Top 10 Posts of 2012

Here are the top 10 posts on the Assistive Technology Blog as rated by number of views. Thanks to everyone who read the blog. Please check back in the new year for more cool posts.

1. iOS 5 Tips: Use Assistive Touch to Replace a Broken Home Button, Lock Button or Volume Button
2. What is Assistive Touch?
3. What does iPhone 5 and iOS 5 Mean for Assistive Technology?
4. Read PDF Files Aloud with vBooks PDF Voice Reader
5. iPhone 4S Accessibility Features
6. iOS 5 Tip: Look Up Any Word
7. Android Becomes More Accessible With 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
8. Assistive Touch Improvements in iOS 6
9. The Kindle Fire Is Not Accessible
10. Prizmo: Fast, Accurate, Full Featured OCR App for iPhone Review

What was your favorite post of 2012 let us know in the comments.

How to Display an iPad on a TV or Projector

The iPad can be a great classroom tool for teachers and students alike. It can be great for showing websites, presentations and more. To share your iPad on your classroom TV or projector you may need to buy new software or cables. Read on to learn how to display you iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch on your TV or Projector.

Adapters- One way to easily get your iPad screen onto the computer is to use adapters. Apple sells two adapters, one for connecting to a VGA projector and one for connecting to a HDTV. To buy the VGA adapter from Apple click here. To buy the HDMI adapter from Apple click here. Use of the adapters are as easy as plugin them in.

Software- A software program for PC and Mac called Reflection allows you to display your iPad or iPhone screen on the computer. This only works with iPhone 4S and higher and iPad 2 and higher. If you have one of these devices Reflections may be your best option. Reflection is wireless and easy to use. Click here to buy Reflection for $14.99.

Create iOS Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a tool for improving typing speed on your iOS device. To create a keyboard shortcut go to Setting > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts. To add a new short cut click the plus button in the top right. You can create a short cut to write "see you" when you type the letters "cu." You could also create a short cut for your email so you can enter your email quickly with just a few key strokes. Watch the above video to learn more.

Print From an iOS Device to Any Printer with the xPrintServer

iPads, iPhones and iPod Touch are great for many tasks. One downside is that it is difficult to print documents, pictures, spreadsheets, emails and notes. One solution is the xPrintServer from Lantonix. The xPrintServer allows you to print to up to ten network printers. Just plug in the xPrintServer and you are ready to go. It allows you to print directly from apps to non-AirPrint compatible printers. The xPrintServer is perfect for schools and bussnisses that need to print from iPads or iPhones. The xPrintServer cost $149.99. Click here to learn more.

Custom Label iOS Buttons to Work Better With VoiceOver

If an app has buttons that are not labeled well for use with VoiceOver, you can easily edit them to work better. If you are not familiar with VoiceOver click here. For example if an app has a button that is not labeled VoiceOver will just say "button" when you select it. If you custom label the button you can make VoiceOver describe the action that the button preforms. This makes it possible for people using VoiceOver to know what button they have selected. To change the label of a button simply select the button with the VoiceOver curser and double tap and hold with two fingers. This tip will work with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.This will bring up a box where you can then enter in a name for the button. Watch the video above for more information.

The New iPad: Thoughts From an Assistive Technology Prospective

The New iPad is out with a new high-resolution display, improved rear facing camera, dictation and more, but what does it mean for people with disabilities?

Camera - The New iPad has a much improved 5 megapixel rear facing camera. The new camera will enable assistive technology users to capture documents with more clarity. With the new improved camera, apps such as Prizmo, JotNot, ZoomReader, Scanner Pro and TurboScan will work much better.

Dictation - The New iPad also includes voice dictation which allows you to to talk instead of needing to type. The dictation feature works well and is very similar to voice dictation on the iPhone 4S. The new iPad does not have Siri support so it cannot answer your questions.

The New iPad adds some nice new features and remains accessible with VoiceOver. The iPad 2 remains on sale for $399.

How To Cut, Copy and Paste While Using VoiceOver

Cut, copy and paste is an important feature in iOS. It can be a little tricky for VoiceOver users to use cut copy and paste if you are not familiar with the process. Because it is a little tricky I will walk you through the process step by step.

1. Select the words you want to cut or copy with the VoiceOver cursor by touching the line or flicking left or right.
2. Rotate the VoiceOver rotor to either "words" or "lines." To rotate the VoiceOver rotor place two fingers on the screen and turn them left or right. If you select "lines" you will select one lines at a time and if you select "words" you will select one word at a time.
3. Pinch out with two fingers to begin to select the words you want to cut or copy. VoiceOver will speak which words have been selected.
4. Rotate the rotor to "edit" mode and then swipe up or down to hear all of the options. It will give you options such as cut, copy, paste, define and more depending on which app you are using.
5. When you hear the option you want, double tap anywhere on the screen. Now you have copied the text.
6. To paste the text navigate to a text box and then double tap and hold. Then swipe to navigate to the paste button and then double tap anywhere on the screen to paste the text.

Apple says the following about cut, copy and past with VoiceOver.

"Cut, copy, and paste comes to iPod touch. To bring up cut, copy, and paste options, use the rotor and choose Edit. Flick up or down to choose between the Select and Select All functions, then double tap. If you choose Select, the word closest to the insertion point is selected when you double tap. Pinch to increase or decrease the selection. If you choose Select All, the entire text is selected. When text is selected, cut, copy, and paste options appear on the screen. If you want to undo something, just give iPod touch a shake. You can also flick left or right to choose the undo action, then double tap." 

Ask Siri How to Spell Unfamiliar Words

Siri is a new feature available on the iPhone 4S. I find myself asking others how to spell unfamiliar often. When no one is around I have to find a different word to use. If you are like me Siri can be very helpful. Simply ask Siri "how do you spell..." and Siri will give you the correct spelling in seconds. Siri has many other useful functions such as defining words. To learn more about the iPhone 4S and its accessibility features click here.

iConvert Scanner: Physical Scanner for iPad

The iConvert Scanner is a hardware scanner for the iPad. To use the scanner you must download the iCovert Scanner app which is free. The iConver Scanner can scan documents from 2.5 inches to 8.5 inches in width. The documents are saved as JPEG images in your iPad's photo library. The scanner does not save documents as PDFs.

"Our iConvert® Scanner for iPad and iPad 2 Tablets scans hard copies to JPEG files directly to your tablet, giving you instant e-copies of your most important documents. The JPEG files are automatically stored in the picture folder. Great for use at home (old photos, genealogy records, special greeting cards, recipes and children’s artwork), at the office (meeting notes, resumes, renderings, signed contracts) and on the go (receipts, expense reports, business cards and more). The entire scanner is sized to take with you in your messenger bag or backpack. 

Better than basic alternatives, the iConvert® Scanner for iPad and iPad 2 Tablets scans in high-resolution 300dpi for clear, crisp JPEG images. And the front feeder adjusts from 2 inches to 8½ inches wide to fit many size photos and important documents. Easy to use and it works with the free downloadable app at the iTunes® App StoreSM. Simply place the tablet on the scanner and the scanner gives step-by-step prompts from 'scan' (with real-time preview) to “save” or 'delete.'" -Brookstones.com

The iConvert Scanner retails for $149.99 from Brookstones. To visit Brookstones website click here. Click read more below to view pictures of the iConvert Scanner.

Prizmo Giveaway

Below is a promo code for Prizmo. To learn more about Prizmo click here. To win the app enter the code into iTunes. The first person to enter the code will win the Prizmo. Once one person enters the code it will no longer work. This is the last Prizmo giveaway. Good Luck!

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Prizmo Giveaway

Below is a promo code for Prizmo. To learn more about Prizmo click here. To win the app enter the code into iTunes. The first person to enter the code will win the Prizmo. Once one person enters the code it will no longer work. If you do not win check back later for another code. Check back often to improve you chances of winning. The next promo code will be posted within the next day. Good Luck!

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Prizmo Giveaway

Below is a promo code for Prizmo. To learn more about Prizmo click here. To win the app enter the code into iTunes. The first person to enter the code will win the Prizmo. Once one person enters the code it will no longer work. If you do not win check back later for another code. Check back often to improve you chances of winning. The next promo code will be posted within the next day. Good Luck!

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Prizmo Giveaway

Below is a promo code for Prizmo. To learn more about Prizmo click here. To win the app enter the code into iTunes. The first person to enter the code will win the Prizmo. Once one person enters the code it will no longer work. If you do not win check back later for another code. Check back often to improve you chances of winning. The next promo code will be posted within the next day. Good Luck!

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Prizmo Giveaway

The Assistive Technology Blog will be giving away free copies of Prizmo over the next several days. Click here to learn more about Prizmo. Prizmo is the best optical character recognition (OCR) app for the iPhone that I have used. Prizmo costs $9.99 in the App Store. To win check the Assistive Technology Blog often over the next few days. Every day one promo code will be posted. The first reader to enter the promo code into iTunes will win the app. The more often you check the blog the more likely you are to win. If you do not in at first check back the next day for another giveaway.

Prizmo: Fast, Accurate, Full Featured OCR App for iPhone Review

Prizmo is the best optical character recognition (OCR) app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch that I have used. Because of  iPhone's superior camera you will have the best results while using Prizmo on the iPhone. Prizmo allows you to take a picture of text, business cards and more and then process them into useful electronic documents. When taking a picture of a business card, Prizmo makes a contact that you can quickly add to your contact list. Prizmo really shines when recognizing text. Simply take a picture then crop it to only include the text that you want to have read and then click "next" to begin the OCR. Prizmo has a very nice feature that allows you to say "take picture" to snap a picture of the document to eliminate shaking as you go to press the shutter button. Prizmo will quickly recognize the text and put it into a text document. Then you can edit any mistakes that Prizmo may have made. One of the only down sides of Prizmo is that it does not allow you to OCR multiple pages into the same text document.

After the text has been recognized you can read the text with a built in reader, VoiceOver or Speak Selection. You can also translate, email or save it to a number of cloud services including Dropbox and Evernote. In order to use the built in reader you must buy a text-to-speech voice for an additional $2.99. The reader allows you to control play back speed, but does not highlight the words as they are being read allowed. It does place a white dot next to the line that is currently being read. Prizmo is great for saving documents in an electronic format or for people who struggle to read and are helped by having text read aloud. Prizmo works faster and more accurately than ZoomReader, TextGrabber and SayText. Prizmo is $9.99 in the iTunes app store. Click here to download or view Prizmo in the App Store. Click read more below to see screen shots and more videos of Prizmo.

TextGrabber: Fast, Cheap, Accurate OCR app for iPhone

TextGrabber is a low cost OCR app for iPhone that quickly and accurately converts printed text into digital text that can be edited or read aloud using text-to-speech. Click here to download TextGrabber. The app is easy to use. Snap a photo of the text you want to read then crop the photo and finally read the text. TextGrabber only takes a few seconds to convert the printed text into a digital format. Once the text has been recognized you can have it read aloud to you using VoiceOver. TextGrabber can also translate captured text into many languages. One negative of TextGrabber is it does not have built in text-to-speech,  or Speak Selection, a new iOS 5 feature, does not work. In day-to-day use I found that TextGrabber and ZoomReader offer similar OCR speed and accuracy. To improve the accuracy turn on the flash while taking the picture. TextGrabber does not feature built in text-to-speech with highlighting while ZoomReader does not offer a cropping tool for removing unwanted text. To read more about ZoomReader click here. Click read more below to see screen shots and examples of TextGrabber in action,including a step- by -step depiction of TextGrabber converting a newspaper article.

iOS 5 Tips: Use Assistive Touch to Replace a Broken Home Button, Lock Button or Volume Button

Assistive Touch is a new feature in iOS 5 that allows people with physical disabilities to better use their iOS device. To learn more about AssistiveTouch click here. To enable Assistive Touch go to Settings>General> Accessibility>Assistive Touch and then turn on Assistive Touch. A small round white button will then appear on your screen. When you touch the white button a list of commands will appear including a software home button, lock button and volume up and down button. You can now use these software buttons to replace your broken home button or any other broken buttons. You can drag the white button to different places on the screen for your convenience. Watch the video below to learn more.

iOS 5 Tip: Look Up Any Word

A new feature in iOS 5 allows you to get a definition of any word from any app. To get a definition of a word simply select the word by holding down on it for a couple of seconds and then tap define. A dictionary will appear with that word defined. When you are done tap done to return to your app.

iOS 5 Tips: Reader Eliminates Distractions

A new feature in iOS 5 called Reader makes reading articles on the web much easier. Many articles on the web are hard to read on the iPhone and iPod Touch's small screen. Reader also works on the iPad. To read the articles you must zoom in and deal with distractions such as advertisements. Reader solves this problem by taking out the advertisements and formatting the text perfectly. To activate Reader simply tap the Reader button in the address field. The address field is where you type the website address. After pressing the Reader button the article will appear perfectly formatted for your screen. To change the size of the text simply press the text size button in the top left of the screen then tap on the little A to make the text smaller and the big A to make the text bigger. When you are done reading the article simply tap done to continue to browse the web. Reader can enlarge the font substantially to assist people that have trouble reading small print. Click read more below to see more screen shots.

iOS 5 Camera Accessibility

iOS 5 introduced many new accessibility features including Assistive Touch, Siri and Speak Selection. One hidden feature gives blind and visually impaired the ability to take pictures with VoiceOver and the built in camera on the iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. Your iOS device will tell you how many people are in your picture and if the people are in the center of the screen so you can get the best shot. This is just on feature in a growing list of iOS accessibility features.