WEBVTT - Talking Tech 14th May 2024 0:00:21.228 --> 0:00:25.278 Hello everyone. Welcome to Talking Tech. This edition, available from 0:00:25.278 --> 0:00:29.208 May the 14th, 2024. I'm Stephen Jolly. Great to have 0:00:29.208 --> 0:00:32.808 you with us listening maybe through Vision Australia radio associated 0:00:32.808 --> 0:00:37.098 stations of RPA Australia or perhaps the Community Radio Network. 0:00:37.098 --> 0:00:39.738 There is also the podcast. To catch that, all you 0:00:39.738 --> 0:00:42.138 need to do is search for the two words. Talking 0:00:42.168 --> 0:00:45.438 tech and Dan O'Connor come usually on a Tuesday afternoon 0:00:45.438 --> 0:00:49.168 just after it's been produced. Another option is to ask 0:00:49.168 --> 0:00:52.468 your Siri device or smart speaker to play Vision Australia 0:00:52.468 --> 0:00:58.258 radio talking tech podcast Vision Australia radio talking tech podcast. 0:00:59.058 --> 0:01:01.728 With me back again. After a bit of a break. 0:01:01.728 --> 0:01:06.378 Vision Australia's national advisor on access Technology, David Woodbridge. David 0:01:06.378 --> 0:01:07.158 welcome back. 0:01:07.338 --> 0:01:10.758 It's nice to be back. And if my voice sounds different, 0:01:10.758 --> 0:01:14.118 it's because I'm actually still sick, so hopefully I won't 0:01:14.118 --> 0:01:15.228 sound too bad. 0:01:15.258 --> 0:01:18.978 Let's start with a product from the vision store of 0:01:18.978 --> 0:01:22.488 Vision Australia. You've got some pretty exciting news actually about 0:01:22.488 --> 0:01:23.898 an old one returning. 0:01:23.928 --> 0:01:26.778 I do this one has not been away for that long. 0:01:26.778 --> 0:01:29.838 It's only been about 2 or 3 years. And the device, 0:01:29.838 --> 0:01:31.758 when it came out in the early 90s, it was 0:01:31.758 --> 0:01:35.028 called the Mountbatten. And then it went through different variations 0:01:35.028 --> 0:01:37.878 of being called different things. And now the new version, 0:01:37.878 --> 0:01:40.998 which is now available from both the Vision Store and 0:01:40.998 --> 0:01:46.038 Quantum technology, are l've reading learning vision is the Mountbatten tutor. 0:01:46.578 --> 0:01:51.348 This device to me is like the Swiss Army knife 0:01:51.348 --> 0:01:57.708 of Braille slash print. Because what you have is. Yes, 0:01:57.708 --> 0:02:00.138 you've got a Braille device and yes, it is electronic. 0:02:00.138 --> 0:02:03.708 You've got a detachable Braille keyboard in the new one. Um, 0:02:03.708 --> 0:02:06.468 so it's like a little wireless keyboard. You can browse 0:02:06.468 --> 0:02:08.808 slash type on that. So your Braille into the Mountbatten. 0:02:08.808 --> 0:02:10.908 It comes out on Braille on the, the piece of paper. 0:02:10.908 --> 0:02:14.598 You're sticking to it. That's number one. Number two you 0:02:14.598 --> 0:02:19.188 can also stick in a Qwerty keyboard via USB and 0:02:19.188 --> 0:02:22.398 whatever you type on that Qwerty keyboard. So you're doing 0:02:22.398 --> 0:02:26.658 standard typing comes out in Braille number three, which is 0:02:26.658 --> 0:02:29.268 amazing for me, is that if you're a parent, you're 0:02:29.268 --> 0:02:31.998 a support person, you're an itinerant teacher, a teacher in 0:02:31.998 --> 0:02:36.048 a classroom, etc. the Mountbatten tutor has a built in 0:02:36.048 --> 0:02:40.278 screen so you can see whatever's being done on the Mountbatten, 0:02:40.278 --> 0:02:44.208 either via the Braille input keyboard or via the Qwerty keyboard. 0:02:44.208 --> 0:02:48.318 What's being done on the Mountbatten in Braille? So that's three. 0:02:48.318 --> 0:02:51.528 Number four is that you can what's called back translate 0:02:51.528 --> 0:02:54.708 from Braille back to print. So the reason why you'd 0:02:54.708 --> 0:02:56.478 want to do that is because you can connect the 0:02:56.478 --> 0:03:00.648 Mountbatten to your personal computer, primarily. Windows also does work 0:03:00.648 --> 0:03:03.438 on the Mac, but you can also link it up 0:03:03.438 --> 0:03:07.278 to your Android or your iPhone or iOS device via 0:03:07.278 --> 0:03:12.798 Bluetooth with the mimic app. And it's also got things 0:03:12.798 --> 0:03:16.338 like built in games. You can compose music on it, 0:03:16.338 --> 0:03:19.458 and because you're dealing with your bit of braille paper, 0:03:19.698 --> 0:03:23.028 of course you can do Braille mathematics on it. And 0:03:23.028 --> 0:03:25.578 the thing I used to always love, even back in 0:03:25.578 --> 0:03:28.728 the early 90s, is that you can do graphics on it. 0:03:28.728 --> 0:03:30.288 When you put it in graphics mode, it makes the 0:03:30.288 --> 0:03:33.318 dots very close together and you can draw all these little, 0:03:33.318 --> 0:03:37.278 you know, embossed, all these really cool drawings. So it's 0:03:37.278 --> 0:03:43.188 just an incredibly flexible device. Um, because it's got built 0:03:43.188 --> 0:03:47.208 in translation. You can also code into your document about 0:03:47.208 --> 0:03:50.898 what stuff you might want in contracted braille, uncontracted braille, 0:03:50.898 --> 0:03:54.618 mathematical braille, and so on. So if you want more 0:03:54.618 --> 0:03:58.728 information about it, um, have a chat to quantum because 0:03:58.728 --> 0:04:01.998 it is really their device in the beginning, and they're 0:04:01.998 --> 0:04:07.548 very well known to support the Mountbatten. Absolutely, fantastically well. Um, 0:04:07.548 --> 0:04:09.288 but you can also, as I said before, you can 0:04:09.288 --> 0:04:11.418 also buy it from the vision store. But if you 0:04:11.418 --> 0:04:14.178 wanted to really dig into the nitty gritty of it, uh, 0:04:14.178 --> 0:04:16.968 have a chat to the people at quantum, and they 0:04:16.968 --> 0:04:19.638 can certainly take you through the whole stuff to do 0:04:19.638 --> 0:04:22.788 with the Mountbatten. But like I said, an absolutely brilliant, 0:04:22.788 --> 0:04:25.698 fantastic device and it's great to see it up and 0:04:25.698 --> 0:04:26.418 running again. 0:04:26.418 --> 0:04:28.908 So this is really a student tool, is that right? 0:04:28.908 --> 0:04:32.448 Yeah. Look, it's a student tool because even though it embosses, 0:04:32.448 --> 0:04:35.748 it actually doesn't really emboss that fast. So I'd say 0:04:35.748 --> 0:04:38.448 if you're doing short bursts of Braille so, you know, 0:04:38.448 --> 0:04:42.438 1015 pages or whatever else, um, it's fine, but if 0:04:42.438 --> 0:04:44.538 you're going to be expecting it to do, you know, 0:04:44.538 --> 0:04:47.838 very rapid Braille embossing. Um, it's not so it's it's 0:04:47.838 --> 0:04:51.288 meant to be a personal braille device. But again, the 0:04:51.288 --> 0:04:53.148 reason why I like it so much is not so 0:04:53.148 --> 0:04:55.698 much how fast it does all the Braille and everything else. 0:04:55.698 --> 0:04:59.778 It's that the interactivity between the person using braille and 0:04:59.778 --> 0:05:04.038 then a print abled person being able to also access 0:05:04.038 --> 0:05:05.568 that same information as well. 0:05:05.568 --> 0:05:08.268 Tell us about it physically, the size, weight, etc.. 0:05:08.658 --> 0:05:12.888 It looks like a musical device because it's sort of 0:05:12.888 --> 0:05:15.138 like this little rectangular thing. I think it's about like 0:05:15.138 --> 0:05:22.098 45cm across, about 15cm from front to back and about 0:05:22.098 --> 0:05:25.188 the same height. It's not that heavy when you pick 0:05:25.188 --> 0:05:27.828 this thing up, um, you can pop it in a backpack. And, 0:05:27.828 --> 0:05:29.538 you know, I mean, you wouldn't want to use it 0:05:29.538 --> 0:05:31.488 all the time with other your other stuff in your backpack, 0:05:31.488 --> 0:05:35.448 but it's certainly portable. Um, it's also very quiet. So 0:05:35.448 --> 0:05:39.408 we know the amount of horrendous noise that Braille embossers can, 0:05:39.408 --> 0:05:43.278 can do. This one's actually fairly quiet. And you can 0:05:43.278 --> 0:05:46.128 actually change the impact of the embossing head on the paper. 0:05:46.128 --> 0:05:48.378 So if you can think about things like, you know, 0:05:48.378 --> 0:05:52.008 the clack clack clack of the actual embossing head, if 0:05:52.008 --> 0:05:53.928 it's thick paper, it's going to hit it harder. If 0:05:53.928 --> 0:05:56.928 it's thin paper like printer paper, it's going to hit 0:05:56.928 --> 0:05:59.578 it very softly. If you adjust the. And so for 0:05:59.578 --> 0:06:02.968 years in schools it's very, very good because you're not 0:06:02.968 --> 0:06:05.668 going to get the enormous amount of noise. It's even, 0:06:05.668 --> 0:06:08.938 I'd probably say about two thirds as quiet as using 0:06:08.938 --> 0:06:11.398 a Perkins Brailler. So just an all around great device. 0:06:11.398 --> 0:06:15.058 But you're quite right, Stephen. It's it's a great school device. Um, 0:06:15.058 --> 0:06:19.288 I'd also have to maybe doing short notes, uh, for, 0:06:19.288 --> 0:06:23.248 you know, TAFE or university study. Fine. But you wouldn't 0:06:23.248 --> 0:06:26.398 want to do, you know, 50 to 100 pages each 0:06:26.398 --> 0:06:27.808 time you had to emboss something out. 0:06:27.988 --> 0:06:29.668 And you're going to have to find somebody to pay 0:06:29.668 --> 0:06:32.038 the money for it, though, aren't you? It's not cheap. 0:06:32.038 --> 0:06:36.688 It's around about $8,000. So it's one of those things that, um, 0:06:36.688 --> 0:06:39.808 you would have to go and get funding for to 0:06:39.808 --> 0:06:43.588 be able to afford it. Um, but anybody that wants 0:06:43.588 --> 0:06:45.508 to look at it, I'd say go, go and get 0:06:45.508 --> 0:06:48.508 a proper demonstration of it. You would absolutely have to 0:06:48.508 --> 0:06:50.848 get assessed for it to, to get any sort of 0:06:50.848 --> 0:06:53.248 funding for it. As I said, have a chat to 0:06:53.248 --> 0:06:55.528 quantum and they can certainly fill you in with it. 0:06:55.528 --> 0:06:59.818 The Mountbatten tutor a few other points to whip through now. 0:06:59.818 --> 0:07:03.028 There was an Apple event last week, May the 7th. 0:07:03.148 --> 0:07:07.438 Simply put, the Apple event, which went for 42 minutes, um, 0:07:07.618 --> 0:07:11.398 could be actually resolved down to about, I guess about 0:07:11.398 --> 0:07:14.998 four minutes if you really wanted to. Apple announced two iPads, 0:07:14.998 --> 0:07:17.788 the iPad air and the iPad Pro, both of them 0:07:17.788 --> 0:07:21.778 coming in a 11 inch and a 13 inch version. 0:07:22.078 --> 0:07:27.148 The Pro version actually comes with the M4 chip, so 0:07:27.148 --> 0:07:30.508 Apple's sort of jumped in the deep end with announcing 0:07:30.508 --> 0:07:32.938 the M4 chip and the iPad Pro. So of course 0:07:32.938 --> 0:07:36.598 everybody's now speculating what's going to happen with the Worldwide 0:07:36.598 --> 0:07:39.838 Developers Conference coming up in June with, you know, Siri 0:07:39.838 --> 0:07:42.298 and iPad OS 18 and so on. So that's going 0:07:42.298 --> 0:07:45.028 to be interesting to do if all the generative AI 0:07:45.058 --> 0:07:49.558 type stuff. They also announced an Apple Pencil Pro. Um, 0:07:49.558 --> 0:07:52.258 what's confusing now, Stephen, is that we've now got several 0:07:52.258 --> 0:07:54.868 versions of the Apple Pencil, which will only work with 0:07:54.868 --> 0:07:59.368 certain iPads. They've dropped the iPad nine. We've still got 0:07:59.368 --> 0:08:01.858 the iPad ten, which is the entry level. We've still 0:08:01.858 --> 0:08:07.378 got the iPad mini. Um, and it's just getting more 0:08:07.378 --> 0:08:11.878 and more confusing which iPad to actually go for. My 0:08:11.878 --> 0:08:13.798 feeling over the last couple of years is that the 0:08:13.798 --> 0:08:16.978 iPad air is always been the really good thing to 0:08:16.978 --> 0:08:22.138 look forward to about having a really solid tablet to use. Um, 0:08:22.138 --> 0:08:25.348 but as with everything, it's really up to you to 0:08:25.348 --> 0:08:29.008 decide what functionality you want out of either of or 0:08:29.008 --> 0:08:33.268 all of those different types of iPads. So when in doubt, um, again, 0:08:33.268 --> 0:08:35.458 go and have a play, have a look, have a 0:08:35.458 --> 0:08:37.978 chat to people and then try and make up your 0:08:37.978 --> 0:08:42.118 own mind. But there are available from this week. So 0:08:42.118 --> 0:08:43.258 if you want to go and have a look in 0:08:43.258 --> 0:08:45.988 the the Apple Store physically, or you want to go 0:08:45.988 --> 0:08:49.228 to the App Store app on your iOS device, it'll 0:08:49.258 --> 0:08:51.148 be all in there and have a look at the 0:08:51.148 --> 0:08:56.218 technical specifications because they're getting very close together. Um, besides 0:08:56.218 --> 0:08:58.768 the fact that the air's got M2 and the Pro's 0:08:58.798 --> 0:09:01.918 got an M4, uh, all the other specs about cores 0:09:01.918 --> 0:09:04.558 and that sort of stuff are getting very, very close together. 0:09:04.768 --> 0:09:09.268 Now. Robert Carter's Tech Doctor podcast has had two recent editions. 0:09:09.268 --> 0:09:11.878 You've been on both of them. One of them was 0:09:11.878 --> 0:09:14.548 about this Apple event, and also there was one a 0:09:14.548 --> 0:09:18.748 couple of weeks earlier about the BT speak from Blaze Technologies. 0:09:18.748 --> 0:09:23.098 I did, yeah, look, I sort of waxed lyrical on the, um, 0:09:23.368 --> 0:09:25.738 the BT speak and I think I reminisced a bit 0:09:25.738 --> 0:09:28.138 about the old Braille and speak, and I think I 0:09:28.138 --> 0:09:30.478 even started calling it the Braille and speak halfway through 0:09:30.478 --> 0:09:33.778 the podcast. So, um, if you're interested in our take 0:09:33.778 --> 0:09:37.498 on the recent Apple event last week and my runaway 0:09:37.498 --> 0:09:40.588 mouth to do with the the BT speak, I'm actually 0:09:40.588 --> 0:09:42.808 still enjoying the BT speak. So have a listen to 0:09:42.808 --> 0:09:43.798 it and see what you think. 0:09:44.328 --> 0:09:47.688 We did talk on this program last week about the 0:09:47.688 --> 0:09:52.518 new versions of the Sonos apps, and they're not very good, 0:09:52.668 --> 0:09:55.728 is what we thought. And we were right. And the 0:09:55.728 --> 0:09:58.578 feeling about this has spread. It's gone to the Mac 0:09:58.578 --> 0:10:01.068 9 to 5 publication that a lot of people read. 0:10:01.158 --> 0:10:03.948 It has. And I guess from a positive point of view, 0:10:03.948 --> 0:10:07.008 it's great when this sort of stuff reaches mainstream media, 0:10:07.008 --> 0:10:08.988 because then it seems to be taking a little bit 0:10:08.988 --> 0:10:11.028 more seriously rather than sort of being in our little 0:10:11.028 --> 0:10:14.748 realm of influence. And I think it's really good on 0:10:14.748 --> 0:10:17.478 a couple of points, the one that they talked about 0:10:17.478 --> 0:10:20.298 it and number two, that Sonos has come back to, 0:10:20.298 --> 0:10:24.858 particularly Jonathan Mason, who started the, um, chat about making 0:10:24.858 --> 0:10:27.498 it the Sonos app accessible because it wasn't when it 0:10:27.498 --> 0:10:30.438 came out and got updated. Um, and they're going to 0:10:30.438 --> 0:10:33.318 be linking up and having discussion with them to see 0:10:33.318 --> 0:10:36.888 what things can be done to work on accessibility. But 0:10:36.888 --> 0:10:40.818 as we all know, and speaking about Global Accessibility Awareness 0:10:40.818 --> 0:10:43.818 Day this week, guard, um, which is really a day, 0:10:43.818 --> 0:10:46.218 but I always say it's the whole week this week. Um, 0:10:46.218 --> 0:10:50.238 everybody knows that when you build accessibility, you build accessibility 0:10:50.238 --> 0:10:53.898 from the start. You don't add in accessibility at the 0:10:53.898 --> 0:10:57.828 end because then it becomes horrendously expensive. It's time consuming, 0:10:57.828 --> 0:11:01.818 it's tricky and so on. So I think what mistakes 0:11:01.818 --> 0:11:05.598 Sonos has obviously made is that they've produced this fantastic 0:11:05.598 --> 0:11:09.648 new app, which they said they were very courageous about doing. Um, 0:11:09.648 --> 0:11:14.208 so besides doing a courageous app which apparently nobody likes anyway, um, 0:11:14.208 --> 0:11:17.928 they also completely broke accessibility. So hopefully there'll be just 0:11:17.928 --> 0:11:20.928 as courageous about now having to go back and retrofit, 0:11:20.928 --> 0:11:23.658 which is always harder and more expensive and time consuming, 0:11:23.808 --> 0:11:27.048 and an inaccessible app that, of course, lots of blind 0:11:27.048 --> 0:11:29.178 and low vision folks use around the world. 0:11:29.178 --> 0:11:33.228 And just quickly, for the Sonos leadership team who will 0:11:33.228 --> 0:11:36.318 be listening. And for everybody else, tell us about Global 0:11:36.318 --> 0:11:38.538 Accessibility Awareness Day guard. 0:11:38.658 --> 0:11:41.208 Yep. So Global Accessibility Awareness Day, it's on the 16th 0:11:41.208 --> 0:11:45.708 16th of May. It's really aimed at accessibility to the web, 0:11:45.708 --> 0:11:50.508 digital accessibility to do with applications and document access. But 0:11:50.508 --> 0:11:53.208 what I also like to tell people about is think 0:11:53.208 --> 0:11:56.538 about everything you do in your life that is digital, 0:11:56.538 --> 0:12:00.048 and then how you access that digital information. And can 0:12:00.048 --> 0:12:03.108 you get access to it easily? Can you be independent 0:12:03.108 --> 0:12:06.198 in doing it? Everything else. So look at, you know, 0:12:06.198 --> 0:12:10.368 can you get access to the kiosk system in a shop? 0:12:10.368 --> 0:12:14.418 Can you use the self checkout? Can you access or 0:12:14.418 --> 0:12:18.018 have other ways of accessing information at public railway stations 0:12:18.018 --> 0:12:21.168 that don't have staff anymore? Because it's all electronic and 0:12:21.168 --> 0:12:24.258 things like that. So and with those sort of things, 0:12:24.258 --> 0:12:27.618 give positive feedback because as soon as you start being negative, 0:12:27.618 --> 0:12:30.318 people will just shut down and you know they don't 0:12:30.318 --> 0:12:33.678 want to listen anymore. So you say, um, you know, 0:12:33.678 --> 0:12:35.568 I just want to bring to your attention the fact 0:12:35.568 --> 0:12:38.268 that I can't access this. I'm wondering if some general 0:12:38.268 --> 0:12:41.028 things could have actually be done to make this more accessible. 0:12:41.028 --> 0:12:44.058 And then you start a conversation and hopefully then both 0:12:44.058 --> 0:12:45.318 parties get something out of it. 0:12:45.678 --> 0:12:49.908 Telstra moving to get away from 3G, which served us 0:12:49.908 --> 0:12:50.988 well for a long time. 0:12:50.988 --> 0:12:54.228 It has, particularly in rural areas. So what they've done 0:12:54.228 --> 0:12:58.228 is that they've extended the shutdown period to the 31st 0:12:58.228 --> 0:13:01.998 of August. Uh, so now they're asking people to check 0:13:01.998 --> 0:13:05.628 their SIM cards in their devices to make sure they're 0:13:05.628 --> 0:13:10.038 compatible with the current 4G or 5G network. Uh, and 0:13:10.038 --> 0:13:13.698 the advice I've got for people is contact your supplier, 0:13:13.698 --> 0:13:17.838 whether it's Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, etc. and just double check. 0:13:17.838 --> 0:13:21.138 But also remember, it's not just mobile phone SIM cards, 0:13:21.138 --> 0:13:23.118 it's all the SIM cards that you have in other 0:13:23.118 --> 0:13:29.358 devices like alarm systems, um, CPAp machines and other monitoring devices. 0:13:29.358 --> 0:13:31.638 They also need to be checked as well. So if 0:13:31.638 --> 0:13:34.788 you're not sure, contact your supplier. I've been getting a 0:13:34.788 --> 0:13:37.758 few queries about the Blind Shaw Classic two, which I'm 0:13:37.758 --> 0:13:40.818 fairly sure will be fine, but again, I would contact 0:13:40.818 --> 0:13:44.808 Quantum Technology reading learning vision and just double check with 0:13:44.808 --> 0:13:48.588 them that the wireless cellular stuff in the Blind Shaw 0:13:48.588 --> 0:13:50.388 Classic two is compatible. 0:13:50.388 --> 0:13:52.548 Just before we go, a reminder of where there are 0:13:52.548 --> 0:13:54.948 details of what we've been talking about in this and 0:13:54.948 --> 0:13:56.508 previous editions of the program. 0:13:56.508 --> 0:13:59.028 Indeed. So as always, you can actually check out my 0:13:59.028 --> 0:14:04.128 blog site, which is David Woodbridge Dot Podbean pad Bn.com. 0:14:04.128 --> 0:14:10.278 David Wood Byatt Podbean podbean.com. To write to the program. 0:14:10.278 --> 0:14:12.978 You can write to me at Vision Australia where I work, 0:14:12.978 --> 0:14:17.448 which is David Dot Woodbridge how it sounds at Vision Australia. 0:14:17.718 --> 0:14:22.458 Org David Dot Woodbridge at Vision Australia. Org this has 0:14:22.458 --> 0:14:25.068 been talking tech with me has been Vision Australia's national 0:14:25.068 --> 0:14:29.838 advisor on access technology David Woodbridge I'm Stephen Jolly stay safe. 0:14:29.838 --> 0:14:31.368 We'll talk more tech next week. See you.