Using the Tobii Sono Flex Communication Software for Non-verbal Autistic Children

This review will be different than usual because it won’t be about Quinn at all. Instead, this is about my best friend’s son, Tanyon, who is an adorable, smart, sweet, loving little boy. He also has Autism and he is non-verbal. The only speaking that 9 year old Tanyon does is repeating things that are said to him. Tanyon has an iPad and his mom, Alison, has been wanting to try communication software with him for awhile. The people at Tobii were generous enough to let Alison and Tanyon try out their software, Sono Flex, in exchange for my honest review. In case you aren’t familiar with communication software for autism, these types of programs are typically easy-to-use apps with small icons that kids on the autism spectrum tap and it speaks for them. These programs have opened up many avenues for kids who cannot speak to be able to effectively communicate with their parents, caregivers, teachers and others.

Alison downloaded Tobii Sono Flex, which is an AAC vocabulary app, about 6 weeks ago and I’ll be honest and say that Tanyon hasn’t completely grasped it. It’s not a problem with the software at all. He’s just pretty severely cognitively delayed and he hasn’t mastered it. That’s not to say he won’t, and we are both hoping he does in the future. In that event, I’ll do a follow up and update with that news.

(Click any image to enlarge)

As I said, Tanyon’s lack of comprehension is not at all a reflection on the software. It is actually a great program and it’s very easy to use. We just don’t think Tanyon fully understands that is for communication, but once he does he’ll likely be happy for the ability to communicate. Sono Flex is ready to use as soon as it’s downloaded, but is pretty much fully customizable so you can make the app properly suit your life. It comes with many common words and phrases already loaded and ready to use, and over 11,000 pictures to match, and you can upload your own photos or choose from their extensive additional gallery for free. Once you start using it, you quickly notice that it is very simple to use and has the words sorted by type (such as verbs, nouns, etc.) and are color-coded so it’s easy to distinguish which word is which. It also has specialty icons you click and it opens up boards with themed words, such as food and eating-related ones. We were also especially thrilled that it has an iPhone app too, which was free with the purchase of the other, so if Tanyon doesn’t have his iPad, he can still communicate using his mother’s iPhone. The setup on the phone isn’t exactly the same as the iPad, but it's so easy to change out the context boards that its not an issue.


There are a few things we’d like to offer up as constructive criticism though. The app offers a choice of 5 voices, but we do wish they sounded a little more natural and not so computerized. It has a keyboard so children can type out things they’d like to say, but it only offers an ABC keyboard and not a QWERTY, which some kids prefer, and it does not have any numbers on the keyboard. When she originally downloaded it, the buttons didn’t speak as they were pushed (only quick phrases), but Tobii fixed that in their update and she was happy about that. It makes it much easier for Tanyon to learn what the buttons mean if they speak. This is an option that can be turned off in Settings if you wish. Besides these few things, we saw nothing else that needed fixing on the app. Overall though, Alison has been very happy with Sono Flex and has high hopes that her son will begin using it regularly one day.

Tobii Sono Flex is available on the App Store in a free trial version or the full version is $99.99. There are also apps for Android and PC available separately.

Thank you to Tobii for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Tech Tips: Choosing Antivirus & Anti-malware Software That's Right for You (#CBias)

Computer security is more and more important these days, not just on our own computers, but all the devices we use including the cloud. As an IT professional, computer security is always on my mind.

At my workplace we use commercial level software and hardware to protect our network and computers, but at home the budget is much more modest. Until recently, I have been protecting my family's computers with some free antivirus and anti-malware software. Although the security applications I use are excellent, I wanted to see what I could buy that could improve or supplement what I had in place.

Although I had some antivirus brands in mind, I wanted to see a selection and do some comparing. Even though I started my search online, I wanted to go to the store and put my hands on them. The best option for a decent selection of software in my area is at Best Buy.

At Best Buy the antivirus software was located right off the main aisle and in a prominent location. It is obvious how popular this category is to get such an important spot in the store.  The selection was decent and included a few more brands in addition to the ones I wanted to see the most. After reading the labels and comparing features versus cost, I chose Webroot Secure Anywhere, one of the brands I had in mind originally.

The Webroot product included protection not only against malware and viruses, it offers protection against ID theft, privacy, mobile protection, secure passwords, and more on 3 of our computers or mobile devices. The installation was a breeze and the software is very lean, I can barely tell it is running.

Overall, I made a few great choices adding security to my home computers. As much as I like to shop online, going to the store for this purchase was the right thing to do. Sometimes you need to compare things side by side in your hands. I also feel I made the right choice in software. So far the Webroot has 5 stars from me.


I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Trying To Keep Up With Computer Technology

Even though both my husband and I spend a lot of time around computers, it is difficult to keep up with how quickly technology advances.  For example, I just experienced conferencing on Adobe Connect for the first time this morning.  I have participated in other such meetings in the past, but this one went surprisingly smoothly.  I did not have any problems signing in.  In fact, I just entered my name and the host of the meeting approved me.  Then I entered my phone number and received a call in seconds, connecting me instantly to the conference call.  It was so much easier than having to call myself and enter codes to access the correct meeting.  Adobe Connect allowed us to use online chat and the phone to converse during the meeting.  There were also sections on the screen for a slide show, a series of poll questions that could advance, and a list of everyone who was participating.  I could even see who was in the midst of typing a reply.  There was no lagging of the online chat nor any delay on the phone.

My husband, who works in IT, still learns new things.  He actually just made his first tutorial using video screen capture.  I will be combining this footage with images he made using screen capture to create a finished instructional video for him.  My husband loves to learn new things, especially if he can master them, and is very excited about seeing the finished product.

Graphics software, web conferencing, document management software, and so much more . . . What's next on Adobe's list?

Application and Content Security

Today when we think about computer security we think about our email, online shopping, or our online banking account. We also think about people gaining access to our files and data on our PC's. Of course we all use anti-virus, firewalls, and malware applications to help keep the risk as low as possible, but what happens on the other side? What are software developers doing to make the products and services we use more secure? Quite a bit actually.

Application security and content security (web) are some of the leading expenses and challenges companies face developing software for release or web consumption. The only reason cloud computing is feasible today is due to the effort and expenditures companies put into application and content security. The Internet is evolving so quickly developers need very powerful tools to help stay ahead of security if they want to be industry leaders in servicing their customers via the web. The cost of NOT ensuring absolute security could doom a company today with such reliance on the web for business.

What Device Do You Use to Shop?

It isn’t good enough to just have dynamic web sites and content these days. I remember just a few short years ago, the idea of cloud computing was science fiction. Today, any company that does not embrace every single benefit the Internet offers is doomed to fail, or at least yield mediocre performance. The web is so fluid and dynamic it is dizzying.  The pace of change seems to double each day. How is it possible, not only to understand what can be utilized, but to actually manage it?

Imagine how novel email was 10 years ago? Today email is one of the slower ways we communicate and share data! Today we text, tweet, IM, video chat, VPN, FTP, and on and on and on! I can upload all of my pictures to a shared and secure location on the web and all of my family can look at them, print them, or download them from anyplace and on any device they wish. I could easily list another dozen examples highlighting how complex and dynamic the web is.

How do we manage it all? Not only is the web itself complex and ever changing, the actual devices that we use to utilize the web are just as diverse. Desktops, laptops, tablets, smart phones, netbooks, Chromebooks, e-readers, webTV, etc!

For a company to stay ahead of Internet trends, capabilities, and profit centers, they need a management suite that integrates all the various interfaces and platforms. People are online 24/7 and are no longer tied to their PC's when initiating commerce online. A business needs customer management software that can take advantage of all the opportunities the web offers. This system not only needs to be compatible across all devices, fast, and simple, it needs the ability to grow and adapt to the ever changing web.

As much as I cannot wait to see what the web brings next, I am equally humbled by what it can do already!

Giveaway & Review: Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 (Software) [CLOSED]

I am a graphically inclined person for the most part and always have had an interest in scrapbooking. The problem is that I never had the time to dabble in scrapbooking (digital or otherwise). When I had the chance to try the software Digital Scrapbook Artist 2, I was extremely excited. This was the perfect excuse for me to try my hand at digital scrapbooking.

Since I am a novice at digital scrapbooking and do not have experience with the original Digital Scrapbook Artist software, I am writing this review from a novice's point-of-view. Please take two minutes to watch this overview of Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 . . .

This software was much more powerful than I expected. I am able to use other graphics programs (although mostly self-taught), but it took me awhile to explore this one. There were some things that were intuitive and easy to achieve, such as selecting a theme and a layout, dragging and dropping elements and photos onto your page, resizing, using the special effects, and selecting brushes.

Below you will find a ready-made scrapbook layout and what it looked like after I modified it . . .

(Please click on image to enlarge)

Below is a page I created with elements from the same theme, but I started off with a blank page . . .

The functions I listed above only scratch the surface of this software's capabilities. Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 also offers:

• photo editing
• image cut-outs
• blending effects
• punch outs
• edge cutting
• stitching
• decorative text
• frayed edge effects
• stencils
• easy ways to share your pages

If you are like me and do not have experience with either the original Digital Scrapbook Artist software or other digital scrapbooking programs, then I recommend that you take advantage of the tutorials offered by Serif. You can find video tutorials for Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 on the SerifVideos Channel on YouTube.

Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 is available for purchase right on the Serif website. You can order the boxed software or download the program for $49.99. Serif even offers download protection for an additional $6.99 to eliminate the risks of not having a physical copy. You can also purchase this software on DaisyTrail.com and Amazon.com .

Thank you to Serif for sending us a sample copy of this software free of charge to base this review upon and for providing an additional copy for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a boxed copy of the Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 software, which retails for $49.99 .

Limitations:

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Take a look at the different scrapbooking tools and techniques this software offers. Then leave a comment telling me which tool or technique are you most excited to try. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Serif.com/scrapbook/ . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/Graphics4Me/NEWBlogButton125x125.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

11) Add my Blogoversary Celebration tag to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

<br /> <a href="http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd206/Busymonkeez/3G2S_2ndBlogoversary.png" /></a><br /><br />

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: "Groovy Music City" Music Software

Sibelius has recently added a new game to their line of Groovy computer gaming software called Groovy Music City. This software peaked my interest because my son has always shown an affinity towards various musical instruments and I thought that this game would allow him to explore music-making in a different way.

This series of software was designed to aid music teachers by bringing music education into the age of computer gamers. Students can learn about rhythms, bass lines, chords, and more by building a city using road signs, robots, planets, and of course buildings. Each object represents a different aspect of music and each variation in color gives off a different sound.

Below you will find a screenshot of my 5-1/2 yr old son's character walking through a city that he built. As he passes by each element, it lights up and the corresponding sound comes alive, thus creating a musical composition.

What I thought about the Groovy Music software:

1) Even though the software is recommended for ages 9+, I think that anyone who is computer literate can enjoy this game, whether they are 4 or 90 years old. For this reason, I think this game is a very good investment because your child is not likely to outgrow it anytime soon. The older one gets, the more complex a composition one can create.

2) My son's favorite part of the game is placing the buildings which represent the rhythms. This directly relates to the kind of music he likes. He very apparently is draw towards music that has particular kinds of rhythm.

3) I think this software does a good job in helping children make sense of music. For example, the speed limit signs labeled with various speeds in MPHs are what controls the tempo of the music.

4) It is really great that there is a secure site where all Groovy Music users can share their compositions with each other. This a wonderful way for children to be inspired by the work of other children.

5) We did have one major issue with the software. After we registered the software the first time, the next time we attempted to use it, we got a message instructing us to register it again. When we attempted to do so, the software stalled at the point of trying to access the Groovy Music website to approve our registration. After many attempts, we turned to customer service for help. They suggested we download a patch. We did this twice without any resolution to our problem. We were very disappointed that customer service had no other suggestions to offer. Then we accidentally discovered on our own that disconnecting my son's laptop from the Internet allowed us to access the game.

Other than the complications we had accessing the game, I do think that the Groovy Music software is a worthwhile way for children to spend their time on the computer. It is such a versatile program that it is sure to please almost everyone no matter their taste in music.

If you are interested in learning more about the Groovy software line, visit Sibelius.com . You can purchase this software for your PC or MAC on the Sibelius website, Amazon.com, and most places where specialty software is sold.


Thank you to Sibelius for providing us with a review product free of charge.

Get Aurora Photo-Editing Software for FREE (24hrs Only)

To celebrate the launch of Aurora photo-editing software for Mac, anyone can download Aurora for both PC and Mac FREE of charge for 24 hours. Having used this software myself, I highly recommend taking advantage of this freebie. Just visit the Aurora website and click "Buy Now." Then just use Code: FREE24 at checkout. This offer is good from 9:15am EST on 6/15 to 9:15am on 6/16.

For Facebook users, Aurora is hosting the Aurora Friday Photo Editing Challenge throughout the month of July. You can learn more about the prizes and the guest judges by visiting Aurora's Facebook page.