Gemini Live is Now Free: Review and Impressions

On August 13, 2024, Google began rolling out the Gemini Live feature to Android devices. Initially exclusive to the paid Gemini Advanced tier, the feature was soon extended to free Gemini users. By Friday, September 27, 2024, it reached my Samsung Galaxy A55. After testing it, here are my thoughts.…

https://accessibleandroid.com/gemini-live-is-now-free-review-and-impressions/

With Jieshuo, keeping one finger on the Delete button to remove several letters doesn’t work with newer releases of Gboard

With Gboard, one can press and hold the Delete key to remove several letters, without the need to lift and press the Delete key several times for each letter. However, with newer Gboard releases (see the Version field), pressing and holding the Delete button no longer removes several letters. Only…

https://accessibleandroid.com/?post_type=bug-library-bugs&p=3935

How to Stream Audio or Video from Your PC to an Android TV Box

Streaming media from a PC to a TV conveniently is something that many people try to achieve. In this post, I will share the steps to stream audio or video from your PC to a Chromecast built-in Android TV Box without installing any extra apps on the TV box. The…

https://accessibleandroid.com/how-to-stream-audio-or-video-from-your-pc-to-an-android-tv-box/

Vocalizer TTS for Android has been updated to version 3.8.2, with the following release notes:
Updated and adapted app to target Android 14.
Migrated to latest app billing library.
Removed legacy code.
Bug fixing and code optimization.

TTS Settings in Jieshuo Screen Reader

Jieshuo screen reader is known for its extensive customization options. This post will cover the TTS settings, which include configurations for TTS engines and other speech-related settings.

Table of Contents

- Accessing TTS Settings
- Main and Secondary TTS Engines Settings
- Scenario Adaptive TTS Configurations
- System TTS Settings…

https://accessibleandroid.com/tts-settings-in-jieshuo-screen-reader/

The Inquire by Voice Functions in the Jieshuo Screen Reader

The Inquire by Voice Functions in the Jieshuo Screen Reader

Jieshuo screen reader offers several functions to recognize and describe the current focused item or the entire screen. However, it is not possible to include custom questions or specific prompts with the captured image when using these functions. To address…

https://accessibleandroid.com/the-inquire-by-voice-functions-in-the-jieshuo-screen-reader/

Comparison of Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

I’ve had the opportunity to use both of the latest earbud offerings from Google and Samsung: the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I’ve used each of these as my only earbuds for at least 3 weeks strait. I am eager to share my findings with…

https://accessibleandroid.com/comparison-of-samsung-galaxy-buds-3-pro-and-google-pixel-buds-pro-2/

This is an invitation from Be My Eyes!

We’re excited to announce the opportunity to be part of our beta program for Be My Eyes Call-a-Volunteer on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses!

We’re currently recruiting 50 Android users and 50 iOS users to help us test and shape this incredible feature. Your feedback will play a crucial role in making this experience as seamless and helpful as possible.

If you’re interested in participating, please take a moment to fill out the form linked below carefully. Once submitted, you won’t be able to make any changes, so please double-check everything before you hit submit.

In order to be a part of this beta you’ll need to sign an NDA, own a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses and be in either Australia, Canada, Ireland, The UK or the USA.

Once you have completed your application, you’ll receive your NDA within 24 - 48 hours.. after you’ve signed and returned the NDA via DocuSign, we’ll send everything else you need to get up and running..

We can’t wait for you to join us on this exciting journey—thank you for helping make a difference!

Be My Eyes.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkkHHpjnMGmzLHuzpolx74NUlgGdJM-mnJHrxpGsJ_UFqPfw/viewform?usp=sharing

SimpleNote by Automattic

The Play Store is replete with various note-taking apps and it all boils down to what one is looking for. From those that have some capability of syncing to some of the cloud storages to those that don’t. Keeping that in mind, it makes it easier when it comes to…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/simplenote-by-automattic/

Pulsar Music Player

Pulsar Music Player has long been one of the best music players on Android. It is an offline audio player without advertisements. Its gorgeous user interface matches every single detail of the material design guidelines.

Pulsar contains almost every necessary feature to fulfill all of your musical needs including: gapless…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/pulsar-music-player/

Screen State Reading Settings in Jieshuo Screen Reader

Screen State Reading Settings is a section of the Jieshuo screen reader reading settings where users can specify what should be spoken when locking or unlocking the screen. In this post, let’s take a look at the available options in this section.

What’s Included in the Screen State Reading Settings…

https://accessibleandroid.com/screen-state-reading-settings-in-jieshuo-screen-reader/

Hermit Browser

We’re living in times where our information is the new gold. Thus, it is not uncommon for companies to harvest information of users, mainly intended to inundate us with ads.

Apart from companies that want to push ads to us, there are dangerous bad actors out there who would like…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/hermit-browser/

Switching from TalkBack to Jieshuo: Navigating the World with a New Accessibility Lens

Let’s face it. Switching screen readers can feel like picking a new pair of shoes. We know our trusty old shoes, or TalkBacks in our case, have gotten us places, but maybe they’re a bit clunky and the voice sounds a tad monotonous. We head to the store, expecting a…

https://accessibleandroid.com/switching-from-talkback-to-jieshuo-navigating-the-world-with-a-new-accessibility-lens/

Exploring Samsung Galaxy AI’s Live Translate: In-Call Translation Put to the Test

This is the AI Era. Companies are racing to incorporate as many AI features as possible into their devices. While some features may seem like gimmicks, others are intriguing but lack accessibility, and a few are genuinely useful with real potential. Samsung’s approach to AI is through Galaxy AI, which…

https://accessibleandroid.com/exploring-samsung-galaxy-ais-live-translate-in-call-translation-put-to-the-test/

BitLife

One of the few, if not the only, Life Simulator app accessible to the blind and visually impaired. How will you live your life? Will you become famous? Commit crime? Have 100 children? You can do all of this and more. While the game itself is free, you can purchase…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/bitlife/

note_x

The app provides the ability to read text files smoothly with several features that readers need. Key Features include:

- Splits text into lines, making it easier for screen reader users to navigate between lines by swiping left or right
- Provides text search functionality, with clicking on results leading…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/note_x/

The new release of Seeing AI for Android can now describe videos. Share an MP4 file with Seeing AI, and hear it described, scene-by-scene.
Please note that currently, the app only supports videos in mp4 format. Users can describe up to 10 videos daily, with the quota resetting at 12:00 AM local time each day.
Other features include:
Recognizing PDF documents.
After tapping "More Info" to get a rich description of an image, you can now ask questions on the same screen.
On the Product channel, both barcodes and Enhanced QR codes can now be recognized at the same time.
Plus, various bug fixes.

How to Identify and Add Labels to Unlabeled Elements in TalkBack and Jieshuo Screen Readers

As a blind user, you might find an app that seems interesting. However, after installing and opening it, you discover that you can’t figure out what each button or control does. Proper labeling of UI elements by app developers is essential for screen readers to enable blind users to understand…

https://accessibleandroid.com/how-to-identify-and-add-labels-to-unlabeled-elements-in-talkback-and-jieshuo-screen-readers/

SpeakUp AI – Text to Speech

Don’t let the title of this app mislead you into thinking that this is a regular text-to-speech engine. In other words, this is not a system-wide TTS engine, instead, this is like most of the “text-to-voice” readers; that is, e-Readers that you find on the Play Store.
Speakup AI Text-To-Speech…

https://accessibleandroid.com/app/speakup-ai-text-to-speech/

What’s New in Jieshuo 20241108: Offline OCR Overhaul & AI Enhancements

Jieshuo (formerly known as Commentary Screen Reader or CSR), the popular Android screen reader for the visually impaired, has rolled out its latest update: version 20241108. This release introduces a series of improvements and new features, with a major focus on enhancing offline OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities.

Table of…

https://accessibleandroid.com/whats-new-in-jieshuo-20241108-offline-ocr-overhaul-ai-enhancements/