Breaking In Windows by COOL BLIND TECH
42 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 7 years ago -Breaking In Windows is your source for the latest Microsoft updates and reviews with tutorials broken down in to accessible bytes. We defragment your Windows experience to make it accessible for you. Check out coolblindtech.com for all the best news and reviews for your favorite assistive tech.
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Episodes
Artificial Intelligence and Text Recognition unite in Microsoft’s Seeing Ai iPhone App
July 12, 2017 23:05 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBNot a month has gone by since We posted an article on Narrator including AI-driven image tags and Microsoft is back at it yet again, though with an older project which finally has made public fruition. Introduced at Build 2016, this project had a goal of bringing powerful image recognition technology which could be used to augment every day life, especially when combined with the power of the cloud. Today, The app is available in the iOS app store in the United States, Canada, India, Hong ...
Now Available In Narrator! AI-tagged Image Descriptions
June 26, 2017 17:51 - 16 minutes - 15.7 MBIf there was a word which is to define the era that dominates this early 21st century, it no doubt would be the cloud. Everything has moved to incorporating some cloud-based feature or another. Whilst screen reading has done OCR and other image recognition prior, this too was relegated to locally performed magic, rather than anything that used the cloud to process data. The rise of huge AI clusters which now can process trillions of calculations a second has created a better opportunity for s...
Introduction to TWBlue
June 23, 2017 15:29 - 26 minutes - 19.6 MBThere are many twitter clients that are available for Windows, but very few are designed to work with screen readers. In this podcast, Leonid demonstrates the interface, as well as several useful features on TWBlue, a free, open source twitter client. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Cool Tip: How to: Make an iPhone Ringtone Using Reaper with Help from GoldWave
June 07, 2017 19:20 - 6 minutes - 5.88 MBIn this podcast, I demonstrate how to use Reaper to import a piece of audio, select a portion of it, and export it to GoldWave in order to make a ringtone for the iPhone. Those wishing to make tones for Android may follow these steps, but no exporting to GoldWave is necessary. Just save it in Reaper and transfer it to your phone. Have fun! If you're wishing to get Reaper and GoldWave, look no further: Here's Reaper Here's GoldWave
Windows 10 Insiders Build 15025: Using a Braille Display with Narrator and New Mono-Audio Feature.
February 12, 2017 02:13 - 9.11 MBIn November of 2016, Jenny Lay-Flurrie revealed to Cool Blind Tech, in an exclusive announcement, that braille support was coming to Narrator. Now the feature has rolled out in Windows 10 insiders build 15025. It is still in beta, but James Oates has decided to give us an early look at this new feature. He also shows us the new mono-audio feature that has been added to Narrator.
Windows Calendar: Using Narrator with ETI Eloquence for Windows
December 17, 2016 14:20 - 9.75 MBIn this episode, James Oates demonstrates how to setup Windows Calendar on a PC running Windows 10 Anniversary Update. He shows us how to create an event and send out a calendar invite. He reviews the keyboard shortcuts available in Windows Calendar, and he creates an event using Cortana. During this demonstration, James uses Narrator with ETI Eloquence for Windows. Eloquence is an add-on that can be purchased here.
Can you master all the manamon?
October 30, 2016 13:17 - 19.3 MBWe're always excited to see good quality audio games, particularly ones with high bars in sound and game play hit the market. One fault many games suffer from is replay-ability - can I still do cool post-game action and have things feel more random in the story after I'm done? Or have I just wasted $39 of my money for a week's worth of distractions, anticipation, and nervous fits over not being able to complete my game? When playing Manamon, these were some of the factors that lead us to co...
REAPER on Windows Part 5: Mixing, Takes and Automation
October 29, 2016 14:08 - 21.2 MBIn this episode of the REAPER series, Alex shows you how to switch and combine takes in an audio track to make one cohesive track. We listen to some seriously underwhelming takes, and some really cool and intricate ones. Takes are sections of audio that are recorded, most likely multiple times and are able to be combined to make a "perfect" section of music. Next, he discusses automation. Automation is a way to alter plugin or track parameters by creating an envelope that automatically gets ...
Windows Mail Using Narrator: Third Party Screen Reader Not Required!
October 16, 2016 08:36 - 24.4 MBIn this episode, James Oates introduces us to the built in Windows Mail client, which is a part of Windows 10 Anniversary Update. He shows us how to configure multiple accounts, create a signature line for our outgoing mail, how to create and send a message, how to reply to a message, how to activate a link within a message, how to quickly navigate a webpage using Microsoft Edge, how to search for a message, how to find all of your mail folders, how to use mail filters, how to format text in ...
Supplemental: Superior Drummer and REAPER Part 2: Nerd Code for Good Tone!
October 10, 2016 02:43 - 40.1 MBWelcome back. Here, Alex walks us through editing presets by hand using Notepad. Since basically everything that's good isn't accessible in the music world, you gotta do silly and time-consuming workarounds. Depending on what kind of tone maniac and audio aficionado you are, you might decide to go through this.
Groove Music For Windows: It’s Time To Put On Your Boogie Shoes And Dance The Night Away!
September 03, 2016 18:07 - 13.1 MBIn this podcast, James Oates shows us how to use the Groove Music app. Groove Music is a built in application that comes with Windows10. He provides us with all of the key strokes that are available for Groove Music. He shows us how to search for music and create a playlist. He demonstrates the new feature that allows us to edit a song’s metadata. He shows us how easy it is to control Groove Music by using voice commands with Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana. Finally, he shows us how to...
Audacity for Windows Part 2: Usage and Pink Feathers
August 28, 2016 13:25 - 15.5 MBIn this episode of the Audacity for Windows series, we go through some every-day edit commands. Sprinkled with humor and sarcasm, Alex brings you to the wonderful world of checking general loudness of audio selections and exporting some uncompressed glory. Mac users: Stay tuned; we have Audacity things in the works. There are few but vital differences between Windows and Mac builds of Audacity. Note: Some effects (like the reverb) are separate from Audacity and can be downloaded by searchin...
Supplemental: Superior Drummer and REAPER Part 1: The Plugin Interface Walkthrough
August 13, 2016 18:11 - 17.3 MBThis supplemental series is for those who have the Superior Drummer plugin from Toontrack. We already assume you have the plug installed, and move into navigating the interface, which is actually quite usable for simple things with NVDA. If you need to add drum libraries to your drum path, you've come to the right place. Part 2 covers advanced topics.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update: A Complete and Concise Overview.
August 10, 2016 13:14 - 34.3 MBIn this podcast, James Oates tells you everything you need to know about the latest update to Windows 10. He explains the Task Viewer, virtual desktops, the new Start Menu, Cortana’s enhanced performance, Microsoft Edge, extensions for Microsoft Edge, the all new and powerful Narrator, Windows Ink Workspace, the new Settings app, projecting to your computer from other devices, the new Feedback app, the find your Windows Phone feature, how to lock your screen, and the new short cut for access...
Audacity for Windows Part 1: Introduction and Interface Navigation
May 29, 2016 13:39 - 12 MBAlex begins a little tutorial on Audacity for Windows using NVDA. He goes through some preferences that are useful and then shows off the interface a bit. Future episodes in this series will cover real editing: Selection, cutting and pasting, zooming in and out to really hone in on a bit of audio you wish to manipulate. Stay tuned!
REAPER On Windows Part 4: Tracking Your Next Single
May 14, 2016 18:52 - 27.2 MBIn part 4 of REAPER, we record a simple multi-track music project using VST plugins, MIDI drums, guitar amp simulators and some equalizers. Remember that in Part 3, we created our tracks and made a guitar folder to make things simpler to quickly navigate the tracks in your project. In Part 4, we proceed to record two guitar tracks as well as a bass track. After, we briefly learn about the master track and limiters. Recabinet and Thermionik An excellent freeware master limiter Superior Dru...
REAPER On Windows Part 3 : Configure To Play
May 04, 2016 21:21 - 16.2 MBPart 3 is finally here. Alex shows some preliminary configuration options for setting up REAPER to record music on Windows. This includes per-project media folders and using the metronome. He also quickly blabs about MIDI devices. Stay tuned for part 4 where we record an actual bit of music. PS: A vocal mixing episode is in the future, as well as basic external effect mixing and processing. All from a hard rock and metal musician prospective, of course. :)
NVDA Remote: A Fast and Free Remote Access Tool
March 24, 2016 12:55 - 7 minutes - 8.71 MBIn this podcast, Alex demonstrates NVDA Remote, a free add-on for NVDA that makes it possible to control another computer using speech and Braille. This lends itself to many uses: tech support, accessibility testing, remote programming and just all around fun. Visit NVDARemote.Com to download the add-on. eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.
All About Viewing and Changing NVDA Keyboard Commands
March 13, 2016 13:40 - 8 minutes - 9.17 MBIn this podcast, Alex describes the NVDA gestures dialog and remapping or adding keystrokes for NVDA's commands. Visit the NVDA Homepage eSight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.
Reaper Part 2: Rudimentary Recording for Windows
February 22, 2016 20:19 - 9 minutes - 10.4 MBIn this episode, Alex quickly shows you how to start recording with REAPER. He then edits out a burp and explains the various ripple modes used for splitting and removing items. ESight enables people with legal blindness to actually see. Want to try eSight? Get in touch with their team by calling : 1 855 837 4448 You can fill out the Try eSight form here.
Reaper on Windows Part 1: General Introduction, Why Reaper is Awesome
January 25, 2016 13:49 - 9 minutes - 10 MBWelcome to the Reaper on Windows series. In this series, Alex will show you how to start using Reaper for your audio needs. Reaper is a full-featured digital audio workstation (DAW) with tons of capability for a reasonable price tag. In this episode, Alex demonstrates installing the unofficial OSARA keymap and explains some features of OSARA and Reaper. At the end we make silly noises with effects. This is intended as a general overview and why Alex enjoys REAPER so much. We'll get into spec...
Virtualize This: Install Windows 10 On a Virtual Machine
December 04, 2015 13:28 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MBIf you have always wanted to try out an operating system but you don’t want to risk losing your files, one good solution is to install it on a virtual machine. A virtual machine allows you to install an OS in an isolated environment, so even if anything goes wrong, your primary OS is still intact. It also lets you experiment without forcing you to part with your current OS. In this podcast, Leo walks you through installing Windows 10 on VMware Player, a free software which allows you to insta...
Windows 10 Start Menu is Traditional and Trendy
August 19, 2015 14:38 - 12 minutes - 13.2 MBWas your most favorite part of Windows 7 the handy search box that you first landed in when you opened it? Were you fighting against upgrading to Windows 8.1 because you could not be parted with your beloved search box companion? Well, not to worry, as Microsoft has heard you loud and clear. The new Windows 10 start menu combines the traditional look and feel of Windows 7 and merged it with many of the modern features of Windows 8. In this podcast, Cory demonstrates how NVDA is navigating th...
NVDA Is Living On The Edge
July 28, 2015 08:58 - 4 minutes - 5.35 MBJust when we thought Microsoft’s new modern browser Edge would not be accessible, the folks over at NV Access had to show everyone that NVDA is literally on the Edge. While the functionality demonstrated here is only available at this time in the next release versions of the NVDA software and certainly is not recommended for production environments, the fact that it seems to be working very well gives us a very promising glimpse at what we can expect from Microsoft’s accessibility support an...
Windows 10 Rises
July 28, 2015 06:51 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBWe are back to tell you the latest and greatest when it comes to Windows 10. Join us to hear our take on it and how you can best have an enjoyable experience with this revolutionary new version of Microsoft’s newest release. Cory Martin, Thomas Geczy and Leonid Prazdnik all welcome Quentin Christensen from 22 Point, a blogger and developer who also happens to be writing a book on Windows 10 from a blindness/low vision perspective. To view Quentin's excellent blog, click here. So pull up a c...
An Initial Look At Speech In Windows 10 – A Comparison of Windows 10 to Windows 7 and 8.1
April 23, 2015 11:00 - 18 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this episode Quentin gives a demonstration of the currant version of Microsoft’s Windows 10. He looks at the differences in TTS and other features in Windows 10 as compared to previous versions of Windows. It is advised when installation of any beta or technical preview software be installed on a secondary testing device as it may result in corruption or loss of data.
Unravel the enigma of NVDA Object Nav.
February 27, 2015 12:00 - 46 minutes - 44.2 MBIn this latest episode, Cory Martin takes a look at the latest NVDA 2015.1 and gives an explanation of NVDA Object navigation and how one can use it in a variety of ways. Cory shows using object navigation on the web, to manipulate dialogue boxes, to maneuver between different windows, copying text from on-screen and to check out object navigation in Microsoft Word. He also gives a hint of what is possible with touch screens or a traditional mouse/touchpad. Lastly, Cory gives a brief overvie...
It’s Alive! Windows Setup Speaks.
February 20, 2015 16:09 - 10 minutes - 10.9 MBWe have shown you that Levtec Winstaller works with the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926 from Microsoft, however that demonstration used the Winstaller driver to deploy the Windows image. Winstaller does support loading NVDA with the actual Windows setup. With this option enabled in the Winstaller image, a visually impaired person can use the same setup program that a sighted person would utilize. If you would prefer to use the setup program provided by Microsoft, such as if...
NPR One: a New Universal App for Windows.
February 18, 2015 13:16 - 3 minutes - 4.92 MBIn this episode, James Oates demonstrates “NPR One”, a universal app from National Public Radio, available on all Windows devices. He shows how to start playing NPR with just a simple key stroke on a PC, and a voice command on a Windows Phone. If you enjoy National Public Radio, you will love this app. NPR One is also available for iOS and Android.
Hey Cortana: Welcome to the PC.
February 13, 2015 13:41 - 8.44 MBIn this episode, James Oates updates us on the status of Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9926. In this build, Microsoft has added Cortana, an interactive personal assistant, to their operating system. It is currently limited and in its early stages, but it still is very impressive. He also uses Narrator as the primary screen reader, since NVDA and JAWS are still not currently able to work with Universal apps.
An Introduction to NVDA: Basic Navigation
February 07, 2015 19:38 - 10 minutes - 11.4 MBIn this edition of CBT, Brandon Cross shows new users of the NVDA screen reader how to navigate the basic elements of a web page. He describes the different ways one can move around, and demonstrates the feedback users can expect. Click here to navigate to NVDA’s home page.
Levtec Winstaller makes Windows 10 Chatty
February 07, 2015 00:02 - 111 MBWith a piece of software called Winstaller from Levtec, one no longer needs to use an answer file for unattended deployment of Windows operating system. This opens up huge opportunities for those of us who cannot see and wish to work in a professional IT setting, or just for fixing our home computers. While Winstaller has existed for some time, there have been a number of advancements in the software. One of the biggest of these is that Winstaller is able to deploy the latest version of Win...
The official Microsoft Outlook App Designed For iPhone and iPad.
January 31, 2015 05:36 - 12.1 MBIn this episode, James Oates reviews Microsoft Outlook for iPhone and iPad. He demonstrates the email client and calendar features. He shows us how to access files on cloud services, open them with additional apps, and send them as attachments. He then proceeds to show how to send and view messages from your contact list. Finally, he walks us through the settings for the application. This is an incredibly complex and powerful application which will prove useful for many users of iOS. From th...
Windows Phone8.1 (Part III): Music, Netflix, and Tweetium:
January 30, 2015 10:39 - 10 minutes - 10.7 MBIn this episode, James Oates demonstrates how to stream music and play a radio station using an Xbox Music Pass subscription. He shows us how to play a movie on Netflix and pin a favorite TV show to the start screen. Finally, he reviews the accessibility of the popular Twitter client, Tweetium. Throughout the episode, James is relying heavily on Cortana, Microsoft’s personal assistant. Since Cortana is integrated into the Music and Netflix applications, it makes the experience quite simple.
Breaking in Windows Premiere – Windows 10 and a piece of Star Trek?
January 23, 2015 21:40 - 1 hour - 65.2 MBThe new year is also a fresh look for us! With that we are launching Breaking in Windows, a show dedicated to the discussion, review and demonstration of all things Microsoft and Windows related. What better a way to Break out our new show than to bring you what's new with Windows 10! It's almost straight out of Star Trek! James Oates brings Cory Martin, a recent addition to the CBT team on board to discuss the Microsoft event and to hash out what this could mean from an accessibility persp...
Windows Phone 8.1 – Part 2 – Staying Connected.
November 03, 2014 00:35 - 19.6 MBIn this episode, James Oates shows us how to add a Skype contact and make a Skype call using Cortana. He shows us how to compose a Tweet and check our timeline on Twitter. Finally, he demonstrates the functionality of the email application. Threw out the episode, he is using the built in screen reader, Narrator, on a Nokia Lumia 635 running Windows Phone 8.1.
Windows10 Technical Preview – Peering into the future.
October 17, 2014 11:43 - 13.7 MBIn this episode, James Oates tells us about Microsoft's new operating system coming in 2015. He shows us the new Start Menu, Task Viewer, and the Virtual Desktop Viewer contained in the current version of Windows10 Technical Preview.
Exploring Windows8.1 Part 4 – Reading In The Dark.
October 09, 2014 12:39 - 24.1 MBIn episode four, James Oates introduces us to Tweet Free, a fully accessible Twitter client for Windows8.1. He walks us through version eleven of Adobe Reader for reading PDF files. He demonstrates Adobe Digital Additions for reading eBooks. He shows us how to add a RSS feed to Microsoft Outlook. Finally, he demonstrates making a phone call using Google Voice inside of Google Hangouts.
Exploring Windows 8.1 Part 3 – Staying connected and having fun.
September 22, 2014 11:20 - 21.7 MBIn episode 3 of James Oates Exploring Windows 8.1 series, James switches from JAWS15 to NVDA2014.3 and shows us four free popular applications from the Windows Store. He walks us threw how to use Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and YouTube. James also demonstrates Xbox Radio and Google Hangouts. Many thanks to Brandon Cross for his time in editing this podcast.
Hands On With The phone we all have been waiting for!
September 10, 2014 15:44 - 18.1 MBIn this first episode of a series, James Oates gives us an overview of accessibility options on Windows Phone8.1. Using an entry level Nokia Lumia 635, he demonstrates the built in screen reader Narrator, and runs through the apps you will find on your phones start screen. A run through of the Ease of Use options, a quick look at Internet Explorer and an introduction to Cortana, your personal assistant gives us a great insight to how Microsoft are shaping up after their slow start in Windows...
Exploring Windows 8.1 Part 2 – My God, Its Full Of Apps!
August 31, 2014 21:53 - 50.5 MBIn part two of Exploring Windows 8.1, James Oates takes us on a tour of all of the applications that are pre-installed on the start screen. The following applications are included in the demonstration: Mail, Skype, One Drive, Reading List, Calendar, Weather, Finance, Video, Music, Sports, Internet Explorer, News, and the Windows Store. James also briefly demonstrates Google Now on Chrome.
Exploring Windows 8.1 – I’m At The Start Screen. Now What!
July 23, 2014 22:21 - 21 minutes - 20.9 MBIn this podcast, James Oates walks you through the layout of Windows 8.1. He explains live tiles, and how to change the appearance of the start screen. He shows you how to find your applications, and how to add them to your start screen or task bar. He shows you how to use the file explorer and search feature, add keyboard short cuts to access your most frequently used programs from anywhere on the computer, how to have your computer show the desktop at startup instead of the start screen, an...