Freedom Scientific Newsroom
December 2004 Volume 3 Issue 13
@Freedom Scientific is a free newsletter packed with the latest information
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Special Edition of @Freedom Scientific:
New JAWS, MAGic and OpenBook Updates Now Available for Download
Today Freedom Scientific simultaneously released the next generation of JAWS®
for Windows® and an update of our MAGic® screen magnification software. An
update of OpenBook® scanning and reading software will be posted later this
week. These updates have been extensively tested to ensure maximum stability and
compatibility when installed and running together. Extra effort has been given
to testing JAWS and MAGic together.
JAWS 6.0 is an SMA update for existing JAWS users. MAGic 9.2 and OpenBook 7.02
are free updates for users of MAGic 9.0 and OpenBook 7.0.
Below are the key details for each update and where to download the latest
versions. List of 3 items
1. JAWS for Windows 6.0 is Released!
2. MAGic 9.2 Update Brings Total Screen Access
3. OpenBook 7.02 Delivers Improved Scanning and Reading Performance list end
JAWS FOR WINDOWS 6.0 IS RELEASED!
In honor of the ten-year anniversary of JAWS, the Freedom Scientific development
group and its team of 120 beta testers have been quietly working on the most
power-packed release of JAWS to date - JAWS 6.0. Just a quick glance at the
changes and improvements are verification of Freedom Scientific's commitment to
deliver the best product on the market for jobs, education, and home use. As
soon as it is installed, users will recognize differences: improved
responsiveness, unmatched accuracy, innovative and creative tools for Internet
browsing, Office applications, PDF documents, and JAWS training materials. Plus
options
have been added to provide support for JAWS in Citrix and Terminal Services,
including Remote Desktop.
Below is a list of just the top 10 items. More features and details can be found
on the What's New Web page.
DAISY Reader Included
You now can get more help learning JAWS basics and the more sophisticated
features of JAWS with FSReader Demo, a built-in DAISY Reader solution that is
included with JAWS 6.0 at no charge. All basic training materials have been
converted to DAISY format and will automatically install. In addition, the
What's New material and a series of helpful overviews of the most important
features also are provided for more advanced users.
Custom Labeler
JAWS 6.0 is the first screen reader released that allows users to assign custom
labels. With this breakthrough, users can label all types of links, graphics,
and form controls in Internet Explorer that do not read well or are not marked
up correctly. Even fields on poorly designed or protected PDF forms or Word
forms can be labeled. This innovation promises to become a must-have standard in
screen reading, just like JAWS' Quick Navigation Keys.
Unparalleled Refreshable Braille Support
Users will notice right away that JAWS' braille output is more responsive,
extremely accurate, and does a much better job of showing relevant information
without requiring the user to continuously pan. Great efforts have been taken to
incorporate user feedback to make JAWS more accessible to deaf-blind users,
using braille only. The Auto Advance mode, another JAWS first, is an equivalent
of JAWS' Say All command for braille readers. Without taking
their fingers off the braille display, users can comfortably read through an
entire
document, skipping blank lines and white space. The user also can pan backward
or
forward to repeat or skip over text, to change reading speed on the fly, and
even to use Navigation Quick Keys. Other options allow users to suppress capital
signs to make better use of the display; customize Braille Flash Messages to get
spoken messages in braille; and a host of other great innovative options. These
options are described in the Braille Section of the
What's New.
Skim Reading
The exciting new Skim Reading Tool allows users to customize the way they
skim Web pages or documents. By default, the user can read by the first line
or sentence of each paragraph in a document. The user also can create a unique
text rule to skim a document by single lines, sentences, or paragraphs that
contain a chosen word or phrase. For example, you could skim read your favorite
news Web site for any number of words or phrases of interest. You can skim read
a history book for specific dates and events. During the skimming, if you find
something of interest, a simple key press will start JAWS reading continuously
again from the last match. Once you've heard enough, go right back to skimming
again with another key press. Rules can be saved and instantly recalled.
This time-saving feature will become a must-have for daily computer use.
Custom List View Tool
List Views present data in columns. The Customize List View feature enables
users to choose how they want to hear and read the data presented. For example,
if a List View contains ten columns, but the information of most interest is in
column three, then two, then five, the user can instruct JAWS to read the data
in that order whenever this List View gains focus or when the user asks JAWS to
read the currently selected object.
The user also can independently decide to show the data in braille in yet a
different order. The user can even tell JAWS to speak the column headers but not
to show them in braille (or vice versa). The user no longer needs to wait while
irrelevant or unimportant data is spoken. What's more, the user also can ask
JAWS to directly read the contents of any column (up to 10
columns) just by pressing a keystroke. JAWS can even be instructed to speak the
column heading in a different voice than it speaks the data to distinguish the
header from the data. It doesn't matter if column data is truncated on screen;
JAWS will always read the data in its entirety.
Enhanced Progress Bar Support
Now users can define how JAWS reports the status of progress bars, such as those
used in downloading files or installing applications. It even lets you decide
how often progress is reported. This setting is application specific, so users
can turn it off when it is not necessary.
Internet Based Authorization
Internet License Manager (ILM) soon will replace the 3.5-inch authorization
disks for most of our single user customers. This new solution will be
distributed as part of the SMA shipment during the first quarter of 2005, so
watch for these packages. If you have Internet access on your system, the simple
automated authorization process takes less than a minute to complete. If you
don't have Internet access, we have provided other easy options. The
authorization
process will be fully explained when you install, or you can read more now by
visiting the
authorization activation page .
Citrix and Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Support
JAWS now can be used in remote access terminal sessions through Citrix
MetaFrame and Microsoft Terminal Services. Users of client computers can now
have speech and braille access to the terminal session environment. For example,
you can connect to a computer at work while you are at home and use JAWS
with your applications and files. This option can be added to any JAWS
Professional License using the new ILM authorization or Dongles for activation.
Contact Sales today for more details.
Updated Navigation Quick Key Options
JAWS 6.0 includes additional Quick Keys for navigation in HTML for Internet
Explorer and online help. Also new is the ability to create lists (as you can
for links and headings) for nearly all the items you navigate to, including
tables, edit controls, check boxes, buttons, radio buttons, paragraphs,
graphics, and so on.
Microsoft Office Support
Not to be overlooked is Freedom Scientific's continued commitment to the entire
Microsoft® Office Suite. As in every Office application, JAWS continues to pave
the way for professionals. With this release comes unmatched support of the
Outlook Calendar, one of the most requested items. Authors of tables in Word
also can communicate directly to JAWS with the use of bookmarks. With this
feature, users can instruct JAWS to find relevant columns or
rows within tables. JAWS will speak these automatically as you navigate. Don't
miss the What's New section on MS Office.
More Information
All additional new features of JAWS 6.0, including the list of serial numbers
pre-authorized to download and begin using this version, can be found via the
links on the Freedom Scientific
Home Page. If you own a JAWS license, be sure to check the list of approximately
25,000 serial numbers and read all the details surrounding this SMA upgrade
today.
MAGIC 9.2 UPDATE BRINGS TOTAL SCREEN ACCESS
Concurrent with the JAWS 6.0 release, Freedom Scientific has released MAGic 9.2.
This free update for existing MAGic 9.0 users is fully compatible with JAWS 6.0,
creating a total screen access solution with speech and magnification. MAGic 9.2
contains several exciting new features as well as several fixes:
Incremental Magnification Levels
View the magnified area using nine incremental levels between 1x and 2x
magnification. Users now have much more flexibility to choose the magnification
level that is best suited to each individual's vision needs.
Toggle between 1x Magnification
This feature allows you to view the entire screen area while retaining your
mouse, cursor, and color enhancement settings, and then quickly switch back to
your previous magnification level.
Support for SAPI 5 Synthesizers
MAGic now includes support for speech engines that use the SAPI 5
interface. Synthesizers that support SAPI 5 include some versions of RealSpeak®,
AT&T
Natural Voices®, Cepstral®, and more.
More Information
Read more details about this free update on the Magic 9.2 What's New page.
OPENBOOK 7.02 DELIVERS IMPROVED SCANNING AND READING PERFORMANCE
The much-anticipated OpenBook 7.02 update will feature several enhancements
and performance improvements, including:
Updated Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
All OCR engines included with OpenBook have been updated to provide the best
text conversion and page recognition available. Now you can choose between
OmniPage® 12.5, Recognita® 12.5, or FineReader® 7.0 to recognize graphics-based
text.
RealSpeak Quality Improved
The RealSpeak text-to-speech synthesizer has been upgraded to 22 KHz to provide
better quality speech for reading documents.
Improvements in Book Searching
Several improvements have been made to the book search feature, including
resolving several issues related to searching and downloading from
http://ww.Bookshare.org.
Improvements to Faxing
Several improvements have been made to improve usability of the fax utility. In
addition, the ability to send and receive faxes in OpenBook now is automatically
disabled if no modem is present. It also can be manually disabled if necessary
for certain corporate environments.
More Information
Read more about what's new by visiting the Openbook What's New page.
Freedom Scientific's mission is to develop, manufacture and market innovative
technology-based products and services that those with vision impairments and
learning disabilities use to change their world.
@Freedom Scientific is published by
Freedom Scientific, Blind/Low Vision Group
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, Florida 33716-1805
800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
http://www.FreedomScientific.com
Those having hardware or software technical support queries can address them
to Support@FreedomScientific.com