Google's New Contextual Spell Check

Google recently announce a new contextual spell check that will be built into Chrome shortly. Chrome is Google's free web browser. The spell checker will analyize the context so if you type "the meet is rotten" it will know that you were trying to say "the meat is rotten." This is a very nice addition to Google's products. Click read more  or to see more pictures of the new spell check in action.

AppWriter is an All-In-One Assistive Technology App For Struggling Readers and Writers

AppWriter is an iPad app for people who struggle with reading or writing. The app includes text-to-speech, word prediction, OCR capabilities and the Dyslexie font. You can save your documents on email, dropbox or Google Docs.

Text-To-Speech - The app includes high quality text-to-speech voices that can be use to read back text in the app. AppWriter also highlights the words being read to help users follow along. On the first generation iPad the text-to-speech had to reload line by line which made it hard to follow. This should not be a problem on the newer iPads because they have better processors and more RAM.

OCR - AppWriter includes optical character recognition (OCR) which allows you to take a picture with the iPad's camera and then have the app convert it to digital text and read it back to you with text-to-speech. This feature will work best with the new iPad's higher resolution camera. With OCR you can take pictures of worksheets, textbooks. In my test the OCR was not as accurate or fast as Prizmo.

Word Prediction - AppWriter also comes with word prediction. AppWriter predicts words based on the context of your writing. AppWriter can also read the suggested words to you before you select them.

Dyslexie - AppWriter includes a special font called Dyslexie. This font makes it easier for dyslexics to recognize and read letter and words. To learn more about the Dyslexie font click here.

AppWriter is available for $19.99 on the App Store. Click here to view in the App Store. Click read more below to learn more.

Haptic Feedback Tablets Helps Visually Impaired Students

Haptic feedback tablets are opening new doors for students with visual impairments, especially in math class. Haptic feedback  provides a small vibration when the screen is touched allowing you to feel the screen. Haptic feedback is available on some Android phones and tablets. Some schools have begun to use tablets that vibrate went touched to allow visually impaired students to feel shapes and graphs. In order to work, a specialized app must be paired with a tablet that offers haptic (touch) feedback. When a student runs their finger along the screen they feel small vibration that tells them where a point or shape is. Then the student can feel the shape. The app could also be used as a graphing calculator in the future, allowing students to input equations and then feel the shape of the graph instantly. The app is not currently available to the public. To read more about this exciting new technology click here.

LensFlare and PhotoFX~ A Blank Canvas

LensFlare: Effect added twice once in the sky and once in the water to mimic a reflection.

LensFlare one of my favorite apps for adding interesting light effects, had a major upgrade this week. Now you can adjust the color of the light effect, move it around the image anyway you want and adjust brightness and add textures ~ major! This very simple image that I made in the fog the other morning was just perfect for testing out the possibilities. First I colored toned the images in PhotoFX using the Dual Grad filter which is also super as you can color the filter how ever you want while reducing the opacity of the color. Give LensFlare a try next time you are looking for an interesting light effect to add drama to your image. Learn more about creating and editing images with your iPhone in one of my upcoming iPhone workshops.......
Hope you can sign up for one of my  iPhone classes at Horizons Photography Workshops on June 9 or September 29 or at Chesapeake Systems tomorrow or on April 20.

Down Time: Camera+

Capture: Camera+ Processed: Camera+,  TouchRetouch

Captured: Camera+ Processed: Camera+, Snapseed

 Last Wednesday I went to the skin doc, being a redhead it's most important to stay on top of any skin anomalies. He zapped one issue and gave me an antibiotic prescription for another. After two days of taking Doxycycline....my health went down hill fast! So I went from whistling in spring and getting my bike rack on the Jeep, to being a zombie, horrible migraine headache, upset stomach no energy...just horrible! Today is my first day back from the abyss, mentally and physically. I have missed taking pictures, being outside and enjoying the early spring weather and fulfilling obligations....hopefully it is behind me now!
I did however take my car to the shop early on Monday morning based on a prior appointment, and a warranty that was running out on repairs. As I drove through the valley the mist and fog was heavy and I yearned to make some images, but still under the weather and stomach not quite settled I drove on. My friend Steve knowing how sick I was picked me up at the car dealer. I asked to drive back through Loch Raven as I knew the fog would still be hanging over the lake and I just wanted some fresh air. I watched from the car as he made images with his "big camera." After sitting there for a while I began to feel better and the scene moved me to get out of the car and make a few snaps with my iPhone.
I was loving the smell of the freshness of the air in the pines around the lake, the sounds of distant calls from the Canada Geese through the cool morning mist and the serenity of the fog filled scene. I even thought how nice it would be to live on a lake! Thanks everyone for the well wishes, my Hopkins Students for their understanding and Steve for helping out! Looking forward to conducting another day long iPhone Workshop this Friday at Chesapeake Systems in Baltimore. Its not too late to sign up......join me and learn about making and processing beautiful images with your iPhone.

This image demonstrates a compositional idea I convey in my "Art of Seeing" presentation. When you have animals, people, cars, bikes etc...moving in an image it is always better to have them move into the frame like the goose in the first image above than move out of the frame like the goose in this image heading out of the frame and pushed up against the frame with no room to move....

Hope to see you in the classroom or in the field soon! It is a blessing, I am thankful for, to move about the cabin freely and make images! Keep shooting!

The New iPad: Thoughts From an Assistive Technology Prospective

The New iPad is out with a new high-resolution display, improved rear facing camera, dictation and more, but what does it mean for people with disabilities?

Camera - The New iPad has a much improved 5 megapixel rear facing camera. The new camera will enable assistive technology users to capture documents with more clarity. With the new improved camera, apps such as Prizmo, JotNot, ZoomReader, Scanner Pro and TurboScan will work much better.

Dictation - The New iPad also includes voice dictation which allows you to to talk instead of needing to type. The dictation feature works well and is very similar to voice dictation on the iPhone 4S. The new iPad does not have Siri support so it cannot answer your questions.

The New iPad adds some nice new features and remains accessible with VoiceOver. The iPad 2 remains on sale for $399.

Khan Academy Releases iPad App

Khan Academy the website that makes free online learning videos has released a new app for the iPad. The newly released app allows you all of the video content. The Khan Academy is a great online learning resource and it is great to see it coming to the iPad. Click here to download the free app from the App Store. Khan Academy is a great resource for people who want to learn about a variety of subject or review for school assessments. In addition it is a great resource to compliment class notes. The video's include closed captions.

Fells Point Workshop

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Sunday morning in Fells Point is quiet. The old piers that have been converted into sidewalks stretching out into the harbor are empty. Its a great time to make images in the early morning. As an instructor in the field, I usually don't carry my camera as I spend my time helping students, but occasionally the iPhone comes out to make some quick grab shots, or to show a potential composition to a student. This past Sunday we were lucky there was a tug in port and it was painted red and green.

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As the morning came on the sun broke out and the water began to sparkle with the gentle wind blowing the water.

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After shooting around the harbor we walked down Thames Street with its old store fronts and cobble stone streets. In the early morning you can capture shot without cars lining the streets in the business district. I always look for reflections in storefront windows and I loved this charming scene with the bicycle, the cobblestones, the textures of the bricks and the funny distorted reflection in the large shop window.

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As we continued to walk the streets the restaurant windows gave us more image opportunities.

And toward the end of the day I spotted the doggie window at the Daily Grind. What a treat for us to capture some moments...

And  Fells Point hosts a fair amount of the city's saloons, a throw back to its maritime history. This sign was perfect for a shot!

I have just a couple seats left for this Saturdays iPhone workshop at Horizons Photography Workshops in Chesapeake City, Md. I hope you can join me for a fun day of learning about the iPhone's image capabilities and the fabulous apps for processing!

PaperPort Notes App for iPad: Notetaking with Dictation

Paperport Notes is a free app for the iPad. The app is made by Nuance the maker of Dragon Dictation. The app allows users to take notes by typing, writing with a stylist or by dictation. Paperport Notes also allows users to import pictures and web pages into notes as visual reminders. Another useful feature allows users to record audio notes of a class or meeting while they are typing or writing notes. The audio notes will allow you to go back and review the class or meeting if you missed an important part. Once you have completed your note you can save in as a PDF or use cloud services such as Dropbox.

Click read more below to view more images of Paperport Notes.