2) The BlindPhones mailing list has been a major independent place for people to discuss access to mobile phones. The list has moved. To join, send a blank message to
Blindphones-subscribe@googlegroups.com
3) Freedom Scientific has announced the release, several months after its initial announcement, of the Pac Mate Omni, the much-enhanced version of the Pac Mate pocket pc device now running Windows Mobile 6 and with accessibility based on JAWS. Upgrades for owners of older units are reasonably priced.
http://www.freedomscientific.com/fs_products/PACMateOmni_Upgrade_Info.asp
4) Here is a web page listing services you may be able to safely remove from a computer running Windows Vista.
http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm
5) You can find a high-quality podcast produced by Neal Ewers on
the Victor Stream player from HumanWare, and a Word document containing the manual and links to other resources for the player, here:
<ftp://ftp.ravenswood.org>
6) The US National Federation of the Blind is investigating the accessibility of Apple's iTunes web site and related software. If you have experiences to share and would like to assist, e-mail your name, address andphone number to
ac@browngold.com
7) You can buy a fully accessible cd of audio puzzles, enjoyable for children and adults, for US $14.95. You can buy the cd from other dealers, but if you buy from the manufacturer and request it, you can get a braille track list for the 40 puzzles and braille label for the cd.
http://www.audiopuzzles.com/
8) New and current customers of AT&T Wireless in the US can get the MobileSpeak screen reader or the MobileMagnifier for use on any of five supported phones for $89, a significant discount on the usual price for these products.
http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources.jsp
9) One reader recommends the Winamp Audio Essentials Plug-in for this popular audio player. The package of plug-ins has been recently updated.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-Plugins/Winamp-Essentials-Pack.shtml
10) Version 4.2 of the Sendero GPS system for use on the BrailleNote family of products is available, with some 20 enhancements.
http://www.MySendero.com
11) In the earliest CSUN conference announcement ever, Next Generation Technologies will offer a two-day training on JSay Pro in conjunction with this March technology conference, March 10-11. The $994 cost is said to include a copy of the voice-input software JSay, training materials and some meals. For information or to register, e-mail
jsay@ngtvoice.com
12) Many software reviews have been added to the AccessWatch database. There are now some 200 accessibility reviews on the site.
http://www.accesswatch.info/review.php
13) The Friends of Bookshare page contains a lot of useful information and links for the bibliophile, including audio archives of the presentation given in November by Jim Fruchterman.
http://friendsofbookshare.org/
14) The Fred's Head Companion recommends the iheard Radio Stations site, a very large listing of online radio broadcasts. Many of the streams seem to play in an embedded window, which makes the site best usable by owners of Windows Vista or those who use two sound cards in their systems.
http://www.iheard.com/
15) They also remind us that Talking Computers Magazine from the UK is available free online.
http://www.tc.pressakey.net/
16) And we also learn from that web site about Blind Date, a free game from the Royal National Institute for the Blind, available in flash
http://rnibblinddate.nomensa.com/flash/index.html
and html
http://rnibblinddate.nomensa.com/html_game/index.html
versions.
17) A further discovery is the large list of ingredient-based cookbooks available as low-cost e-books from Idea Queen:
http://www.idea-queen.com/ebooks/cookbooks-online.html
18) The Memory Wiki is a growing collection of personal reminiscences and personal stories.
http://www.memorywiki.org/en/MemoryWiki
19) In our final grab from Fred's Head Companion for this week, if you want to hear audio files conveying the sounds of World War II, visit Irv Mitchell's QUEST: Echoes of the Past website <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irvmitchell/gene/echoes.html>.
20) DIALOGUE, an international news magazine edited for individuals who are experiencing vision loss or are blind and their friends and families, has released a Call for Submissions for 2008. Reviews and reports on adaptive technology are among the many categories of articles sought. Submission guidelines and sample issues are available. To read the contents of past issues of the magazine to see its scope, visit
http://www.blindskills.com/current_past.html
<http://www.blindskills.com/current_past.html>
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