If you’d like to interact with us during the stream, the best way to do it is by using the #VOLive hash tag on twitter.

If you can’t join us live, then look for a Maccessibility Round Table podcast later on in the week summing up today’s announcements.

• The iPod shuffle models have been physically redesigned, but still include VoiceOver navigation of their playlists and content. Buttons have been re-introduced. Pricing begins at $49 USD.
• The iPod nano lineup has been drastically redesigned with a 3X3 CM touch screen and iOS-like interface. It has dropped video and camera support, but still includes VoiceOver. The nanos are available in 8 and 16GB capacities for $149 or $179 USD, respectively.
• The iPod touch has been updated to a slimmer form factor, sports a retina display like its iPhone 4 cousin, includes front and rear cameras, will support FaceTime video calling, and will run iOS 4.1. Prices range from $229 for 8GB to $399 for 64GB capacities.
• iTunes version 10 will be released today, with support for Apple’s new music-based social networking platform, Ping. It will be available as a free download for both Mac and Windows users.
• iOS 4.1 will be released to users next week, and includes many bug fixes, including those for reported iPhone 4 proximity sensor issues, BlueTooth connectivity, and more. 4.1 includes GameCenter support for competing with friends on iOS games. The update will be available as a free update via iTunes.
• iOS 4.2, the next successive update after next week’s 4.1, will arrive in November. The update will bring parity across all iOS devices. Features such as multi-tasking, folders, etc, will finally be available on the iPad. The update will also provide wireless printing from iOS devices for the first time. iOS 4.2 will be a free update for all iOS 4 capable devices, including the iPad.
• The second generation AppleTV has been entirely redesigned from the ground up. It includes a much smaller form factor, support for Netflix streaming, and iTunes rentals. Episodes of television series will be offered for $.99 USD to rent on the device. Video, audio, and photographic content can be streamed directly to the AppleTV from other iOS devices, as well as from iTunes on your Mac or PC. Will the Apple TV include VOiceOver support? We don’t know for sure. When we asked Apple Accessibility, they said they could not comment on features for products that are not yet shipping. This deflection gives us hope. The AppleTV will be priced at $99 USD.

In addition to the iPhone 4 hardware, more details have been released regarding the operating system that powers Apple’s mobile devices. The software has been renamed iOS, and will power the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Some details have now been announced where regards accessibility of the iPhone 4 and iOS 4.0. Here are the highlights:

• Support for 30+ Bluetooth wireless braille displays right out of the box. Just pair one and start using it to navigate your iPhone with VoiceOver — no additional software needed.
• Braille tables for 25+ international languages.
• Touch Typing is an optional new way for VOiceOver users to type on the onscreen keyboard. With Touch Typing, you can run your finger across the keyboard, listening to each letter as it’s spoken aloud. When you get to the letter you want, lift your finger to select it. (This was previously available on the iPad.)
• A new Typing Practice mode helps new users get accustomed to typing on the iPhone keyboard.
• Add rotor settings while web browsing, such as lists, tables, text fields, and buttons.
• The rotor is now visible to sighted users to make it easier for them to assist you or to use the rotor themselves.
• A new Large Font feature lets you further increase the font size of key elements in Mail, Contacts, Notes, and Messages.
• FaceTime allows video calling over WiFi, which can provide the ability for hearing impaired and deaf users to communicate using sign language via the iPhone 4 and its forward facing camera.
• A new language option for the rotor allows VOiceOver users to temporarily change to another of VoiceOver‘s 21 languages without impacting the system-wide language setting.

The iPhone 4 handset will be available in the US, UK, and some other European countries beginning on 24/June/2010 in 16GB ($199 USD) and 32GB ($299 USD)capacities, as well as black or white.

iOS 4.0 will be a free upgrade for users with compatible devices, including the iPhone 3GS and current generation iPod touch beginning 21/June/2010. iPad users will have to wait until later this summer to upgrade to version 4.0 of the operating system.

The iPhone 3GS 16GB will be offered for $99 USD beginning 24/June/2010.

More information, including our podcast discussion on today’s event, will be forthcoming.

We will be covering the event live via this live stream, and listeners may interact with one another and with the hosts of our stream on Twitter by using the hash tag #VOLive in their tweets.

Our coverage will begin streaming shortly before the keynote begins at 10:00 AM PDT, 1:00 PM EDT. We hope to see you there!

Note: We will not be providing audio from the event itself, only announcements and discussion as we collect information from the keynote.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

There have been two transformative moments in my professional career that I associate with gaining equal access to the printed word. The first was in the mid-’90s, when, as a university researcher, my department obtained a braille embosser and access to the fledgling Internet. One afternoon, a graduate assistant who worked with me casually dropped a braille copy of the cover article from that week’s Time magazine on my desk. For the first time, I could read the same text as my sighted colleagues at the same time they did.

The second transformative moment took place Monday evening, April 5, 2010. On that night, I purchased a book from a book store, exactly as my sighted neighbors and colleagues would. I then sat in my den and read that book on the same device as my sighted counterparts.

Be sure to click (or tap) here to read the full review.

In July, Apple plans to expand iPad availability to Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. Exact details on availability, pricing, and pre-order plans for these countries is forthcoming.

If you had pre-ordered an iPad with 3G connectivity from the Apple Online Store, your device may be arriving as early as today.

The iPad 3G provides on-demand wireless access via AT&T without a contract. Data plans include a $14.99 option for 250MB per month and a $29.99 option for unlimited usage per month. Additionally, the devices include GPS capability.

The 3G iPad models retail for $629, $729, and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB varieties, respectively.

This can be a more cost-effective solution for users who wish to use a USB keyboard they already have with the iPad, as the Camera Connection Kit is available for $29 from Apple.

While this is disappointing, it is not wholly unexpected, given that the MagicMouse device is still, at its core, a mouse, and does not appear to support the more complex multi-touch capabilities of Apple’s glass trackpads or iPhone family of products.

Apple has also expanded the Mac Mini line to include a new Mac Mini server sans an optical drive. Priced at $999 USD, the Mac Mini server includes two internal 500GB hard disks, a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor, and 4GB of RAM. Mac OS X server comes preinstalled, and the model is compatible with Apple’s external SuperDrive, (the external optical drive previously intended solely for the MacBookAir).

All three models of Mac Mini are available now.

The 21.5-inch iMac model is priced at $1199 USD, as was its 20-inch predecessor. It comes standard with a 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard disk. The graphics chip also received a boost to the Nvidia GeForce 9400M.

There is a $1499 configuration of the 21.5-inch model with the same specs but with a 1TB hard disk and the Radeon HD 4670 video card.

The 27-inch iMac is identical in specs to the $1499 21-inch model, save for the larger display.

Apple plans on offering a set of adapters soon which will allow the iMacs to double as HDTV’s, capable of being attached to DVD players, game consoles, etc.

All of the newly redesigned iMacs are available today.

It remains at the 13.3-inch size and boasts a 2.26GHz processor, 2GB of 1066MHz RAM, and a 250GB hard disk. The graphics chip has also been upgraded to the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

The new MacBook offers more bang for your buck at the same $999 USD price point, and is available now.

• Triple-click Home

  Now you can quickly toggle Universal Access features by triple-clicking the home button. Choices are to turn VoiceOver on or off, turn Zoom on or off, turn White on Black on or off, or to ask which setting you prefer.

  To set the Triple-click Home function: In Settings, choose General->Accessibility->Triple-click Home and choose the function you want.

• Gesture Practice

  You can now learn and practice VoiceOver gestures. In Settings, choose General->Accessibility->VoiceOver->Practice Gestures.

• Select / Cut / Copy text

  You can use VO to copy, cut and paste text. Use the rotor to choose Edit. Flick up or down to choose between the Select and Select All functions, then double tap. If you chose Select, the word closest to the insertion point is selected when you double-tap. If you chose Select All, the entire text is selected. When text is selected, Cut, Copy, and Paste options appear on the screen. (Paste appears only if you’ve previously copied text.)

  Use open and close pinch gestures to fine-tune the selection.

  To Cut, Copy, or Paste: With text selected, flick up or down to choose Cut, Copy, or Paste, then double-tap. Double-tap again to dismiss the editing options and place the insertion point at the end of the text area.

  To Undo: Shake iPhone, flick left or right to choose the action to undo, then double-tap.

• Additional rotor settings

  On web pages, you can now select and hear static text as well as zoom in or out.

• Pasting a phone number into the keypad

  You can paste phone numbers into the keypad instead of dialing them manually. If the phone number you copied contains letters, iPhone automatically converts them into the appropriate digits to dial.

• Setting Insertion Point in edit text fields

  To begin editing, you double tap to display the insertion point and bring up the onscreen keyboard. If the field already contains text, the insertion point is placed at the beginning or at the end of the
  text automatically.

• Navigating a List Index

  Some lists have an alphabetical index along the right side. The index cannot be selected by flicking between elements; you must touch the
  list index directly to select it. With the index selected, flick up or down to move through the index. Or, select the list index, then double-tap and slide your finger up or down to move through the index quickly.

• Opening Links in Mail Messages

  In mail, double-tap and hold down on a link. The address is displayed and you can choose to open the link in Safari or copy the link address to the clipboard.

• Editing Videos and Voice Memos

  You can use VoiceOver gestures to trim videos and Voice Memo recordings.

  To trim a video: While viewing a video, double-tap the screen to display the video controls. Select the beginning or end of the trim tool. Then flick up to drag to the right, flick down to drag to the left. VoiceOver announces the amount of time that will be trimmed from the recording. Select the Trim button and double tap to execute the trim.

  To trim a voice memo: In Voice Memos, select the button to the right of a recorded memo you want to trim, then double-tap. Select the Trim Memo button and double- tap. Select the beginning or end of the trim tool. Flick up to drag to
  the right and flick down to drag to the left. VoiceOver announces the amount of time that will be trimmed from the recording. Select the Trim Voice Memo button and double-tap to execute the trim.

• PDF file support

  VO can read PDF files attached to Mail messages.

• Voice Control using a Bluetooth headset

  You can enter spoken Voice Control commands through a bluetooth headset in addition to the earbuds and built-in microphone.

• Using Maps

  With VoiceOver, you can select pins that mark locations, and get information about locations.

  To select a pin: Touch a pin, or flick left and right to select a pin. To get information about a location, select a pin, then double-tap to display the information flag. Flick left or right to select the flag, then double-tap to display the information page.

• Saving a photo or video attachment to a Camera Roll album

  Touch and hold the image or video, then tap Save Image or Video.

• Creating a Genius Playlist

  To browse Genius Mixes: Tap Genius. The number of dots above the Dock shows the number of mixes you have synced from iTunes, and indicates which mix you’re viewing. Flick left or right to view additional mixes. You can sync up to twelve Genius Mixes from your iTunes library on your computer.

• Compass

  VoiceOver automatically announces the compass heading when there is a change in direction of 5-degrees or more.

• Rearranging the Home screen

  VoiceOver speaks the row and column position as you drag the icon. Release the icon when it’s in the location you want. You can drag additional icons. Drag an item to the left or right edge of the screen to move it to another page of the Home screen. When you’re finished rearranging the icons, press the Home button.

  When iPhone is connected to your computer, you can also rearrange the Home screen icons using iTunes 9. Select iPhone in the sidebar, then click the Applications tab.