[Sportsandrec] Fwd: A Thanksgiving Gift from Apple

Mon Dec 11 07:01:39 UTC 2017

neat thing, thanks for sharing.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Jody ianuzzi via SportsandRec
Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2017 9:25 PM
To: Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter via SportsandRec
Cc: Jody ianuzzi
Subject: [Sportsandrec] Fwd: A Thanksgiving Gift from Apple

Forwarding FYI

JODY

thunderwalker321 at gmail.com

"What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS  Erik 
Weihenmayer

Begin forwarded message:

> From: BlindAlive <support at blindalive.com>
> Date: December 10, 2017 at 1:03:43 PM EST
> To: <Thunderwalker321 at gmail.com>
> Subject: A Thanksgiving Gift from Apple
> Reply-To: BlindAlive <support at blindalive.com>
>
>
> A Thanksgiving Gift from Apple
> Dec 10, 2017 11:21 am | Blind Alive
> Dear BlindAlive Follower,
> Thank you all for making this happen. We have officially released the 
> Eyes-Free Fitness® App for all iOS devices just in time for the holidays 
> and it has taken off! Since our Thanksgiving Day launch, the app has been 
> downloaded hundreds of times and we are getting 5-star reviews! We suggest 
> reading on but here is the link if you want to go straight there: Itunes. 
> We'll link it at the end of this email again.
>
> We wanted to share a bit of the backstory on how this has been coming 
> together and introduce you to some of the people behind the scenes. Like 
> Austin. None of this would have happened if it had not been for Austin 
> Seraphin who also happens to be blind. Austin had never created an app 
> before, so we knew the learning curve would be steep. What we did not know 
> was that there was to be a whole mountain range of steep curves. Here is 
> his side of the story:
>
> A Thanksgiving Gift from Apple retold by Austin Seraphin.
> It has taken over three years, but my first app has gone live in the app 
> store! Apple has given us quite a Thanksgiving present.
>
> In June of 2014, I attended a tech event at the Associated Services for 
> the Blind. A woman named Lynne Maleeff who works for Apple though not in 
> this capacity battled an unruly crowd and discussed Apple technology. I 
> remember sizing up the situation and trying to play defense, helping a few 
> random users in the back with their problems so she wouldn’t have to. A 
> few of us went out for lunch afterward, and Lynne introduced me to her 
> friend Mel.
>
> Mel Scott started BlindAlive to produce accessible audio workouts for the 
> blind. She noticed that even if workout apps had VoiceOver accessibility, 
> they assumed that the user could see the video. At the time I had given 
> several speeches about RubyMotion, and planned to write an app, but hadn’t 
> started on one yet. I agreed to write her app on the spot.
>
> Mel and I began conversing. This happened in June of 2014. We threw 
> ourselves headlong into the project. I met Chris Cox and Lisa Salinger. 
> Chris writes the website and the API which the app uses to get data. Lisa 
> does customer support. A few others worked in the background, but the four 
> of us had weekly Skype meetings, and slowly but surely the app came into 
> existence.
>
> Writing an app doesn’t just mean writing code, it also means dealing with 
> Apple’s way of doing things.
>
> “I did it my way!”
>
> Sometimes it came down to accessibility issues, and a few times they even 
> fixed them upon request. Other times it simply came down to Apple making 
> things difficult for developers. I do feel I have some special cause to 
> complain - if sighted developers find it confusing, try closing your eyes 
> and using VoiceOver!
>
> At times the project never seemed to end. I cleared hurdle after hurdle. 
> Finally, we decided to submit it for review to Apple. They rejected it.
>
> It turns out that Apple requires IPV6 compatibility for any external 
> services. I have no control over this, Chris does. It required him moving 
> a lot of things around. We submitted it again. They rejected it.
>
> They said that the app had in-app purchases, but did not provide a way to 
> restore all purchases. This confused me. I pointed out the exact steps to 
> do just this.
>
> Tap the button that reads Get Workouts
> Tap the button that reads Restore All Purchases
> They thanked me for the clarification. The app’s status changed to In 
> Review. We waited…
>
> I woke on Thanksgiving feeling a mixture of emotions. The holidays always 
> make me feel a little cranky, but I also felt happy because of the Mystery 
> Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day marathon. I have fond memories of that 
> going back to high school. I meditated. I’ve begun writing a meditation 
> app. The meditation helped, and my crankiness began to lift. I had some 
> stupid notifications on my iPhone. I ended the meditation in my app, then 
> checked my notifications. The app’s status had changed to For Sale! Apple 
> had approved the app on Thanksgiving!
>
> In shock, I searched the App Store and sure enough, I saw it: Eyes Free 
> Fitness. It felt surreal after all this time. Mel and I had an excited 
> chat amid our holiday gatherings. MST3K played in the background. Then it 
> hit me. I did it. I had created something from nothing. I had my first app 
> in the App Store. I felt thankful.
>
> The full article can be found here: Austin
>
> Read on if you want to know what this app is all about.
> The app was designed to appeal and to be of service to those who like to 
> use their smartphone or tablet. Our programs will continue to be available 
> on our website as MP3 downloads, on a flashcard or thumb drive as they 
> have been in the past. Nothing will change there. There are some technical 
> limitations that are unfortunate but unavoidable at this point in time. 
> The BlindAlive app is a different platform and technology, so purchases 
> will not be transferable from one platform to the other. If you want to 
> use both the BlindAlive app as well as MP3 downloads from the website, you 
> will have to purchase your programs separately on each platform.
>
> We designed the app so you can purchase and play our workouts, listen to 
> our podcasts, and read our blogs all from within the app with 
> straightforward and easy navigation wherever you go. I wanted it to be 
> simple while offering everything we have created for you in the palm of 
> your hand. It will also integrate with the Apple Health app on your iPhone 
> if you allow that setting.
>
> At this time you cannot purchase the program bundles on the app, only 
> individual workouts. We're working on it. We do hope to add the bundles 
> over the next weeks and offer our full range of workouts and purchasing 
> options.
>
> The App is not for everyone. Many prefer the mp3 versions as they can play 
> on many different devices. The app and the website are two different 
> systems and while the content is similar, behind the scenes they are very 
> different and independent.
>
> Thank you so much for your great support and feedback over the past few 
> years. My plan is to keep creating programs for all of us for years to 
> come. Please let me know what you think of the app if you choose to use 
> it.
>
> Here again is a link to the app: Itunes
>
> Good health to you,
> Mel
>
> read more
>
>
> Copyright © 2017 Blind Alive, All rights reserved.
> Visitors to BlindAlive.com that want updates on Blind Alive.
>
> Our mailing address is:
> Blind Alive
> P.O. Box 395
> Doylestown, PA 18901
>
> Add us to your address book
>
>
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>
>
> Copyright © 2017 Blind Alive, All rights reserved.
> Visitors to BlindAlive.com that want updates on Blind Alive.
>
> Our mailing address is:
> Blind Alive
> P.O. Box 395
> Doylestown, PA 18901
>
> Add us to your address book
>
>
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