If you have read Part 1 of this review, Display, covering the Focus Blue 14 from Freedom Scientific, it seems most logical to begin Part 2 by telling you that the most significant difference between these two products is size and price. The Focus 14 offers 14 braille cells, measures 3.5 by 6.5 inches, and sells for $1,295. The Focus Blue 40 has, as you might guess, 40 braille cells, measures 13 inches wide by 3 inches deep, and is priced at $2,795.

Each of these two products sports a nine-key Perkins-style keyboard, a cursor router button above each of its 14 or 40 braille cells respectively, and an impressive array of additional controls. These are arranged slightly differently on the smaller product for ergonomic appeal, but all of these controls are featured on both models. On both products there are two each (one left and one right) of the following controls: a Mode button, nav rocker, Selector button, rocker bar, Panning button, and Shift key. Twelve controls then, in addition to the nine-key keyboard and either 14 or 40 cursor router buttons adds up to a considerable number of options for combining keys. And it is by using all available keys and controls in a multitude of combinations that makes these displays such powerful tool. Add to the mix that these devices are extremely lightweight and esthetically pleasing to touch, and it is clear that these are attractive options for access technology consumers who prefer the additional accuracy and control afforded by braille access.

The Two Models

Unless otherwise noted, all features discussed in this article about the Focus 40 also apply to the Focus 14 and, conversely, all strengths and/or weaknesses presented in Part 1 regarding the Focus 14 are present on the Focus 40. Based on its size and number of braille cells, the Focus 40 is especially well suited to pairing with a laptop or desktop computer and the Focus 14, because it has a considerably smaller braille line and overall footprint, will be seen by many consumers as a more convenient match for a smart phone or tablet. Many braille readers find the larger display more comfortable for reading books and documents while the smaller display is quite adequate for text messages and e-mails. That said, either of these products could perform well in both office and mobile environments. It is all a matter of personal preference.

Out of the Box

Like its smaller sibling, the Focus 40 ships with an AC adapter, USB cable, soft case, hard copy braille manual, and companion CD. It can connect via USB or Bluetooth.

If connected to a computer running JAWS version 12 or higher, the Focus 40 connects more effortlessly than any braille display I have experienced. Similarly, it connects—and maintains the connection—with iOS products with impressive ease. (Note: For this review, I used JAWS 15 as a screen reader and paired the display with an iPhone and iPad both running iOS 7.1. Freedom Scientific reports that the Focus 14 and 40 work with other screen readers and Android products as well, but those were not tested for this review.)

Keeping Your Hands in Place

Well, keeping your hands on just one keyboard is really what we're talking about in this instance. Braille display users frequently adopt a technique of rapid hand movement between computer keyboard and braille display. If you are writing a report or e-mail message in other words, you might type on the computer keyboard and then quickly transfer your hands to the braille display to read what you written. You check what the braille has to say, then move your hands to the computer keyboard once again to continue composing. Then, back you go to the braille display to confirm accuracy and again to the computer keyboard to continue, and so on and so on. For some computer users (particularly those who are relatively new to either braille or the standard QWERTY-style computer keyboard) this constant repetitive motion can be tedious.

With the "Braille-In" feature available on Focus Blue displays, you can type directly from the Perkins-style keyboard, in either contracted or uncontracted braille. If contracted braille is your choice, it is translated as you type, displaying the contracted braille for you on the display, while presenting uncontracted print on the screen. For some, this feature can be improve efficiency since both typing and reading can be done on a single piece of equipment.

You are not limited to text entry on the Focus display. Key combination equivalents are available as well to enable you to enter all those familiar additional keyboard directives. By using the input keys themselves as well as all of the additional controls in a myriad of combinations, most commands involving Tab, Alt, Control, Shift, the Windows key, etc., can be executed from the Focus itself.

If you want to check your word count in Microsoft Word, for example, (something I find myself doing often by pressing Alt-T followed by the letter "W"), you can accomplish this from the Focus display by pressing the chord combination of dots 6, 8, and space bar, followed by the braille letter "T" and braille letter "W."

Activating the function keys from the braille display is the easiest of these keystrokes to memorize. To signal that you are going to use a function key, you press the chord combination of dots 1, 8, and spacebar and follow it with a letter from "A" through "l" to indicate F1 through F12. This combination followed by the braille letter "A," therefore, indicates F1, "B" activates F2, "C" activates F3, and so on.

If typing exclusively from the braille display keyboard is your preference there are several key combinations to memorize, but many users of braille-based technology are accustomed to the multitude of key combinations employed to perform tasks.

Power 1-2-3

A recent firmware upgrade has made it even easier to use the Focus 40 (or Focus 14) for dual purposes and to switch between them. If, for instance, you have the Focus connected to your laptop via USB and paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth, it was previously necessary to disconnect the first to re-establish connection with the second. With the Power 1-2-3 feature, (which derives its name from the keys pressed to activate it: Power followed by dots 1-2-3) you can quickly switch from one mode to the other. You can, for example, be writing or reading a document on your computer and, with these keystrokes, switch focus to your smartphone or tablet to read an incoming text message or identify the source of an incoming call. This is exactly the kind of feature that consumers are looking for as we come to expect increased functionality from single products.

Caveats and Conclusions

There have been some comments from consumers regarding the fragile construction of these displays. While reviewing the Focus 40 and Focus 14, I found both to be stable, reliable, and responsive. Perhaps the lightweight construction does make them more vulnerable than heavier displays, but it has never been in my nature to throw refreshable braille displays against the wall or onto the floor, so I had no personal experience with this particular issue.

With the ease of pairing either of these displays with both USB and Bluetooth devices and now, switching between them, the Focus Blue 40 and Focus Blue 14 are both attractive options for the avid braille user. If reading a full braille line is essential to your personal productivity, the Focus Blue 40 is for you; if a small amount of braille and small size are more essential, then the Focus Blue 14 can still function as braille accessory to both your laptop and smart phone. For the braille devotee whose budget can manage both, there will be readily available braille access for all your devices all the time.

For more information or to order, visit the Freedom Scientific website or call 800-444-4443.

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So, you've just purchased a Mac. You enjoy the OS X experience using VoiceOver, but you still need to use Windows because a critical piece of software does not run on Mac. Or maybe you simply want to spend some time perfecting your Mac skills before you start using it for your job. You could keep your old Windows machine and crowd your desk with two CPUs and keyboards, or two laptops. But, happily, there is a better way. It is possible to run both OS X and Windows on the same Mac. You can "Boot Camp" your machine, and choose at startup which operating system—OS X or Windows—you wish to run. I will describe Boot Camp below, but in this article I will focus on a second, and in my opinion better, way to run Windows on a Mac, and that is by creating a virtual machine using a third-party Mac application called VM Fusion.

Running Boot Camp

A few years back when I bought my first Mac Mini, I set it atop my desk, marveling at its small footprint compared to the hulking Dell PC that whooshed and beeped beneath my desk. I bought a keyboard/mouse/display splitter, and set things up so I could move back and forth between the two computers with a single button press. I was content with this configuration. Until my Dell crashed for good. That is when I decided it was time to Boot Camp my Mac Mini.

In OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks, the Boot Camp Assistant is located in the Utilities folder in Applications. The assistant will partition and format a portion of your Mac's available disk space to accommodate the Windows operating system without affecting your Mac data, and download a set of Boot Camp drivers that will give Windows applications full access to multiple processors and multiple cores, along with USB, FireWire, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and sound output.

I used Boot Camp and a Windows 7 64 bit ISO file purchased from Microsoft to install Windows. I could also have used an installation DVD and my Mac SuperDrive. The Boot Camp application is completely accessible using VoiceOver. Unfortunately, once you reach the point where the Windows installation takes over, speech is lost. I needed sighted assistance to complete the Windows installation. There is now a way to create a talking Windows install disk, thanks to the excellent work of The Talking Windows Pre-installation Environment project which can be used to create a Boot Camp installation as demonstrated in this AppleVis Podcast.

With Windows installed I could now choose which operating system—Windows 7 or OS X Mavericks—would run at startup. I could reboot from Mavericks to Windows by changing the Startup Disk preference pane, or move in the opposite direction using the Startup Disk control panel Boot Camp places in the Windows Notifications area. You can also press and hold the Option key when you start your Mac, which calls up a boot loader, which does not speak, so you will have to learn whether to press the Left or Right Arrow key to select Windows or OS X, then press Enter to start the system running the operating system of your choice.

I found that running Windows via Boot Camp was extremely stable. In fact, I found it the most stable Windows machine I have ever owned. I suspect at least part of the reason for this is that all of the hardware and drivers come from the same computer maker. My Dell, Gateways, HPs and other previous PCs, used video cards and drivers supplied by one company, sound cards and drivers from another—a situation that is almost guaranteed to cause occasional conflicts and crashes.

I was happy with my dual-boot configuration for a few months, but as time passed and I grew more confident using the Mac, I spent more and more time sitting at my desk waiting for my Mac Mini to reboot. It was time for a different approach: a virtual machine.

What is a Virtual Machine?

Let's start with a brief definition. A virtual machine is a software computer that operates the same as a physical computer. It runs an operating system, such as Windows, which, in turn, runs various applications, such as MS Office and the Windows screen reader of your choice. Basically, a virtual machine is an application that is pretending to be a computer, and it does such a good job, Windows and the applications software that run on it do not even realize they're not running on a physical computer.

There are two popular applications that will create virtual machines on a Mac: VM Fusion and Parallels. Of the two, VM Fusion seems to be the most speech friendly, so this is the one I use and will detail in this article. I will assume that you have a good working knowledge of both the OS X and the Windows operating systems, and are at least reasonably proficient with VoiceOver and the Windows screen reader of your choice.

The Advantages of Running a Virtual Machine

Running Windows via a VM Fusion virtual machine allows you to run both Windows and OS X at the same time. You can toggle Windows in and out of full-screen mode by pressing Control + Command + F, and use your normal Windows screen reader commands (although a bit of tweaking may be required, as described later in this article). All of the standard Windows shortcut keys are also available, such as pressing the Windows key to begin a search or Alt + Tab to move through your running programs list. Press Ctrl + Command and you will toggle back to OS X with VoiceOver still running. Now, Command + Tab moves you through your list of running Mac applications, just as you have come to expect.

All of your data can be made available on both sides of this setup. So can certain features. For instance, I did not have to install my printer in Windows. When I use the Print command, the job is ported through to OS X, which sends it to my default printer. I also did not have to install Dropbox on my Windows VM. I simply add files to my Dropbox folder, which I share with my Mac, and then the Mac software takes care of all the uploading and synching.

Another useful feature is the ability to cut-and-paste between operating systems. I can copy some text, or a file name on the Windows side using Ctrl + C or Ctrl + X, then copy or paste it on the Mac side using Command + V or Command + Option + V. I find this particularly helpful when trying to decode an inaccessible webpage. If I can't access it using IE, I can copy the URL, move to the OS X, paste the address into Safari, and give the page a try there.

You are not limited to a single virtual machine. I am not quite ready to abandon Windows 7 for Windows 8.1. So I created a separate virtual machine for each, and I can choose which one to run from the Virtual Machine Library.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of running Windows in a VM is the file structure itself. In most cases VM Fusion creates a single file package that contains the entirety of your Windows installation and programs. By default it places this file package in the Documents/Virtual Machines folder, where it can easily be backed up using Time Machine or a simple copy-and-paste to a different folder. That software you just installed that utterly fouled your screen reader setup? Or maybe, despite all of your precautions, you just contracted a computer virus? No worries, simply close the machine, delete the virtual machine file, then restore it with your last backup copy, and you're good to go—no muss, no fuss.

Getting Started with VM Fusion

VM Fusion is not available from the Mac App Store. You will need to purchase and download it directly from the VW Ware website. There is also a free 30-day trial.

After installing VM Fusion you will discover four different ways to create a virtual machine. We'll take them one by one.

Launching Your Boot Camp Partition

If you are already running Windows on your Mac with a Boot Camp partition, you don't need to reinstall Windows to use VM Fusion. You can use your Boot Camp partition to run both OS X and Windows simultaneously with VM Fusion. Here's how.

1. Launch VM Fusion from your Applications folder.
2. Use VO + M to open the Fusion Menu Bar, select Window, then Virtual Machine Library.
3. Locate the "Boot Camp" button and press Play. If the button is not there, press the "More" button and add Boot Camp to your library.

VM Fusion will prompt you for your Mac password, then prepare your virtual machine automatically. This may take a while, but eventually your VM will start, and if you have your screen reader set to auto load, it will begin speaking. You will now be running your Boot Camp version of Windows. Any new programs you install or files you change will be there the next time you reboot into your regular Boot Camp partition. Note that this method does not create a single file that you can backup, as do the other three methods described below.

Launching a Boot Camp partition is an excellent way to begin your virtual machine experience. There is some additional setup required to run Windows smoothly with speech, which we will discuss below. While you are making these settings changes you will always have the option to stop using your virtual machine and reboot and run Windows natively.

Because of the extra layer of programming, a virtual machine can run a bit slower than the same machine running Windows alone. Most users will not even notice the slight performance hit, but if you are running a processor-intensive Windows application from time to time it's nice to have the option to restart in Boot Camp and harness every bit of your Mac's power.

Importing Your Boot Camp Partition

After using the Launch Boot Camp option for a time, you may decide you no longer need your original Boot Camp partition. It's time to import your Windows installation. Selecting this option in the Virtual Machine Library instructs VM Fusion to configure and copy your entire Windows installation, programs, and data into a single extremely large file. This process can take quite a while, and there is no audible feedback until Windows starts and your screen reader begins speaking.

When you import your Windows installation you will need to re-activate both Windows and MS Office, if you have it installed. Your Boot Camp partition will still be on your machine, but programs and files will no longer be updated when you change them in VM Fusion, and if you start up the Boot Camp partition you will need to re-activate Windows, since you can only have a single copy of Windows running for each license key. At this point you may wish to consider removing your Boot Camp partition to reclaim the disk space.

Migrating an Existing PC

Perhaps you just bought a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. You also have a Windows notebook computer set up with all of your favorite software and data files. Instead of starting from scratch you can migrate this entire computer into VM Fusion and run it as a virtual machine. The procedure involves running special software on your PC, then importing the Windows installation and data via a network connection or a USB drive. VMware offers an excellent tutorial and PDF instructions on this process.

Note that you will need to activate your migrated Windows installation with a license key, and once you do, you can no longer use your notebook without obtaining a second license key.

Creating a Virtual Machine from Disk or Image

This—using an installation disk or disk image to create a fresh new Windows installation—is the most popular way to create a Windows virtual machine. You will need a licensed copy of a Windows 7 or 8 installation disk or USB install drive, or an ISO disk image file, which you can obtain from the Microsoft Store if you purchase Windows there.

To create a virtual Windows machine, begin at the VM Fusion File menu and select New. Next, select Create a Virtual Machine. You will be presented with a table listing all of the installation disks VM Fusion can find. If your disk or image is not there, use the Use Another Disk or Image option to locate your installation media. Select Continue, then Easy Install, then Continue again.

VM Fusion will place your Mac account name in the Windows account name field, but you can change this if you like. You can optionally enter and confirm a password, along with a product key.

Confirm your language preference, and the version of Windows you wish to install, then select Proceed. An alert will pop up if you do not enter a license key, but you can bypass this message and proceed without a key and wait to activate Windows until you are up and running.

At this point you are given two choices: More Seamless or More Isolated. The More Isolated option causes VM Fusion to keep your Mac and Windows files separate. To open a Windows file in OS X you will first have to copy it to the Mac folder, and vise-versa. The More Seamless option enables your Mac to share files between OS X and Windows. You can open a .doc file you created in Windows directly from its folder location using OS X, and an RTF file you create using Text Editor will be available for review and editing in Windows. Your Windows desktop will also include an icon called VM Shared Folders, where you can access your OS X Home folder and all its subfolders for easy file management. Personally, I think the More Seamless option is the only way to go.

After making your choice, click Finish. VM Fusion will do the rest, and take you all the way to your new Windows desktop. It can take quite some time, and there are no audible progress indicators to assure you things are still moving along. However, I did find one way to tell if the Windows installation is finished.

After completing the Windows installation, VM Fusion installs a set of VM Tools that allow Windows to run considerably more smoothly inside a virtual machine. If you access the Virtual Machine menu choice and cursor down toward the bottom you will find "Install VM Tools" listed as an option. If VM Fusion has finished its job, this option will read "Reinstall VM Tools."

You are now ready to start Narrator or install your favorite screen reader.

To date I have successfully created several Windows 7 and Windows 8 virtual machines on two different Macs without sighted assistance. During one Windows 8 installation, the process seemed to hang and I could not determine what went wrong. This was easy enough to fix. I chose Force Shutdown from the Virtual Machine/Shut Down menu option, located the VM file, deleted it, and then began again.

A Few Necessary Tweaks

Along with pressing the CTRL + Command + F hotkey or activating the menu bar View/Full Screen option, there are a few other changes you will wish to make in your virtual machine settings in order to effectively run Windows with speech in a virtual machine.

Keyboard

Windows users will automatically reach for the key to the immediate left or right of the spacebar to access the Alt key, and one key to the left of the Alt key to activate the Windows key. OS X maps keys differently; when you start Windows in a virtual machine these keys are reversed. The key to the left of the spacebar is the Windows key, and one key to the left of that is the Alt key. You can change this key mapping in the Menu Bar Virtual Machine/Settings/Keyboard & Mouse option. Choose the Key Mapping option, where you can remap the Mac Command key to the Windows Alt key, and the Mac Option key to the Windows key.

While you are in the Keyboard and Mouse settings, you will probably also want to disable a few of the default key mappings. To keep a consistent experience for Mac users, VM Fusion remaps many of the Mac commands to also perform Windows tasks. Command + C, for example, will act like CTRL + C in Windows. Many of these keys interfere with screen reader hotkeys, so examine the entire table of remappings and uncheck them as needed.

File and Folder Sharing

By default VM Fusion shares your Mac Home folder and subfolders with your Windows installation. Your screen reader may require a CD/DVD drive to install. Use the Settings/Sharing controls to add other drives and folders your virtual machine can access.

Getting Help

If you're like me, you are bound to experience at least a few snags getting Windows to run on your Mac. Happily, the AppleVis website offers a wealth of information about running Windows using Boot Camp and inside a virtual machine. For example, remapping the Mac Caps Lock key to become an Insert key, which the Mac keyboard does not contain, took a bit of doing. A quick search of the AppleVis website turned up this useful AppleVis article. I also receive invaluable help and advice from subscribers to the Macvisionaries e-mail list, where I discovered many users who are far more knowledgeable than I.

Last, but certainly not least, there is the VM Fusion technical support department. Tech support is available via the company website. I have initiated any number of support requests this way, and I do not believe there has been a single time when my questions were not answered by a follow-up phone call from a knowledgeable representative who spent as much time with me as necessary to answer my questions and assist me via remote login to resolve my issues.

Summing Up

If you own a Mac, and have a copy of Windows, I see no reason not to download the 30-day trial of VM Fusion and create a virtual machine. Others who may be considering replacing their old PC with a Mac should also not fear the loss of their familiar Windows applications or their data.

I first began running Windows on my Mac out of necessity when my PC crashed for good. I then continued to run it this way because I found the Mac hardware offered an extremely powerful and stable Windows experience. Going forward, I do not anticipate running Windows any other way than inside a virtual machine. Windows and OS X and their respective screen readers each have their strongpoints, and a few weaknesses. Running both together, I now enjoy access to the best of both worlds.

Product Information

Product: VM Fusion 6
Available from: VMware
Price: $59.99

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Dear AccessWorld readers,

One year ago at this time, AccessWorld took a step "out of the box" with Bill Holton's investigation of cutting edge vision-correction technology. In his article, Four Emerging Vision-Enhancing Technologies: the Implantable Miniature Telescope, the Telescopic Contact Lens, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis, and the Artificial Silicon Retina, he reported on emerging technologies with the potential to enhance the useable vision of many individuals with age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Based on reader feedback on this and his subsequent vision research articles, approximately once per quarter, AccessWorld will publish research articles as they pertain to the most common forms of vision loss. As research is ongoing, there will always be something newsworthy to say in this area, and we look forward to bringing you the information.

Over the past year, AccessWorld author Deborah Kendrick has also been bringing you information about the work of the Smith-Kettlewell Institute. This month Deborah concludes her five-part series with a profile of a retiring leader at Smith-Kettlewell: pioneer, scientist, and role model Bill Gerrey.

When it comes to product evaluations, the September issue has that covered as well. In this issue, learn about the Overcast podcast player app for iOS, Spotify Free and Songza music player apps for iOS, the Focus Blue 40 braille display, and the joys and challenges of running Windows on a Mac.

As I'm sure you have all noticed, the days are now growing noticeably shorter. Students have returned to school, and it's now a logical time to begin thinking about work and careers. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and next month AccessWorld will recognize its observance by taking a closer look at new employment resources for people with vision loss as well as by revisiting tried and true job search strategies. Of course, we will also be looking at technology to support and enhance your career and work life.

The AccessWorld team hopes you will read each article in this and every issue to gain as much access information as possible. As technology is always advancing, we encourage you to stay proactive in seeking out new access strategies that may better meet your particular situation.

Sincerely,
Lee Huffman
AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

What a find! J.J. Meddaugh's article, A Collection of Accessible Apps for Your Android Device is [just] what I was looking for[…]: an accessible android apps list. Thank you so much. I've been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab3 for almost a month and have been looking for accessible apps.

Be well and have a fantastic summer.

I am looking forward to hearing the next That Android Show.

From an AccessWorld reader

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

I am not a Mac user and have no plans of switching at this point. However, I found A Review of iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, by Shelly Brisbin by Bill Holton interesting and would view it as a useful tool if I were to use VoiceOver for this reason. [The] author offered some good tips of things I'd find helpful to learn about that complemented the information in this book to make learning to use this option much easier.

Agnes Ferris

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

After reading A Review of the Panasonic Line of Talking Televisions: A Shaky First Effort by J.J. Meddaugh, I would like to see an article that revisits the accessibility of the Panasonic line of televisions. Have there been any changes?

Also, what about the idea of reviewing stereo receivers that Samsung manufactures from an accessibility perspective?

I've listened to the review of the Samsung televisions and they sound like they are the leaders in this perspective.

Thanks for providing the method of sending tweets and Facebook posts.

Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Mickey Quenzer

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Today I just revisited Talking About Accessibility: An Evaluation of the Panasonic KX-TG6591T Cordless Phone by Deborah Kendrick, because I am looking to buy an accessible cordless phone for myself.

I am wondering if AccessWorld is in the process of writing an article about a newer cordless phone that has talking features for people who are blind or maybe there is a new recommendation in this regard.

Thanks,

Michael

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

After reading An Evaluation of the Samsung UN50H6400 Television by Bill Holton, I feel that Samsung's half-way access is so very frustrating. Why do manufacturers put out half-way products? In this case, it's on the expensive model, the 3D model that comes with two sets of glasses for heaven's sake. I think it's okay for AccessWorld to say that a product is a joke when it clearly is. Access means I can have a tech support person shadow me? That's not access. Bugs, [some] functions that do talk, some [that] don't? Some of us will buy the thing.

I have almost completely turned away from TV, but many of us do like TV, and […] inaccessibility is very bad. Cable boxes? Comcast's tech support team is not at all ready to help us. No, Samsung might point the way for 2016, but this access gimmick is not ready for prime time.

Mike Cole

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Get In Shape with the Fitbit Flex by Janet Ingber is a very well-written article. I look forward to many more well-written articles in the future.

I use the Fitbit Flex everyday. It is wonderful for any blind user. I use the Android app as well and yes it is very accessible to the blind. I have been using this FitBit since December 2013 and I have earned several badges along the way. The company is now based in San Francisco, California. Please give it a try and start losing weight with the FitBit Plus or Fitbit Flex.

Have a great day.

Jimmy Hulme

Dear AccessWorld Editor,

Walt Disney World Provides Accessibility for Blind Guests by Deborah Kendrick was a good article. I'd like to see more articles on leisure travel. It is so disheartening at times to see just how much is geared for sighted tourists. It makes people who are blind wonder if it is worth traveling at all.

George Nellas

San Francisco International Airport Unveils Mobile App for Passengers with Visual Impairments

Airport demonstrates prototype phone application that can guide passengers through terminal.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) recently unveiled a prototype version of a smartphone application that can help passengers with visual impairments navigate through an airport terminal. The app—developed through San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program, which paired SFO with Indoors, a leader in indoor navigation technology—was developed in a relatively short span of 16 weeks.

"This groundbreaking new innovation offers visually-impaired passengers something remarkable…the ability to navigate through SFO independently without assistance," said Airport Director John L. Martin. "I appreciate the collaboration with Indoors and the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, made possible by Mayor Ed Lee's Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program. This program demonstrates Mayor Lee's commitment to innovation."

The prototype app works in conjunction with approximately 500 beacons located throughout the terminal to audibly call out various points of interest, including gate boarding areas, restaurants, and even power outlets. The prototype version will undergo additional testing and refinement before being released for use by the traveling public.

More information is available at www.sfgov.org/mod and http://www.flysfo.com/services-amenities/accessibility.

Freedom Scientific Announces Membership in the Consumer Electronics Association

Freedom Scientific recognizes the value of collaborating with CEA and its membership community to work towards a common goal of providing equal access to consumers who are blind or have low vision.

"Technology will continue to play an increasingly important role in the development of solutions for our customers, and we intend to be engaged and conversant as the leader in our industry," said John Blake, President and CEO of Freedom Scientific. "We recognize the value of collaborating with this association and its many offerings."

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is most commonly known for producing the annual International CES in Las Vegas, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technology.

"We are happy to welcome Freedom Scientific to CEA and look forward to facilitating their participation in a variety of CEA member opportunities, from industry promotions and division initiatives to our industry events like our upcoming Innovate and 2015 CES," said Ellen Savage, senior director of membership, CEA. "Freedom Scientific's mission aligns closely with that of the CEA Foundation and we look forward to their input there as well as across many CEA member-focused programs."

Freedom Scientific looks forward to this new relationship and supports the CEA and its mission to make technology accessible to all consumers.

US Business Leadership Network Career Link Mentoring Program is Surveying Individuals with Disabilities

The college students from the US Business Leadership Network Career Link Mentoring Program are reaching out to college students with disabilities, employed adults with disabilities, and job seekers with disabilities to gather input for a handout that they are designing for employers. Take this quick survey and help to create a better atmosphere for the disclosure process in the workplace.

For 50 years, the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco has been investigating theories, conducting research, and sometimes developing products related to sensory rehabilitation. For 42 of those years, Bill Gerrey has been at the heart of that work—sometimes playing a central starring role, sometimes a supporting cast member, and sometimes functioning something like the invisible power source, the thrumming below the surface that keeps all systems moving forward.

When Bill Gerrey was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, the same childhood retinal cancer that caused his father's blindness, his mother took the unusual stance of saying she was more concerned with having a healthy baby than one who could see. Her husband was a successful businessman (having built his own piano tuning business that, Gerrey estimates, annually grossed $500,000 in today's dollars ) and could do things many sighted men could not do. She was not afraid of blindness.

Gerrey's father had studied under the renowned Dr. Newell Perry and when young Bill was about four, the couple invited Dr. Perry to come to their Reno, Nevada, home for a visit.

"He took the train from California," Gerrey says. "My parents had me do a few parlor tricks [play the piano, recite some encyclopedic facts] and Perry's pronouncement was that this child deserved an education and should come to the California School for the Blind."

Thus the piano tuning business was liquidated and the family moved to California.

As a first grader at the California School for the Blind, however, Bill was miserable. The next year, he was enrolled in a brand-new resource classroom in a public school in Castro Valley, California, and continued his education among sighted students.

Much of his education took place at home. His father taught him to tune a piano, build a radio, and follow his own insatiable curiosity.

From Star Subject to Engineer

Smith-Kettlewell was established as a working foundation in the 1960s by two ophthalmologists. Research projects range from medical to functional, from finding methods to prevent or cure certain sensory conditions to developing solutions or alternative approaches when sensory loss gets in the way.

The first Tactile Vision Substitution System (TVSS) built in 1968, was an example of the latter: it examined ways of delivering visual information to someone who lacked physical eyesight. Consisting of a modified dental chair and camera, the TVSS presented vibrating patterns of visual images to a seated user's back, abdomen, or inner thigh. Bill Gerrey was first hired by Smith-Kettlewell as a research subject for the TVSS in 1969, prior to his 1971 graduation from California Polytechnic University. He proved to be a star subject in the course of that research, and would eventually build three of the TVSS devices himself.

Through the TVSS, Gerrey could feel the tactile vibrations on his back, for instance, and identify the positioning of a telephone in a room. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, such breakthroughs were nothing short of miraculous.

After graduating in 1971 with his bachelor's degree in electronics engineering, Gerrey came on staff at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute as more than a research subject. Some projects failed, some ran into unsolvable obstacles, and some became devices that are still available today, 40 years later.

Gerrey and his colleagues built tools that enabled a blind person to know where the hole was in a fabric to insert a snap, when a hypodermic-size vacuum tweezer had something in it, where the pins were on a bowling alley, and more. Typically, such devices replaced visual cues with audio ones. They built an audio micrometer for a blind worker at United Airlines, and an audio oscilloscope for blind workers who needed to detect voltage. They developed a way for a blind person to hear frequencies alerting the approach of an earthquake—and on it went.

When not building "stuff" as he likes to call it, Gerrey was sent to vocational rehabilitation agencies around the country, where he shared with rehabilitation professionals his methods, his research, and his confidence in the abilities of blind engineers and technicians. He was sent to Paris, France, where he advised the French government on establishing an engineering center there.

In 1980, he became editor of the Technical File, a quarterly journal distributed in braille, large print, and recorded formats to engineering professionals and hobbyists. Browsing those issues today can be a mind-numbing and dazzling sojourn through sometimes brilliant documents. The journal was akin to a series of verbal blueprints for blind technicians. Everything from step-by-step instructions for building a talking device of one kind or another, to detailed instructions for the blind individual interested in soldering, to philosophical musings on the abilities of the blind scientist in general can be found in those publications, many of which are available in an online archive.

Bill Gerrey's quirky fascinations with words and the ways in which we communicate are evident in those old journals, as they are in conversation. His brain seems to be firing on four or five topics at any given instant, so that linear conversation isn't exactly possible—but what does occur in conversation with Bill Gerrey is the verbal and intellectual equivalent of a carnival ride.

His interests are expansive—from amateur radio to early recordings to the ways in which sight and hearing gets into the human brain. He has an erector set, a slot machine, a collection of early 20^th-century recordings, a player piano he has refurbished himself.

He talks about coming into the lab and just pulling "stuff' out of drawers—chips and transistors and circuit boards and such—to build other "stuff" from his imagination to solve problems or create new ways of getting a thing done.

Transitions

Bill Gerrey likes to say that his has been a world of Tinker Toys and he is a master of playing with the Tinker Toy set. In his 40-plus years of scientific research, he says, he just liked building stuff. And he has loved sharing what he knows and has figured out with other blind people.

"The blind don't discriminate against themselves," he says. In other words, we know what we can do and it is best when we share the knowledge with one another. He likes to say he has kept no trade secrets. He has loved presenting alternative methods to others.

At 67, Gerrey decided that it was time to retire. That said, every morning in June when I called the lab, I found him there working.

"What I did was build stuff," he says, the joy of doing so ringing loud and clear. But technology has changed the way research and development occurs.

"I had my Tinker Toys," and, of course, he is referring to all those transducers and chips and physical elements of technical configuration. "But Tinker Toys are now obsolete. … Josh [he is referring to Dr. Joshua Miele, featured in earlier segments of this series] uses iPhones and iPads and configures new solutions, makes things happen."

Today's principle investigators may be using different tools—in many cases, tools that cannot be seen or held in the hands in the way that Gerrey's "Tinker Toys" could be, but his work and his genius are a solid foundation that enables them to proceed. As he listens to a 1918 Edison recording or fiddles with "the fanciest ham radio equipment I've ever owned," he is still tweaking, investigating, discovering, finding new and interesting ways of doing things without physical eyesight.

To learn more about the Smith Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, visit: www.ski.org.

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iPhones make great accessible media players. It's one less device you need to carry around, and with a Wi-Fi or cell data connection you are always just a few double-taps away from the latest books, news, and entertainment. More and more, I find myself accessing the latter two via the ever-growing number and quality of downloadable podcasts. I subscribe to nearly a hundred different feeds, from 99% Invisible to WTF with Mark Maron, and Downcast, my podcast player of choice, is without doubt the most frequently used app on my iPhone.

Recently, a new iOS podcast player app has begun to make a name for itself within the accessibility community. It's called Overcast, from Overcast Radio, LLC, and it's from Marco Arment, co-founder of Tumblr and creator of Instapaper. I decided to have a look for myself, both at its functionality and its accessibility. Here's what I found.

A Different Approach

The Overcast app is free from the iOS App Store, but unlocking all of the features requires a $4.99 in-app purchase. I tested version 1.02 on my iPhone 5 running iOS 7.12. The app runs on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running iOS 7 and above. The iPad version is the same version as the iPhone version, however, and it only runs in portrait mode. The developer plans to release an iPad-optimized version, along with a version that will run on Mac OS X. He has no plans to create an Android or Windows version.

Most podcast apps keep a list of your subscribed podcasts in an OPML file, then download new episodes when you instruct the app to do a feed check, or on a time schedule you set in the app's settings. Overcast does things differently. You need to set up an account to use Overcast, and when you do, your podcast subscription list is uploaded onto the Overcast servers. The list is checked continuously against the various feeds, and when a new episode is posted it is auto-downloaded into Overcast, where, optionally, a device alert is triggered so you know the new podcast is now available for playback.

There are definite advantages to this approach. If you're like me and have a large subscription list, your device doesn't spend a lot of time checking feeds, a potential drain on both battery and processing power. Many of the podcasts I subscribe to have erratic publishing schedules, requiring any number of connections and checks before a new episode is detected and downloaded. With Overcast, when I open the app I know that all new episodes have already been downloaded. And if my favorite podcast posts an episode a few hours early, I will receive it almost immediately. If I double-tap the alert I will be taken directly to Overcast. Unfortunately, the app does not begin auto play of the podcast for which I received the alert. This would be a useful feature for a later version or update.

Getting Started

After creating an account, you are given the opportunity to import your subscription list from any other podcast client already installed on your device. Select your existing player and the app will give you instructions on how to export the OPML file from that player and send it to Overcast, which will then subscribe you to those feeds and begin auto-checking for new episodes.

The Overcast interface is fairly simple, featuring a row of five controls across the top of the screen: Settings, Download, Add Playlist, Add Podcast, and Playlists. We'll hold off on describing the Add Playlist and Playlists tabs, since these only work in the full-featured product.

The Add Podcast tab allows you to search for a podcast by name, and then to download episodes or subscribe to the feed. It also displays a list of "Starter Kits," groupings of podcasts arranged by category—Tech, Public Radio, Pop Culture, and the like—which you can access individually, or, if you are a new podcast listener, "Subscribe to All" and then decide later which podcasts you enjoy and unsubscribe from the rest.

Overcast includes one other, rather unique way, to find podcasts you might enjoy. In the Details screen of each podcast episode there is a "Recommend" button. Back on the "Add Podcasts" screen you will also find a "Recommendations from Twitter" button. This button will seek out programs that have been recommended using Overcast by people you follow on Twitter, who, presumably, share a lot of your interests. Already I have found and subscribed to several new podcasts feeds using this method.

The Download tab lists any podcasts that failed to properly download, along with a button to "Resume download." There is also an "Allow Cellular Downloads" option, but this option is only available in the full-feature version, and I would advise against use of this feature, unless you have an unlimited data plan, or if you have no available Wi-Fi and wish to download an episode or two to help pass the time.

The Settings tab includes the customary Help and support information, along with settings for the Seek Back By and Seek Forward By controls. You can set either or both of these to move by 7, 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds with each double-tap.

Moving down the screen, you will find the default Playlist, All Episodes followed by two headings; Podcasts and Played Podcasts. The first offers a list of all podcasts and their publishers/producers with unplayed episodes. The second shows all of your subscribed podcasts with no unplayed episodes. By default these lists are sorted alphabetically, but the full-featured version offers additional sorting options, which I will describe in the next section.

Double-tap any podcast title to open the episode list. You can now select whether you wish to view only unplayed titles, or a list of all back episodes. Each episode screen includes a "Settings" button, where you can change subscription options, notifications options, and set the number of unplayed episodes to keep.

Double-tap any episode title to begin playback. Downloaded episodes begin playing immediately. Downcast does not include the ability to stream podcasts or listen to them while they are downloading.

All of the podcast buttons are labeled, and the play controls are completely VoiceOver accessible. The volume, play/pause and fast forward/rewind controls are accessible using Apple earbuds, so this app will work nicely locked and stowed in your pocket or handbag.

Played episodes are removed from your player automatically. There are two ways to delete a partially played or unwanted episode using VoiceOver. With the title highlighted, double-tap on the screen, swipe left, and then double-tap the delete button. You can also swipe to or single-tap the line above the episode title, which provides the episode's running time and publication date, perform a one-finger-swipe-up gesture, then use the rotor's Action menu to delete the episode the same way you would clear an e-mail.

Unlocking the Power

Overcast includes a $4.99 in-app purchase option, which unlocks a number of extra features that can enhance your podcast listening experience.

Effects

This button on your episode player screen summons options for the following.

• Speed: Allows you to vary playback speed from .75 to 2.25 times normal. This app does an excellent job maintaining voice quality at higher speeds. It also offers a few more speed options than most podcast clients, including 1.125, 1.375 and 2.25.
• Voice Boost: Adds voice equalization to enhance the quality and listenability of conversation. This feature also does a good job normalizing volume between podcasts so you don't have to keep fiddling with the volume controls.
• Smart Speed: Most podcasts contain large blocks of conversation, and most conversations contain a lot of dead air, times when no one is speaking or brief pauses as one of the speaker collects his or her thoughts. This option snips out these brief silences on the fly, and I found the resulting playback both time-saving and easy to listen to, without the constant clicks and missing syllables created by many voice compressors.
• For This Show, Always Use: Lets you choose whether or not you wish the above Effects settings to be the default settings for future episodes of this podcast.

Timer Settings

The "Player" button on the playback screen lets you choose if you want Overcast to play the next program or stop playback when the current show ends. You can also set a sleep timer. There are buttons to add 5 minutes and 30 minutes. Press the 5-minute button twice and the 30-minute button once if, say, you want to set a forty-minute sleep timer. Unfortunately, playback ceases a bit too abruptly for my tastes.

Playlists

By default, the only playlist Overcast offers is the "All Podcasts" list displayed just below the top menu bar. The unlocked version offers more options.

With the full-featured version, Use the "Add Playlist" button to create and name a new program playlist. Choose the "Include" sort option of your choice: New or in Progress, In Progress only, or Deleted Only. The first choice is most common, but you might also wish to create a list that displays all of your in-progress episodes so you can catch up on shows you have not yet finished.

The next rule option is Include. Decide here if you wish to add selected podcasts to your playlist, or exclude them. This latter is a useful option if there are just a few titles you don't regularly listen to. Select the few you don't want, then choose Exclude Them.

Next, you can choose how to sort your playlist: by podcast or by episode, and by newest to oldest, or oldest to newest. You can also designate titles as Priority Podcasts, in which case new episodes will always appear at the very top of your playlist, making them that much easier to find using VoiceOver.

Lastly, if there is a particular episode you wish to add to your playlist without adding the entire podcast feed, use the "Additional Episodes" button to add them.

Your new playlist will show up on the main screen. Double-tap its name and a list of episodes will display. You can edit a playlist from this screen, change its settings, or reorder and delete individual episodes. Unfortunately, I could find no way to change the sort order of an existing playlist, or reorder your list of playlists.

Summing Up

There are a few places in this app where the two-finger scrub gesture does not work, and you need to find the actual Back button to exit a screen. Other than that, I could find no VoiceOver snags or unlabeled buttons or controls. The layout is easy to navigate and intuitive, with only one exception that I could find. In the player screen of certain video podcasts, there is an extra button that displays the length of the podcast. If you get curious and double-tap this link you will wind up beginning a second playback of the episode, at which time the two-finger play/stop gesture will not pause playback, it will toggle you back and forth between the two playback sessions.

When I installed Overcast on my iPad and entered my account credentials my OPML subscription list was automatically installed. My playlists were also synchronized, but none of the unplayed episodes on my iPhone were downloaded. Overcast reported I had no unplayed episodes, and I had to wait for new programs to be posted before they would auto-download. This was a definite disappointment. Using the app on both my iPhone and iPad, I foresee a lot of cleaning up, deleting podcasts I have already listened to on the other device. Hopefully this ability is near the top of the developer's feature request list.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I play them fast. I think the Effects settings are among the app's best features. I do wish the play screen included a scroll-by-percent-played seek control, which allows you to move more rapidly through a lengthy program than the time seek control. I also wish there were more choices for the Seek Back and Seek Forward controls. Sixty seconds does not satisfy when listening to a radio program podcast with 5-minute blocks of commercials. A "shake to advance" feature such as the one in Downcast would also be a welcome addition.

With all that said, I do not hesitate recommending this app to VoiceOver users who use their iPhone or iPad for podcast listening. I will probably continue to use Downcast to listen to podcasts with long commercial breaks, but I find a lot to like in the Overcast app. I think it is well worth the $4.99 purchase price, and given the bona fides of the developer, I am confident new features and improvements will be both forthcoming and frequent.

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