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★ Prizmo OCR App for iOS Enhances VoiceOver Support

14/May/2013 by Josh de Lioncourt iOS, News

Prizmo, a scanning, OCR, and speech application for iPhone and iPad, has been updated with enhanced support for VoiceOver. From the release notes:

Prizmo is made for everyone, and is thus fully compatible with VoiceOver. It provides voice guidance to help position your iPhone when taking document pictures, and will find the text orientation automatically if it’s turned left, right or upside down. Prizmo’s quick capture mode provides a fast path from picture to speech synthesis for an improved workflow, and it provides a high-quality voice reader (individual voices available as in-app purchases).

So far, in our tests, the app works exceptionally well. The user is guided by voice instructions to properly fit the page in the camera’s view, and a series of tones leading up to the snapping of a picture helps to alert the user if their hand is not holding steady. OCR output has been surprisingly accurate, and the conversion works quickly and cleanly. We highly recommend this app!

Thanks to the Prizmo team for making another great OCR option for VoiceOver users.

★ Review — Zombies, Run! 2.1 With VoiceOver Support

7/May/2013 by M.J. Phoenix iOS, News

If you guys have been running away from the Zombies like I have, you’ll know how fabulous this app is. If not, check out the Zombies RUn Game site or read the description I’ve posted further below, taken from the App Store.

This app is a real motivator for my exercise regime! I constantly want to get on the bike and run from the Zombies, help complete missions and build my base to build the future from the Zombie apocalypse. This wasn’t entirely true before.

As a blind iPhone user,, who relies on the built in screen reader, VoiceOver, and someone who is determined to get fitter, I was intrigued when I learnt the guys over at Six To Start were working hard on accessibility in the this app. Now blind users can not only complete the missions but we also have access to the base builder. The redesign of the app has made the experience slicker for VoiceOver users and now I can pedal away on the exercise bike, running from the zombies just like everyone else.

The audio interface made this game and health motivator perfect for a blind audience but up until the 2.0 release we didn’t have full access to the entire game components. Thanks to Six To Start, it’s now possible.

My increasing fitness level thanks you Six To Start!

» Read more..




→ Samsung struggles to block iPhone function for the blind

22/February/2013 by Josh de Lioncourt News, Noted

Samsung has suffered a setback in its effort to win an iPhone ban based on a function making its software accessible to blind people.

The South Korean firm had sought an injunction in a German court arguing Apple’s VoiceOver screen-access facility infringed one of its patents.

This article is definitely worth a read. It speaks volumes about Samsung’s character, (or lack thereof), demonstrating just how low they will sink to score a point or two over Apple. If their questionable tactics weren’t suspect before, I think they certainly are now. Might be time for the folks in South Korea to hire some new faces in PR.




→ Making Zombies, Run! 2 accessible

18/February/2013 by Josh de Lioncourt iOS, News, Noted

The linked blog post is fantastic, but this is the best bit. Go check it out for a great read by a great developer. And, if you’ve not tried Zombies, Run! you should.

Regardless of whether you use the graphics view or the schematic view, you’re playing the same game. Initially we thought that the accessible version of the base builder might simply show a list of buildings in your base, rather than a map.

But that created a problem - how do we convey to the user that they can’t build a building because they’ve run out of space? And even if there is enough space, how do we explain that the building is the wrong shape for it? We considered throwing out the “space management” aspect of the accessible base builder entirely.

Ultimately we realised this was stupid. Why should we make the game simpler just because the interface needs to be accessible? Why should we deprive people the fun of cramming their buildings together into the most efficient possible layout? We discarded the list idea and implemented a proper map instead.

A game for everybody

Given that Zombies, Run! is at its heart an aural experience, it is one of our highest priorities to make the game fully accessible to all of our players, be they sighted or visually impaired. We are delighted that this will be possible on iOS from day one, and are working hard to bring the same accessibility to Android as soon as possible.

★ OCR App Prizmo for Mac 50% Off for a Limited Time

2/February/2013 by Josh de Lioncourt Mac, News

The OCR application Prizmo for Mac is currently on sale for 50% off for a limited time. The app is accessible, and even includes special accessibility features, great for VoiceOver users.

In our tests, the OCR rendered was very accurate, and the application is easy to use. It allows importing of images, PDF’s, or direct scanning or picture taking within the app itself, along with many other useful features. Among its accessibility features are the ability to warn the user if an image is blurry, and various progress and status messages.

For the next day or two, the app will be available in the Mac App Store for $24.99 USD, which is 50% off of its typical $49.99. At either price tag, the app is far more affordable than other options, such as DocuScan Plus or Abbyy Finereader.

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