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July - August 2007 - Volume 6 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.
Big Crowds and Big News Highlight the Annual ACB and NFB National ConventionsOnce again this year, Freedom Scientific was a proud sponsor and exhibitor at both eventsFreedom Scientific’s objectives for the annual conventions of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and American Council of the Blind (ACB) were ambitious, to be sure. Those objectives included: personally meeting with hundreds of our current product users; sharing information about assistive technologies with potential new users; introducing several exciting new products; offering on-going product demonstrations; providing free training; conducting on-site repairs; and presenting free Freedom Scientific products to many lucky drawing winners. We’re proud to say, “Missions accomplished!” Freedom Scientific grabbed special attention during the conventions when news of the next generation of the PAC Mate accessible Pocket PC — the PAC Mate Omni — was released. The announcement that the PAC Mate Omni will feature Microsoft’s® very latest operating system, Windows Mobile® 6.0, combined with enhanced hardware to provide blind users with virtually every application now available to sighted users of mainstream PDAs, was met with tremendous enthusiasm. (For more information on the PAC Mate Omni, please go to the third article of this newsletter and/or go to Episode 8 of FSCast) . Freedom Scientific also used the convention forums to unveil its latest low vision solution, ONYX video magnification cameras. ONYX cameras produce powerful and exactingly clear magnification in three distinct modes: distance views, document views, and self view. Convention attendees received hands-on opportunities to put the entire suite of the ONYX line through its paces. (Get the complete news on ONYX cameras in the fourth article of this newsletter.)In addition to the news of these latest products, Freedom Scientific associates presented special workshops to provide attendees with the very latest information on JAWS 8.0 screen reading software and PAC Mate. One-on-one PAC Mate training was held throughout the course of both conventions and, as always, we were very gratified that so many of our users took advantage of this opportunity. Freedom Scientific products were awarded to many convention registrants during both conventions, including PAC Mates; copies of FSReader DAISY player, which provides enhanced flexibility in accessible reading navigation; copies of MAGic Pro Scripting Edition, the world’s first screen magnification software that allows users to write their own scripts to modify its operation in any application; and OpenBook™ scanning and reading software, which converts printed documents or graphic-based text into an electronic text format. "Gatherings like these two events are tremendous opportunities for the staff at Freedom Scientific to connect, and in many cases re-connect, with our loyal users,” said Brad Davis, Vice President of Freedom Scientific. “These are terrific forums in which to share ideas, get users’ feedback, and further foster relationships. We really value gleaning user input and then acting on it as a means to continually make our products the best they can be. Congratulations to both the NFB and ACB for organizing and hosting such informative conventions for their memberships.” Return to Table of Contents from the First Story
Freedom Scientific Introduces JAWS and MAGic Users to Windows VistaFreedom Scientific is pleased to offer JAWS and MAGic users a free book that introduces the Windows Vista environment. This brand new book is available for download from the JAWS Training Headquarters Web page. The book is formatted in both text and audio DAISY format, proven to be the best for all-around learning. Read it at your own pace with JAWS or MAGic, or sit back and relax as you listen to the narrated audio. One hour and 18 minutes in length, topics covered in this book include:
Visit the JAWS Training Headquarters and choose the link JAWS and MAGic: an Introduction to Windows Vista to begin the download. The book is also available on the JAWS Training Headquarters in MP3 format. Return to the Table of Contents from the Second Story
The Ultimate Mobile Computing Solution for the Blind - The PAC Mate OmniThe newest generation of the PAC Mate, Freedom Scientific’s accessible Pocket PC — the PAC Mate Omni — is coming soon! The PAC Mate Omni is powered by the very latest Microsoft operating system, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, and features an enhanced hardware design. “We are very pleased to be among the first to bring the exciting features and capabilities of Windows Mobile 6.0 to the blind,” said Jonathan Mosen, Vice President of Blindness Hardware Product Management. “This combination of new software packaged with Freedom Scientific’s enhanced hardware creates an amazing solution that provides blind users with virtually every mobile computing tool and application available in the marketplace today.” Current PAC Mate users can upgrade to a PAC Mate Omni for just $699. Users who have a current Annual Software Agreement (ASA) can upgrade for just $549, and users with a Product Maintenance Agreement (PMA) can upgrade to a PAC Mate Omni for just $449. Users who have both a current ASA and PMA can upgrade for only $299. Anyone who purchases a PAC Mate on or after July 1, 2007, will be entitled to a free upgrade to PAC Mate Omni once it is released. “It was very important to Freedom Scientific that we make this new technology available to customers as affordably as possible,” said Lee Hamilton, President of Freedom Scientific. “We’ve priced this upgrade at these unprecedented low levels as a way of thanking our loyal customers.” The PAC Mate Omni will provide users with approximately six times more available flash memory than before — 128 MB. With all data stored in flash memory, all user files and applications will be retained, even after unit resets and battery discharges. “This is a key feature PAC Mate users have asked about, and we wanted to ensure that the PAC Mate Omni delivered this significant enhancement to them,” added Mosen. The many new features of the PAC Mate Omni include:
“We are extremely proud of our history of listening to our users’ input, observations, and feedback,” said Mosen. “The many new capabilities of the PAC Mate Omni are a direct result of us responding to our users with the kinds of features they indicated they wanted more of.” The PAC Mate Omni will ship to customers in the fall of 2007. Complete details on acquiring the upgrade will be forthcoming. Return to the Table of Contents from the Third Story
Innovative Software + Flexible Hardware = Productivity in Overdrive – That’s the ONYX CameraThe need was there: video magnification that was portable, powerful, and adaptable. Not only that, it had to be a low vision solution that could significantly enhance a user’s productivity in any viewing circumstance. Freedom Scientific answered with the ONYX camera suite, a unique line of portable video magnification cameras that provide three distinct viewing modes: distance views, document views, and self views. In the distance mode, objects from across large rooms or auditoriums can be seen in clear, sharp focus. The document mode gives users the ability to greatly magnify items such as reading materials, daily business tasks or classroom assignments, merchandise or prescription labels, or craft projects. In the self view, users get a magnified true mirror image close up. The camera remembers its settings in each position, so users can switch back and forth between viewing modes without needing to refocus or otherwise readjust the camera. The ONYX comes in five models, two of which — the ONYX Flexible-arm PC Edition and the ONYX Swing-arm PC Edition — feature USB connectivity to any PC and the power of Freedom Scientific’s MAGic screen magnification software with speech plus a new image management feature, MAGic EyeMerge™. With the MAGic EyeMerge software, users get powerful distance and up-close magnification, PC screen magnification, text-to-speech synthesis, and the ability to customize, save, and manipulate images when working with a PC, documents, and/or viewing a presentation. Three more ONYX models are designed to provide video magnification only: the ONYX Flexible-arm, in which the camera is mounted on a specially-designed omni-directional articulating arm; the ONYX Swing-arm, with the camera mounted on a swinging arm attached to a sturdy base; and the ONYX Deskset 17, where the camera is mounted on a rotating arm to a 17-inch flat panel monitor. Users can select the configuration that best meets their viewing needs. “Not only are the ONYX cameras, in each of their configurations, powerful low vision tools, they are extremely portable, easy to use, and they quickly adapt to any task,” said Dusty Voorhees, Senior Product Manager. “These are on-the-go solutions for the home, classroom, or workplace. And, with the addition of MAGic and MAGic EyeMerge in the PC Editions, users have the ability to enhance their personal productivity in ways heretofore unavailable to the low vision user.” To get complete, detailed information on each of the ONYX models, visit Freedom Scientific's low vision Web site. All five ONYX models are currently shipping. Return to the Table of Contents from the Fourth Story
WYNN 5.1 Now Features Support for Microsoft VistaFreedom Scientific’s Learning Systems Group recently announced that the newest release of its WYNN 5.1 literacy software will be available in August. This new release includes support for Microsoft’s Vista operating system. This past summer, education systems throughout the United States migrated their IT infrastructure to Microsoft Vista. Recognizing that fact, Freedom Scientific made Vista support a critical element in the latest version of WYNN. “We are proud to offer support for Vista with WYNN,” said Roberta Brosnahan, Vice President of the Learning Systems Group. “Since many school systems will continue to use Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers, we will, of course, continue to support those operating systems as well.” WYNN software provides students who have learning difficulties with reading and comprehension tools for Web-based content and for reading books that meet National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard goals. WYNN 5.1 presents text in clean, uncluttered formats to assist students with recognition and comprehension. Some of the Web-based features of the new WYNN 5.1 include:
Return to the Table of Contents from the Fifth Story
Huge Libraries of Reading Materials – Just a Click Away With Your Freedom Scientific Products!The previous issue of @Freedom Scientific, identified two great sources for books that can be read on the PAC Mate using FSEdit. In this issue we’re sharing a few more resources that, together with Freedom Scientific products, can make reading novels, magazines, and textbooks fun, fast, and easy for those with vision loss. Check out Project Gutenberg, the self-proclaimed first producer of free electronic books, to access a vast array of downloadable e-books. It currently features in excess of 100,000 free titles. Using a PAC Mate or PC, these titles can be easily downloaded in your preferred format and are almost immediately available for your reading enjoyment. Project Gutenberg provides easy step-by-step download instructions. Another source for easily-downloaded books and publications is the National Braille Press (NBP). Its PortaBooks® are files on discs in Grade 2 braille. Titles include books for adults, children, and for sighted teachers and for parents who work with the visually impaired. A small fee is requested for most of the NBP titles, although several free downloads also are available. PortaBooks can be read using braille or speech output on the PAC Mate or on notetakers such as the Braille ‘n Speak and Braille Lite Millennium 20 or 40. You can also download and read them with speech or braille output on your PC using OpenBook scanning and reading software, MAGic screen magnification software or JAWS screen reading software. Complete, easy-to-follow purchase and download instructions are available on the NBP Web site. For fans of the Sci-Fi genre, Baen Books features an extensive library of e-books to amuse, entertain, and provoke your imagination. It features thousands of titles, both brand new and classics. Baen offers a mix of free and for-fee downloads. In November 2006, it began offering all of its books completely free to anyone who is blind, paralyzed, dyslexic, or is an amputee. A simple, no-cost application must be completed to qualify for these free downloads. An online application is available at: ReadAssist.org. One last resource for those interested in fully exploring the available array of reading materials is the Blind Bookworm. Return to the Table of Contents from the Seventh Story
Your Freedom Scientific Podcasts – Inside Information That’s Just For You!FSCast Episode 8, 2007, is Now AvailableFSCast is Freedom Scientific’s monthly podcast. Hosted by Jonathan Mosen, Vice President of Blindness Hardware Product Development, FSCast features news, interviews, and product demonstrations relating to Freedom Scientific products. FSCast is a great way to make the most of the products you have, as well as learning what’s new and what’s just around the corner. This month on FSCast, Jonathan talks listeners through an in-depth demonstration of all that’s new with the soon-to-be released PAC Mate Omni. Jonathan’s detailed examples regarding the numerous new features and enhancements will prove highly informative. Visit the podcast page for complete audio. Also posted during the past few weeks was FSCast Episode 7, in which Jonathan visited with Eric Damery to get information about the latest release of JAWS 8.0. Eric also shared some insight about what is coming up with JAWS 9.0. This episode also included a visit with Jim Snowbarger who talked about the many scripts he has developed and provides details on the various scripts that are available for purchase via his Web site at http://snowmanradio.com. Jim also provides information on how to get his free HotSpot Clicker utility that can be used to help configure difficult applications. Be sure to get subsequent monthly episodes of FSCast automatically sent to your computer as soon as they are available. Subscribe to FSCast. The subscription is free. Return to the Table of Contents from the Eighth Story
RSS Feeds on the WebFeeds on the Internet allow you to automatically receive updated information from your favorite Web sites. Feeds are provided by more and more Web sites all the time. Basically, the process involves you subscribing to the feed, which usually is free, and then your Internet Explorer or other feed reader shows any updated content. Every time you visit a Web page, Internet Explorer 7 checks for feeds. If a feed is available, the graphic button for "feeds" on the Internet Explorer toolbar changes from gray to orange. JAWS 8.0 or later also announces, “RSS Feeds” on some pages. You also can set up Internet Explorer to play a sound when it detects a feed on a page. To learn more about feeds on the Web and how to subscribe and use them, visit our Feeds on the Web information on our Training Headquarters. Return to the Table of Contents from the Ninth Story
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