Reader mode provides access to unsupported applications that display text in a read-only window. Some examples of such applications include PDF viewers, eBook readers, text adventure game interpreters, telnet clients - essentially any application that contains a reading area that can be scrolled or updates with new text when a command is typed. An unsupported application is one where you must frequently use the JAWS cursor in order to navigate an read text in various screens as well as activate controls. It does not mean that the program is completely inaccessible.
Reader mode consists of three settings, Off, On, and On with Auto Top of Screen. Press INSERT+SHIFT+R to cycle between the three settings. The default setting is on. If you choose to turn it off, or use On with Auto Top of Screen, performing a warm reset will set Reader mode back to on.
When you open an unsupported application that contains a reading area and Reader mode is enabled, the Reader cursor is automatically activated. You can verify if the Virtual PC cursor or the Reader cursor is active by pressing INSERT+SEMICOLON or ALT+DELETE. If you hear "Reader cursor," then you are in the reading area of the unsupported application. Otherwise, if you hear "Virtual PC cursor," or "Pocket PC cursor," you are either not positioned in the reading area of the application, you are in a PAC Mate Omni supported program, or Reader mode is currently set to Off and you need to press INSERT+SHIFT+R to enable it.
The Reader cursor allows you to use standard reading commands to read the text in the viewing area. If the application accepts input, such as a telnet client, you can type a command, press ENTER, and then use the arrow keys to read the new text that is displayed. Additionally, you can use INSERT+8 or the cursor routers on your braille display to activate specific items on the screen, such as an entry in a table of contents. Use CTRL+HOME or CTRL+END to move to the top or bottom of the current screen. For reading areas that require you to scroll the screen in order to access additional text, the commands to do this depend on the application being used. In some programs, you can use PAGE DOWN or PAGE UP to scroll the text down or up respectively, while in others, you will need to use the D-pad simulation keys, down (ALT+INSERT+DOWN ARROW), up (ALT+INSERT+UP ARROW), next (ALT+RIGHT ARROW), or back (ALT+LEFT ARROW) to scroll the text. Moving out of the reading area causes the Virtual PC cursor to become active again.
Use the On with Auto Top of Screen setting if you are reading a document in a PDF viewer, an eBook reading application, or any application where the reading area contains several screens of text which require you to scroll the window. If this setting is enabled, after you press one of the D-pad simulation keys, or PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN (if available), once the text finishes scrolling, the Reader cursor is automatically positioned at the top of the current screen so you can immediately continue reading without having to locate the beginning of the text.
Important note: While Reader mode improves access to applications not directly supported by the PAC Mate Omni, which means that eBook reading programs are now more useable, it does not mean that the particular application is fully supported. For instance, in certain applications that contain non-standard Windows controls, you may still need to use the JAWS cursor to navigate and activate controls in dialog boxes or other non-standard screens.