Talking Tech 30th July 2024

Product Minute: Synaptic software for your Android Phone or Tablet

 

What is Synaptic:

 

Synapptic is an all in one software or app package for people who are blind or vision impaired, , that works on android smartphones and tablets.

 

Synaptic overview:

 

Find your way around with clear and bright icons.

All screens have the same look and feel.

In other words, once you have learnt one screen, you will know everything you need to know to use all other screens.

Never get lost and always find your way back to the main menu with the Red Cross at the top left corner of the screen.

Customise the main menu to display as a grid on one screen to make finding things easier, rather than several menu screens.

Touch and release touch screen control means you can move your finger up and down each menu option and it will be read out until you stop on the option you want to use.

Control Synaptic with your voice and use voice dictation if you like instead of the on screen keyboard.

Plus, you can also use a Bluetooth keyboard for navigation and typing as well.

Change the magnification level,  colour scheme, screen brightness, speech and sound settings,  and of course the menus.

help is available at the top right hand corner  of each Synapptic screen.

Make and receive phone calls and text messages (only on devices with a SIMM card).

Send, receive, and read  emails.

Use the web browser to search and read what is on the internet.

Listen to thousands of internet radio stations.

Play music, books, and other MP3 recordings from device,  memory cards or USB sticks.

Watch and enjoy what is on YouTube.

Catch up with the news and other stories efficiently.

Turn the camera in to a reading machine, hand held digital magnifier, colour detecter, access QR/Bar codes, and take and share photos.

Find out your current location, and what may be of interest near you.

 

Other features:

 

 address book.

calendar,  Reminders, and alarms.

Calculator.

Compass and spirit level.

Make and share text or voice notes.

Use the stop watch,  and timer.

Install and Run other apps such as Spotify, Zoom etc.

If all of these features interest you, a download trial is available. See the shop page for this link. You can then purchase a license to register the Synaptic software.  

 

For more information, please contact the Vision Store on phone 1 3 0 0, 8 4 7 , 4 6 6 or email [e-mail].

https://shop.visionaustralia.org/everyday-technology/synapptic-software-for-android.html

 

ApleVIS Closing Down

 

After 14 years of volunteer operation, as of August 31 2024 Applevis will be closing down.

Great content, and it will be missed.

Site is in read only mode for now, so no new content will be available.

 

Speaking of Getting Help and Useful Resources

 

Don’t forget about the help sites from Apple, Android, and Windows, plus our fantastic at Help Desk which you can reach via the main Vision Australia number or email

[e-mail]

 

Tips on Stephen on How to listen to the 2024 Ylympics

 

Some great tips, as I have been finding it bit confusing myself on where to catch up on what is happening with the games.

 

Any Head Phone suggestions

 

Folks who follow me on social media will know I’m on a bit of a quest to find out suitable head phones to use when out and about, as my bone conduction Shokz just don’t work in noisy environments.

 

Feel

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:21):
Hello everyone! Welcome to Talking Tech. This edition available from
July the 30th, 2024. I'm Stephen Jolly. Great to have
you with us listening maybe through Vision Australia radio associated
stations of the Radio Reading Network, formerly known as RPA
Australia and the Community Radio Network. There is also the podcast.

(00:41):
To catch that, all you need to do is search
for the two words talking tech and Dan. It can
all come usually on a Tuesday afternoon just after it's
been produced. Another option is to ask your Siri device
or smart speaker to play Vision Australia Radio talking tech
podcast Vision Australia Radio talking tech podcast with me, someone

(01:02):
who can explain all this tech stuff really well. Vision
Australia's national advisor on access technology, David Woodbridge. David, let's
start with the product minute. It's going to go for
a bit more than a minute today. Uh, a product
from the vision store of Vision Australia. And quite an
interesting one.

S2 (01:22):
Yeah. This one is one of those things that I
know it's always there, but sometimes I forget it is there.
And it's actually a really cool bit of software. Now,
when I say software, I'm really talking about an app
for your smartphone. In this case, it's Android smartphone or tablet,
and the software itself is called synaptic, which is sin
a double p t I c. So it's the word

(01:45):
synaptic with two P's. In case you're trying to find it.
And what it is, it's an application or an app
that when you install it and you can install it
as a trial version on your phone or tablet when
it starts up, it takes over the whole phone because
what it's trying to do is give you a nice, safe,

(02:06):
protected environment to do all the things that you would
normally do on a smart phone. And when I say
all the things this thing covers email, web browsing, uh,
radio stations, making notes, text notes, voice notes, uh, scanning, uh,
using your phone's camera as a electronic digital magnifier, barcode,

(02:32):
QR code reading. The list goes on and on. I
think all up from memory, there's about, I want to say,
between 16 to 20 applications that you would expect a
phone to do, um, including, um, some GPS location, look
around type stuff. And the way I say, it's a

(02:52):
protected environment because it's all menu driven. So you have
a menu on the main screen. So let's say let's
just dumb it down. We won't go through all 16.
But let's say for example, you had email web browsing
and notes on the main screen. So you choose them
the way you want it ever done via your voice,
via using gestures on the smartphone, which is pretty straightforward.

(03:15):
Or you can use an external keyboard to, you know,
go up and down and hit enter on one. Now
the whole system is that menu structure. So let's say
you go into email, then you would have send a
new message, read messages, delete messages. And if you just
keep going down and down in that structure, it's all
menu driven. And then you can go back a level

(03:37):
to the previous menu, or you can zip back straight
to the quote. Main menu. And the other really cool
thing about it is that it will not only speak
out to you, which you can turn on and off
if you don't want it. It's also in large print,
as I've already mentioned, it's voice input as well. You
can do voice dictation into anywhere you can type to

(03:59):
use the on screen keyboard or the external keyboard. And
on the top left hand side, you've got a lovely
back to menu button. On the top right hand side,
you've got a nice context menu button as well, so
it's just a every time I use this, I just
think this is for people that don't want to learn

(04:21):
how to use multiple applications, even just an email program,
a web browser, and a note taking system. There are
three different programs with three different ways to use it. Um,
so it's really important that people know that this is available. Uh,
price wise it's about $450, so it might sound a

(04:43):
bit expensive for a quote, an app, but when you're
considering you're getting all this functionality built into it, it
works very well. And for those sort of smart techie
people out there that want to use more things, you
can run and use Android apps with the synaptic screen reader.
And if you really, really want to, you can also
exit synaptic and use the other functions of the smart

(05:07):
phone or tablet. And the reason why I keep saying
smartphone or tablet. Of course, when you run this thing
on the on a tablet which doesn't normally have a
SIM card to make phone calls. Of course the phone
call option is disabled. You won't see it. So a
really great app. Like I said, you can download and
install a trial which you can get off the main
shop Vision Australia. Org website and then if you think

(05:29):
it's fantastic you then buy a license, license it and
off we go.

S1 (05:35):
So it's actually a really different and user friendly software
or application environment for a blind or low vision person
on their Android device, isn't it?

S2 (05:47):
Correct. Because you only really have to deal with screens
that are all menu driven. You don't have to think
about commands or where do I go for this bit
of information or function. It's just all there in front
of you. So it's been around for quite a long time,
and people People that might have used the guide software
on windows PCs, which is all menu driven as well.

(06:08):
This is very similar to that functionality.

S1 (06:11):
Synaptic. Synaptic from the vision store of Vision Australia. Shop
dot Vision Australia. Org. Well, we've read some disappointing news
recently about the imminent closure of Applevis, a place where
many people will have gone over the last, well, maybe

(06:32):
14 years from when it started. If you're blind or
low vision and use the Apple environment.

S2 (06:38):
Indeed. So this is the main site from a community
perspective that's covered everything to do with Apple accessibility, watch, TV, Mac, etc., etc.. Uh,
since 2010 and I guess, you know, like everything, things
have to come to an end eventually. And because the

(07:02):
website has effectively been run by volunteers since 2010. After
a while you start to have to look at your
own commitments in life and what other things may be
going on, and how much effort you need to put
into different things and that sort of stuff. And I
think with Applebee's, it's just come to a stage in

(07:23):
the main person's, um, person that drives the website. David Goodwin, um,
that he really has decided that, you know, if all
the volunteer help that he's got from all the other editors, um,
his family's supporting him to keep doing the project over
the last 14 years, since 2010. I really think it's
just got too much. And, you know, sadly, um, the

(07:46):
community is going to lose an absolutely fantastic resource. Now,
I know, um, a couple of years ago, um, David
did open up the website for donations and that sort
of stuff, but I sometimes think we don't appreciate things
enough until either when they're taking taken away, Um. Or two,

(08:07):
we seem to almost have this mentality that because we're
blind or low vision, we should sort of get stuff
for free. I'm not saying everybody's like that, but, um,
I just wish to some extent, Stephen, that he would
have perhaps done the the Applevis podcast with a, with
a subscription because I know he did the, the donations

(08:27):
on the website, but I've noticed on the internet lately
a lot of businesses are sort of shutting down their
main business and now working from home, and they're actually
charging people for their podcasts. So I don't know if
that would have alleviated any of the issues. Um, I've
seen a few few comments on the internet saying that

(08:49):
people would be quite willing to, you know, undertake the
maintenance and blow a blow of the website, but we'll
see what happens. So at the moment the website's been
put into read only mode, and then at the 31st
of August 2024, um, it will be taken down. So
the email that I'm sure people have seen on the
main Applevis webpage, um, is warning people that if you

(09:11):
want any content off it now, um, then this is
the best chance to get your hands on it. Um,
like I just said, otherwise it'll be gone as of
the 31st of August.

S1 (09:19):
Yeah. So hats off to the founder and curator, David Goodwin.
And you mentioned the podcasts. Certainly they've been valuable over
the years as well, haven't they? Particularly around the times
of new releases of iOS. So it'll be interesting to
see whether there's some other arrangement so that that knowledge

(09:42):
can be made available to people the way it has
been in the past. But hats off to all the
Applevis people. They've done a great job indeed.

S2 (09:49):
And it was very important back in 2010 when everything
was new, like the iOS was new, everything was so
new to us, including up, including the the Apple Watch. So,
you know, I think back then, I think I did
about 45 podcasts on the Mac and about 39 podcasts
on the Apple Watch. So it has been a really,
really great resource.

S1 (10:07):
It's probably timely to talk about where help is available
for the various IT platforms that we use. Mhm.

S2 (10:16):
Indeed. So look lots of different platforms are currently available.
So of course um we know about the iPhone or
the iOS and the Mac and the watch stuff. Um
there's windows, there's Android and all those operating systems have
their own website. So Microsoft does it, Android does it,
Apple does it. Um, everybody does it. So if you

(10:37):
always tend to go to like Microsoft. Com slash accessibility
output.com/accessibility google.com slash accessibility they're available. And of course in
Australia um if you want to get help on your
operating system or associated apps or things that plug into
all these different operating systems. Of course, you can always

(10:58):
talk to the At help desk at Vision Australia itself.
And of course that's done via the main one 300 number,
which is 1300 847 461 308 4746. Yep. And of course the
main email for the help desk which is at help
at Vision Australia. Org so it's again said about applevis

(11:21):
but don't lose hope. There's also other resources. Probably not
as good in some ways because of the podcasts. Um,
but they're also available still.

S1 (11:30):
Have you been listening to the Olympic Games at all lately? David?

S2 (11:32):
Um, I'm glad you asked that, Stephen, because I'm a
bit lost at the moment. So I'm just wondering if
you've got any tips for me and our listeners on
where to find this stuff.

S1 (11:40):
So the radio arrangement in Australia is owned by Nine radio.
It's part of the organisation known as Nine Publishing, which
has newspapers and television stations, etc. now nine radio covers Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane.

(12:01):
So through those radio stations six PR, three two GB
and four BC. but there's about half of the Australian
population they don't reach. So people in regional areas and
in cities like Adelaide and Darwin and Hobart and Canberra
that don't have nine radio stations, they are able to

(12:23):
catch an Olympic coverage from the ABC on their Am
or FM analog station. So everyone gets a service, but
depending where you live, it will be either through the
nine radio system or through the ABC service. And just
a little tip for people who use the nine radio service.

(12:45):
Around 530 in the morning, the stations break away to
their breakfast programming, certainly on weekdays, and don't cover as
thoroughly the events that they had been covering. And it's
only about an hour or so left. Two GB is
the best place to go, though they seem to still
cover a fair bit of the Olympic stuff, or more
than some of the other stations. And of course you

(13:06):
can easily get two GB from your device. You don't
have to listen to terrestrial radio these days to get it. No, that's.

S2 (13:13):
Good, because I've literally been a bit of a loss
because I'm in a regional area. And yeah, I've been
trying to flit around the internet and everywhere else to
try and find it. So it looks like I've got
a reason to listen to Tgb. Do you have.

S1 (13:25):
You were telling me you've got a bit of a
dilemma with finding the right headset these days, David.

S2 (13:31):
I do, because there's active listening and noise cancelling and
there's also bone conduction headphones. Now, what I'm finding is
with bone conduction is they're not loud enough in very
noisy traffic or railway station, etc., etc. can't hear them.
So I'm just wondering if anybody would like to email me,
which is my normal email address. David Woodbridge at Vision Australia.
Org and share with me your favorite headphones for being

(13:54):
out in public in particular, and being able to still
hear information when you're using your smartphone or any other
device in particularly noisy environments. So I would really appreciate that,
and I'll definitely share it with information. As soon as
I get a couple of comments, I'll let people know
what the recommendations are.

S1 (14:12):
We'll repeat that email address in a moment before we go,
a reminder of where there are details of what we've
been speaking about in this and previous editions of the program.

S2 (14:21):
Indeed, you can check out my blog site, which is
indeed still going, which is David Wood TBR Podbean pad bn.com.

S1 (14:28):
David Wood b dot podbean podbean.com and that all important
email address to write to the program.

S2 (14:37):
Indeed which is David Woodbridge how it sounds at Vision Australia.

S1 (14:42):
Org David Dot Woodbridge at Vision Australia. Org this has
been talking tech with me has been Vision Australia's national
advisor on access technology David Woodbridge I'm Stephen Jolly stay safe.
We'll talk more tech next week. See you.