• 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.

Apple’s event today is expected to focus primarily on iPods, iTunes, and the AppleTV.

Dragon Dictation provides voice recognition for iOS devices. Text generated can be copied to the clipboard, sent via SMS or email, posted to Twitter or Facebook, etc.

Hopefully, this newly implemented accessibility will find its way into Nuance’s other iOS products.

Dragon Dictation is available from the iTunes AppStore for free.

If you have finished typing a word, and you hear that an AutoText will take effect when you press the space, you can negate the correction by selecting "AutoText" from the VoiceOver rotor. Flick up or down to hear what the AutoText would be. If it is not what you want, double tap, and it will be dismissed.

3 ways to speak: (1) 100′s of built-in phrases in over a dozen categories (2) Program several buttons to speak your CUSTOM messages such as your name, address, family, etc. (3) Type ANY message and have it spoken using TEXT-TO-SPEECH!

Empower yourself or people with Autism & Non-Verbal patients you care for! One price for iPad, iPhone & iPod touch! Elegant interface, quality recognizable images & customizations allow for quick & easy communication! Very affordable! Don’t pay hundreds out of pocket or worry about Medicare or rationing devices. Everyone can have AutoVerbal! – iPad, iPhone & iPod touch universal support! Pay one price! – Users/caregivers can customize the first row of buttons by touching HELP to enter CUSTOM MODE! – 100′s of buttons use Premium TTS voice, prerecorded, even when the Internet is not available! – Custom TTS phrases use Premium voices when Internet is available, Standard built-in voices otherwise.

The application is currently on sale at a special introductory price of $0.99 in the US iTunes store.

It’s wonderful to continue seeing affordable assistive solutions powered by Apple’s iOS and the devices which run it. Here’s hoping that the days of expensive, dedicated assistive devices are coming to a close.

• Sync with iPhone 4 to enjoy your favorite music, movies, TV shows, books and more on-the-go
• Sync and read books with iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4 and iBooks 1.1
• Organize and sync PDF documents as books. Read PDFs with iBooks 1.1 on iPad and any iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Organize your apps on your iOS 4 home screens into folders using iTunes
• Faster back-ups while syncing an iPhone or iPod touch with iOS 4
• Album artwork improvements make artwork appear more quickly when exploring your library

iTunes is available via the "Software Update" mechanism on Mac OS X, or by download from Apple’s iTunes page.

THe next version, available later this month, will support the iPhone and iPod touch, and be able to sync bookmarks and notes across multiple devices, including the iPad. Users will be able to take notes within books themselves, and the app will include native support for PDF files as well.

It is unknown if the new bookmarking and note-taking features will be accessible, but we expect they will.

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!

The article also shares a bit of detail on other features current iPhone users may find helpful, such as multitasking and folders. OS 4 is expected to be released sometime in June, and should be announced at the upcoming Worldwide developers Conference on June 7th.

You can read the entire article here.

Join us to hear Apple discuss the latest universal access features on its iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and OS X VoiceOver!

Apple’s inclusion of assistive technology as an out-of-the-box feature in its latest products has made using the iPhone and other Apple products a truly viable option for blind and visually impaired users who wish to make calls, text, send emails and use various other Apple applications.

Braille OS X VoiceOver manuals can be pre-ordered from Adaptations, the LightHouse store, and picked up at the event. (Note: Orders must be received 10 or more days before the event.)

To RSVP, Email rsvp@lighthouse-sf.org or call 1-888-400-8933

Attend in-person or by calling in! (Conference call instructions will be provided with RSVP).

The LightHouse is wheelchair accessible. Accommodations are available upon request.

The LIghthouse San Francisco is located at:

The Lighthouse
214 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

This book provides the latest information on the accessible iPods created by Apple – the fourth and fifth generation iPod Nanos and the third generation iPod Shuffle – and the latest version of iTunes. Anna Dresner walks you through getting started with iTunes and using all the accessible features on these iPods. You’ll learn to import music into iTunes; use the iTunes store; sync music, audiobooks, podcasts and video to your iPod; and much more. Appendices provide answers to frequently asked questions and resources for keeping up with new iPod developments.?

The title is available in hard copy braille, electronic braille, print, and dAISY, on disk or as a download from this link.

For more about Anna Dresner, visit her author page at NBP.

More information is available on the Solona.net Enhanced Screen Protector page.

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.

iBooks is available for the iPad, and will make its way to the iPhone and iPod touch devices when Apple releases iPhone OS 4.0 this summer. It provides fantastic access for low and no vision customers to a huge catalog of free and commercially available books, as well as the ability to read DRM-free titles in the open EPub standard format.

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.

Last month, Adobe promised Flash and Flex accessibility for Mac OS X in the future, though by all accounts that is at least eighteen months away. Applications currently available for the iPhone that were developed using Adobe’s Flash to iPhone app technology are inaccessible with VoiceOver.