Earlier this year Kwasi Mensah, creator of Stem Stumper, spoke on iOS game design and accessibility at a conference. His talk inspired at least one developer to make their own game accessible, and the result is now in the App Store.
Meanwhile for iOS is an interactive comic, where the choices you make will determine how the story unfolds.
Apple brings augmented reality (AR) to your phone with Measure, the first native AR app in iOS 12.
Apple's Measure app is visually compelling for sighted users, but also reasonably accessible for blind users. This blog describes taking measurements as a blind or low vision user, and enumerates improvements for Apple's consideration to make the app easier to use.
Be My Eyes, the popular iOS and Android app that connects blind and low vision users with sighted volunteers for assistance via live video chat, has today launched an exciting new feature for users needing specialized or technical help.
Following today's update to the Be My Eyes app, users will find a new menu option on the app's main screen titled “Specialized Help”.
Microsoft has just released a OneNote app for the iPhone, and it's free "for a limited time".
As with the Windows Phone 7 app, the iPhone app will let you manage notes and shopping lists (and even add photos taken with the iPhone's camera), and then sync those with Windows Live SkyDrive so you can access them in either the Windows desktop application or its web-based counterpart.
The OneNote app is currently only available to US users. We are still waiting for reports on the app's accessibility.
Microsoft has today announced that as of January 3, 2023, its Soundscape app will not be available for download and that existing installations will cease to work after the end of June 2023.
At the end of each month, members of the AppleVis Editorial Team take a look at all the apps that have been posted to the site during that month-either for the first time, or where there has been a significant update-and decide which of these they think is the most noteworthy.
The AppleVis Editorial Team app picks of the month for September 2014 are as follows:
When MultiTap Text was released a few days ago on the App Store, I found the description quite intriguing and thought it can easily supplant a physical keyboard in most -- if not all -- circumstances:
This month we are encouraging you all to contact Starbucks and ask that they make their iOS app accessible to their many blind and low-vision customers.
This month we are encouraging everybody to contact the developers of Words With Friends, and ask that they make this very popular game accessible to all.
A new GPS app has just been released in the iTunes App Store that offers some innovative features for blind and low vision users of Apple iDevices.
Ariadne GPS enables you to know your position at any time and to monitor it whilst walking. You can configure the app to update you with information as you are walking, such as telling you street numbers or the current street name.
There is also the option to save specific locations and be alerted when you approach one of them, Alerts can be a sound, vibration or a voice.
An updated version of the Chess-wise app has just been released that offers significantly improved accessibility for VoiceOver users.
The developer of this app has worked closely with a number of blind iDevice users, and early reports from the VIPhone mailing list indicate that this new version of the chess game is very accessible.
A new app has recently been released that could make life easier for blind people in the Toronto area.
Next Streetcar provides real-time arrival times for TTC (Toronto Transit) streetcars based on the user’s location. The app will automatically locate the user on launch or allow for manual selection of all routes and stops. Furthermore, you can add stops to your personal favourites for easy access at any time.
Update, 7/5/2014, 4:02 PM CDT: Members of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have just passed Resolution 2014-12 at their annual national convention. The resolution calls upon Apple to work with the NFB to develop standards and policies to ensure the accessibility of all iOS apps. The full text of the resolution, as well as our original blog post, is below.
The sun was warm and bright that Friday morning in Southern California. From our fourth grade classroom, my friends and I were already anticipating lunch and recess. An adult walked in, whispered to our teacher, and we immediately lined up and were on our way out the door. As we walked, we saw children pouring out of every classroom, all heading in the same direction. Something was odd. Everyone squeezed into the school auditorium and quickly found seats. I took my place on the right side, in one of the first rows. Up front, on a heavy institutional wooden chair, sat an old Philco radio.
Apple has announced the winners of its 2024 Apple Design Awards, which honor excellence in innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design across seven categories: delight and fun, inclusivity, innovation, interaction, social impact, visuals and graphics, and a new spatial computing category. The winners were chosen from 42 finalists.
I have a love-hate relationship with Siri.
When I tell Siri to set my alarm just before I go to bed, I appreciate the convenience of being able to simply tell my phone something and it get done. I’m the type of person who might possibly sleep through my first alarm, so I set several as an extra precaution. When I wake up and am sure I’m out of bed, I tell Siri, “Turn off all of my alarms,” and go on with my day. The same goes for setting my monthly hair cut appointments; almost always, it just works.
I was a late adopter of the iPhone technology. I thought I didn't need ANOTHER gadget to keep track of. It wasn't until I heard some friends discussing their iPhones that I realized that an iPhone could replace many of the gadgets I used. Not only did the iPhone cut down on the number of gadgets I needed to carry, but it saved me money too!