In spite of all the advancements we’ve seen in tech, the industry as a whole has consistently neglected people with disabilities. There have been some improvements, including video call apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and more adding better support for sign language interpreters and closed captioning. And, this year, Instagram and TikTok finally added stickers that enable automated captioning for speech in videos, too. But major organizations continued to make decisions that exclude people with disabilities. The organizer of E3 2021, for example, failed its deaf and hard of hearing viewers during its live streamed show.There are too many individual transgressions and improvements to exhaustively detail here. Due to their sheer size, though, tech’s largest companies wield the greatest influence over what the rest of the industry does. By holding them accountable, we have a better chance of seeing widespread change in the way tech thinks about inclusive design. Here’s how Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook) and more did to improve the accessibility of their products and services in 2021.AppleApple has led the way in inclusive design for years, and in 2021 the company continued to launch new features that made its products easier for those with disabilities to use. In addition to updating its screen reader, VoiceOver, to enable better descriptions of images for the visually impaired, Apple also launched several new products.... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2021-12-31 21:00:34 UTC ]
It's Friday, which means it's time for another roundup of good tech deals. Today's highlights include Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite back down to $100, which is within $5 of the popular e-reader's all-time low. Apple's AirPods Pro are $50 off their list price at $200, while the Apple Watch SE is a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-07 15:00:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The Halo Rise is also a small but significant piece of Amazon’s ongoing foray into health and wellness. For $140 (on sale now for $100), the Rise uses motion sensing to predict and track your breathing rate and calculate how long you’ve slept.Like Google’s Nest Hub, which also uses motion... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-06 11:15:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Rakuten-owned Kobo unveiled its newest e-reader today, a $400 alternative to the Kindle Scribe and reMarkable 2. The Kobo Elipsa 2E iterates on its 2021 predecessor with a better stylus, more versatile lighting / color-temperature adjustments and other improvements.The Kobo Elipsa 2E has a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-05 04:01:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Our reverence towards stars and celebrities was not borne of the 19th century’s cinematic revolution, but rather has been a resilient aspect of our culture for millennia. Ancient tales of immortal gods rising again and again after fatal injury, the veneration and deification of social and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-04 18:00:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Anyone who stares at a screen all day probably doesn’t want to do so when they unwind with a book. But the convenience of getting a new read instantaneously and carrying a full bookcase in your pocket is pretty appealing. Ereaders combine the best of paper and computers, and they’re capable of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-04 13:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Amazon is running a sale on Kindle e-readers just in time for outdoor reading, and there are a few good deals in the mix. The company is selling the base Kindle with lock screen ads for $80, or $20 off. That's near an all-time low, and makes it an easy pick if you want a compact, no-frills... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-03 13:26:16 UTC ]
More news stories like this
OverDrive, the service you can use to borrow ebooks, audiobooks and other digital media from your local library, school or university, is shutting down. In a blog post spotted by TechCrunch, OverDrive announced last week it would shutter the app on May 1st, 2023. The company first shared it was... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-28 19:48:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It's Friday, which means it's time for another roundup of notable discounts on good tech. Among the highlights, Apple's AirPods Pro are back down to $200, tying the best price we've seen for the iPhone-friendly noise-cancelling earphones. Amazon has dropped the Kindle Paperwhite down to $100,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-24 15:43:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this
If you're on the market for a new e-reader, Amazon's latest discounts on Kindles may have exactly what you've been looking for at a lower-than-expected price. Key among the sale items is the Kindle Paperwhite, which is down to $100. That's only $5 more than its record-low price, and it's the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-24 15:05:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Over the last two decades, Amazon has grown from an online bookstore into one of the largest tech brands on the planet. No longer just dealing in paperbacks and printing runs, Amazon now sell everything from TVs to wholefoods to clothing. And a huge part of their business model hinges... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-24 03:23:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Yes, I’ll probably want the iPhone 15 when it comes out. But as I consider a tablet for my six-year-old (so he’ll stop stealing mine), I don’t think a brand new device is necessary. Both economically and environmentally, refurbished tech might be a better bet if you don’t need the latest... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-23 14:00:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Like most big tech companies, Amazon collects large amounts of data on its users, in part of the purpose of targeting ads and training its Alexa voice models. Look in the right places, though, and much of this data collection can be minimized or prevented, and you can even opt out of... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-22 10:45:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Every year means new iterations of your favorite phones from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google, so you might be tempted to upgrade to your handset. But with some new phones costing over $1,000, keeping up with the latest and greatest can really take a toll on your wallet. So why not offset... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-21 15:15:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Reading some of your favorite Manga series may be getting a little easier soon: Kodansha, the publisher behind hit titles like Attack on Titan and Ghost in the Shell, has announced that it's launching a new digital reading platform in May. Simply titled, K Manga, the new app promises to launch... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-21 14:00:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In December, ByteDance confirmed it fired four employees who used TikTok to spy on the locations of two journalists. Now, Forbes reports the FBI and the Department of Justice have been investigating the incident. This investigation couldn’t come at a worse time, as ByteDance faces mounting... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-17 11:30:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
You can no longer buy either print or Kindle Newsstand magazine and newspaper subscriptions from Amazon, as the company appears to implement yet another cost-cutting measure. The e-commerce giant announced that it was halting Newsstand subscriptions on March 9th (via The Verge) and that the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-17 09:28:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
OpenAI unveiled GPT-4 today, its next-gen large language model that is the technical foundation for both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing AI chatbots. It’s a profound upgrade, potentially opening the door for major advances in both the capabilities and features of today’s AI... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-14 19:29:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Amazon has kicked off another round of discounts for its Fire tablet lineup, with both standard and Kids models on sale. The highlight of the bunch is a deal that brings the latest Fire HD 8 down to $60. That's $5 more than the all-time low we saw over the holiday season, but still about $25 off... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-06 15:46:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Our Kindle Scribe review goes over pros and cons of the device, what customers say, its standout features, and more!- Jessica Pryde Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-02 11:36:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
For voracious romance readers, there’s nothing better than the best Kindle Unlimited romance books 2023 has to offer. Find our picks, like The Cask by Danielle Allen. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-01 11:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this