes icon, and a message that says “Connect to iTunes.”
3.
Assuming you still have your iPhone connected to your computer with iTunes open, you’ll also see a message telling you iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode and needs to restore. Now you can click the Restore button in iTunes and then wait for iOS to download and install on your iPhone.
4.
Sync your iPhone with iTunes to restore all your data and you’ll have it back to normal with no password!
It would be great if there were a simpler method, like some of the non-working options mentioned earlier, but unfortunately you have to go through this DFU restore process in order to get things back to normal. On the plus side, you know your iPhone’s data is pretty securely locked down—so much so that even you couldn’t get in.

Click Here for the original article.

The following was written by Joe Tomasone:

SOME TIPS FOR SIRI AND IPHONE 4 S DICTATION

(I originally wrote this article for users of Nuance’s Dragon Dictation app.  However, since the same engine is used for Siri and Dictation (the feature that lets iPhone 4S users speak text instead of typing it), we thought that we should update and republish it for the benefit of new iPhone 4S users.) 

If you are the proud owner of a new iPhone 4S, it probably won’t belong before you dictate an email, text message, or something else using Siri or the new Dictation feature.   However, unlike the natural speech that Siri herself loves, Dictation needs a little bit of extra TLC in your speech to get everything exactly the way you want it.  So, when you are dictating text, remember to use these tips for improving the accuracy of your dictation.

First, in general, speak clearly and distinctly.   Dictation accuracy will drop if you are less than clearly enunciating your words.

FORMATTING:

Cap to capitalize a word: ‘I was shopping at cap Target”

Caps On for titles: “I was reading caps on The Washington Post”

All Caps to capitalize the next word: “Can we go now all caps PLEASE”

All Caps On and All Caps Off are Caps Lock: “This is all caps on NOT A JOKE all caps off so stop playing”

No Caps, No Caps On, and No Caps Off are the exact opposite of the above: “I like Amy and no caps amy”

Space Bar not only inserts a space, but can be used to prevent a hyphen in normally hyphenated words: ‘A long-lasting or long space bar lasting peace. ‘

No Space for words you want together: ‘Surf on the World no space Wide no space Web ‘

No Space On & No Space Off for words you want together: ‘I was running no space on reallyreallyfast no space off the entire time ‘

New Line starts the following text on a new line, and New Paragraph begins a new paragraph (effectively 1 and 2 carriage returns, respectively).

PUNCTUATION, SYMBOLS, OTHER TIPS:

Say punctuation: period  comma  apostrophe  open-parenthesis  close-parenthesis  asterisk  open quote  close quote.   Note that you do not need to say apostrophe for possessive names such as ‘Joe ‘s ‘.

There is a difference between a hyphen — like this — and a dash-like this.  Similarly, point (in numbers) and period have spacing differences.

Special symbols:  Note that many of these will automatically be placed in context, such as the dollar,cent, degree, percent, and at signs:

% – percent sign
© – copyright sign
® – registered sign
§ – section sign
$ – dollar sign
¢ – cent sign
° – degree sign
^ – caret
@ – at sign
£ – pound sterling sign
# – pound sign

Note: You must use cent sign explicitly.  Saying ‘The price is fifty three cents ‘ will yield ‘The price is $.53 ‘.   Say ‘The price is fifty three cent sign‘ to get ‘The price is 53¢’ “.

Email addresses should generally be prefaced with no caps on; most common domains (such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc) are recognized, but you may have to spell others.

Saying ‘www ‘ will result in the formatting of a URL: ‘www.isource.com/ ‘.  Oddly, unlike the desktop version, saying ‘http ‘ does not do the same thing in my testing.  I got ‘HDTV ‘ instead.

Hopefully this quick reference will help you make the most of Siri and Dictation.   Happy dictating!

Click Here for the original article.

At the time of this post, there are only two privacy settings from which you may choose when making a telephone call on the iPhone 4 S, to either show your outgoing Caller ID or to BLOCK/hide your outgoing Caller ID.  Whichever you choose, there is no officially supported method to override the selected setting for each person in your Contacts list. 

For the record, I, like thousands of others, strongly urge Apple to tame this particular white elephant that has taken up residence in its proverbial orchard.

To override iPhone 4 S Caller ID settings, do the following:  

NOTE 1:
The following assumes that iPhone 4 S is set to BLOC/hide outgoing Caller ID.

NOTE 2:
The following has been verified for iOS 5.

NOTE 3:
The following has been verified on the AT&T Wireless Network, only.

1.
From the Contact List, select a Contact whom you wish to see your Caller ID.

2.
In the telephone number Edit Field, insert the prefix *31# before the telephone number.  For example, *31# (888) 555-1212

3.
Save the changes.

NOTE 4:
You may direct dial a telephone number using this prefix, as well.

NOTE 5:
After adding the above listed prefix to a Contact telephone number, you will no longer be able to send a text message to that telephone number.

NOTE 6:
Since using a prefix in a Contact telephone number will prevent the Contact from being displayed during an incoming call, I suggest that you add an additional telephone number to the Contact mirroring the original telephone number but without the prefix.  For example:

Contact Name:  Mark
Mobile:  *31# (888) 555-1212
Other:  (888) 555-1212

This will allow the Contact to be displayed during an incoming call and provide a valid number to which you may send text messages.

NOTE 7:
At the time of this post, you cannot use Siri to dial a telephone number containing [*31#]; however, you can ask Siri to display a Contact’s information and then select the desired number to dial, manually, by tapping it on the Touch Screen.  Example Siri Command:  “Display the contact information for Mark Marcus.”

NOTE 8:
If Siri is turned off, on your iPhone 4 S, then you can, as always, use the standard iOS 5 Voice Commander, found on both iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, to auto-dial a Contact’s telephone number even if said telephone number includes the [*31#] prefix.

Mark

Since October 7th, when iPhone 4 S went on pre-order, I decided for various sundry reasons not to purchase in favor of continuing to use my beloved iPhone 4.  Since the 14th, however, I have been delightfully inundated by so many of you calling, texting, or emailing to either ask questions or confirm that you are so darn glad you took the plunge and updated to 4 S (Smile); I just couldn’t stand it anymore; the pressure was too great and I, in the “blink of an iPhone”, (get it (Smile)) decided to get one also.  

Unlike with my previous two purchases of iPhones in which I pre-ordered and was literally the first person to walk into an A T & T Wireless corporate store on the day of release, this time I had done none of my usual reconnoitering such as meeting the store manager a day or so earlier.

This time, while on the way to a restaurant with my cousin whom I have not seen in over 30 years, I decided to go to an A T & T Wireless corporate store to which I had not previously patronized.

We were greeted at the door by a lady who, like so many sales people today, began blabbing out some script that is supposed to make the customer feel warm and fuzzy; this script only made me feel disgusted and belittled.  Since I was with my cousin, who has never seen me “handle my business”, as it were and who would, no doubt not understand my curtness, I decided to play along with the hostess by answering her very basic and very disarming questions:  “My name is Mark.”  “Yes, I am an A T & T Wireless customer.”  “Yes, I am happy with A T & T Wireless.”  “This pretty young lady is my cousin.”  “Thank you for saying we look like a cute couple, did I mention she is my cousin?”  “Yes, I heard there is a new iPhone now being sold.”  “Really?  Colors to choose from?”  “Yes, I know my wireless number.”  “She is not an A T & T Wireless customer.”  “Yes, I have some questions about the phone.”  “Yes, I know what a Smartphone is.”  “No, we’re not out on a date, did I mention she is my cousin?” “Yes, I would like to speak to a knowledgeable sales employee.”  “No, we don’t live around here.”.

With jaws clinched, we walked deep into the bowels of the store to wander around until my name was called. I will tell you that, after the “conversation” with the greeter, I was ready to postpone my purchase for another day in another land.

After about 10 minutes, a small framed man walked up to me, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself.  In that instant, I realized that this entire experience was, for me anyway, going to be little more than a trek through talk-time-technology Hell!

With this in mind I swiftly shook his hand, put my finger up to my lips, signaling him to stop and listen, and, stepping away from my cousin, stood beside him.  Then, with a very carefree demeanor I explained to him that I own both an iPhone 3GS and an iPhone 4; that I beta test for both iPhone and Microsoft; that I used to be a customer service sales employee in a technology retail store; that I am low-vision, that it had been a long day; and that I would greatly appreciate not being “handled”.  This took less than two minutes to say, at the end of which he politely said, “No problem.  How can I help you?”  I told him that I wanted to purchase a 64GB iPhone 4 S, black-on-black-on-black.

He said, “OK.  Lets go see if we have any left. Would you like to take my arm? Then we can walk over to the counter.”  Even though I did not require his assistance as the store was very well lighted, I accepted his invitation as a means to forge a bond that I hoped would translate into streamline and sincere conversation.  My cousin walked behind us clearly surprised at how things were unfolding.

The sales representative informed me that he did, in fact, have plenty of the 64-gigs in stock.  I informed him, after authorizing him to access my account, that I was well aware of all the charges, restrictions, constrictions, subscriptions, etc to which I would have to agree in order to complete the purchase.

He went to get the phone.  Upon his return I informed him that, regardless of A T & T Wireless’ general policy, I would not be using/activating the SIM card that ships with the iPhone 4 S; I gave him several reasons including that I did not want my incoming call wait time to be reset, I did not want my voicemail messages to be lost, etc.  I concluded by informing him that I, not he, would transfer the SIM card from the old phone to the new.

Upon hearing this, he replied with something totally unexpected but that I think I will never forget.  He said, quite matter-of-factly, “Mr. Taylor, you clearly know more about this than I do so we will do it your way.”

After handing me the tool used to eject the SIM card drawers, he folded his arms and patiently waited while I made the transfer; after which, I returned the tool to him, powered on the phone, answered the three or four setup questions, and confirmed that the SIM was working properly.

The salesman was even more delighted than I in so far that he did not have to take the steps necessary to activate a new SIM and register it to my account.  With a smile in his voice, he informed me that from now on, when dealing with those upgrading from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 4 S, he will simply transfer the SIM from the old phone to the new.

Please note that I was able to transfer the SIM card because, in this case, both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4 S use the same size SIM card.

I completed my purchase in about 15 minutes at the end of which I spoke to the store manager informing him how pleased I was with the extraordinarily refreshing customer service I received from a salesman who both accurately assessed as well as graciously assisted his customer.

As for my cousin?  She was delighted and made me promise to go with her when she is ready to upgrade her phone.  She offered to pay for dinner; I refused, of course but as is often the case, it’s the thought that counts.

Mark

For those of you who want to experience the glorious magic of iCloud on your Windows 7 PC which, among other things, will allow you to seamlessly sync between your iOS devices, Macs, and MS Office 2007/2010, simply Click Here to get started.

Mark

Hello Everyone, 

Here is a very nice service that will send you one Bible verse per week to your mobile phone.

Enjoy,

Mark

FROM THE SITE:
Bible SMS – Free Bible Text Messages
Bible SMS focuses on spreading the Word of God via Text Messaging (SMS). Free registration is available in selected countries worldwide. By becoming a member, you will receive a free SMS bible verse delivered as a text message (SMS) directly to your cell phone weekly.  

Bible SMS is a non-profit website offering free Christian bible verses via SMS. Bible SMS sends bible verse text messages to mobile phones once per week, 100% free.

Bible verses sent via sms are not altered, converted or translated into short dialect messages. Free bible verses are sent in plain english, directly from the Holy Bible.

Yes, a 100% free bible sms service. Bible SMS does not charge and will never charge any fees period. Bible verse text messages are sent using sms and mms technology

Bible SMS offers free bible verse sms text messages through carriers in the (USA) United States of America, Canada, (UK) United Kingdom, Austria, Ireland and India. We recently added carriers from Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico; allowing member’s from these countries to receive free sms bible verse text messages.
Go to:  http://www.bible-sms.com/ to get started.

If you’re like me, you enjoy getting a forecast of your local weather conditions.  This can be especially useful in areas where severe weather patterns are forming. 

While I enjoy all of the wonderfully creative and entertaining Smartphone Apps, I really just want the bottom-line information; that is why I prefer receiving data via text message alerts.  The weather Channel (weather.com) provides such a service and I strongly recommend that, if you live in the USA, you make use of it.

SERVICE DESCRIPTION 
Weather Forecasts via Text Messaging
Although The Weather Channel does not charge for text message alerts, message and data rates may apply from your mobile phone company.

The Weather Channel has two text messaging options to meet your needs, subscription and on-demand.

Subscription
Receive a local 36-hour forecast every day.

We are no longer able to offer SMS messages on the Sprint/Nextel, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile network and will halt service on April 5.You can continue to access weather.com on the mobile web or download one of our apps.
Subscriptions auto renew every 30 days.
 
To end your subscriptions, reply “STOP” to any message.

On-Demand
Need the weather, but don’t want to subscribe? You can get on-demand weather info for any U.S. city or ZIP code via text message anytime. This is not a subscription. You will only receive a forecast when you request it.

Click Here To Get Started

Enjoy,

Mark

To listen to or participate in the conversation, during show time call (724) 898-1193.  To learn more about the Secret Life of Mark Marcus including how you can sign up for text message alerts and how you can listen online, go to http://candleshore.com/secrets

Listen To Audio Promo:  Talking About iOS With VoiceOver Part 1

The following article, by Sascha Segan, is one I suggest you read.

The Failure of Mobile Broadband
AT&T’s new service plans show that 3G wireless carriers just can’t compete with home Internet.
Click Here To Read More.

Mark

Click Here to download/view Apple’s iOS User Guide in PDF format.

Mark

Click Here to download/view Apple’s iOS User Guide in an accessible Browser-friendly HTML file format.

Mark

The following, from SimpleHelp, I have found to be extremely useful:

Please note that in order to use your iOS device as a wireless mouse and/or keyboard for your computer, both the computer and the iOS device must be connected to the same WiFi network.

Mark

HOW TO USE YOUR IPHONE, IPOD TOUCH OR IPAD AS A MOUSE AND KEYBOARD ON YOUR MAC OR PC

This tutorial will guide you through the steps to turn your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a wireless mouse and keyboard you can use to control your Mac or PC. 

1.
Start out by downloading and installing the Logitech Touch Mouse Server for your PC (Windows) or Mac.

2.
On your computer, go to your Programs menu and launch Logitech Touch Mouse Server. If you’re using Windows, you’ll see a small icon in your taskbar.

3.
Go to the iTunes Store and download and install Touch Mouse for your iOS Device.

4.
Once it’s installed, open Touch Mouse on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

5.
Make sure your iOS Device is connected to the same Wi-Fi Network as your PC/Mac, otherwise an error will be displayed.

6.
Select the PC or Mac you want to control. Now a “Touch Pad” interface will be displayed, with a number of ‘buttons’. Use your finger in the Touch Pad space and you’ll be controlling the cursor on your Mac or PC!

7.
Now tap the keyboard icon in the bottom left corner of the Touch Mouse App. This will bring up the keypad on your iOS Device and you can use it as the keyboard on your PC/Mac as well!

8.
Tap the Settings button (bottom right corner) to change the Button Options, Tracking Options, Scrolling Options and other options. Now you can control your PC or Mac using your iOS device without a keyboard or mouse.

9.
Tap the ‘disconnect’ button when you want to stop using your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch as your cursor and mouse.

With the latest release of TalkBack, Google’s free screen reading solution for the blind and low vision, I now have reasonable access to all areas of my Samsung Nexus S touch-screen-only Smartphone.  For the record, this is an unbranded/unlocked GSM device currently running Android version 2.3.  In short, this means that the phone has no software interface modifications that some wireless providers insist upon making before agreeing to sell a product.

This is neither good or bad, it just is.  In fact, I would argue that for many, the user interface modifications that companies such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless make only serve to enhance the user experience for the average Smartphone owner.

Be that as it may, I prefer the simple, smooth, unencumbered feel of an unlocked/unbranded device. 

One of the drawbacks of a simple, smooth, unencumbered unlocked/unbranded device is that some features that many Smartphone owners take for granted, such as showing an incoming call’s Caller ID, may not be included in the software.  Such is the case with my beloved Samsung Nexus S.

“What?”

“Yep!  It’s true!”

Now before I go any further with this tale, I want to make it clear that I continue to adore my beloved iPhone 4 with it’s consistent, stable, elegant and, most importantly, trusted and unbelievably accessible OS.  I write this because I have received many enquiries as to where my loyalties lie.  I kid you not.  My friends, when it comes to accessible technology for the blind and low vision, the only thing to which I am loyal, is the truth. 

(Now back to our story.)

So, being that there is no out-of-the-box incoming call Caller ID on my Nexus S, I decided to obtain one from the Android Market. 

Unlike on other platforms, Android device owners may now shop and purchase Apps on their desktop/notebook computers and have their purchases automatically installed to the intended device OTR (over the air); no cables required.  For best results, I strongly recommend that the android device be connected via WiFi as wireless provider data charges can be outrageous; further at the time of this article, downloading software via a wireless provider’s network can be extremely slow.

So, last night, after consulting with a very supportive group of blind and low vision Android device owners as to which talking Caller ID solution I should consider, I logged onto the web version of the Android Market located at http://market.android.com/ on my desktop computer. 

After only a few minutes, I found Call Announcer, the App that many in the support group recommended.

After setting up the payment method, I confirmed my selection and Clicked the purchase button. 

In less than 5 seconds, my Samsung Nexus S began to vibrate and I heard TalkBack say, “Installing.” 

Now even though I have long heard about OTR installations, this was my first time experiencing it; I swear–it was like magic.  I couldn’t stop grinning. 

Like a kid in a candy store, I wanted to see it do this again so I decided to purchase another App and again, the result was the same only better because I did not have to reenter my payment information.

I remember thinking, after I purchased the third App, “Apple, take a lesson!!!” 

It was all I could do to log-off the site in order to prevent myself from buying every accessible and cool-looking App.

I am delighted to inform you that I now have talking caller ID on my beloved Samsung Nexus S touch-screen-only Smartphone. 

Please be aware that Code Factory’s Mobile Accessibility interface includes an excellent talking caller ID feature.

Many of you may wonder why I took the time to write this article; after all, when it’s all said and done, what I have relayed to you is not exactly cutting edge technology by today’s standards. 

The answer is Simple; even though I have over 30 years of experience dealing with computer technology, I still find it to be one of the most thrilling areas of the human condition.  Does that sound to “high-brow”?  OK, try this; sometimes things that so many of us take for granted, such as the scenario described above, is nothing less than pure magic.  After all, what is magic?  In its simplest form, magic, as defined by Candle Shore Publishing, is an effect that is the result of an action governed by an unknown or as yet unknown law, skillfully or artistically executed. 

Did I say simple?  (Big Smile) 

If the above definition holds, then Google has created nothing less than magic with its launch of the web version of the Android Market.

When it’s all said and done, we, all of us, should never forget to stop to not only smell the proverbial flowers from time-to-time but to also feel the magic of all the wondrous technologies we now enjoy.

Most Sincerely,

Mark

In episode 88 of the Candle Shore Podcast, I discussed the fact that, at the time of the podcast, Google Android Touch-Screen only devices were not accessible to the blind and low vision. 

I guess Google must have been listening (Smile) because I just installed the latest version of TalkBack, Google’s free screen reading solution for the blind and low vision. 

Lookout iOS, Google is on your trail.  (Big Smile) 

The following is the latest TalkBack documentation posted by Google.  Please note that I have done some slight editing and formatting for ease of use.

Bravo, Google!!

Mark

Android Access: Talkback Refreshed 

The latest enhancements to TalkBack now brings Android Accessibility to devices without a physical keyboard. Many of these enhancements also improve the overall TalkBack experience on all devices.

1.1:  Highlights
New TalkBack Keyboard. On-screen talking keyboard enables text entry via the touch screen.

Text review provides spoken feedback when moving the cursor by character, word, sentence, or paragraph.

Virtual D-Pad for navigating the Android user interface.

Global TalkBack commands enable one-click access to oft-used commands.

1.2 TalkBack Keyboard
The TalkBack Keyboard is an Accessible Input Method (Accessible IME) that when activated enables you to enter and review text via the touch screen. To use this feature, you need to first activate the TalkBack keyboard via the Language and Keyboard option in the Settings menu. Next, customize the TalkBack Keyboard to taste via the TalkBack Keyboard Settings option — here, you can customize additional features including auditory feedback as you type. Finally, open your favorite editing application, long-press on an edit field, and select TalkBack keyboard as your default IME. Note that you need do this only once; once the TalkBack keyboard has been made the default, it persists across reboots.

1.3 Entering Text On The Touch Screen
TalkBack keyboard is an on-screen keyboard that supports touch exploration along with synchronized spoken and auditory feedback. This means you can now enter text when using devices that don’t sport a physical keyboard.

But wait, there’s more here than meets the finger at first touch. Once you have activated the TalkBack Keyboard, you can switch the keyboard among three states by long-pressing the volume up/down buttons:

Hidden:  The TalkBack keyboard is not displayed.

Navigating:  You get access to an on-screen virtual D-Pad, along with Back, Home, Search, and Menu buttons.

Typing:  An on-screen qwerty keyboard.

My preferred means of using the keyboard is to turn on auditory feedback from within TalkBack Keyboard Settings, as well as having SoundBack active. In this mode, you hear keys as you explore the keyboard along with an auditory icon; picking up your finger types the last key you explored. Typing produces a distinctive key-click.

The on-screen keyboard occupies the bottom 1/3 of your screen. While entering text, explore and find the top row, then move above it to hear what you have typed so far.

1.4 Reviewing Text By Character, Word, Sentence Or Paragraph
You can now navigate and review text by character, word, sentence or paragraph. Use a two-finger tap to move forward through these navigation levels; a two-finger double tap moves in the reverse direction. Once you have selected your preferred mode of navigation, you can use Up/Down on the physical track-ball/D-Pad, or alternatively, flick up or down on the virtual D-Pad to move forward or backward through the text being reviewed.

Note that text review works when the TalkBack keyboard is in either/navigating/ or typing mode; personally, I find it less error-prone on keyboard-less devices to first switch to navigating mode when reviewing text, since it is easy to inadvertently enter spurious text otherwise.

1.5 Using The On-Screen Virtual D-Pad
Placing the TalkBack keyboard in navigating mode provides an on-screen virtual D-Pad — this is especially useful on devices that do not have a physical D-Pad or track-ball on the front of the device. When active, the virtual D-Pad occupies the bottom one-third of the screen, and fast-flicks in that area has the same effect as moving with a D-Pad or track-ball. Tapping anywhere within the virtual D-Pad is the same as clicking with the track-ball.

The corners of the virtual D-Pad also provides Back, Home, Search and Menu buttons — these are especially useful on devices that lack explicit physical or capacitive buttons for these common Android actions. You can explore the virtual D-pad by moving your finger around the D-Pad area; crossing the top-edge of this area provides haptic and auditory feedback that can be used as an orientation aid in finding the virtual buttons on the corners.

1.6 Global Commands
In addition, selecting the TalkBack Keyboard as your default input method enables a set of global commands that can be accessed from your physical keyboard — eventually, we will make these available via the soft keyboard as well. Here are a list of the current commands:

Global Key Commands:

Battery
Speaks the current battery level
Menu + B

Time
Speaks the current date and time
Menu + T

Connectivity
Speaks the connectivity state of each connection: WiFi, 3G, etc
Menu + O

Repeat
Repeats the last TalkBack announcement
Menu + R

Spell
Spells the last TalkBack announcement
Menu + S

These shortcuts are listed in the Accessibility Preferences application where they can be edited. You can choose between menu and search for the modifier, and any letter on the keyboard for the letter.

1.7 Summary
All of these features work on Android 2.2 and above. In addition, TalkBack makes WebView accessible in Honeycomb — look for a separate announcement about accessibility enhancements that are exclusive to the Honeycomb release in the coming weeks.

Author: T.V Raman

Click Here for link to original post.

Home sharing is one of the most powerful features of iOS so I strongly encourage you to use it whenever possible.

The following steps from SimpleHelp will get you started.

Mark

How To Setup and Use Home Sharing With an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
  
Previously using the Home Sharing Feature could only be used between computers.

With the iOS 4.3 update you can now stream your iTunes library from computers and your Apple devices…here’s how. 

Here we’ll take a look at setting up Home Sharing between iTunes on a PC to other iOS devices, but the steps are essentially the same on a Mac as well.

1.
Make sure you have your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch setup with iOS 4.3 which we previously covered. You’ll also want to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes for PC (10.2 or above).

2.
Also, for this to work you’ll need to have all of your devices and PCs/Macs on the same home network. To enable it, open iTunes click on Advanced, the Turn on Home Sharing.

3.
Enter in your Apple ID and Password, then click on Create Home Share.

4.
You’ll then get a message letting you know Home Sharing has been successfully set up.

5.
Now grab your iPod Touch and tap on Settings then Music.

6.
Under Home Sharing type in your Apple ID and Password.

7.
Go back to the Home Screen and tap on Music.

8.
Tap on More then the Shared library will appear…tap on that.

9.
Then tap on your shared iTunes library.

10.
This will bring up all of your music, video, podcasts, and more that you can stream to your device.

11.
Tap on the song or album you want to listen to and enjoy!

12.
If you’re using an iPad, after you setup your Apple ID and Password, tap on iPod from the Home Screen.

13.
Tap on Library then the library you’re sharing.

14.
Remember that you’ll need to keep iTunes running on your PC to access the library. Also, everything needs to be running on the same network.

The new Home Sharing feature is great if you want the ability to access your library from other devices while moving around your house.

The following comes to us from SimpleHelp.

Mark

How To Delete Multiple Emails At Once On Your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
  
If you have email delivered to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, it can be annoying deleting several emails individually. Here we take a look at how to delete multiple emails at once.

1.
Open your email, and after you checking it, there might be several you’ve already read on your computer, other device, or just want to get rid of. Rather than go through and delete each one individually, you can select several and delete them at once. Open your email and click the Edit button at the top. 

2.
Now you’ll be able to tap next to the emails you want to delete and a red check will display. On the iPad they will be listed as pages stacked on the right. After you’ve scrolled through and selected the ones you want to get rid of, and tap the Delete button at the bottom.

3.
If you’re using Gmail or another client that supports the creation of folders you can also archive them or delete them by moving to the trash.

4.
The process is essentially the same with the iPhone or iPod touch as well. While in your email tap on Edit.

5.
Then Delete or move your email to a different folder or the Trash.

6.
If you prefer to delete your email individually, one trick is to go into Settings and turn off Ask Before Deleting. That way you won’t have to deal with confirming you want to delete the mail when you tap on the trashcan icon.

That’s all there is to it!

In this approximately 10 minute episode of the Candle Shore Podcast, I offer my opinion as to the current state of Android accessibility for the blind and low vision including Code Factory’s latest offering, Mobile Accessibility for Android as discussed on SeroTalk Tech Chat 93.

Enjoy,

Mark
Episode:  The Truth Behind Android Accessibility For The Blind And Low Vision or What SeroTalk Tech Chat 93 Did Not Tell You

In this approximately 12 minute episode of the Candle Shore Podcast, I demonstrate how List Recorder, an iOS App, can be used as a virtual teleprompter for the blind and low vision.

Enjoy,

Mark
Episode:  An iOS Virtual Teleprompter For The Blind And Low Vision

Recently, I attempted to locate the Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) user guide in either HTML or Plain Text format in order to more easily read it with a software screen reading solution for the blind and low vision.

As I was unsuccessful in locating such a version, I decided to publish my own. 

Click Here to either download or view the Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) User Guide in HTML/Plain Text document format, complete with Hyperlinks. 

Although this document contains the entire text found in the original PDF version, I have omitted example images and diagrams.  In short, the formatting ain’t pretty but it works just fine for anyone using a screen reading software solution for the blind and low vision.

The document is quite large so it may take up to two minutes for it to load into your browser, be patient.

Enjoy,

Mark

You know, we live in exciting times evidenced by the following information that brings a smile to my face and puts a song in my soul. 

Best of all, it really works!!! 

Mark

Google recently released Cloud Print, a web feature that allowed you to print documents on your home printer from anywhere. Today, they’re going to start rolling out that feature for mobile Gmail, so you can print straight from your smartphone. 

Until today, Google Cloud Print was only available for Chrome OS, but now iPhone and Android users can print anything from mobile Gmail on-the-go. So, if you’re out and about and want to print out an email (or one of its attachments, like a .doc or .pdf file), you can just head to Gmail’s mobile web interface and hit the print button from the top right-hand dropdown. When you gethome, your email will be waiting for you at the printer. To set up Google Cloud Print, just head to Chrome’s preferences and go to Under the Hood > Sign in to Google Cloud Print. It should automatically add all printers hooked up to that computer to your Google Cloud Print manager, and you’ll be able to print to them from your phone. Note that as of right now, it only works on Windows, and you’ll need the latest beta version of Google Chrome to set it up

Click Here For An Actual Review of This Remarkable Free Service