369: Screen Readers in 2021, RNIB Talking Microwave, and AD on Britbox

Are you sitting comfortably? Well let's begin! Hello, and welcome back to Tech Talk, and boy-o-boy what a show we have for you this week - it's jam-packed full of fun, frolics and fabulousness! Steven is joined by Robin, Tim and Andy... and Shaun Preece! Yes, the friendly neighbourhood shed-dweller returns to his old haunting ground. Why, you may ask? Well it's to cover the topic of screen readers - we're now in 2021, so what's the best for use at home right now, especially for those starting out with screen readers? Yes, we know JAWS is great for professional use - to help you whilst you're at work, but this is about use out of the office. Shaun's an NVDA user - why did he choose that over others on the market such as VoiceOver, Narrator, or Dolphin? Can he persuade the others on the show to switch to? And why is Steven in trouble with his wife over Narrator? If you would like to read Robin's historical look back at screen readers on the AbilityNet website, you can do so here: https://abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/microsoft-narrator-turns-21-we-celebrate-coming-age Also this week, Steven's back in the kitchen to give a much more detailed demo of the RNIB Talking Microwave, our Technology for Life featurette this week is from Mark Evans, and it's all about keystrokes on your computer. The website Mark mentions is www.shortcutworld.com, Clubhouse and Discord, Britbox gets some Audio Description, and we cover a handful of emails including feedback on the smartphone vs computer debate, our favourite biscuits, and the Fintie Keyboard case. To give us your thoughts on what screen reader you find best for personal use, email us at [email protected] and you'll hear us read it out over the coming weeks. But wait.... there's more! Keep a close eye on your podcast feed this coming Wednesday (3rd March), as we have the return of Tech Talk Geek Out - we had so much to cram into this week's show, we needed some extra time to fit it all in. No need to subscribe elsewhere, it'll be in your usual TT feed. See you soon :)