Double Tap

In this week’s Double Tap Canada, Steven and Shaun take a look at the insider build of Windows 11, and try to answer some of the questions you have asked regarding accessibility. Steven will be exploring the new accessibility settings section using both Jaws and Narrator, and also testing if the new visual design of the desktop and Start menu are cause for any concern when it comes to accessibility. We’ll also be talking to Fil McIntyre, Manager and Assistive Technology Lead from Techability.org.uk to get his opinions on the changes to Ease of Access from a partially sighted user’s perspective.

All this, plus the answer to, "Where is Marc Aflalo?" and why are old CRT-style monitors and TVs suddenly becoming so popular, only on Double Tap Canada!

If you’d like to get in touch, email us [email protected] or call us at 1 844 971-1999.

It’s celebrations all 'round this week, as we say Happy Canada Day to you all, happy birthday to Marc Aflalo and congratulations to Steven for finding what could be the cheapest pair of wireless headphones so far…

Speaking of headphones, Marc tells us all about his new Beats Studio Buds. Priced at $179 CDN, could these be the best sounding ear buds so far? Marc seems to think so, but Steven thinks he has found an even better choice with his $12 Dec Ear Buds. Let the argument begin. We also discuss the benefits of ultra-wide displays when it comes to screen magnification, and how did Shaun get on with his new BenQ monitor?

Next up, it’s all about Windows 11. There’s been a lot of talk about its new look, with rounded corners and a newly-positioned start menu, but is there anything more than that? And how many of us have computers that will actually be able to run Windows 11 anyway? Now that Microsoft has removed their PC Health Check app, as it was causing too much confusion, Shaun shows you how to check if your PC has what it takes to support Windows 11 for yourself.

Finally, the show wraps up with news about Samsung’s newly-announced smartwatch, which will be the first to use the Tizen/Android Wear hybrid operating system. Could we finally have more choice when it comes to accessible smartwatches? Also, in Chromebook news, a recent update brings support for some Braille displays.

Welcome back to another episode of Double Tap Canada. This week’s show kicks off (eventually) with the shocking news that Amazon’s Prime Day was cancelled in Canada. Marc is naturally upset but, luckily, Steven and Shaun are happy to point out that it was not cancelled in the UK, and they are kind enough to tell him what gadgets they bought.

Shaun has splashed out on a new monitor, hoping that an increased contrast ratio will help him see a little more on his current display. Is this just wishful thinking, or can a higher-quality screen be helpful even with extremely low vision?

After a discussion regarding the allegation that Amazon destroys hundreds of perfectly good products, such as smart TVs and laptops a week, Steven tells us of his recent purchase, including two HDMI switchers that just had to be there the next day and an accessory for his iPad Classic that allows him to use his AirPods with the aging music player. It is called the Air Fly but why is Marc not as impressed as Steven?

Next up is the news that Honda is working on a device you slip into you shoes and will vibrate to guide you to your location using GPS. A vibration in your left shoe means turn left, a vibration in the right shoe means turn right and both shoes together mean straight ahead. Is this an innovative interface for accessing information, or is it simply sensory overload for most people? And just how useful is GPS anyway?

There is also the news of a new smart watch from Samsung which will be the first to feature the new Android Wear OS that was developed by both Samsung and Google, Steven’s fake $18 AirPod headphones, a listener question on Mac accessibility, and Marc's first impressions of the Starlink satellite Internet system. All this and more, only on Double Tap Canada.

Steven, Shaun and Marc are back with special guest David Woodbridge for another episode of Double Tap Canada. We kick off this week’s dive into tech with the news that Marc has ordered a pair of the new Beats earbuds from Apple. However, the reviews haven’t been particularly glowing, so will he regret buying them?

Next, it’s on to Windows. Microsoft have officially announced that October 14th, 2025, will be the day that support for Windows 10 will end. This means no more feature or security updates will be pushed out and, basically, is telling people it’s time to update. Which bring us nicely onto Windows 11. Of course, we don’t know what the next version of Windows will be called yet, but we do know it’s coming soon. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about it at the recent Build event, and this week a leaked version of it appeared online. Just what can we expect from the next version of Windows, and is anyone even excited?

Next, podcaster and general tech guru Dave Woodbridge tells us about his new favourite bit of kit. It’s the PodTrak P4 from Zoom. This portable mixer/recorder/audio interface impressed him so much he bought two. So, what exactly is it about the P4 that has people excited? David tells all.

Following an email from listener Greg, Shaun demos the "Immersive Reader Mode" built into the Edge browser for Windows. This feature will strip away the clutter from an article such as links, adverts, etc., making far easier to read using a screen reader. It can also read the entire article to you using the amazing Microsoft TTS voices.

Finally, we hear from gamers Steve Saylor and Courtney Craven about the current E3 event and just what is happening in terms of accessible gaming.

All this and more such as Greg’s wife’s description of what the DTC team look like and what will Jeff Bezos be eating in space… only on Double Tap Canada!

Welcome back to the extended Apple WWDC edition of Double Tap Canada. In this second hour, we’ll be joined by author and podcaster Shelly Brisbin. Shelly will be helping us delve into just what improvements and new features are coming to Apples upcoming operating systems.

We’ll be taking a look at features such as Live Text, which can recognize text in any image and allow you to interact with it. For example, if you have a photo of a store front and there is a phone number or website link on the sign, you’ll be able to simply tap that link to go to the website or tap the number to start a phone call. Also, we can expect to get far better and more detailed photo descriptions, including object recognition and even information on that object. For partially sighted users, there’s also the new Display Accommodations Per App feature. This allows you to set various options, such as text size or high contrast for specific apps. This is a great way to get an app looking exactly the way that works best for you without having to spend time setting it up each time you open the app.

Other features covered include the new "interaction" mode for navigation, how VoiceOver will work with assistive touch on the Apple Watch, new options for switch control, including eye tracking, game controller support and sound control and so much more …

If you have any questions or feedback regarding this or any episode, you can email us [email protected].

Get ready for a double helping of Double Tap Canada this week, as the DTC team take a deep dive in to all that was announced, and even some things that weren’t, at Apple's recent WWDC event.

In this first hour, we’ll be taking a look at what new features are coming to iOS 15, iPad OS 15 and Mac OS Monterey. Just what were the highlights for Steven, Shaun and Marc?

Kicking off with iPad OS, does the addition of home screen widgets, app library and improvements to multi-tasking really live up to the expectations that the new M1 powered iPad Pros promised? Shaun thinks not. However, a new feature in Mac OS called Universal Control - which allows you to use one keyboard and mouse/touchpad across multiple devices - has Steven very excited. But, just how does it work?

When it comes to iOS 15, first up for discussion is the improvements to audio. There’s spacial audio, conversation boost, lossless audio and voice isolation, and wide spectrum enhancments for FaceTime calls. Great news for audiophiles ... as long as you are using Apple headphones that is. Speaking of FaceTime, with it's new ability to share links to calls and for people to join those calls from any browser, such as from Windows or Android, should Zoom be worried? Also, would you really want to watch a movie or listen to music over Facetime with friends with the new SharePlay feature?

Of course, there is so much more to cover, such as privacy, digital legacy, Shortcuts on Mac. Coming up in the second hour of this WWDC special, what’s new when it comes to accessibility.

It’s time to grab a cup of your favorite mushroom coffee and relax because Double Tap Canada is back with all of the latest tech news.. This week we see the welcome return of Steven Scott, and wow, has he got some new tech toys to show us. Also joining us is special guest Dave Brown. Host of Now with Dave Brown & a low vision tech user, he’ll be telling us all about the tech he uses.

If you’re looking for a new laptop then Steven is very impressed with his new Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360. With impressive specs, a full sized keyboard & touchscreen support this could be his new favorite laptop. Sounds great but how much are you prepared to spend on a laptop?

Next up is Steven’s new 12.9inch iPad Pro 2021. With it’s desktop class performance is it really possible to throw away your laptop and go all in on iPad when it comes to productivity? And just what do we expect from the upcoming WWDC Event?

All this and more only on Double Tap Canada.

Marc Aflalo and Shaun Preece are back with all the latest tech news in this week’s Double Tap Canada. And as Steven is still off relaxing, ahem, sorry I mean recuperating, it’s down to Marc to tell us all what new tech he’s bought this week. Spoiler alert: he’s extremely impressed with the new iPad and Apple TV.

Next up it’s on to music news. Apple have now confirmed the rumours that they are indeed going to be offering loss-less audio on their Apple Music service. This is obviously great news for the audiophiles out there but, in a surprising twist, it turns out Apple’s own premium headphones, the AirPods Max, are not able to support loss-less audio. On the same theme, there is also news that Bose has entered the hearing aid market with their SoundControl hearing aids. With Bose’s proven track record when it comes to quality audio and with the SoundControl hearing aids being FDA approved and priced far lower than the competition, could this be the start of some positive disruption to the hearing aid market?

Back to Apple, now with some genuinely great news when it comes to accessibility. Apple announced a number of software updates that will bring new features and improvements to their customers. First up is a new app called SignTime. This gives hearing impaired customers remote access to a sign language interpreter without the need to book ahead. It’s a service aimed at customers visiting an Apple Store or requiring any customer support, and is a very welcome addition. There’s also a major update coming to the Apple Watch which will allow the use of hand gestures, such as clenching the fist or performing a pinch motion, to control the watch. One example included the ability to answer an incoming call by simply clenching your fist twice. And that’s not all, there’s also promised improvements to VoiceOver in the form of photo descriptions and the ability to set display accommodations per individual app, improvements to Switch control that allows the use of sounds to control cursor movement, and more. For anyone feeling that accessibility is always pushed to the background, it’s great to see just how much work Apple is putting into making their devices usable by everyone.

In other news, Amazon has teamed up with Tile in an effort to offer an alternative to the recently released Apple AirTags. One of the main selling points of the AirTags is that, because of the amount of Apple devices out there, if you do lose something, there’s a good chance that its location will be picked up and relayed to you by someone walking past with an iPhone, etc. Well, by teaming up with Amazon, if a Tile tracker is reported as lost then it’s location can be found by its new ability to connect to the Amazon Sidewalk network. This is a new feature found in Amazon’s smart speakers, which allows devices to connect to the Internet through any of the millions of smart speakers out there in people’s houses. Competition is always good, and it’s going to be interesting to see how well this new collaboration works.

Of course, there’s much more talk too, such as Marc’s new gaming laptop, the dream of a M1 powered Apple Watches, old man vaccinations and why trampolines are terrible… Welcome to Double Tap Canada!

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day to all of you from Double Tap Canada! To mark the occasion, Shaun has been rummaging around his shed, testing just how many devices he can turn on the accessibility features of in two minutes. We have no idea why he set himself this challenge, but it did keep him busy.

As the Google IO event returns this year, we take a look at what was announced at the keynote to see just what Google are planning for the future. Despite a lack of hardware reveals at the event, Shaun and Marc were impressed by some of the demonstrations of Google’s work in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The ability to ask complicated questions using natural, conversational language seems to be improving dramatically, as does the level of security and privacy in Android 12. Another area of interest was Android Wear. This operating system, designed for wearables, has failed to impress so far, but could this all be about to change as Google announces they are working with Samsung and their Tizen operating system to produce something truly special? Could we finally see a serious challenge to the Apple Watch?

All this, plus Shaun’s rant about washing machines and more, only on Double Tap Canada.

Double Tap Canada is back to save the planet, with a look at upcycling old phones and just what Steven has bought that makes him an eco-warrior…

After a few technical issues with the intro music and a group therapy session on what’s annoying the team this week, it’s on to Steven’s retro tech purchases. He’s incredibly happy to have picked up an iPod Classic with its 80GB storage, click wheel interface and 30-pin connector. There’s no denying it’s a blast from the past but there is one problem: it’s not accessible. Of course, Steven’s solution to this is to also buy a 2012 MacBook Air. Has he gone mad, or is he really an eco-warrior hero?

Staying with old tech, it’s on to a look at Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling project. Although still in it’s beta stage, Samsung announced they will be releasing updates to some of its older smartphones, which will allow them to be used as smart home sensors. Once you’ve updated your old device, you can either use it as a sound sensor that will notify you when it hears a certain sound - such as a baby crying or dog barking - or an ambient light sensor that can turn off or on lights if it detects certain light levels. Although it’s great to see old tech re-purposed like this, we hope Samsung will add more features, such as motion detection via the camera, etc.

In Amazon news, some sellers on the platform have been removed due to allegations of trying to solicit positive reviews from people by offering full refunds on products as long as they leave a video or text review. Have you ever experienced this, and can we really trust product reviews?

The popular audio-only app Clubhouse has finally come to Android. Well, as long as you live in the U.S., that is. It won’t be long until it’s available to Android users all over the world, but is it to late? Steven thinks so. In other audio news, Steven and Shaun have been trying out the new Twitter Spaces. Just how does this compare to Clubhouse?

Finally, the show wraps up with a chainsaw attack, news on answering calls with just your voice and how Marc uses Air Tags to cheat at hide and seek.

It’s a tech show … honest.