Assistiveware has released Keystrokes 4.1, an update to their onscreen keyboard application for Mac OS X. Keystrokes is intended to assist persons with physical impairments type using an onscreen keyboard with a mouse or stylus.

Keystrokes 4.1 is a Universal binary and includes support for Spaces, and automatic layout switching through the Input menu. It is a free upgrade for licensed users of Keystrokes 4.0.

Keystrokes 4.1 is available from Assistiveware for $299.00 US.

The popular Opera web browser has been updated to version 9.5, and includes VoiceOver support. Our initial findings show some areas where Opera excels, but several problems as well

The first positives are the fact that Opera appears to be able to move focus to any item on the page, presumably eliminating the Safari issue that causes focus to jump back on a page as Voiceover reads further down. The way in which tables on web sites are handled is spectacular, borrowing from the table views we’re used to in applications like iTunes or Mail. Apple, are you listening? THis is how tables should be done.

But there are some show-stopping problems.

Using Group mode to navigate HTML content seems to change very little in Opera aside from scrambling the order of the elements, a huge drawback to those who depend on VoiceOver’s ability to group elements on a page. Even in DOM mode, elements are not always in the order you would expect them to appear.

Popup buttons, (AKA drop down menus), do not read properly with VoiceOver either. THere is no way we can determine to select an item from one of these common elements.

Still, Opera has clearly put a lot of effort into accessibility, and the browser could be a very powerful alternative to Safari for VOiceOver users once the kinks are worked out.

Apple announced that they will be replacing their aging .Mac service with a shiny new MobileMe service, starting in July. This service includes an easy way to synch your address book, mail, calendar, and more across multiple devices, as well as 20GB of storage space online. The question is, of course, will it be accessible to VoiceOver users. We’ve contacted Apple on this point, and are awaiting a reply. We’ll update as soon as we know anything.

On Monday, APple took the wraps off of the longanticipated iPhone 3G. The phone sports a new design, better performance, 3G speeds, GPS, and a whole lot more. Most unfortunately, it does not seem to include any additional accessibility for blind or visually impaired users. It does, however, sport a cheaper price tag. Perhaps continued massive adoption by the world will convince APple to invest a little time in making this device more accessible.