Category Archives: It’s not about the technology

Simple social networking gadget for elders

A British ICT designer has come up with an interesting blend of technology and elder market awareness.  “jive” has a router that’s configured at the point of sale, and a mouseless interface for information retrieval and communication.  Each of your … Continue reading

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All the keyboard shortcuts you may ever need

An online searchable database contains all the keyboard shortcuts from all the key applications on all the key operating systems.  Having those shortcuts is only half the solution — the rest is knowing about them! KeyXL keyboard shortcuts

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Where There’s Smoke There’s Failure

Here’s an excellent article about a terrifying reality: alternative smoke alarms are a massive failure for deaf and hard of hearing people.  For example, only 27% of test subjects were awakened by strobe lights, the most common alternative to audible … Continue reading

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Accessible Second Life?

For its players, Second Life provides a virtual world for social interaction and entertainment.  It’s even being used for conferences and college education.  But you’ve got to see and work a mouse pretty well to use it.  Now a clever … Continue reading

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Cell Phones Guide Blind Travelers by Voice

Stockholm now has a navigational aid for blind cell phone users.  It can help you find your way by announcing upcoming turns you should take.  But there real news here is not gee-whiz special tech, but the use of underlying … Continue reading

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AT&T and Verizon cancel “kiddy phones”

Well, they had a good run.  But it’s unfortunate that both major wireless carriers have ceased selling the Migo and Firefly, two phones with reduced keypads and functionality.  They were designed for kids, but served well for people with impaired … Continue reading

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