UniversalAccess
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Splash that iTunes visualizer across multiple monitors
iPodHacks has a very easy way to display your iTunes visualizer across multiple monitors using Mac OS X's built-in accessibility zoom feature. The instructions show you how to enable Zoom in the Universal Access system preference pane. When the visualizer is playing, you can zoom in on the iTunes window, and the image of the window is spread across all your screens. The quality of the zoom, of course, is a bicubic interpolation of the screen image, so it's not as crisp as it could be. Also, the fluidity of the display depends greatly on how powerful your video card is, and how it's connected to your computer. Multiple video cards also don't necessarily help, unlike with the original Magnetosphere visualizer. For a party, though, it's a neat trick. If you have other ways to make this happen, feel free to leave a comment!
Apple updates Braille support in Leopard
Today, Apple released the Braille Display Update 1.0 for VoiceOver in Leopard. VoiceOver, part of the Universal Access family of accessibility tech, allows blind or visually impaired users to hear what's on the screen. Via the new update, when you connect a compatible Braille display, "VoiceOver automatically detects it and sends it information about what is displayed on the screen." This update adds new support for certain Braille displays, including the HandyTech Braille Star 8, GW Micro BrailleSense, and more.This update is available for users of Mac OS X Leopard by using Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple support downloads site. If you're currently using a Braille screenreader under Leopard -- or you were waiting for support for your screenreader via this update -- drop us a comment to let us know if the update makes a difference for you.
Does the iPhone shaft the blind?
I spent a good hour or so this morning without my glasses. The little plastic nosie-thing fell off and I had to wait while a new plastic nosie-thing got installed. During that time, I was pretty much blind as a bat--assuming that bats are legally blind, extremely myopic, astigmatic, and can only see the world as one huge blur. So I got to thinking. The new iPhone, with its completely sleek surface, how useless will that thing be for the visually impaired? Me, I can usually stick my eye up reaaaaaally close to something (assuming I can get my nose out of the way) and see what's going on but for anyone with worse vision (or a less foldable nose), the iPhone is going to be really hard to use. (Contrast this with the 5G iPod, which I can operate by touch, often in my pocket.) So I googled for blind and iPhone, but didn't find much out there on Web search, and just a few hits here and there on blog search. Surely, there must be some usability experts out there willing to weigh in on the Universal Access aspects of the iPhone and the lack thereof. Thoughts?
