New Maestro and Trekker Builds Available with new features

Maestro 2.1 now available:

Blind people can now surf the Web from the palm of their hand!

Longueuil, February 5, 2008 -- HumanWare is proud to announce the release of the new version of Maestro, expanding the capabilities of the first off-the-shelf accessible PDA. Visually impaired can now surf the Web from the palm of their hands and in a 100% accessible environment.

Maestro consists of a standard PDA (handheld computer) with a tactile overlay allowing people to use commands and enter data intuitively by touch. The information is sent to the user in audio form using integrated voice synthesis. Maestro users can therefore organize their appointments and address books, consult and edit text documents, record voice notes, read books, organize e-mail, listen to music and even get GPS guidance with the Trekker option… all in the palm of their hand.

As with other Maestro applications, the Web browser offers a set of features maximized for an efficient navigation experience while on the go. Through a robust engine, our clients can quickly navigate links, headings, frames, and fill out forms on web pages. They can enjoy using familiar screen reader commands and read pages as if they were on a desktop computer. The Maestro built-in Wi-Fi with simple wizard makes it easier to find and connect to preferred networks.

"As we promised over the last year, we now bring the extra functionalities of Maestro to our existing and future loyal users," said Lucia Gomez, Product Manager for Maestro and Trekker. "With this new version, Maestro offers the applications currently available in a Notetaker, at a fraction of the price and size."

Maestro can be complemented with Trekker, the most popular GPS orientation tool for visually impaired and blind people. With Trekker, users can pinpoint exactly where they are, learn about area attractions, and find out how to reach specific destinations. As both applications are compatible with each other, Trekker users can install Maestro on their system, and Maestro users can install Trekker.

Maestro 2.1 is now available for free upgrade on our Web site. A detailed list of the new features is also available at the following address:
www.humanware.ca/web/en/maestro-trekker-upgrade.html

Sendero GPS 4.2 now Rockin on the BrailleNote Line

Yet another forward move for blindness GPS. Bug fixes and new features including.

Speed of Route calculation is much faster: A new Rich Map Engine reduces the time
to calculate a route by 20% or more.

There is a new deCarta Rich Map Engine for overall enhanced route handling.

Pedestrian route calculation has been improved.

You can now hear an automatic announcement when the street name, city or state/province
Changes.

New Rich POI content. Sendero GPS now has the ability to create audio files and to
associate audio and text files with a POI. If you wish to record a Point of Interest

Route directions can now be saved to a file for better ease of printing and sharing
with other users.

Also improvements in heading information, address lookup and other new features and enhancements.

This truly is the number 1 GPS solution for the technology savvy travelor.

Way To Go

Releasing Way To Go by Sendero Group, Accessible Talking Maps for the Blind Enjoy the power of becoming “unlost!”
DAVIS, CA, (October 24, 2007)

Sendero Group, developers of the “Cadillac” of accessible GPS systems for the blind, announces the release of Way To Go, a maps only version of their award-winning accessible GPS. This new Way To Go version allows the user to have fun exploring his or her environment and to develop location literacy in the process. And, consider it a stepping stone to the independence of a full Sendero GPS.

Features include:

• Explore rural roads and city streets,
intersection-by-intersection with a tap of your arrow keys.
• Record personal Points of Interest and
add rich audio content like restaurant menus or museum descriptions.
• Hear your direction of travel. Check the
odometer for distance traveled.
• Search a 15 million Points Of Interest
database in North America for everything from airports to zoos. and choose one as your destination.
• Create and follow a route manually or
automatically to that destination.
• Easily save and print or emboss routes to take with you or to share.
• Join a community of independent blind
explorers and know the “Way To Go” before you step out the door.

For more information, come see Way To Go at an upcoming conference, visit http://www.SenderoGroup.com/shopwtg.htm,
call 1-888-757-6810 or Email Maps@SenderoGroup.com

Thank you to everyone who submitted product name suggestions. We received nearly 1,100 names from which we chose Way To Go. We loved unique names like MapsWell Smart and Yellow Brick Road and the explorer names like Vespucci and Holman. Users have always driven our product features and this time, you helped pick the name. Way To Go!

New Trekker & Maestro Builds Available

Maestro

• Maestro and Trekker now support The Freedom Universal keyboard

Device identification number (U.U.I.D)
• Each PDA has an identification number called the U.U.I.D. This number is now available through the General Help menu under the subject “Device U.U.I D”. For customer support purposes, the number can be copied and pasted into a text document.
• The U.U.I.D is also available in the About audio file.

Support of RFB&D AudioPlus® Daisy books in Victor Reader Pocket
• Victor Reader Pocket now supports Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) AudioPlus® Daisy books. The application provides a device authentication dialogue to type

NFB newsletter is now supported in Victor Reader Pocket.
• Support for Task synchronization is improved.
• Memory card up to 4 GB are properly supported.
• Vista compatibility is documented.
• Audio feedback at soft reset is re-established.
• Applications announce its focus at Power ON.
• HP hx2490b: build 5152 fixes the battery drain issue. The powering ON process has also been improved.

Trekker 3.01
• Support for Route creation at intersection when no civic number is available
• Support for route creation when origin or destination are P.O.Is with double apostrophe (’).
• In the P.O.I search dialogue, the last State information remains.
• Freezing and/or unexpected exiting in certain free mode conditions is now fixed.
• Improved reliability in browsing and real time navigation of roundabouts with very small segments.
• A workaround for SD card detection problem has been implemented.

European system taking on US military's GPS faces collapse over multi-billion-pound deficit

from the Observer. I just know people will ask me about this next week at sight villege.

"For the EU, whose 2000 Lisbon declaration stressed Europe's need to make itself the
hi-tech powerhouse of the world, the woes of Galileo are a distinct embarrassment.
The system should be in operation by now. At best, it will come on line in 2012,
although there remains a distinct chance that the project may be quietly dropped."

Sendero GPS 4.0 for Braillenote

This is in every way now the most powerful GPS tool for the blind. Check out the link above for the full list of new features and improvements.

Sendero GPS V4.0 Changes, June 27, 2007
After 15 months of development, Sendero has implemented 50 new features in version 4 in addition to many other improvements under the hood. This is the eighth and better than ever GPS version released over the past seven years.

** Highlights: Of the many features described in this document, here are the
top eight areas of improvement:

• New maps and POIs.
• New and improved address matching.
• Reorganized Help menus with active commands that work from within the Help menu.
• Ability to create and follow GPS log files for the GPS Replay feature.
• Task switching in and out of GPS.
• Improved heading so GPS fluctuations are smoothed out.
• Greatly improved routes for both calculation of routes and for waypoint and turn announcements including the new two-quick-turns feature.
• New Commercial and User POI subcategories including better editing of user points.


General Software Changes:

• GPS Replay: GPS Replay is a wonderful teaching and diagnostic tool for the BrailleNote GPS user. It allows the user to record and replay the exact positions during a GPS walk or ride. This provides the user the opportunity to review that session with an orientation and mobility specialist or to share it with another user or tech support person.

Buy a Feature in Sendero GPS 4 for the BrailleNote

This was just posted by Mike May on the GPS Talk Users mailing list.

A sign up form will be available on Sendero in the next week.

Buy a Feature

Also known as innovation through understanding, this program is an opportunity for Sendero GPS users to influence the features, which will be included in versions 4.0. There are far more features than we have time to include in a new release. This Buy A Feature program involves users in the difficult process of evaluating trade offs and prioritizing features important to them individually and perhaps more globally. Here is how it works.

At the LAX Marriott Suite 1718, CSUN, Thursday, March 22, 9-11 AM, the first Sendero Buy a Feature meeting will be held in conjunction with the Sendero on-line chat. Space is limited to 10 on the chat site and 10 people in person. In an effort to have a cross section of beginner and advanced users, Sendero will determine the selection of participants. Please indicate Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced skill when you sign up. Each participant who contributes the entire time, will receive a $25 Sendero gift certificate.

Each participant will be allocated an equal number of points. Each potential feature will be valued according to our estimate of how much time and effort it will take to implement. The total number of points will represent the amount of development time available before version 4.0 is released for final testing. The points allocated to each participant will be a function of the total available points divided by the number of participants.

A list of annotated features will be distributed. Participants will have the opportunity to hear a description of each feature including discussion among the group and then given an opportunity to spend their feature points for their favorite features. Participants may lobby others to invest in his or her favorite feature.

After all the features have been discussed, participants will review their notes to prioritize their favorite features. Each priority list will be given to Sendero. A discussion will then ensue as features are purchased. Once a feature is purchased, participants can move on to the purchase of other features until all their points are spent.

Sendero Group development will give serious consideration to the priorities determined from these sessions. Which features end up being included in Sendero GPS version 4.0 will be a function of the real amount of time and complexity associated with implementing all features. The Buy A Feature event will certainly help determine which features are included in Sendero GPS Version 4.0.

A Unique Travel Experience for the Visually Impaired with Traveleyes and TrekkeR

Finally the info is on the Humanware.ca web pages. I met up with Amar Latif, from Traveleyes in leeds just before the release of Trekker 3 and he was intrigued by the technology and the opportunities it would open up for him as an independent traveler. It was a pleasure to drink coffee and talk with him and help bring our two respective companies and ideas together with our Humanware technology enhancing his ability to travel internationally.


http://(www.traveleyes.co.uk)

Colabritive Satellite Navigation POI Database

This Colabritive Satellite Navigation POI Database looks a good idea. These POI could be used with Trekker after a little formatting.

Thanks to Dave W for bringing this to my attention.
“At the present time, the database contains the locations of
Disabled (Blue Badge) parking bays and Radar Key toilets.
The facility is provided for free and the files created are also provided for free.”

New Trekker/Maestro Build Available

Hot off the presses this one.

The Maestro 2.02 and Trekker 3.0 build 5089 replaces the build 5085 launched last
December.
Fixes and improvements in the Build 5089
• Date Time controls support localized date presentation formats.
• In Owner Information, multi-line edit is supported. (English version only).
• Route Creation: Trekker saves route names using special characters found
in the city or POI name. Special
Characters \/:*?"<>|;.& are now replaced by a space.
• Memory limitation message popping up inadequately has been removed.
• iBlue 737 GPS receiver is now supported in the Bluetooth Manager list.