We're going to be honest this week. The news and the middle of the show came together quite organically and "in the moment". Okay, that is our stylish way of saying we had no idea what the show was going to actually have in store for us, and for you the listener, until we discussed things in the studio. and, despite that little lack of planning, the result ain't half bad. See, we still have news, a look at some games Joe can't completely recommend, a tip plus "Sound Off" and "Last Word". We won't be making this style choice a regular habit, however it's nice to have a "fly by the seat of our pants" show land during the holiday season.
IN the News
iOS 9.2: At Least 12 Accessibility Bugs Squashed, No New Bugs Introduced According to AppleVis
Papa Sangre and Other iOS Games to be Discontinued
This from Twitter; @VoiceDreamApp Starting Jan 2017 Ivona will stop selling iOS voices. But you can continue to download what you already bought.
Victor Reader Stream Update Lets you Record Internet Radio, Mass Delete Podcasts
VarioUltra Firmware Fixes Major Bug That Prevented it from Connecting to Several Devices at Once
NBC to Re-air The Wiz Live, Likely Again with Audio Description
We Interrupt this Broadcast: New Rule Requiring Audible Emergency Alerts Is Now in Effect
Sound Off on .PDF Accessibility with an Online Survey
Quick Take: Games Joe Can't Fully Recommend
Joe has featured just a few games over the past year. but he must come across a few that don't cut the mustard in the Fun or Access Departments, right? Sadly the ratio of good vs. icky leans more towards the ick factor when testing apps and games. but here are three examples of games that Joe wasn't a fan of, yet you may want to try anyway.
Star Trek Wrath Of Gems
This multiplatform "match three" puzzler has all the trappings of a fun Star trek experience. There are Classic Trek and Next Gen characters in original storylines. There are super cool official Trek sound effects. The menus are high contrast friendly affairs. So why didn't it make the list for Joe? Simple, the game relies more on the Pay scale of "Free To Play" games. A player has to really invest time, and real world money, to get pretty far into the game. And that would be fine if the gameplay was enjoyable. Wrath Of Gems takes a page from "Marvel Puzzle Quest" with the Computer having the uncanny knack for turning the tables right when you think you have the Romulans on the run. Moreover, to have that happen and then be prompted to "insert coin" to continue can induce one to forego a diplomatic disengagement of hostilities. In other words, do your level best not to toss your phone or tablet out the nearest airlock when you encounter this in the neutral Zone.
Peggle Blast
Joe has announced his love of all things peggle in the past. the "peggle classic" game is on as many devices as joe can install it upon. "Peggle 2" is on his Xbox 360, and it isn't a surprise to say that the Xbox one version will be purchased by him at some point... to compare and contrast it with the 360 version of course. So why didn't he like Pop Cap's latest version of the game for mobile devices? Two words "Pastoral hell". The game looks like a bag of Skittles fell into a pastel painting. It may sound beautiful, yet for those who suffer from glare or color blindness, it makes playing the game a very challenging experience. The early games in this series were more earth tone in theme and style. So seek those previous editions of the game if you want a nice puzzle game that requires little effort to play.
Madness's Daze
The 99-cent app was just released for iOS and TV OS last month. And purchasing it for either OS nabs you a copy on both platforms. Allowing you to play a 3d audio game on your iDevice or on your big screen surround sound system. Which is neat, if the gameplay was good that is. The game has you trying to escape an insan