Eyes-Free Updates: Marvin And TalkBack Simplified

We routinely push updates to our access tools on Android; usersget these updates automatically via Android Market updates. Wejust pushed out updated versions of TalkBack, our Open Sourcescreenreader for Android, and Marvin, the Eyes-Free shell. Hereis a brief summary of these updates:

• Android applications can now programmatically discover ifTalkBack is running, thanks to the latest changes inTalkBack. From an end-user perspective, this means that you nolonger need to configure Eyes-Free shell via EyesFreeConfig tobe the default home. If you run TalkBack, and have EyesFreeShell installed, then pressing Home automatically givesyou the EyesFree Shell.Remember, you can always get to the default Android Home bylong-pressing Back.
• EyesFree Shell now includes a touch-based shortcutsmanager. Until now, shortcuts needed to be explicitly configuredby editting an XML file on the SDCard. With the recent EyesFreeupdate, you can interactively define short-cuts via a touch-basedShortCuts manager. By default, we have assigned shortcut1 to the ShortCuts manager; so to invoke this newfeature, do:
  1. Stroke left (4 using stroke dialer notation) toenter the shortcuts screen.
  2. Stroke up and to the left (1 using stroke-dialernotation) to invoke application ShortCuts Manager.
  3. Use the trackball/D-Pad to configure each of the 8 availableshortcuts.

Marvin: We hope this gives some minimal relief to the painin all the diodes on your left side.