Over the next few days I plan to try out the software titles we were introduced to (or reminded of!) on the day and write some information and opinions here on this blog. I will also report back on the Feedback system that Assistive Solutions is trialling. Those that know me know that I’m very passionate about measuring our outcomes so it’s great to find out someone’s doing something about it.

Jemma has agoraphobia which has meant that she has been largely unable to leave her house for two years. However she felt that she had something to offer the world so set up a recording studio in her bedroom and has now found that millions of people from around the world want to tune in to hear her singing.

This is a wonderful example of how technology, and especially the Internet, can help people like Jemma develop a sense of identity and appears to be having a very positive impact on her wellbeing.

More YouTube videos of Jemma singing

Samsung NB30

Here’s a thing. Samsung have brought out a semi-ruggerised netbook and are showing it off at BETT (Stand M45). Samsung netbooks are widely known as being amongst the best and they have had a model at the top of PC Pro’s A-List for as long as I can remember.

The NB30 has a waterproof keyboard, shock-protected hard drive and a rubberised lid. The netbook should be able to run for around nine hours in a school. It costs less than £280 for one running Windows 7 (or £233 for XP). Obviously one of the draw backs is the screen size – at only 10″ it probably won’t be suitable for pupils with a visual impairment unless they are using JAWS or another screenreader in which case it could be just about perfect.

It also has three USB ports so attaching multiple assistive devices such as a rollerball and bigkeys won’t be a problem. Watch out again for the screen size as it might be difficult to see if the laptop is pushed away from the user to allow space for these devices.

Rabbit on a mir:ror

However the company that makes them, and runs the servers required for them to operate, has rather frustratingly filed for bankruptcy. This is a shame. Please could one of my readers dig deep into their pockets and save this little company? It would mean a great deal to me! Plus I’ve been showing the system to some OT chums and everyone has given it the thumbs up. If only the emperor will do the same…

If a recent patent application is to be taken to a possible conclusion then a future iPhone or iPod touch will feature an invisible grid that provides tactile feeling back to the user to reinforce their actions. A small improvement on top of the affordability, size and speed of the existing hardware but could make the experience more understandable for many potential users.

A few weeks after installing the Windows 7 release candiate, and a year into using W7 in some form, I noticed that my tablet frequently and randomly made the clunky device connect / device disconnect sounds usually associated with adding and removing USB items. After taking away all my USB peripherals, and upon still hearing the sound, I realised I needed to do something about it. Obviously this was muting the computer. But sooner or later (later) I needed to watch things on iPlayer and the noise was becomming irritiating.

Anyway for the information of any interested readers or those who have stumbled across this page searching for a solution I fixed this problem by manually installing the chipset drivers. In my case I downloaded the nVidia nForce drivers suited for my HP tx2130ea tablet (tx2100 series). I ran the setup program in Windows Vista compatibility mode to ensure it would all install (there aren’t any drivers for W7 at the time of writing) and after a quick restart…

Fixed!

Not AT related I know but at least I’m writing something.

“Everyone is welcome at this exciting drop-in day, packed full of hands on technologies for communication, inclusion, access and gaming.  Look out for leading organisations including Widgit, Possum, Dynavox, Crick, SoundBeam, SmartBox AT, TraxSys, the RIX Centre, OM Interactive, Signalong, Just Different and more.  Put your questions to the experts, play on the Wii and share the day with us.

• Where? Charlton School, Charlton Park Rd, London SE7 8HX
• When? Wednesday 18th March 2009 11.00am – 4.30pm
• More information, list of seminar titles, directions etc on www.charltonschool.com“

View the poster for this event.

The new version due to ship free with Windows 7 allows full-screen magnification and a moving lens. It is operated simply by holding Windows Key and pressing plus/minus. It supports zoom increments of 25% and will magnify up to 1600%. The program doesn’t smooth text as well as Zoomtext, Lunar and the other commerical programs but doesn’t do a bad job.

See for yourself in this video of the Windows 7 magnifier in action:

A higher quality version of this video is available on the video’s youtube page.

Don’t forget my main website contains lots of information about making Windows XP accessible for people with low vision.