What's New in MAGic 11 Screen Magnification Software

The latest product improvements in both JAWS® and MAGic® incorporate more JAWS screen reading functionality into the MAGic screen magnification application. These enhancements also improve how JAWS reads when MAGic is running at the same time.

The following list highlights new functionality available when running the two programs together:

To take advantage of these enhancements, be sure to download the latest JAWS release and MAGic 11 build.

Note: A 64-bit public beta version of MAGic 11 is available for download and testing. This beta version will run on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. To tryout the 64-bit version, choose MAGic 11 Public Beta for 64-bit Windows Vista for more information.

Overview

This page describes the new features and improvements available in MAGic version 11. To go directly to the MAGic 11 download links on this page, choose MAGic 11 download links.

Note: If you are not sure whether you are authorized for MAGic 11, look up the number of activation keys that are available to you by visiting the FS Product Activation page. Once there, choose the Continue Product Activation button, and then choose the link labeled "Verify the number of activation keys available for your Freedom Scientific product." Next, enter your serial number and press ENTER to find out if your license is current and what release version is allowed.


Use the following links to jump to a specific section of this page:

MAGic 11 New Features and Improvements

MAGic 11 offers several new features and improvements as described on this page. To learn more, read the entire What's New, or, if you are a MAGic user, press INSERT+F6 to open a list of headings and then jump directly to a specific item.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Support

MAGic 11 supports Windows Internet Explorer® 8 Beta 1 release.

Windows Vista Support

In addition to working with Windows XP and Windows 2000, MAGic now supports Windows Vista™ and Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

MAGic 11 Professional and MAGic 11 Scripting Edition support the following 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows: all versions of Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Media Center Edition, and Windows 2000.

MAGic 11 Standard supports the following 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows: Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Home Basic, and Windows XP Home.

Automatically Start MAGic in Windows Vista

For Windows Vista users, the Automatically Start MAGic function now appears as a button in the Preferences dialog under the File menu. Use this button and its options to configure MAGic to start before or after you start Windows Vista. These options can also be used to determine if MAGic runs when several individuals use the same computer. For example, imagine that a couple owns one computer: he uses MAGic and she does not. In Windows Vista, they can set up separate user accounts so that his account always runs MAGic before and after he logs on, and her account never starts MAGic after she logs on. Another example is when MAGic is used in a classroom or network environment. If several students use MAGic, the network administrator can set up their user accounts so that MAGic is running before and after log on. However, the administrator can configure his or her account so that MAGic never starts.

For more information about using this function, use the SHIFT+F1 context-sensitive help, or refer to Starting and Quitting MAGic in the MAGic help file.

Note: Windows Vista support is only available with MAGic 11 or higher.

New DAISY Book for Windows Vista

A new DAISY book that describes how to install, activate, and use MAGic on a Windows Vista™ computer is available for download from Freedom Scientific. This free book, which is full of valuable information to help guide you through the new operating system's user interface, is also offered in MP3 format. To download this book, go to the Freedom Scientific Training Downloads page and navigate to the heading titled DAISY Books for MAGic®. Once there, select the Introduction to Windows Vista (MAGic DAISY 49.8 MB) link.

After DAISY books are downloaded and installed, they appear in a folder that is easily accessed by the FSReader Demo DAISY reader. To open and play the books using FSReader Demo, do the following:

  1. From the MAGic Help menu, choose Training. FSReader Demo opens, and the File Open dialog box appears.
  2. Use the ARROW keys to navigate to the XTraMAGicIntroToVista DAISY book.
  3. Press ENTER to open the DAISY book.
  4. Press CTRL+P to play the narrated audio or use standard reading commands to read the text of the DAISY book.

Note: New DAISY books are included on all program and demo MAGic CDs beginning with MAGic 11.

Completely New Basic Training for MAGic 11

The Basic Training for MAGic 11 was completely rewritten and recorded using a Windows Vista computer with Microsoft Office 2007. This new Basic Training in text and narrated audio DAISY format is included on all program and demo MAGic CDs beginning with MAGic 11. The new Basic Training is also available as a free download in either MP3 or DAISY format from the Freedom Scientific Training Downloads page. New topics include:

  • Verbosity Scheme Example One, No More Buttons
  • Add a New Rule to the Verbosity Scheme for Check Boxes
  • Set MAGic Verbosity Scheme Back to Speech Only
  • What are Scripts?
  • Scripts vs. Functions
  • Script Manager Interface
  • Writing Your First Script
  • Comment Statements
  • Script to Type Your Name
  • Saving and Compiling Script Files
  • Add a SayString to the TypeMyName Script
  • A Script with More Than One TypeString
  • Keyboard Help and Script Writing
  • In Case of Emergency, How to Delete Script Files
  • Resources for Script Writers and Developers
  • Description of the Screen for Microsoft Word 2007, an Overview
  • Moving to Different Parts of the Screen in Office 2007
  • The Ribbon
  • Office Button and the Office Button Menu
  • Split Buttons
  • Tab Order and Pinning Documents in the Office Button Menu
  • KeyTips and Keyboard Navigation of the Ribbon
  • Moving From One Ribbon Group to Another with the Keyboard
  • Collapsing or Minimizing the Ribbon
  • Conquering the QAT - The Quick Access Toolbar
  • Adding an Item to the QAT in Microsoft Word
  • Removing an Item from the QAT
  • Contextual Tabs
  • Galleries
  • Dialog Launchers
  • Mini Toolbars
  • Enhanced ToolTips
  • "About" Information

The Basic Training includes more than five hours of instruction, including step-by-step instructions and sample practice documents to help you make the most of your experience using MAGic 11.

DAISY Book Addition

A new DAISY book is available. It describes how to create accessible forms in Microsoft Excel by using input messages and hyperlinks to provide useful feedback to JAWS and MAGic users.

Microsoft Office 2007 Support

MAGic 11 has full support for Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Excel 2007, and Microsoft Outlook 2007.

Newly-Designed Adjust MAGic Options Dialog Box

The Adjust MAGic Verbosity list has been updated with the newly-designed Adjust MAGic Options tree view (MAGic Key+O). Instead of showing items in a list format, the reorganized dialog box uses a logical tree menu format. This grouping is sure to help new and experienced MAGic users understand the relationship between various MAGic settings. The MAGic Options dialog box (MAGic Key+O) only applies while using Word or Excel (any supported version), Internet Explorer 7, and Outlook 2007. The keystroke does nothing while using any other program.

The tree view is expanded by default when you open it to allow for first letter navigation, thus continuing the ease of use found in the original Verbosity list design. If you would rather have it collapsed, press TAB to navigate to the Expand Tree View check box and uncheck it; the change takes effect immediately. You may also navigate through the tree view using the RIGHT ARROW and LEFT ARROW keys to expand and collapse groups. Use the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys to move up and down in the tree.

Once an option is selected, use the SPACEBAR to cycle through the available setting values. To save changes, press ENTER or the CLOSE button.

MAGic 11 also includes built-in help messages for each item found in the tree view. As you navigate items in the list, simply press TAB to move to the Read-Only edit window at any time for a help description of the current item.

JAWS Navigation Quick Keys and MAGic Tracking are Now Synchronized!

When running MAGic 11 screen magnification software with JAWS 9 or later, there is now a visual indication on Web pages as you read or navigate using JAWS. Navigation Quick Keys let you move easily and quickly around Web pages, Outlook and Outlook Express e-mails, Adobe Acrobat PDF files, the JAWS or MAGic help files, and anywhere else the Virtual Cursor is active.

The following examples highlight this new functionality:

Sighted trainers and low vision users will love this new combination of JAWS and MAGic. If there is no need to magnify, just set the MAGic magnification to 1x, so that a sighted user can easily find your location in a document.

The following Navigation Quick Keys provide visual tracking when running JAWS and MAGic together:

Navigation Quick Key

Description

A

Next Anchor

B

Next Button

C

Next Combo Box

D

Next Different Element

E

Next Edit Control

F

Next Form Control

G

Next Graphic

H

Next Heading
(Press 1–6 on the number row to jump to the next heading at that level.)

I

Next List Item

K

Next Placemarker

L

Next List

M

Next Frame

N

Skip Past Links to Next Block of Text

O

Next Object

P

Next Paragraph

Q

Next Block Quote

R

Next Radio Button

S

Next Same Element

T

Next Table

U

Next Unvisited Link

V

Next Visited Link

X

Next Checkbox

Z

Next Division

> (Greater Than)

Step Past Current Element

< (Less Than)

Step Back to Current Element

Document Presentation Mode Updated for Use with MAGic

The JAWS Document Presentation option has been updated so that it defaults to Enhanced Visual Layout mode when running MAGic 11 with JAWS 9 or later. This means that the layout of Web pages, tables, links, and graphic elements is the same in the virtual buffer as these items appear on the screen. If a paragraph on a Web page has only four or five words per line, then this is exactly what the JAWS user hears when moving up and down the page while JAWS and MAGic are running. If MAGic is not running, the JAWS user hears longer lines of text that do not always synchronize with the text layout on the screen, which is exactly what the JAWS user has typically experienced.

The Select and Copy option's default setting for HTML documents has changed. It is now Full Content Using Onscreen Highlight instead of Full Content. The default setting lets you highlight and copy HTML text and elements and retain the formatting just as it appears in the HTML document. This means that you can use the SHIFT+UP ARROW or SHIFT+DOWN ARROW, the CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW or CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW, and the SHIFT+LEFT ARROW or SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW keystrokes to select HTML e-mail and Internet Explorer items that appear on the screen.

To open the Select and Copy option and choose a setting, press INSERT+V while in an HTML document. Next, press S to navigate to the Select and Copy option, and then press SPACEBAR to scroll through the settings. Press ENTER to save the change.

HTML Formatting Retained when Copying and Pasting

MAGic 11 now properly copies the contents of a Web page to the virtual buffer, and retains all the HTML formatting and markup when pasting the information into an HTML formatted e-mail or Word document. This breakthrough in screen reading means that you can now copy and paste content and retain its formatting, colors, and active hyperlinks, but does not include any of the other MAGic messages, such as the number of items in a list, and so on. What you paste is essentially the same rendering that a sighted user would see. Plus, you have the added advantage of being able to use MAGic HTML commands to read and navigate the Web content when pasted into an e-mail message.

In addition, MAGic still provides a way to select, copy, and paste in the traditional manner of stripping out the formatting if you choose. This option is in the Virtual Cursor Options group in the new Adjust MAGic Option dialog box (MAGic Key+O).

Focus Enhancement

The Focus Enhancement function lets you define a visible rectangular border that identifies and tracks the item that is currently selected on the screen. As you select different items, using either the mouse or keyboard, the rectangular border moves its focus to that place on the screen. This function is very useful when using Windows Vista since the colors of the user interface can appear muted and difficult to distinguish.

Focus Enhancement Button

The Focus Enhancement command is located under the Magnification menu. The Focus Enhancement button is located to the far right in the second row of the MAGic user interface. Right-click the button to open the Focus Enhancement dialog box. If you make changes, remember to save by pressing CTRL+S.

RealSpeak Solo Speech Synthesizer

Included with your package is the RealSpeak Solo, SAPI 5 synthesizer CD. It contains a variety of voices in several languages. To install these voices, insert the CD into your computer's CD-ROM drive. Then, follow the instructions to select which voices you want to install, and complete the installation.

The following RealSpeak Solo voices are available on the English/Spanish CD.

Language

RealSpeak Solo Voice

American English

Jill, Samantha, and Tom

British English

Daniel and Emily

Australian English

Karen and Lee

Latin American Spanish

Paulina

Note: Additional languages are available from your international distributor.

Say All Command and SAPI 5 Voices

MAGic can immediately switch from its current Eloquence synthesized voice to a SAPI 5, RealSpeak Solo synthesized voice when using the Say All command (INSERT+DOWN ARROW or MAGic Key+SPACEBAR). While the default Eloquence voice may be useful for reading and navigating short text such as prior or next line, sentence, or paragraph, it may not be the preferred voice for longer passages of text. The SAPI 5 voice offers a higher-quality sound, which makes reading using the Say All command a more pleasing experience.

When using the new feature, the SAPI 5 voice remains active while you fast forward, rewind, speed up, or slow down during the Say All. However, when you use navigation functions such as Say Word and Say Paragraph, or when you use the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW keys to read the previous or next sentence, or when you press the CTRL key to stop the Say All command, MAGic immediately switches back to the Eloquence voice.

To choose a SAPI 5 synthesizer to use during the Say All, do the following:

  1. From the Speech menu, choose Global Voice Adjustment or Individual Voice Adjustment.
  2. From the Global Voices dialog box or the Individual Voices dialog box, choose the Use SAPI 5 During Say All radio button.
  3. Choose a SAPI 5 voice from the Person combo box.
  4. Adjust the SAPI 5 speech rate using the Rate slider.
  5. Choose the amount of punctuation that MAGic announces using the Punctuation combo box
  6. Choose OK to save your changes.
  7. Press CTRL+S or choose Save Default Settings from the File menu to save your changes.

Alternate Say All Command

MAGic 11 basically has two types of Say All options. The first is the regular Say All command, which uses the keystroke INSERT+DOWN ARROW or MAGic Key+SPACEBAR. The second is the Alternate Say All command, which uses the keystroke ALT+INSERT+DOWN ARROW. This lets you perform a Say All using either an Eloquence synthesized voice or a SAPI 5, RealSpeak Solo synthesized voice. By default, the Alternate Say All command is configured for SAPI 5.

To determine if the Alternate Say All command uses a SAPI 5 voice, do the following:

  1. From the Speech menu, choose Global Voice Adjustment or Individual Voice Adjustment.
  2. From the Say All section of the Global Voice dialog box or the Individual Voice dialog box, do one of the following:

  1. If desired, choose a SAPI 5 voice from the Person combo box.
  2. If desired, adjust the SAPI 5 speech rate using the Rate slider.
  3. If desired, choose the amount of punctuation that MAGic announces using the Punctuation combo box.
  4. Choose OK to save your changes.
  5. Press CTRL+S or choose Save Default Settings from the File menu to save your changes.

Magnify up to 36x

MAGic can now magnify up to 36x magnification. Previously, the highest magnification level was 16x. Users with higher resolution monitors may benefit from using magnification levels above 16x.

MAGic Scripts

MAGic scripts have been reorganized into logical categories to make it easier for users to find functions and learn the assigned key combination or assign key combinations that fit their preferences. The new categories are:

Virtual Find

MAGic 11 introduces a new search capability known as Virtual Find. It is available when you press CTRL+F when running MAGic with Internet Explorer or Adobe Reader files. Instead of showing the application's normal Find dialog, the Virtual Find dialog lets you maintain a history of the last 20 entries in the edit combo box, clear the history, search forwards or backwards through a Web page or document, and ignore letter case. You can also press F3 to continue your search to the next item or SHIFT+F3 to search for the previous item.

MAGic EyeMerge Installation

The MAGic EyeMerge™ software lets you view, capture, and save magnified images when using the new Freedom Scientific ONYX™ magnification camera with your computer. This companion application automatically installs and creates a desktop icon when you install MAGic 11.

Refer to the MAGic EyeMerge help file for operational procedures and information. Go to What's New in MAGic EyeMerge 11 for a list of the latest features.

For information about ONYX cameras, visit the ONYX product page.

Return to Overview from MAGic 11 Features

Enhancements in MAGic 11.0.1146 (October 2008)

The following reported items were addressed in this update. All enhancements since the initial public beta release are included in the update.

MAGic

MAGic EyeMerge

Return to Overview from Enhancements

Previous Enhancements in MAGic and MAGic EyeMerge

Use the following links to open Web pages that describe enhancements and improvements in previous MAGic 11 releases.

Return to Overview from Previous Enhancements

Download MAGic 11

The following briefly describes how to download and install the latest MAGic release.

  1. Select the MAGic download link that appears at the end of this procedure.
  2. When the dialog box opens, choose Save and select a location where you can easily find the downloaded executable file.
  3. Run the executable file and follow the talking installer.

MAGic 11.0.1146 – ILM release (106 MB - FTP download)

Demonstration Version of MAGic

Select the following link to download a 40-minute version of MAGic 11.

Free DEMO of MAGic 11 (98 MB - FTP download)

USB Thumb Drive Version of MAGic

Select thumb drive version to jump to the thumb drive Web page. It contains download links and installation instructions for the latest MAGic thumb drive release.

Return to Overview from Download MAGic 11

Dusty Voorhees, MAGic Product Manager, Discusses What's New in MAGic 11

You can download and listen to an interview with Dusty Voorhees, product manager for MAGic, in which he discusses the exciting new features available in MAGic 11. The interview is available in DAISY and MP3 format. If you download the DAISY version, you will need a DAISY reader (such as FSReader or FSReader Demo) to listen to the interview.


Return to Overview from Interview

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: If I download the MAGic 11 release from the Web, should I install MAGic from the CD when I receive it?

Answer: No. You only need to install the training materials that are on the MAGic program CD. This information is available in a digital document format known as DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System). To install these files, do the following:

  1. Insert your MAGic program CD into your CD drive.
  2. When the MAGic Setup dialog box appears, press TAB to move to the Training Materials button, and then press SPACEBAR.
  3. In the MAGic Training Materials dialog box, select the check box next to each DAISY book that you want to install.
  4. Choose the Install button.
  5. When the installation is finished, remember to put your MAGic program CD in a safe place so you will have it for future use when needed.


Note: If you download MAGic from the Web, the training materials are not included. This is to reduce the size of the download. If you like, you can download and install the MAGic training files from the Freedom Scientific Training Downloads Web page.


Question: If I wait until my CD arrives to install MAGic 11, should I also download the version that is available on the Web?

Answer: No, but once you have installed MAGic 11 from the CD, you should check for updates by pressing ALT+H from the MAGic program window, and then pressing P to select Check for Updates.

Question: If I’ve been installing and using the MAGic public beta releases, should I remove the public beta before installing the official MAGic 11 release?

Answer: No. Simply download the MAGic release build from our Web site and install it over the public beta build.

Question: If I remove my existing version of MAGic before installing MAGic 11, should I remove shared components?

Answer: Yes, however, remember that you will not have speech between removing your current MAGic version and installing MAGic 11. If you download MAGic 11 from the Web, copy the executable file to a location that is easy to find without speech and magnification.

Question: When should I receive my MAGic 11 English release CD?

Answer: You should receive your CD by the second week of March 2008 at the latest. You may receive it sooner or later depending on where you live; we have taken steps to make sure they arrive in all markets at the same time.

Question: If I recently received MAGic 10.5, how do I get MAGic 11?

Answer: If you purchased MAGic 10.5 after April 2, 2007, you can download the MAGic 11 release for free from the Freedom Scientific Web site. To verify if you are entitled to the current version, visit the Freedom Scientific Software Activation page. You will need your serial number.

Question: If my SMA expires, will I receive a notice?

Answer: Customers in the U.S. will receive notification in the mail shortly after the MAGic 11 CD arrives. The envelope will contain an SMA Renewal letter explaining the process. This form to renew your SMA is also available for download now from the Freedom Scientific Web site under Blindness Products or by using this link, MAGic SMA Renewal Form. SMA renewal prices are discounted if you purchased prior to the end of April 2008. Please watch for your notices.


Return to Overview from Frequently Asked Questions