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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Magnifier in Windows 7 Coming Soon?

I was checking out a link in an email I got from Microsoft about Windows Accessibility. The next Operating System to be released is called Windows 7. It's in Beta right now, but if you want to read about their new and improved built-in magnifier, check out the promised features at: Windows 7 Magnifier
It looks as though the Magnifier will finally have a full screen mode. I missed the opportunity to download the beta Windows 7 for free, so if anyone's tried it out, I'd love to hear comments.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Hello, I'm an Accessible PC

Knowing keyboard shortcuts helps when using the computer. They are more efficient and save time for anyone who wants to streamline use of the PC. If you're just tuning in to the benefits of using keyboard shortcuts, let's ease into it by focusing on just one for this posting: Windows key-D for Desktop.
No matter what you're doing on the computer, you can quickly get back to the desktop to open another application by pressing the Windows key and the letter 'd'. When you see the desktop screen, you can then choose another application by pressing the beginning letter of the program you want to launch. For example, after pressing Windows-D, pressing the letter 'i' will move the focus to any application that begins with that letter, such as 'Internet Explorer'. Just press Enter to launch the program.
Try it out!

Hello, I'm an Accessible Mac

Well, I thought I'd start a short series based on Apple's great, "Hello, I'm a Mac," "Hello, I'm a PC". Both the Mac and the Windows computers offer accessibility features. After the iPod Nano came out last Fall, I loved the voice feature that Mac added to enable people to access the menus of the iPod without having to look at the screen. I have thought since it came out (and suggested as much to every Apple Store rep I saw), that Apple should be advertising this talking feature to the general populace. Whether you're exercising or driving in the car, being able to choose the song you want without having to look at the screen is a great new feature. Now, Apple has released an even more accessible iPod, the new Shuffle. Check it out at the accessibility page on Apple's website.