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DISCLAIMER
All information in this magazine is provided in good faith and is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate at the time of printing. © Modern-Eyes: January 2010 Modern-Eyes: THE MAGAZINE is available in: * Large print * BRAILLE * Audio CD * DAISY CD * Data CD – Word, text and pdf files * By email * On the website Modern-Eyes: THE MAGAZINE is provided free of charge. However, we rely on donations to produce the magazine so any contributions are very welcome. Please make cheques payable to: Modern-Eyes Training Services Ltd Mrs S Allard 194 Westward Road Ebley Stroud Glos GL5 4ST
Hello, Everyone! The weather still seems to be giving us lots to talk about! Some of the coldest May nights for many years, volcanic ash and rain and sun! Still, if it wasn’t for the weather … This month’s magazine, as usual, is a mixed bag! There is tech news, some new products, news of how you can help us and, of course, much more. So, get the kettle on, or get the lemonade out, if the sun has come out, find a comfy chair and read on… Sue LEWIS Many of you will know my lovely guide dog Lewis. Sadly, I have to tell you that he died very suddenly and totally unexpectedly on 4 May 2010. It was a shock to all of us and he will be very much missed, not just by myself and the family but also by all the friends he made wherever he went. Being without a dog so suddenly has really made me realise just what a support he was in all I do. Now I have to go through the process of applying for a new dog and wondering if the new one will be as good as Lewis. I’m sure it will! I’d also like to thank everyone who sent such lovely messages of sympathy, support, encouragement and offers of help. I’ll let you know all about my new dog, when it arrives! Sue FUNDRAISING – WE MIGHT NEED YOUR HELP! We have now brought the magazine into Modern-Eyes Training Services Ltd, as advised by our accountant. This will help us to raise more money to keep the magazine going. Modern-Eyes Training Services Ltd is a not-for-profit company and we are currently working towards getting our Social Enterprise Mark We are also looking for ways to raise money to keep our computer workshops running. They are proving to be really successful and we need money to carry on. We have been funded by the Adult education section of Gloucestershire County Council and we thank them hugely for their continuing support. However, as you know, the financial cuts are beginning to bite and we will need to raise funds towards the groups to continue and expand them. We will be organising events and raffles and anything else we or any of you can think of!! So, we are asking for your help and support. This need not be financial! An offer to sell tickets for a draw, finding a company to donate a prize, attending an event and encouraging friends and family, will all help. We also have lots of ideas for expanding the groups and getting out to everyone who would like to join a workshop. So, any ideas, let me know! Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk
NEWS FROM THE COUNTY LIBRARY SERVICE SUPERNOVA IN LIBRARIES: UPDATE All the Gloucestershire Libraries Supernova Pens should now have been updated to version 11.5. These can be borrowed from the Library service for 12 weeks, and be renewed once for a further 12 weeks during any one year. The intention is that people borrow the pen for short periods to try out the program, so they can practice when studying, or away from home. Supernova 11.4 has been available on all the Peoples Network PCs in Gloucestershire Libraries for a few months. They should now have been upgraded to Version 11.5. If you borrow a pen from the Library Service and would like some training on how to use it, contact us for details of our range of support packages. We can offer training at one of our friendly workshops, at home, by telephone and a set of workbooks. Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk
NEW PERKINS BRAILLERS AVAILABLE This new, colourful addition to the Perkins brailler range is lighter, smaller and quieter than the standard Perkins, but still produces excellent quality braille. Key benefits include: * 25 per cent lighter than the standard Perkins, making it easy to hold and carry * Braille up to 28 cells per line on A4 sized paper and gentle touch keys that require less pressure * The sound of the keystroke and the bell to denote the end-of-line are quieter, making it more discreet * Available in two colours: Midnight Blue and Raspberry
RASPBERRY MOUSSE If all that talk about Raspberry Braillers has made you feel hungry, try this quick, easy, healthy raspberry mousse! Ingredients 1 pkt sugar-free jelly crystals: raspberry flavour 1 raspberry flavour Muller light yogurt Method 1) Make up the jelly as directed 2) Allow to cool until almost set 3) When the jelly is cool and just about to set, whisk in the cold yogurt 4) That’s it! Pour into a large serving bowl or individual dishes and chill until required. 5) Serve, spooned over fresh raspberries. Enjoy! Variations You can use a vanilla yogurt with almost any jelly flavour, or use the fruit jelly and yogurt of your choice. Strawberry jelly with strawberry yogurt and fresh strawberries works just as well!
AMPLICON M5010 The Amplicom M5010 mobile phone (H M 16X) is the second generation of a popular phone designed specifically for people who have either a sight or a hearing problem, and it now includes Bluetooth. It is easy-to-see with large white numbers on black buttons which light up when pressed, and a bright, black on white screen displaying numbers 7mm high. There is an integrated induction coil making it fully hearing aid compatible. Cost: £69.50 There is a specially designed black leather case available for this mobile phone. It has a loop on the back for attaching to a belt. Product code: HM16E Cost: £20.42 DORO PHONEEASY 341 The Doro PhoneEasy 341 mobile phone is an easy-to-use tri-band mobile phone with a clear, high contrast, black and white screen. Dialled numbers are displayed in 26-point font, text messages in 12-point font, and can be written using the standard or predictive text method. It has black casing with raised black buttons and bold white numbers in 18-point font. Product code: HM31 Cost: £68.08
DORO PHONEEASY 409 The Doro PhoneEasy 409 mobile phone has a clamshell design which gives it a compact size when not in use and also helps to protect the screen. Flip open the phone to reveal the large, full colour screen. Dialled numbers are displayed in 26-point font, text messages in 12-point font. It is hearing aid compatible, rated M3/T3. Product code: HM30 Cost: £93.62 PERMANENT PRICE REDUCTIONS ON SOME MOBILE PHONES RNIB has permanently reduced the prices of some of its mobile phones. For more information, contact Customer Services Telephone: 0303 123 9999
I LOVE MY IPHONE! As I told you last time, I have now got an Apple iPhone! I have to admit that I was very unsure about it before I got it and did lots of research into how useable it would be for someone with too little sight to use the touch screen visually. I needn’t have worried! I am now best friends with my phone and it is so much easier to use than I expected. I am even using it for sending emails and surfing the internet! And I have fallen into the iPhone users' trap of downloading lots of Apps too! I bought my IPhone from the Apple store at Cribb’s Causeway in Bristol. The staff there were brilliant and set it all up for me, with VoiceOver and everything. They made sure I knew how to use it and even downloaded the phone guide onto it so I could read it using VoiceOver. Setting up my contacts was a bit tricky as I had to learn how to use iTunes but I made it and simply synchronized my Outlook contacts list to the phone. It does help if your list is up to date with all phone numbers and email addresses! You might find this bit easier if you have some sighted help, especially if you have never used iTunes before. But once you have the contacts list set up on the phone, it is really easy to use. You simply go to the contacts list and scroll to the one you want, double tap on it and the phone will dial it. You can also do this for email addresses and for sending text messages. Another neat feature is the very good speech recognition which allows you to either speak in the number you want to call or to simply name one of your contacts. The phone will then automatically dial the number for you! The recognition is really good, even in noisy places. You locate items on the screen by slowly moving your finger over the screen until you hear the item you want. Then you just do a double tap and the item is activated. The gestures, as the movements you use with your fingers to operate the phone are called, are slightly different from those used by a sighted user but they are really intuitive and easy to learn. A double tap will activate an item or a link on a webpage, a three finger swipe will move you up or down lists of pages and so on. I have downloaded the BBC News App and Sky News App and they both work brilliantly, giving you the most up to date news. I also have a really silly Ping Pong game which just makes me laugh and a basic pedometer which will tell me how many steps I have walked! The App Store is really easy to use, once you have set up an iTunes account and password. You just double tap on the App Store icon on the phone and it will open up and you can search for anything you like. You will be given a list of all relevant Apps and you just select the one you want and double tap it for more information about it. When you decide to ‘buy’ an App, just double tap the price icon and then double tap Install. You will be asked to enter in your password. Do this and then the App will automatically install. If there is a charge, it will be charged to your iTunes account. Many really useful Apps are free and most of the ones you buy are either 59p or 99p! Good value for money. With Apps, you just need to be aware that not all work perfectly with VoiceOver, though most work well enough. For a list of accessible iPhone Apps visit Website; www.maccessibility.com You can also take voice memos with the iPhone and use the Qwerty keypad to type in notes too. Obviously, there is much more that the iPhone will do and I am still learning! But if you fancy one and aren’t sure, go along to an Apple Store and ask them to take you through it and let you have a practice. They are great and rally helpful. I was having a problem moving my icons and I went back to the Store and they showed me who to do it! The iPhone also has an iPod feature on it, which is really great because you can have music wherever you go. Again, you might need a bit of help transferring the music across as you need iTunes again. But once it’s on there, it’s really easy to access. You can even put MP3 talking books on it and download an App to read eBooks – I’m still trying the eBook Apps to find which one is most accessible. If you do get an iPhone, I would recommend getting a case and screen cover for it as sticky fingers can interfere with the operation of the screen and the phone is very slim and sleek and is easy to drop!! A case will make it easier to hold. If you like the sound of the iPhone but don’t want the phone capability, then you can get an iPod Touch, which works in exactly the same way but doesn’t have the phone facility. You can use Skype on it if you have access to a wifi connection. For an iPod Touch with VoiceOver you need to buy a 32 GB or 64 GB version. And news for those of you who just want music, well, the iPod Nano now also has VoiceOver and that too, is really easy to use. The only tricky bit is using iTunes to load your MP3 music to it. But again, once you have filled it up, it is very simple to use. If you would like to chat about any of the Apple devices mentioned, give me a call! Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk
ENERGY SAVING LIGHT BULBS COMING SOON TO RNIB RNIB is soon to stock some brighter energy saving bulbs which might be of help. Many energy saving bulbs available on the market are slow to reach their maximum brightness when switched on. This can have an impact on your ability to see clearly at precisely the moment you need to. They are dull to begin with which can increase the risk of trips and falls. RNIB are introducing some energy saving bulbs that are quick to light up to their maximum brightness as well as being extra bright. These bulbs provide practical solutions to lighting problems in the home. Energy saving globe bulb 20 watt This bayonet energy saving bulb is 20 watt, equal to 100 watt (1100 lumens). The large globe bulb has a "Break-safe" safety film coating on the inside that keeps the glass and contents together in case of accidental breakage. The actual energy efficient bulb sits inside the globe to protect it. Great for use in the kitchen, diner and bedrooms. Energy saving spiral bulb 20 watt Due to its design, this bayonet bulb develops into full brightness slightly quicker than the globe bulb and gives out a brighter light. Ideal for areas where you need instant, bright light such as the hall, stairs and landing. Making the best use of lighting is important for everyone, but even more so if you are blind or partially sighted. Good lighting is essential and yet it is often over looked. Making some simple changes to lighting within your home can be done quite easily and can have great effects. For further information and practical ideas, order RNIB’s free booklet – Improve the lighting in your home in large print, braille or audio CD. Product code: IP412
NEW VOICE FOR SYNTHETICALLY RECORDED DAISY BOOKS All DAISY publications from RNIB with synthetic voice are now being produced with a new, improved synthetic voice designed to enhance the reading experience for listeners. RNIB is committed to improving its quality of audio synthetic speech products and has spent 18 months working with a specialist text-to-speech development company, Ivona, to develop this new voice. We hope you like it! However, if you find there are some words or phrases that the new voice is stumbling over, please let RNIB know. They will use your feedback to make any improvements they can. Telephone: 0303 123 9999 Email: cservices@rnib.org NEWS FOR VICTOR READER STREAM OWNERS SOFTWARE UPDATE AVAILABLE PRESS RELEASE Longueuil, 25 May 2010 Count them, not one, not two, but three important announcements for Victor Stream users. Firstly, HumanWare is pleased to announce a Version 3.2 Stream free software upgrade with support for Russian, Belgian Dutch and Brazilian Portuguese languages. Imagine the popularity of the Stream now extends worldwide from Australia and New Zealand, to the tropics of Brazil, to North America, more than a dozen countries in Europe and now even to the streets of Moscow. Stream supports 14 languages with more to come! Secondly, HumanWare is also announcing a new version 3.2 of the Companion Software that is compatible with both the Stream and ClassMate. This newly updated free software now provides a backup and restores SD card features. Other new features include transfer of DOC and PDF files. For your convenience, Companion now converts MS Word DOC files to HTML and PDF to text files so you can access them on your Stream. Finally, version 3.2 has hidden treasures that you should know about. In addition to new languages and general maintenance, HumanWare now has the underlying framework to support their long anticipated SoftPak. The Stream SoftPak is optional software that provides five features for which they have had many requests: * Support of the EPUB book format * The ability to play Audible's Enhanced Audio books * Playback of MP4 audio including iTunes * Support for MS Word DOCX * The ability to record in MP3 or Wav file formats. HumanWare is offering the version 3.2 Stream and Companion upgrades at no charge. For more information and to download visit Website: www.humanware.com/stream_software After installing 3.2 you may take advantage of the optional software features by purchasing the SoftPak for a nominal charge of 49 dollars. For more information about the Stream SoftPak visit Website: www.humanware.com/softpak You may also purchase SoftPak online from that page. You must have version 3.2 Stream software installed before installing the SoftPak. Note; We at Modern-Eyes are agents for HumanWare so if you have any queries, give us a call Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk NEWS ABOUT THE MODERN-EYES WEBSITE We are making some major changes to the Modern-Eyes website over the next few months. We are combining the magazine site with the Modern-Eyes Training Services site so you will soon be able to find all you need on one site! The new site is being designed to be easy to use, easy to navigate and be as VI-friendly as we can make it. So, please do be patient and bear with us. We will get it all done as soon as we can. In the meantime, you can access either of our sites in the normal way and you will be directed accordingly. We hope to have all the usual information, magazines and all about us, all together on one site, as soon as we can. Website: www.modern-eyes.co.uk Or Website: www.training-me.co.uk Do you want to learn to play a musical instrument but cannot do so in the usual way because you cannot see well enough to read the printed tutorial or any music? If so have a look at Website: http://www.musicvi.com/ This is a unique web site which teaches you to play a wide range of musical instruments including the piano, guitar, flute, violin, saxophone and harmonica, all without having to read printed text or music. They are all taught by ear using downloadable M P 3 files or posted C D's. In addition to formal lessons you can also learn a wide range of tunes, both classical and modern, all graded by difficulty. For example, the piano library contains two complete courses, six instructional topics, 41 classical titles, 107 standard and pop titles, 13 Christmas titles and 40 religious titles. The guitar library contains about 35 instructional topics, 25 classical titles, 203 rock and blues titles, 43 country folk and bluegrass titles, and about 200 titles for other guitar styles I have never heard of!
LOOKING FOR ACCESSIBLE eBOOKS? RNIB's essential online guide to ebooks and accessibility can be found at Website: www.rnib.org.uk/ebooks The guide covers accessibility benefits and obstacles of a number of ebook readers and all you need to know about issues such as Digital Rights Management. Ask RNIB any other questions about ebooks, by email Email: ebooks@rnib.org.uk NEW BROADBAND SERVICE FROM SKY Sky has mounted a new push to expand its broadband customer base with the announcement of a set of fiercely competitive tariffs. The company will offer 20 mb speeds to all its customers, including those who get broadband free with their Sky package. The company also commits to never "throttle" the line speeds at peak times and does not have a "fair-usage" policy of the sort used by other companies to ban heavy users from their "unlimited" products. Sky says that its new service is "effectively as fast as customers lines will go", and costs œ7.50 per month for customers who already have a Sky Talk phone service and want an unlimited service. A free version comes with a 2 GB download cap. Launching on 1 June, Sky claims it is £209 cheaper per year than BT's nearest equivalent. MICROSOFT FORCED TO OFFER CHOICE OF BROWSERS A new era in web browsing was kicked off by the European Commission on 1 March 2010, as Microsoft was forced to allow users of its Windows operating system to choose different programs to surf the internet. The effect will certainly be to broaden competition in the market – which should boost innovation, says Opera, the Norwegian company which filed the original complaint that led to the action. Users in the UK and the rest of Europe who use Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 and have Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) as their default browser, will now be sent to a screen offering a choice of 12 browsers, including IE. The top five by market share are: * Internet Explorer * Mozilla's Firefox * Google's Chrome * Apple's Safari * Opera These will be presented first, in random order. The so-called "ballot screen" follows the settlement of an anti trust case by the European Commission, following a complaint filed by Opera in 2007. That alleged that Microsoft was illegally bundling its own browser into Windows, giving IE an unfair advantage, because users have to actively download other browsers. BEWARE PHISHING EMAILS FROM "AMAZON" Customers of the online bookseller Amazon are being warned to be wary of a fake "phishing" email asking them to check their accounts. These emails, addressed "Dear Customer", say: "Your order has been successfully cancelled [sic]. For your reference, here's a summary of your order." They then give an order number and a link to "order information", which appears to take users to an external website that does not belong to Amazon. The emails have a link to the genuine Amazon.com website at the bottom, making them appear authentic. Amazon advises customers to send any such emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com and only check their order status by logging directly into their account from amazon.co.uk.
MICROSOFT LAUNCHES MSN VIDEO PLAYER Microsoft has raised the stakes in the battle to win over those who watch television on the internet by introducing the first serious rival to BBC's iPlayer. The MSN Video Player, which went online on 11 March 2010, features a thousand hours of television programming aimed at young people, young families and professionals. Rather than providing a "catch-up" service similar to the iPlayer, on which people can see programmes for only a few days after they are shown, Microsoft says its service will let viewers to watch a full series. It will service shows such as the cult comedy Peep Show, the teen drama Skins and the reality series Wife Swap. The service is free, but viewers will be shown single 30-second advertisements before, during and after programmes. The player is available only in Britain. WILLIAM SHATNER LAUNCHES SOCIAL NETWORK – SERIOUSLY! The internet. The final frontier. To boldly go where no one with a little too much time on their hands in the office has gone before. Yes, it can only be one thing - William Shatner's sci-fi social networking site, Website: www.myouterspace.com "Welcome citizens of the Myouterspace United Planets," says Shatner. Planets? Oh yes. As well as the one you're reading this from, there's Creatia, Triton, Sirius and, well, lots of others, too, and starships such as Republic, Aurora and Nautilus. No Battlestars, alas, probably a rights thing, And no base ships either, thank goodness. The site also has a serious side, hoping to give people a leg-up into the sci-fi creative industry. "Register now on the planet that hosts your talents," says Shatner in a "message from the admiral". WINDOWS VISTA AND WINDOWS SEVEN EXPLAINED This brand new book, with supporting large print and Braille tactile images, is all you will need to learn about Microsoft Windows 7 and Vista from a non-visual perspective. It's specifically written to empower blind and partially sighted computer users with whatever access technology is being used, and is suitable for people who are new to Windows or who are upgrading, as well as trainers and people supporting users with sight loss. This step-by-step guide will help to build skills and knowledge, starting with the basics, and leading through to topics such as file management, trouble shooting and using the internet. Fifth in the successful Windows Explained series, it is written by award-winning author Dr. Sarah Morley Wilkins, and Steve Griffiths. Available in the following formats: Book Product code: TC 21288P Cost: £29.99 Clear print – 14-point Arial, includes clear print images Braille Product code: TC 21288B Cost: £29.99 Standard audio CD Product code: TC 21288CD Cost: £29.99 Multimedia CD Product code: TC 21288M Cost: £29.99 Contains full text and audio DAISY with DAISY player, HTML and braille-ready editions Supporting image book Product code: Braille Tactile TC 21290 Large print images TC 21289 Cost: £17.99 To order, visit Website: www.rnib.org.uk/shop Telephone: 0303 123 9999 Serotek has made 12 high-quality RealSpeak voices available for purchase. You can choose from a variety of male and female voices including American English, British English, Australian English, Scottish, Irish, and Indian English. Serotek says: "Each voice costs $25, and can not only be installed on your computer, but on a portable U3 thumb drive as well. Use these high-quality voices to read your news, email, and even your favourite books." To find out more about sampling and buying the voices, go to the Serotek blog Website: www.http://serotalk.com/2010/04/12/realspeak-voices-available-for-purchase/ IT’S OFFICIAL: THE FLOPPY DISK IS DEAD! Sony is to stop selling floppy disks 29 years after it first launched the storage technology. The company has announced that from March 2011 it will cease selling 3.5 inch floppies in Japan. Many other manufacturers have already halted production. This announcement is significant because Sony effectively invented the 3.5 inch floppy and sells more of this type of product than any other company. Although 8 in and 5 1/4 inch floppy disks had been in use for years before, Sony's rigid and compact design was an instant hit when it emerged in 1981. Sony claims the reason for its move is a lack of demand, which is easy to believe as it is now unusual for a desktop or laptop PC to come with a floppy drive included as standard. GOING GREEN? FUJITSU LAUNCHES GREEN LAPTOPS Fujitsu has expanded its proGREEN range with some new laptops – including one model that boasts an impressive 18-hour battery life to go with its green credentials. The Lifebook E780 is a 15.6inch laptop which uses a range of clever features to keep power consumption at a minimum, including: * LED backlighting on the display * Fujitsu's unique EcoButton, which disables unnecessary hardware and can allegedly extend battery life by up to an hour. * Power supply which runs at 87 per cent efficiency, allowing the E780 to achieve Energy Star 5.0 certification. While 18 hours of battery life is certainly impressive, Fujitsu has cheated slightly – the figure is for the unit running on two battery packs, increasing the weight in exchange for the extra runtime. The time achieved will also be dependent on the specification chosen: Fujitsu is making the E780 available with either Nvidia GT 330M or Intel HD graphics, and with Intel Core i7 and i5 processor choices. If you'd rather have something a little more portable but keeping with the green theme, Fujitsu has also announced the S71014 inch model, which is again Energy Star 5.0 certified for its efficiency, featuring up to 128 GB S SD storage, integrated 3G mobile broadband, and weighing a fairly portable 2.15kg. As with the E780, the S710 features modular bays allowing for a second battery to be fitted for additional runtime. Sue’s note: Sorry, no prices!! IT WORKSHOPS Don’t forget our workshops at Coney Hill and GCAB. We can now also offer workshops for Dolphin Guide users. If you would like to come to a workshop, just let us know! Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk We are also taking names of anyone in other areas who would like a class nearer to them. If you would like to join a class but can’t make it to Coney Hill, let us know and we will do our best to encourage enough people in your area to come along! Classes for Dolphin and Dolphin Guide users are also running at GCAB until July 2010. If you would like to come along please contact GCAB Telephone: 01242 22 11 70 Whether you are using Guide/Dolphin Guide or one of the Dolphin products – Supernova, Hal or Lunar, we can help! We are now including all these in our workshops so do get in touch. If you are using Hal, Lunar, Lunar Plus or Supernova, you may like to know that we at Modern-Eyes have written some work books to help you get to know your software, set it up how you want it and practice a few exercises. We have one for guiding you through the magnification and colour schemes and one for helping you to choose your voice, amount of reading and more. They are currently for Windows XP systems. We also have books to help you get started with word processing and how to manage your files and folders on your PC. And there is now a new one to help you with digital photography! We also have a workbook to help you if you use Dolphin’s Cicero to scan and read documents. It helps you set up the program to your own preferences so you can read things in exactly the way you want. The books cost from £7.50 each and are available in any format. A comprehensive guide to using the internet with Dolphin software, as well as a complete guide to emailing with Outlook Express are also available at a cost of £35 each. We have added books to help you if you are using Dolphin Guide or Dolphin Guide Hands Free software. For the full list of workbooks please visit our website Website: http://www.training-me.co.uk/pages/services/workbooks.html Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk
LET US CONVERT YOUR UNREADABLE TEXT! Don’t forget that we can convert documents into almost any format! We can offer BRAILLE, large print, standard audio, MP3, DAISY and, if you can think of it, we can probably do it! We can now also put your documents onto a memory stick or SD card so you can read them on your computer or portable reader. We can now also convert CDs to MP3 so you can put them onto your MP3 player. So, if you have documents or music you need converting, let us know. Telephone: 01453 757 047 Email: sue@modern-eyes.co.uk
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