• Guess what? @DHSHolly and @DhsDarcy just added 17 more apps to the accessible iphone apps list http://tinyurl.com/mxlzqf #iphoneaccess # 23 hours ago
• News: Apple Posts iPhone Manual for VoiceOver Users http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=443 # 2009/07/02
• News: The MacCast Podcast Spotlights iPhone Accessibility http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=441 # 2009/07/02
• @grtdane We have not received any info that MacSpeech is no longer accessible with VoiceOver, but do not have a copy to test, either. # 2009/07/01
• News: MacSpeech Dictate Legal Ships http://www.lioncourt.com/?p=439 # 2009/07/01

Apple has posted an accessible version of the iPhone manual on their web site, ideal for screen reader users. You can access it on your iPhone 3GS if you open the "iPhone User Guide" bookmark in Mobile Safari , and flick right a few times to find the new button in the upper left corner of the page. Alternatively, you can click here.

Last week, Apple released Safari 4, the latest version of their popular web browsing solution. This incarnation offers some accessibility enhancements, as well as a number of new features.

As we reported previously, Safari 4 corrects a number of accessibility problems that plagued earlier versions, such as same page links and multi-select list boxes. Additionally, the final release corrects a problem in the public beta where buttons with images were not being read properly.

One of Safari’s new and widely touted features is its "Top Sites" functionality. In the public beta, this feature was inaccessible with VoiceOver. We are pleased to see that, in the final release, it works very well, and should prove a very useful tool for many users.

One strange and unfortunate issue, however, is that running VoiceOver with Safari 4 while browsing Apple’s online store pages frequently causes the browser to unexpected crash. One can work around this problem by turning off VoiceOver before clicking links, buttons, or other elements that will load a new page, and then restarting it once the new page has finished loading. This is a fairly significant problem, and we expect a fix from Apple before long.

Overall, this is a strong update for the browser, with several improvements to accessibility.

Though many said it could never be done, Apple has yet again shown a tremendous commitment to accessibility today with the announcement of the iPhone 3GS, the latest version of its popular iPhone handset, which ships with a version of VoiceOver optimized for it. Using this incredible new technology, the blind and visually impaired will have access to the iPHone in much the same way they enjoy Mac support today.

Using a combination of touch screen technology and specialized gestures, the VoiceOver user can use all the apps that ship with the iPhone, and Apple is already working with third-party developers to make sure their applications are accessible as well.

You can read the full details of how the new VoiceOver screen reader for iPhone 3GS works on the iPhone accessibility page. The iPHone 3GS will be released in the US, Canada, UK, and some other European countries on 19/June, with other countries to follow through the summer.

Apple has also announced that similar technology will be available to control Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard with VoiceOver and your Mac’s trackpad. More information is available on this Apple Accessibility page.

All of us here at Mac-cessibility are overjoyed and astounded at this tremendous leap forward. No words can describe our excitement.

Today, Apple released iTunes version 8.2. Along with some unspecified bug fixes, the update delivers support for the as yet unreleased iPhone and iPod Touch 3.0 software and, of greater interest to our readers, accessibility improvements.

We will update this post as soon as we have some clarification on exactly what these accessibility enhancements are.

iTunes 8.2 can be downloaded through the "SoftwareUpdate" option in your Mac’s Apple menu.