[Nfbf-l] ACCESSIBLE ipod touch

[Lappland]

if this really works, it is  awesome!  Go Apple!
>iPod touch includes a screen reader and other innovative accessibility
>> features that make it easier to use for those with impaired vision.
>> VoiceOver
>>
>> The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on the Mac and the
>> iPhone is now a standard feature on iPod touch (3rd generation). It's
>> the world's first gesture-based screen reader, enabling you to enjoy
>> the fun and simplicity of iPod touch even if you can't see the screen.
>> What makes VoiceOver on iPod touch remarkable is that you control it
>> using simple gestures that let you physically interact with items on
>> the screen. It's easy to learn and fun to use. Instead of memorizing
>> hundreds of keyboard commands or endlessly pressing tiny arrow keys to
>> find what you're looking for, with VoiceOver you simply touch the
>> screen to hear a description of the item under your finger, then
>> gesture with a double-tap, drag, or flick.
>> VoiceOver delivers an experience unlike any screen reader you've used
>> before. Traditional screen readers describe individual elements on the
>> screen, but struggle to communicate where each element is located or
>> provide information about adjoining objects. This contextual
>> information is very important but typically filtered out by other
>> screen readers. For example, "off-screen" models used by traditional
>> screen readers to represent applications and web pages intentionally
>> strip away contextual information and describe web pages as a list or
>> menu of items. But with VoiceOver on iPod touch, you'll experience
>> something entirely new.
>> Because VoiceOver works with the touchscreen, you interact directly
>> with objects on the screen and can understand their location and
>> context. So, when you touch the upper-left corner of the screen,
>> you'll hear what's in the upper-left corner of a web page, and as you
>> drag your finger around the screen, you'll learn what's nearby,
>> providing an amazing new sense of context and relationships between
>> the items you hear. For many, VoiceOver on iPod touch will provide,
>> perhaps for the first time, a true sense of not only how things appear
>> on the screen, but also descriptions of what they are. You'll hear
>> descriptions of every item, including status information such as
>> battery level, Wi-Fi signal levels, and time of day. iPod touch even
>> lets you know when the display changes to landscape or portrait, and
>> when the screen is locked or unlocked.
>> The speaking rate is adjustable so you can set it to a speed that best
>> suits your listening ability. VoiceOver uses distinctive sound effects
>> to alert you when an application opens, when the screen is updated,
>> when a message dialog appears, and more. And when VoiceOver is
>> talking, the volume of background sounds and music is automatically
>> lowered, "ducking" under the voice, so you can clearly hear what
>> VoiceOver is telling you.
>>
>> It Speaks Your Language
>> VoiceOver includes built-in voices that speak over 21 languages
>> including Bahasa Indonesian, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (China),
>> Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (U.S.), English (UK), English
>> (Australian), Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German,
>> Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese
>> (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish
>> (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.
>> Getting Started
>> VoiceOver is built into iPod touch (3rd generation). There's nothing
>> extra to purchase or install. All you need is iPod touch, iTunes 9 or
>> later, and a Mac or PC. You can activate your iPod touch and enable
>> VoiceOver without sighted assistance using iTunes with a compatible
>> screen reader like VoiceOver (included in Mac OS X) or GW-Micro Window-
>> Eyes for Windows XP and Windows Vista (sold separately). When you
>> activate iPod touch using iTunes, you can enable VoiceOver to start
>> using it right away. Or a sighted user can enable VoiceOver for you
>> directly on iPod touch using the Accessibility menu in the Settings
>> application.
>> How It Works
>> With VoiceOver enabled, you'll use a different but simple set of
>> gestures to control iPod touch. For example, instead of tapping to
>> activate a button, tap the button to hear a description of it, double-
>> tap to activate it, and swipe up or down to adjust a slider.
>> When an item on the screen is selected, a black rectangle called the
>> VoiceOver cursor appears around it. The VoiceOver cursor is displayed
>> for the benefit of sighted users with whom you may be sharing your
>> iPod touch. When you prefer privacy, VoiceOver includes a screen
>> curtain that turns off the display so no one can read it without your
>> knowledge.
>> In addition to touching and dragging around the screen, you can also
>> flick left and right to move the VoiceOver cursor precisely to the
>> next or previous item on the screen - no matter how big or small it
>> is. By flicking, you have precise control of what you hear even when
>> it might otherwise be difficult to place your finger on it.
>>
>> Practice Gestures
>> With the Practice Gestures setting on iPod touch, you can hone your
>> technique and learn new gestures. Or use Practice Gestures just to
>> find out what each gesture does. You can access Practice Gestures from
>> the VoiceOver preferences in Settings.
>> Entering Text
>> When you're typing text, such as an email message or a note, VoiceOver
>> echoes each character on the keyboard as you touch it, and again to
>> confirm when you enter it. You can also have VoiceOver speak each
>> completed word instead of or in addition to individual characters as
>> you type them. A flick up or down while typing moves the insertion
>> point cursor left and right within the text, so you can edit a word
>> just as easily and precisely as typing a new word.
>>
>> To help you type more quickly and accurately, iPod touch features word
>> prediction and suggests the correct spelling when you type a word
>> incorrectly. With Speak Auto-text enabled, you'll hear a sound effect
>> and the suggested word spoken automatically. You can just keep typing
>> to ignore it, or press the Space key to have iPod touch type it for you.
>> The Rotor
>> VoiceOver features an innovative new virtual control called a "rotor."
>> Turning the rotor - by rotating two fingers on the screen as if you
>> were turning an actual dial - changes the way VoiceOver moves through
>> a document based on a setting you choose. For example, a flick up or
>> down might move through text word by word. But when you choose the
>> "character" setting, each time you flick up or down VoiceOver will
>> move through the text character by character - perfect when you're
>> proofreading or editing text.
>> You can also use the rotor to navigate web pages. When you're on a web
>> page, the rotor contains the names of common items, such as headers,
>> links, form elements, images, and more. You select a setting, then
>> flick up and down to move to the previous or next occurrence of that
>> item on the page, skipping over items in between.
>> Cut, Copy & Paste
>> Cut, copy, and paste comes to iPod touch. To bring up cut, copy, and
>> paste options, use the rotor and choose Edit. Flick up or down to
>> choose between the Select and Select All functions, then double tap.
>> If you choose Select, the word closest to the insertion point is
>> selected when you double tap. Pinch to increase or decrease the
>> selection. If you choose Select All, the entire text is selected. When
>> text is selected, cut, copy, and paste options appear on the screen.
>> If you want to undo something, just give iPod touch a shake. You can
>> also flick left or right to choose the undo action, then double tap.
>> Applications
>> VoiceOver works with all of the built-in applications that come with
>> iPod touch, such as iPod, iTunes, Mail, Safari, and Maps. So you can
>> surf the web, text and email your friends, check your stocks and the
>> weather, and much, much more. Learn more
>>
>> Voice Control
>> In addition to gestures, you can use your voice to play music. Just
>> press and hold the Home button, listen for the audio prompt, and speak
>> the name of the artist, album, or playlist you want to hear. You can
>> pause, play, change tracks, and even shuffle your music. Learn more
>> Zoom
>>
>> While many iPod touch applications let you zoom in and out on specific
>> elements such as images in Mail, or web page columns in Safari, Zoom
>> lets you magnify the entire screen of any application you're using to
>> help you see what's on the display. Zoom can be enabled on iPod touch
>> using iTunes when you're setting up iPod touch, for yourself or
>> someone else, or later, using the Accessibility menu in the Settings
>> application on iPod touch.
>> Zoom works everywhere, including the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight
>> screens - even with applications you purchase from the App Store.
>> A simple double-tap with three fingers instantly zooms in and out
>> 200%, and you can double-tap and drag three fingers to adjust the
>> magnification between 100% and 500%. Even when the screen is zoomed,
>> you can continue using all of the familiar flick, pinch, tap, and
>> other iPod touch gestures to run your favorite applications. Zoom can
>> also be used with White on Black (reverse video) and Speak Auto-text.
>> White on Black
>>
>> For those who need or prefer higher contrast, iPod touch provides an
>> option to change the display to White on Black. This reverse video
>> effect works in all applications, including the Home, Unlock, and
>> Spotlight screens, and can be used with Zoom and VoiceOver.
>> Triple-Click Home
>> Listeners can use the triple-click home key and set it to toggle
>> VoiceOver or White on Black, or ask you which one.
>> Speak Auto-text
>> When you're typing, iPod touch suggests a word before you finish
>> typing it or a correction when a word is misspelled. Speak Auto-text
>> speaks these suggestions so you can hear them when they're presented.
>> When the screen is zoomed, for example, the suggestion might not be
>> visible, but you can hear and accept it without seeing it. If you're
>> using VoiceOver, you won't have to interrupt your typing and touch the
>> suggestion to hear it. Speak Auto-text can be enabled even when you're
>> not using VoiceOver or Zoom.
>> Tactile Buttons
>> iPod touch includes a few, easily discernible physical buttons used to
>> control it: the Sleep/Wake button, located on the top edge; the volume
>> control buttons, located on the upper-left edge; and the Home button,
>> centered below the display.
>>
>> Giant Fonts for Mail Messages
>> For improved email readability, you can increase the font size of
>> email text from Medium (the default) to Large, Extra Large, or Giant.
>>
>> iPod touch Earphones
>> The new 32GB and 64GB iPod touch models come with a stereo headset
>> with a high-performance microphone built into the cable. Plug it into
>> the standard 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack and the headset lets you
>> control music playback by clicking the remote button.
>> Accessibility Add-ons for iPod touch
>> Several add-on products are also available for iPod touch that can
>> help those with hearing disabilities, including a hearing aid-
>> compatible induction ear loop from TecEar, wireless remote headset
>> from Oticon, and others.

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