Cellphones Set to Outnumber People this Year
There will be more cellphone subscriptions than people in the world by the end of 2013 if the current rate of growth continues, according to a United Nations report. The report from the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union found that there were 6.8 billion cellphone subscriptions in the world, shared between 7.1 billion people. In 2005 there were some 2.2 billion subscriptions for 6.5 billion people.
From http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2013/05/031946.htm, May 09, 2013
ITU ICT Facts and Figures 2013 Report
As the number of subscriptions approaches global population figures mobile-cellular growth slows. Every day we are moving closer to having almost as
many mobile - cellular subscriptions as people on earth. The mobile revolution is m-powering people in developing countries by delivering ICT applications in education, health, government, banking, environment and business.
From http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013.pdf, May 09, 2013
New Guide Offers Best Practices for Choosing Mobile Health Apps
The American Health Information Management Association has released a best practices guide to help consumers evaluate mobile health applications. The guide focuses in part on ensuring the privacy and security of personal health data.
From http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2013/5/8/new-guide-offers-best-practices-for-choosing-mobile-health-apps.aspx, May 09, 2013
USA: Berkeley Accelerating Access to Course Materials for Disabled Students
As part of a settlement with Disability Rights Advocates, UC Berkeley will provide disabled students with more timely access to printed materials in alternative formats such as Braille, large print and audio.
From http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-college-disabled-20130508,0,4063276.story, May 08, 2013
The Glass Promise: Google’s Look into an Inclusive Future
Google Glass promises a sea change in the way people can shop, navigate streets, store data, and capture the everyday moments of their lives with photos, videos and conversations. David Fazio delves into the potential – and soon to be real – benefits for persons living with disabilities.
From http://g3ict.org/resource_center/newsletter/news/p/newsletterId_/id_411, May 08, 2013
USA: Helping Seniors Learn New Technology
Several years ago Garrison Phillips, a retired actor, bought himself a Dell computer. He soon recognized that he didn’t know what to do with it. “I needed instruction,” he told me in an interview conducted — perhaps surprisingly — by e-mail. “The technology of the Internet, cell and iPhones was like a foreign language.”
From http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/helping-seniors-learn-new-technology/, May 07, 2013
USA: Gesture Reader Lets Blind Decipher Documents
If computer interfaces aren’t equipped with gesture-based technologies or screen readers, and documents don’t include Braille, a blind person can be limited in what material they can access. That’s why researchers from the University of Maryland have designed a new interaction system called “Access Lens,” a new form of technology that could potentially assist blind people with a more autonomous lifestyle. The system utilizes computer vision-based tracking that enables the blind to use gestures to access paper documents and other objects, such as bills, product packages, ATM interfaces, restaurant menus, charts and maps that don’t cater to the visually impaired.
From http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/gesture-reader-lets-blind-decipher-documents-130501.htm, May 07, 2013
Kindle iOS App Gets a Slew of New Features for the Blind and Visually Impaired
The latest upgrade to the iPhone and iPad version of Amazon's Kindle reading app brings a bunch of new features aimed at blind and visually impaired users. At the top of the list is the ability to read aloud 1.8 million Kindle Store titles, with help from Apple's VoiceOver technology. The update also brings better library and book navigation and search, as well as features like notes, highlights, bookmarks, font size, background color and brightness. Standard Kindle features like X-Ray, End Actions and sharing via Facebook and Twitter are also made more accessible through the update. Amazon's promised a similar update for non-iOS versions of the app at some point in the future -- in the meantime, a full list of new features can be found in a press release after the break.
From http://engt.co/130skUE, May 07, 2013
Study: Fibre most Future-Proof to Meet Bandwidth Demand
Although FTTH is seen as the most future-proof fixed access technology, DSL and Docsis will be able to fulfill expected consumer bandwidth demand for the next 3-5 years for selected market segments, according to a new study by Telecompaper and its partner XS Insight. The report 'Need for Speed: how to keep up with consumer bandwidth requirements' investigates the possibilities of new access technologies to fulfill future consumer demand until 2016.
From http://www.telecompaper.com/news/fibre-most-future-proof-to-meet-bandwidth-demand-study--941336, May 03, 2013
United Celebral Palsy Report: The Case for Inclusion Report 2013
UCP's annual report, The Case for Inclusion, ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) on outcomes for Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). Despite economic strains, many states have made real improvements in the quality of services being provided.
From http://www.ucp.org/the-case-for-inclusion/2013/, May 03, 2013
