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February - March 2006 - Volume 5 Issue 2 - @Freedom Scientific Newsletter @Freedom Scientific is a free newsletter packed with the latest information about Freedom Scientific technology. Please feel free to send us your feedback.
Freedom Scientific to Feature New Low Vision Products and More at 21st Annual CSUN ConferenceDon’t miss all the fantastic new products and updates from Freedom Scientific that will be on display at CSUN’s 21st Annual International Conference, “Technology and Persons with Disabilities.” The California State University Northridge Center on Disabilities (CSUN) hosts this annual convention, the largest of its kind, where technology meets education. The conference will be held on March 22 to 25 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Hilton hotels. Stop by Freedom Scientific booth #250 for demonstrations of all our products, including our new line of video magnification products – the TOPAZ™ desktop video magnifier and the OPAL™ ultra-portable video magnifier. Don't miss the first look at speech and braille output on the all new Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system with JAWS for Windows. We will have a system set up and running in the booth to give you an early preview. Note that JAWS 8, available in the third quarter this year, will be required for installation with Windows Vista. Check out the latest features and enhancements in:
For all things PAC Mate, visit PAC Mate World at booths #266 and #267. Experience firsthand the power and flexibility of the PAC Mate™ and the various applications that can be added to increase functionality. Applications like:
Freedom Scientific will also offer demonstrations of the SARA™ Scanning and Reading Appliance and the Focus 40 and Focus 80 refreshable braille displays. Learn more about the educational features available in WYNN™ and TestTalker® at the Freedom Scientific Learning Systems Group booths #262 and 263. Attendees will also want to mark their calendars for our in-depth sessions: Wednesday, March 22 Title: Screen Magnification
- My Way, My Computer, My Remote Access Friday, March 24 Title: Comparing Text
Access Applications for People with Learning Disabilities Saturday, March 25 Title: What's New
in OpenBook and What Will it do for Me? Saturday, March 25 Title: JAWS for Windows
7: Features and Benefits Saturday, March 25 Title: Does Your
Reading Machine Really Work for Your Low Vision Clients? Saturday, March 25 Title: Using WYNN
4 and the SQ3R Method to Support the Older Struggling Student In addition, we’ve learned that several independent presentations featuring JAWS will be conducted. These are: Wednesday, March 22 Title: JSay Technology
- Successful Integration of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and JAWS for Windows Wednesday, March 22 Title: Exploring
and Defining Web Navigation Styles among Blind JAWS Users Thursday, March 23 Title: Firefox 1.5:
Web Browsing Beyond The Status Quo Friday, March 24 Title: Live & Learn:
Using eHarmony with JAWS, or "Blind Dates & More" Return to Top from the First Story
JSay Developer to Offer Training Prior to CSUN ConferenceYou won't want to miss a unique opportunity to receive hands-on experience with using JSay at a special two-day training class hosted by Brian Hartgen of T & T Consultancy, the creator of JSay, and Ed Rosenthal of Next Generation Technologies. The class will be held prior to CSUN on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Featuring 12 hours of JSay Technical and Usage Instruction over two days, the session will show you how to successfully integrate JAWS and Dragon NaturallySpeaking. In addition, you will receive a certificate of completion and one full license of JSay Pro version 3.0 after attending the class. Breakfast will be provided on Friday and Saturday, and lunch will be provided on Friday. Computers will be available, but you can bring your laptop, so you can have the software installed on your personal machine, and take it with you – ready to use. The cost is $714.50 for both days. Space is limited to 20 people, so please RSVP to Swandi Chan at swandi@ngtvoice.com or call 425-744-1100 ext. 17. Return to Top from the Second Story
Excitement Surrounds New Magnification ProductsFreedom Scientific’s new line of video magnification products debuted to great applause at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) annual conference in January. The TOPAZ™ desktop video magnifier displays documents in super large size – from 2.5 to 70 times the actual size on a 17-inch monitor. The movable reading table is sized to easily handle newspapers, photo albums, and other large documents. Once an item is on the table, simply adjust the magnification level and display colors to the settings that are comfortable for your eyesight. Anything placed on the table can be magnified - letters, contracts, prescription bottles, labels on cans, crafts, crossword puzzles, and more. A position locator beam comes standard to help you position the item on the table in the center of the camera view. The forward-mounted camera is positioned over nine inches above the table, so there is plenty of room to work, write, or tighten tiny screws on your eyeglass frames. You can even do projects like hand sewing, assembling models, or any other hobbies. Additional features include 16 magnification levels, 28 high contrast text color combinations, auto focus, and simple-to-use push button controls. The TOPAZ is available in five models: a camera-only model (connect your own monitor); a 15-inch or 17-inch CRT monitor; and a 17-inch or 19-inch flat panel LCD monitor. The LCD models feature adjustable screen height and tilt for the best viewing comfort. The OPAL™ offers the market’s best value in an on-the-go video magnifier. Small enough to fit inside a coat pocket or a purse, the OPAL is the perfect traveling companion for visiting the grocery store, the pharmacy, the library, bank, bookstore, restaurant, or anywhere else. The full color, high brightness screen can magnify from 3.3 times to 6.6 times and is ideal for reading bills, menus, maps, medicine bottles, bus and train schedules, and grocery ingredients. In addition, the OPAL can be connected to a TV or computer to take advantage of the additional magnification offered by the larger screen – up to 32 times on a 20-inch monitor. The OPAL is simple to operate. Just place it on the object you need magnified, and use the easy zoom slider to set the magnification level to your preference. Choose from five high contrast text modes and indoor and outdoor full color viewing modes with the simple push of a button. You can learn more about the TOPAZ, OPAL, and our other low vision products, including the SARA™ Scanning and Reading Appliance and MAGic® Screen Magnification, by visiting our Low Vision Solutions Web page. Return to Top from the Third Story
PAC Mate 4.0 PreviewPAC Mate 4.0 is coming! This feature-packed upgrade for the BX and QX series is a direct response to user requests. Here is a glimpse of what’s coming:
PAC Mate 4.0 is a major update. Users with a current warranty or Annual Software Agreement will be able to download the update at no charge. Otherwise, the update will cost $115.00. Watch the Freedom Scientific Web site in the coming weeks for further release details. CSUN attendees have the opportunity to spend some hands-on time with the PAC Mate 4.0 release. Our product managers and product specialists will guide you on your tour of the new features on Wednesday, March 22, 2006, from 10 AM to 1 PM, at the Marriott Hotel in the Executive Suite 2 located on the 18th floor. Return to Top from the Fourth Story
PAC Mate Featured in Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine"With PAC Mate, the blind now have access to the capabilities of the Pocket PC,” said Jason Farrar, a PAC Mate user, in an extensive review featured in the February 2006 edition of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. In this article, Jason discusses the PAC Mate’s accessible features, the advantages over other notetakers, and similarities with mainstream Windows Mobile devices. Visit the Freedom Scientific Web site to read an accessible version of the article. Return to Top from the Fifth Story
Blind Medical Student to Achieve Ultimate Goal, Thanks to PAC MateFor many doctors, a PDA loaded with pocket medical references has become a critical professional tool. Now, the PAC Mate – and scripting to make the leading medical reference guides accessible – is helping Chris Cooke, who is blind, to become one of Portland, Oregon’s newest doctors. You can read about Chris and her PAC Mate on the Freedom Scientific PAC Mate Headquarters. Return to Top from the Sixth Story
ScanTalker 2.0 Offers Omni-Directional Bar Code Scanning and 1 Million-Plus Product DatabaseFreedom Scientific will release ScanTalker version 2.0 concurrent with the PAC Mate 4.0 release. This powerful bar code scanning application for the PAC Mate BX and QX series uses a hardware bar code reader and an extensive product database to allow blind and low vision users to identify common items using the UPC bar code found on most product labels. With ScanTalker 2.0, it is no longer necessary to purchase the bar code scanner separately. ScanTalker comes with a Metrologic omni-directional, USB-powered, hand-held bar code reader. The omni-directional reader makes it much easier to scan a bar code, as you no longer have to position the UPC label horizontally, directly in front of the reader. The ScanTalker product database has been updated and now contains over 1.2 million UPC codes in the following categories:
Additional features include:
To use ScanTalker 2.0, you must be running PAC Mate version 4.0 or later. PAC Mate 4.0 will be released soon and contains support for the omni-directional bar code reader. Watch the Freedom Scientific Web site in the coming weeks for further details about both releases. Return to Top from the Seventh Story
JAWS 7.10 Coming SoonFreedom Scientific is set to release JAWS 7.10 shortly after the upcoming CSUN conference in March, and we wanted to offer a sneak peek at some of the innovative new features users can expect in this update. JAWS 7.10 will be a free update to existing 7.0 users and is loaded with features and fixes. Here is just a brief look at a few of these. First, JAWS 7.10 features a new installation program using Microsoft Windows® Installer technology. This new installer enables support for automatic updates right from the JAWS Help Menu. Now you will be able to easily download and install minor JAWS fixes and features as soon as they become available. In addition, this is one of the steps in preparing JAWS to support the upcoming Microsoft Windows Vista™ operating system, scheduled to be released near the end of 2006. The Microsoft Windows Installer technology is the recommended solution for access technology companies developing for this new, more secure Operating System. For users of Microsoft Word®, JAWS 7.10 has added three new Navigation Quick Keys after receiving many requests from users. Once you turn on Quick Keys with INSERT+Z, pressing M lets you skim through any misspellings in your document without entering the spellchecker. Pressing the letter A, will move to any grammatical errors. If you turn on Track Changes, pressing R will find and report revisions. These new keys, in addition to all the Navigation Quick Keys available for Word since the JAWS 7.0 release, continue to make JAWS the most powerful and intuitive solution for Microsoft Office. JAWS 7.10 also features full support for the newly-released Corel WordPerfect Office X3. A complete list of features and fixes will be posted on the Freedom Scientific Web site the week of the CSUN conference, so stay tuned. Return to Top from the Eighth Story
From the Training Department: New Year! New Job?The South Carolina Commission for the Blind recently provided JAWS workshops for its employees to help them improve their skills and train others to use JAWS in the workplace. One of the services it provides is a training program that leads to employment in call center environments. In its state-of-the-art Telecommunication Training Center, the staff at SCCB trains applicants to use JAWS to become reservation agents for Alamo and National car rental companies. SCCB also trains potential employees for the American Red Cross throughout the country to use the ARC InTouch software with assistive technology as blood donation tele-recruiters. In addition to working with partner companies, graduates are working in the home mortgage industry, the shipping industry, and the communications and entertainment industries nationwide. The SCCB is a state agency created to provide rehabilitation services, adjustment to blindness training, prevention of blindness, independent living services, and various other services to blind and severely visually impaired citizens of South Carolina. These services are made available with state and federal funding, and there is no charge to consumers for services. The job training program is also available to persons who are not South Carolina residents. In a fast-paced-environment, training programs are presented in phases of classroom training with the manuals of the company for which the trainee will be working, engaging in hands-on role-playing activities with computers, and working with live calls in an intense work setting. Class training simulates a business environment. Trainees are expected to demonstrate appropriate work behaviors such as strict adherence to schedules and a business-casual dress code. Trainee performance is constantly evaluated, and remedial intervention is offered when skill deficits are observed. Employers commit to placement before trainees are accepted into the program. If a trainee does not show potential for successful completion, the training is terminated. Part-time and full-time entry level salaries range from $15,000 to $26,000 annually, and most have additional earning potential in the form of performance-based incentive programs. Agency staff assists with relocation, orientation, and mobility and technical assistance at time of entry into employment. For additional information, contact Ed Bible, Director of Training and Employment, at (803) 898-8786 or by e-mail at ebible@sccb.sc.gov. You can view the commission’s Web site at http://www.sccb.state.sc.us. If you are interested in hosting workshops for your own employees on JAWS, MAGic, OpenBook, or other Freedom Scientific products, please contact the Training Department at Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443. Return to Top from the Ninth Story
Freedom Scientific Learning Systems Group Offering Free Subscription to WYNN UsersWYNN users will want to take advantage of a special, limited-time offer available from the Freedom Scientific Learning Systems Group. From now until May 15, 2006, new and existing WYNN users are being offered a complimentary subscription to NewsCurrents One on One – the nation's only online current events curriculum – published by Knowledge Unlimited, Inc. Knowledge Unlimited produces a broad range of supplementary educational materials to enhance traditional curriculums including the award-winning One-on-One current events program. This program, recommended for grades five and up, is well known for its interactive and in-depth explanation of today's news in language that students can understand. To sign up for this FREE subscription valued at $249 per year, go to the NewsCurrents One on One Web page and use your WYNN serial number as the promotion code. For more information, call Knowledge Unlimited at 800-356-2303. An informational flyer containing further details is available by visiting the offer press release on the Learning Systems Group Web site. Return to Top from the Tenth Story
Question: Why didn't I receive an authorization CD with my JAWS 7.0 upgrade like I did when I purchased JAWS 6.0? Answer: The process of authorizing JAWS is now done over the Internet, using Internet License Manager (ILM). When you purchase your first copy of JAWS, you receive a CD that contains a 20-digit authorization number that is linked with your serial number in our database. You are asked to enter this number when you first activate or upgrade a license. As you receive additional software upgrades, this 20-digit number does not change, so there is no need to send a new authorization CD. If you have misplaced your CD but have your 20-digit authorization number, you can visit this FAQ on our support pages for instructions on creating your own authorization CD. If you need to obtain this number, contact Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443 or your local distributor if you are outside the United States. When contacting Freedom Scientific or a distributor, you must be the registered user of the product, as you will be asked to provide your product serial number and confirm your registration information before your authorization number can be given to you. A new authorization CD can be mailed to you for a minimal fee. For more information on activating JAWS, visit the FSActivate Web page. Return to Top from the Eleventh Story
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