Upgrade to IOS13.1 right now.

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Mark Baxter

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Sep 25, 2019, 12:21:29 PM9/25/19
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The latest upgrade to IOS, 13.1, has brought major improvements for voiceover users. I am so excited about them that I am babbling on lists like an idiot.

First and most importantly: For users of the Phonak Comm Pilot system, VoiceOver has fixed the bug which put the Pilot to sleep ever ten seconds. No more annoying announcements from the Comm Pilot while using Voiceover, unless of course you are using more than one device ... This improvement has come far too late to save my sanity, but may save yours if you upgrade right now.

Secondly, the QuickNav announcement has been changed to a chirp instead of a voice. Cool sound effect.

In short, run, do not walk, to your nearest iPhone newer than a 6 and upgrade. 😂

Sent from my iPhone

Carolyn Haas

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Sep 25, 2019, 1:38:47 PM9/25/19
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Hi Mark:
Thanks for the info. You might find it useful also to join the Deafblind Techies group. We get updates from the beta testers as soon as they can speak publicly.
Also, BTW: are you now a Colorado resident? I think my ICanConnect trainer is working with you, unless there’s another Mark Baxter. If so, drop me an email off list.
Take care, all.


Carolyn Haas and Pilot Dog, Bennet
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Mark Baxter

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Sep 25, 2019, 3:56:23 PM9/25/19
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Hi, Carolyn!

Yeah, it’s the same Mark Baxter. There are more Mark Baxter (Marks Baxter?) including one who used to get all my messages when I lived in Boston in the 90’s ... But this Mark Baxter is mine. For purposes of security culture, you’ll remember that I bought a Comm Pilot from you, back when they were called ICom’s, and had those cheeses neck cables that always broke...

And, yes, I’m in Oregon now, and I”m working with Paul at ICanConnect, which is why I’m having all this fun now ...

To topic, I must say upon further working with IOS13.1, the Comm Pilot issue is handled much better, but it’s not foolproof. The Bluetooth is held open if there’s a text box, or if you start an audio stream and then stop it. I’m not sure what other behaviors govern this, but these two are definite improvements all by themselves.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 25, 2019, at 11:38 AM, Carolyn Haas <chaa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Mark:
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/A7203883-CDC3-4A6E-ABB2-FBCF243AC4D4%40gmail.com.

Carolyn Haas

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Sep 25, 2019, 6:36:48 PM9/25/19
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Ok,no, there’s another Mark Baxter that must be in the Denver Area. His wife’s name is Amy. Must be yet another. But, yes, I remember you bought the iCom from me.
Glad you’re doing well.


Carolyn Haas and Pilot Dog, Bennet

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/8E9F4872-251B-4C19-A517-648D8C02CA45%40gmail.com.

Mark Baxter

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Sep 25, 2019, 9:41:51 PM9/25/19
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I am in the Greeley area of Colorado, not the Denver, and think it would be quite a coincidence if there were another Mark and Amy Baxter in Denver, although I suppose anything is possible. Either way, you’ve only ever talked to one Mark Baxter all these years, and it’s me. *grin*

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 25, 2019, at 4:36 PM, Carolyn Haas <chaa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Ok,no, there’s another Mark Baxter that must be in the Denver Area. His wife’s name is Amy. Must be yet another. But, yes, I remember you bought the iCom from me.
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/45E77202-EBBC-4275-82F6-8ED95E4774EB%40gmail.com.

Carolyn Haas

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Sep 25, 2019, 10:49:02 PM9/25/19
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Mark:
Ok, I am very confused. I thought you were in Co, and you are, being in Greeley. But, in your message, you wrote that you are in Oregon now, and that you are working with Paul. Anyhow, nice to have you here in Co. We need a more unified Deaf-blind community here. The Deaf keep taking everything over. Right now, there’s a job open at the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind for an outreach person. But, they want someone who uses ASL, which essentially leaves out anyone who is blind. Anyhow, Welcom to Co, since you’re not living in Oregon. <grin>
Take care, and keep in touch.


Carolyn Haas and Pilot Dog, Bennet

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/29F3EA54-00F6-4411-A0AA-7F0A857FDC9C%40gmail.com.

Daniel Hawkins

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Sep 26, 2019, 8:51:49 AM9/26/19
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OMG! they fixed the compilot issue! I complained that issue to Apple and Phonak years ago. Upgrading my iPhone now! I do remember the iCom days! my neck loop broke the same day I got it. lol.

Yes, i agree with Carolyn, join the DBtechies, and check out Applevis.com there is where you can check out the latest updates and news about Apple products for accessibility.
Daniel Hawkins



Mark Baxter

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Sep 26, 2019, 10:07:17 AM9/26/19
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In further playing with the interaction between Comm Pilot and IOS13.1, I will say that the Robles is very much improved, but not quite fixed.  The interface seems to be “smarter,” leaving the Bluetooth loop open much longer under certain conditions, such as if you’re in a text box, or if you have started and stopped a stream of some kind—audio, TV, etc.  It is VERY much improved, however.  Gone are the days when I would play an MP3 of three hours of silence, just to keep the Comm Pilot from going to sleep every ten seconds.  And there is much rejoicing ... Yay.

Yeah, I need to network more.  Being homeless and losing all our stuff and rebuilding in a different state and living in a tenement is sorta time consuming but I do need to network more. *grin*. Live to code, code to live.


Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 26, 2019, at 6:51 AM, Daniel Hawkins <computers...@gmail.com> wrote:

OMG! they fixed the compilot issue! I complained that issue to Apple and Phonak years ago. Upgrading my iPhone now! I do remember the iCom days! my neck loop broke the same day I got it. lol.

Mark Baxter

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Sep 26, 2019, 10:13:16 AM9/26/19
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Wow, sorry for the confusion. The lesser atmospheric pressure up here in the high desert country sometimes makes my brown brain out. Interesting timing on the job; I just now reconnected with Rehab here in Greeley to try and find a job, although what that would be rather confounds me... I dunno, maybe they SHOULD take over; I find being deaf about 85 times harder than being blind ever was, and the two together are just bloody exhausting. *shrug* I’m feeling my way into it, I suppose. Really thankful for the ICanConnect people; I’ll write them a testimonial later today.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 25, 2019, at 8:49 PM, Carolyn Haas <chaa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Mark:
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/E9DA9449-6793-4996-86FE-7451A6CED03B%40gmail.com.

Carolyn Haas

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Sep 26, 2019, 10:30:34 AM9/26/19
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Hey Mark:
So, are you using braille or still speech? I’m experiencing more high frequency loss that actually has me considering a cochlear implant. SCARY!

I don’t know much about Greeley. But, it often smells like cows.
As far as the dual sensory loss, it’s truly a beast. I gave up on the job hunt, because for one I got tired of fighting so hard to win even an interview, and at 58, I’m just not the pretty young something most employers seem to be looking for. Take care. Feel free to give a call sometime. 303-349-7168.
Also, you may be interested in the SSP program. That is through the Colorado Commisssion. For the Deaf, HOH, and DB. Ok, all for now.
arolyn Haas and Pilot Dog, Bennet

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/C99B1DB7-F892-4445-B8FF-E059DA83BAEC%40gmail.com.

Daniel Hawkins

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Sep 26, 2019, 10:34:47 AM9/26/19
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Well I just updated to IOS 13.1. I noticed that it is a little more responsive. But my 1st Gen Compilot still disconnect at 10 seconds. Which generation Compilot do you have?
Daniel Hawkins



Mark Baxter

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Sep 26, 2019, 10:58:42 AM9/26/19
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I’m sorry to hear that. 
It is, at best, an inconsistent behavior with indeterminate factors.  I suspect it is more of an accidental improvement than one by design, caused by the interaction of VoiceOver and some other app using the Bluetooth, although I can’t rule out the efficacy of having a text box in the foreground.  I hope you find a way to trick better performance out of the Comm Pilot though, as it has proven to be the choke point of most of my systems.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 26, 2019, at 8:34 AM, Daniel Hawkins <computers...@gmail.com> wrote:

Well I just updated to IOS 13.1. I noticed that it is a little more responsive. But my 1st Gen Compilot still disconnect at 10 seconds. Which generation Compilot do you have?

Daniel Hawkins

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Sep 26, 2019, 11:14:33 AM9/26/19
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I think more than anything, my Compilot is just an older generation Bluetooth. I am waiting for the Phonak marvel hearingaid to come out, and then I will upgrade. I know one guy who have the Compilot 2, and he does not have the same issue as I have.

Thanks!
Daniel Hawkins



Mark Baxter

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Sep 26, 2019, 11:15:16 AM9/26/19
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My job is my family, now, and I”m content with that, except I want some sort of sweatshop job screwing caps on tubes for some money so Amy can get the stuff she wants...
I really don’t do much on the phone these days, because I have such a hard time hearing and have to ask for repetitions so much, but we’ll keep in touch for sure. And yes, Greeley smells like cow—and not good old wholesome cow manure like I Grew up with in Vermont—no, this is the bad parts of the cow that you never want to smell, and it’s pretty gross sometimes. We were warned, but we ended up here anyway, and I’m really harsh ing on Greeley too much— it’s a nice place with good transportation and friendly medical workers and the house, albeit smaller than a quark, is cozy and has character, and a deck where I take my Morning coffee when the weather’s nice, lots of sun and birds and squirrels and other wildlife, which I prefer anyway over people... *smile* Gotta run, today we haul the groceries home on the bus ...
D

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 26, 2019, at 8:30 AM, Carolyn Haas <chaa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hey Mark:
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/talkingapple/C494D667-9C82-48AB-AF40-50C0765D09B8%40gmail.com.

Mark Baxter

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Sep 26, 2019, 11:20:00 AM9/26/19
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I forgot to mention that I have a Comm Pilot second generation; faster than the old but still with all the latency bugs.  I don’t have funding right now for the latest greatest hearing aids.  If you would, try running a few experiments to see if you can reproduce the longer connection time:
Put an audio stream on in the background; doesn’t matter what it is, and I am assuming Audio Ducking in VoiceOver is on, green randomly stop and start the stream and see if the Comm Pilot stays connected or drops out.
Notice whether it stays connected longer when you have a text box open, such as in Mail or a word processor.  
I Can’t think of anything else consistent that’s mattered, but if the behavior is reproducible, maybe we can help them improve the system.


Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 26, 2019, at 9:14 AM, Daniel Hawkins <computers...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think more than anything, my Compilot is just an older generation Bluetooth. I am waiting for the Phonak marvel hearingaid to come out, and then I will upgrade. I know one guy who have the Compilot 2, and he does not have the same issue as I have.

Daniel Hawkins

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Sep 27, 2019, 9:37:24 AM9/27/19
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Ahh yes. the 2nd generation is a huge improvement than what I have. funny, I used to play music really really low in the past. But I listen to bard Mobile all the time. So adjusting the volume constantly just got to  be too much. So i just deal with the quick disconnect. I am used it it since I have this for 5 years now. Funny, the old iCom if you hold down the big button, it will keep the same connection. I tried to let the Engineers at Phonak to bring that feature back, but they were like we don’t need that.
Daniel Hawkins



Mark Baxter

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Sep 27, 2019, 9:48:28 AM9/27/19
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I got my first Icom in 2009 and I couldn’t pair it wit anything Bluetooth for years.  Then I encountered the quick disconnect and reverted to patchcord connection to fix the issue, and because quite frankly the MacBook or iPhone microphone was simply better than the comm pilot.  I’m a total Bard Mobile junkie too, but couldn’t use an audio book as a stream because it distracted me, where music, radio or TV didn’t.  Then, like I said, we had to move and were quasi-homeless until we moved in here and started rebuilding, and I didn’t even have a keyboard, just my iPhone 6.  This cable system has an app that lets you stream TV over the phone, which I find absolutely ultimately cool, so I started leaving that on with a TV show in the background.  Then I got this K380 keyboard through ICanConnect, and with keyboard shortcuts and the new IOS, I’m really feeling much better now...  But my new MacBook Air can’t stream TV...  😒 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 27, 2019, at 7:37 AM, Daniel Hawkins <computers...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ahh yes. the 2nd generation is a huge improvement than what I have. funny, I used to play music really really low in the past. But I listen to bard Mobile all the time. So adjusting the volume constantly just got to  be too much. So i just deal with the quick disconnect. I am used it it since I have this for 5 years now. Funny, the old iCom if you hold down the big button, it will keep the same connection. I tried to let the Engineers at Phonak to bring that feature back, but they were like we don’t need that.
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