Double Tap

This weeks Double Tap Canada is all Apple, well nearly, Apple and lamb chops to be precise.

J Taylor makes a welcome return as the team covers Apples recent WWDC 2018 event.

Steven, Shaun, Tim & J discuss their personal highlights from the show including iOS 12 performance, Watch OS 5's walkie talkie feature, measuring tapes and of course tongue detection.

Double Tap Canada goes Apple crazy as Steven, Shaun & Tim discuss the recently announced release of the Homepod speaker in Canada. With a price of $449 should you consider it for your home?

We then move on to WWDC, Apples World Wide Developers Conference, where Apple shows us all it's plans for the next year. The hot topic up for debate is will we finally see an update to the much loved iPhone SE?

Finally, should you be worried about your network routers security? The FBI recommend the good old turn it off and on method to fix any problems but are they right?

After a quick cautionary tale about the perils of blind golf, this weeks episode of Double Tap Canada starts with the exciting announcement that the Aira service is now available in Canada. With this service visually impaired people can get help with anything from reading to mobility. The team turn to Tim, who has used Aira for a year, for his views and just how helpful has it been for him?

Next, we move to the news that Acers latest laptops will include the Amazon Voice Assistant Alexa. But how integrated into the Windows operating system is it? Is this the end for Cortana? Also, with Apple dropping its prices on USB C to Lightning  cables, is USB A being phased out and more importantly do we care?

We round up the episode with more listener emails, including one suggesting we should cover a wider range of disabilities and technology.

Steven, Shaun & Tim kick off this episode of Double Tap Canada with a discussion on Global Accessibility Awareness Day. A day dedicated to all things accessible and making sure as many people and companies understand what's available and what it can do to help people with various disabilities. And maybe people without any disability at all.

The team finish off the discussion by revealing the very first assistive tech they ever used. Anyone remember Talks for Nokia?

Next it's to the listener emails. Bonnie is looking for a way to use Global TV using only voice commands. Can you help? And Gordon explains why putting 2 spaces after a full stop is old fashioned, but is Shaun too old to change his ways?

In this weeks news we look at the CNIB and why they think it's time to bring the ADP up to date by including tablets and smartphones into the list of assistive devices eligible for financial help. Also was there anything at the recent Google IO event to cause any excitement? Well, one thing shown there certainly causes Shaun & Steven to have a heated exchange of views on haircuts, pizza and saving lives.

Steven, Shaun & Tim kick off this weeks episode of Double Tap Canada with a discussion on just when should you take the plunge into assistive tech. When is the right time to throw away the computer screen and start using a screen reader exclusively?                                                                                      

Following an awkward conversation on the use of Emojis, hash tag no more eggplants, we move on to this weeks news. Microsoft have announced it's investing 25 million dollars into the development of using Artificial Intelligence to help people with disabilities. With success with projects such as Seeing AI, which helps with recognising objects and text, and a transcription technology which can provide real-time subtitles to conversations, this announcement is great news for anyone with a disability.

Next, Tim tells us about his latest buy, the Sandisk Connect. Think of a USB pen drive and then add the ability to access the stored files wirelessly using an app on your iphone. Great for easy access to your collection of music, videos and audio books without having to bother with the often confusing iTunes software.

Finally, we talk about Eye-D, a free app which promises features such as OCR, navigation, facial recognition and more and even more exciting for Steven, it's free!

Join Steven, Shaun and Tim as they cover whats new in the world of tech in this weeks episode of Double Tap Canada. Following last weeks conversation on piracy, we hear what listeners and people in the VI community have to say on the matter. Despite lots of different opinions on downloading files, one message that did come across loud and clear is that we need more audio described content. Also, Shaun takes a look at an IOS app that lots of people are talking about, FlickType. With the promise of fast and accurate typing on a smartphone for the visually impaired, there's plenty of interest but does it deliver? And of course we discuss this weeks top tech stories, including a new bionic retina called DiamondEye from a company right here in Canada and a new technology that could turn your arm into a touchscreen.

Things get a little tense and cramped in the Double Tap Canada studio this week as Steven, Shaun & Tim discuss the elephant in the room, Piracy. Can there ever be any justification for listening to or downloading the audio described audio track of a movie or TV show if you haven't paid for it? Or does the lack of content available via legitimate means drive piracy?

Steven shows us how, as a side effect of a mission to find habitable planets, we as visually impaired people can hear what a planet sounds like, and Shaun finally gets to tell us his favourite news story, hands-free Alexa on Fire tablets, although it does raise some questions about his bathroom habits.

Other news includes the rumours of an Amazon home robot and a baby buggy that could use self driving car technology to make it easier to use for visually impaired parents.

We end the show with some of your emails and wondering just what is in Stevens junk mail folder?

In this episode, JJ Meddaugh joins the Double Tap Canada team to talk about the recent CSUN event. We talk about the Bristol Braille Canute, an afordable braille display which is promising to break new ground with it's multi-line form factor, and what was new with wearable tech this year.

Steven has the need, the need to read, yet gets frustrated by a lack of accessibility, which leads to a discussion on the state of accessibility on various platforms. Is accessibility always an afterthought? Do we need to shout more or be more patient?

We finish up the episode with a round up of tech news and some amazing news that Shaun can't wait to talk about.

This week Steven and Shaun are joined once again by Tim Schwartz who invites along special guest Mike Feir, a blind gaming enthusiast, to talk about how audio games are becoming more popular among the blind community. The guys also discuss the week's news in tech including the latest drama around Facebook and privacy and a mind reading machine that can tell your thoughts!

In this weeks episode of Double Tap Canada, Steven tells us all about his new love of Android. He's enjoying the easier to see text and dual sim features of the Moto G5, but will this crush last or will he return to the iPhone? Shaun and a sickly Tim join Steven to discuss this weeks tech news, including Apples latest update to iOS, which adds a feature to monitor your devices battery health as well as a performance boost.  And could Adobe Photoshop become more accessible to the visually impaired with possible voice control?  Also we are on the hunt for an accessible Android smartwatch and need your help to find one.