[Blindtlk] MusicDock: an accessible alternative to the SiriusXMapp for iOS (fun)

Sun Sep 30 16:54:52 UTC 2012

Hi,
Thanks! I have one more question.  Now that I've joined the 
group, what address do I send my questions to?

 ----- Original Message -----
From: christopher nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 30 Sep 2012 11:55:38 -0400
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] MusicDock: an accessible alternative to 
the SiriusXMapp for iOS (fun)

Send an email to accessible-iOS+subscribe at googlegroups.com.

Chris Nusbaum

Sent from my iPod

On Sep 30, 2012, at 1:28 AM, Jasmine Kotsay 
<jasmine.kotsay at gmail.com> wrote:

 Hi,
    How do you get on the Accessible IOS device list?

 ----- Original Message -----
 From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
 To: <accessible-ios at googlegroups.com>,"'National Association of 
Blind Students mailing list'"<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>, 
<blindtlk at nfbnet.org>, <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
 Date sent: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:17:58 -0400
 Subject: [Blindtlk] MusicDock: an accessible alternative to the 
Sirius XMapp for iOS (fun)

 Hi everyone,

 Those of us who are on the Accessible iOS list and the NFB NABS 
list have
 recently been talking about apps that we find to be especially 
useful, fun,
 interesting and (most importantly) accessible.  So, I thought I 
would add to
 the discussion by describing one of my favorite iOS apps, which 
I think is
 largely not known in the community of blind iOS users.  As some 
of you know,
 I have been a subscriber to Sirius XM Satelite Radio for about 3 
years now,
 and have always wanted a way to listen to my favorite channels 
when I'm away
 from home and my Sirius receiver.  Although I still haven't 
found an
 accessible way to do this on the PC, I have found a way to do it 
on my iPod
 Touch! The app is called MusicDock, and it is an accessible 
alternative to
 the Sirius XM app for iOS, which (at least in the US) is 
inaccessible with
 VoiceOver.

 The app can be downloaded for free in the app store and is very 
easy to set
 up.  Once you have downloaded and installed the app, a log-in 
screen will
 appear the first time you open the app.  On this screen, you are 
required to
 type in the username and password for your Sirius XM account.  
Please note
 here that you must have a current Sirius XM subscription with 
Internet radio
 enabled in order for MusicDock to work.  Otherwise, you can't 
access the
 streams of the channels and MusicDock will not let you log into 
and use it.
 Once you have entered your Sirius XM username and password, a 
one-finger
 flick right will bring you to a login button.  Double tap on 
this button and
 (assuming your username and password are valid) you will be 
logged into the
 app and can now listen to all Sirius XM channels on your iOS 
device.

 It is also very easy to find and listen to a channel using 
MusicDock.  When
 you first log into the app, if you scroll down the screen you 
will hear a
 list of categories; pop, rock, country, news/talk, sports, etc.  
These are
 the categories that Sirius XM channels are grouped into.  Double 
tapping on
 one of these categories will bring up a list of channels that 
are in that
 category.  Scroll down the screen by either touching or flicking 
to the right
 to find the channel you want to listen to, then double tap on 
the name of
 the channel to tell MusicDock to load the stream.  Within 
seconds, the stream
 will load and you will hear what is on the channel you selectet.  
For those
 of you who use the TuneIn Radio app to listen to terrestrial 
(local) radio
 stations, finding a channel with MusicDock is very similar to 
finding a
 station on TuneIn.

 If you don't want to list your channels by category, there are 
other options
 as well.  Like a lot of iOS apps, MusicDock has 5 tabs at the 
bottom of the
 screen where you can change what you are viewing or which part 
of the app
 you are in.  Here are the 5 tabs in order from left to right, 
with
 descriptions of what each one does in parentheses: categories 
tab (lists
 channels by category; double tapping on a category will bring up 
a list of
 channels,) channels tab (brings up a list of all the channels; 
double tap on
 the name of a channel to listen to it,) favorites tab (shows 
your favorites,
 or presets; double tap as always on a channel to listen to it,) 
play tab
 (shows channels you have recently played,) and settings tab 
(shows your
 settings for MusicDock; you can change these if you'd like, but 
I have mine
 at the defaults and it's working very well for me.) Below the 
play tab,
 there is a button that VoiceOver will read as "tab bar play (or 
stop if you
 are currently listening to a channel) button.  Double tapping on 
this button
 will play or pause the selected channel.  A two-finger double 
tap will also
 work for this.

               I mentioned the favorites tab earlier.  Another 
nice feature
 of MusicDock is the "favorites" feature, which allows you to put 
all the
 channels you listen to the most in one easy-to-get-to list, like 
setting
 presets on a radio.  To add a channel to your favorites, scroll 
down the
 screen while you are listening to the channel you want to add 
until you come
 to what VoiceOver will read as the "favorite off" button.  If 
you double tap
 on this button, the button label will change and VoiceOver will 
say
 "favorite selected button." Once you have done this, all you 
have to do to
 access a channel you've added to your favorites is to double tap 
on the
 favorites tab at the bottom of the screen, scroll until you find 
the channel
 you want, and double tap to listen to it.

               I hope this description and tutorial help some of 
you who
 might be interested.  MusicDock is certainly one of my favorite 
apps and one
 that I use regularly.  If you have any questions about this app, 
please let
 me know.  I hope you enjoy MusicDock if you choose to download 
it.  Happy
 listening!

 Chris Nusbaum

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