Window-Eyes 7.0 Beta1 now ready for download

At last Window-Eyes 7.0 beta1 is now ready for download with many new features. Grab it from the above link.

Keysoft 7.5 B29 online soon

HumanWare is pleased to announce the release of KeySoft 7.5 Build 29 for the BrailleNote
family of products. These revisions to KeySoft are available at no charge or SMA
count to current KeySoft 7.5 users.

Build 29 contains 4 user improvements:
1. mPower now supports Wig-If 802.11 g protocol: A driver has been included to support
the later model Ambicom WL54G Wi-Fi card. This card is more readily available than
the currently supported Ambicom WL1100C. The US Robotics Wireless MAXg USB Adapter
USR5421 is also supported.
2. Appointment Scheduling: The error associated with scheduling an appointment to
a date other than the current day has been fixed. This previously generated an error
saying that the entered date needed to be after 1601.
3. USB Device Identification: The problem causing some USB and CD ROM drives to be
incorrectly identified as printers has been corrected.
4. Words Added to Spelling Dictionary: Depending on the choice of braille table,
words added to the spell checker were not being retained, so appeared as spelling
errors on future spell checks. This has been corrected.
We encourage existing mPower KeySoft 7.5 Users to take advantage of these free improvements
as the Development Team continues working on implementing the exciting new features
of a new KeySoft release for fall 2008.
The version will be available for download from our web site by Thursday May 22nd.

New Voices and Languages for the Stream

Humanware have released new voices for the Stream. I guess nuance still have some work to do on these but at least we have access to some male voices now. They can be The UK male voice should be up soon but you can still listen to him.downloaded and listened to at the link above.

New Trekker Breeze Announced

Longueuil, March 13, 2008 – This week, at the CSUN conference in Los Angeles, HumanWare is unveiling a new talking GPS. The product is designed for people who are blind, for use when travelling in familiar surroundings. The product will also be appealing to people not comfortable with computers and screen readers. The new model is an addition to the popular Trekker and BrailleNote GPS systems, which have thousands of users worldwide. With this innovation, HumanWare will make GPS technology even more accessible to a greater number of people.

Like other GPS products from HumanWare, the Trekker Breeze provides talking GPS directions that help users know where they are and where they are going whether on foot or in a vehicle.

Trekker Breeze offers the important benefits of GPS orientation tools. It enhances independence and confidence in travelling. Users can record routes as they walk them with sighted assistance. Routes can then be previewed and activated for future use. As they walk by, users receive audible information such as street names, intersections and reference landmarks. In case they are lost, they can retrace their steps. They can also reach favorite destinations with turn by turn instructions from their current position. The product makes it easier to travel alone and allows people to discover and enjoy their surroundings.

"GPS technology brings great benefits to visually impaired travellers. With this new addition to our product line, Humanware now offers GPS benefits to an even wider portion of the visually impaired population." said Lucia Gomez, Product Manager. "Easy and intuitive, Trekker Breeze offers basic orientation functions in a all-in-one hand size device. It is also the most affordable GPS tool specially designed for the needs of users who are blind. "

"Trekker Breeze will make the potential of GPS technology even more accessible to the blind" said Lucia Gomez.

The Trekker Breeze will be available in English, summer of 2008. The BrailleNote GPS and Trekker are currently available from HumanWare. For more information, please visit http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/gps

GW Micro Announce W-E 7.0

This is simply a cracking upgrade. I’ve been beta testing it and love it. The new feature set is somewhat larger than GW have yet let on so watch out for more info later. Public beta coming soon.

Window-Eyes 7.0 not only has numerous performance enhancements, but it
also includes enhanced Braille support, better Browse Mode support,
Unicode, scripting, and more. With enhanced Braille support, you can
now look at an entire dialog on your Braille display without the need to
scroll the Braille display, assuming that your Braille display has
enough cells to fit the dialog. For example, if you have an 80-cell
Braille display, you have the potential to see the text of the dialog,
an OK button, and a Cancel button all without the need to scroll Braille.

Better Browse Mode support allows you to keep track of places on a web
page that you go to the most with place markers. So, if you enjoy a
specific part of a web page at www.gwmicro.com , you can mark that
spot and jump to it quickly each time you visit. And, if the page ever
changes, you have the ability to easily find that same spot if it still
exists. Other screen readers are not capable of this. The new version
also gives you the ability to jump to specific controls, like buttons,
check boxes, radio buttons, and more. Not only can you jump to a
specific type of control, but you can jump directly to the controls you
use the most. For example, if you need to go to the third edit box on a
web page each time you visit, you can jump directly to the third edit
box on the page without having to go through every edit box on the
page. This is just yet another exciting new feature that Window-Eyes
offers that no other competitor can match.

The new scripting features in Window-Eyes will open up a whole new world
for Window-Eyes consumers. We are again breaking the mold, raising the
bar, and creating new possibilities for blind and visually impaired
people. The new scripting capability will allow Window-Eyes to be
customized for applications like Skype, iTunes, and more. The best part
is that any programmer who has knowledge of a computer language that
uses COM Automation, then that programmer can write a script for
Window-Eyes. Other screen readers use a proprietary language, and thus,
have a limited number of scripters. So, what does this all mean for
you, the end user? It means there are more people to write more scripts
to make more software applications accessible. The end result is that
if you need immediate access to an application, you no longer have to
wait for the next version of Window-Eyes. If you feel comfortable
writing your own scripts, you can use the language you are most
comfortable with, as long as it supports COM Automation. Or, if you
prefer to have someone else write a script for you, simply contact a
Window-Eyes scripter, and have them write a script for you. It's that
easy. Just think of all of the applications that you could get access to!

the glorious 12th of March for new Dolphin Screen Reading and Magnification Technology

Closely steered by Dolphin's Blindness Product Manager Dave Williams, version 9 has just completed a rigorous beta test period with our international team of testers. As ever their feedback has been invaluable.

So what's new in version 9.01? Read on to find out what's in it for you.



All New Document Object Model Support
Dolphin's developers have completely re-engineered our Microsoft Internet Explorer Document Object Model (DOM) support. This major overhaul has provided superior responsiveness when browsing web pages using the Dolphin Virtual Focus. The new Microsoft Internet Explorer support improves navigational consistency and accuracy for users relying on Virtual Focus speech and/or Braille output on web pages. The new support also enhances stability on more complex and poorly written web pages.

All new Internet Explorer Quick Navigation Keys

Whilst in Interactive mode CAPS LOCK can be used in conjunction with the quick navigation hotkeys to navigate by any of the elements listed below.

Cut, Copy and Paste Announcement
Whilst in Live mode the version 9 screen reader announces text cut, copied or pasted from the Windows clipboard. Should that data be write protected version 9 will announce the failure to cut or copy text. Moving folders or files? Version 9 will also announce the number of objects you cut, copy or paste.

All new Dolphin List Utility
Version 9 offers a consolidated list of popular document elements into one handy single multi-page List Utility.

Improved Support for Office 2007 Ribbon

All New Braille Tables

This looks interesting and I'll look forward to trying it out. They also mention scripting at the CSUN show but I'm not sure if that will be included in this version.

Stream 1.2.18 now live

HumanWare has released the latest Stream software version 1.2.18. This is a free software upgrade that can be downloaded and installed on your Stream. To download the software visit:

http://www.humanware.com/en-canada/support/victor_reader_stream

Select the link to download the new software version 1.2.18. On the same page, you will also find a What's New document describing installation procedures and listing all the features of the new version. Among the new features you will find the following:

- Support of NIMAS text books in United States
- Support of System Access Mobile from Serotek Corporation (www.serotek.com)
- Go To Time feature for non-structured audio books and recorded audio notes
- Faster data transfer rate when the Stream is connected to the computer with the USB cable
- Increased volume on the built-in speaker
- Bass and treble control for music
- Control over announcement of music folder and file names
- An optional built-in SD formatting utility should your SD card ever require reformatting
Much More

Please refer to the What's New document on the Stream page for a complete description of all new features and improvements.

We are also working on a second English U.S. male voice (Tom) and a U.K. male voice (Daniel). These will be posted as alternate version 1.2 software downloads as soon as possible. We will announce their availability on this News Wire.

The next Stream software release project will start soon and is intended to provide support for WMA and BRF. We are also planning an update to the Stream Companion software.

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

Window-Eyes Scripting Announced

As you most likely know by now, the scripting cat is out of the scripting bag. At
ATIA, GW Micro introduced one of the most requested features in Window-Eyes: support
for a scripting language. Not only is Window-Eyes providing a scripting support,
but the method being used is by far the easiest available in the market today. As
time goes on, we will provide more information. For now, I'd like to provide you
with a small section of the introduction in the Window-Eyes Scripting documentation.

Up-Close Look At HumanWare Worldwide

This Tech Talk mp3 interview with Gilles Humanware's CEO is rather interesting.

HumanWare Group Worldwide CEO Gilles Pepin and Pierre Hamel, Vice President
of R&D for HumanWare To Provide A Unique "Up Close" Look Into Company's
Operations and Vision For Its Future.
Many of you may have heard that the former president of HumanWare Canada has recently
become the CEO of the HumanWare Group. Tech Talk has invited Gilles Pepin to join
us and discuss HumanWare. Tech Talk participants will hear Gilles talk about his
history in the Assistive Technology industry and how he developed his former company
Visuaide best known for launching the Victor Reader in 1998.

MSP v2.0 beta now available

Some interesting new features added for those MSP users. click the link above to find out more.

Stream 1.2 news

Jerry just sent out an email on the news wire with the below information. Also we expect to add WMA support and other features in March or April.

"support for NIMAS text books which is great news for our students who use the
Stream in the classroom- a Stream built-in SD card format utility- increased loudness
of the Stream's built-in speaker- significantly faster data transfer when the Stream
is connected to the computer with the USB cable- more control of the audio for music
which will make listening to music even more fun- a Go To Time feature to move to
specific locations in unstructured audio books such as podcasts or recorded lectures/meetingsAll
of that and more is expected in version 1.2 in early February. Already we have some
popular requests to enhance the Stream Companion software just released December
21. We will continue to work on extensions to the Stream Companion and will announce
those when available.There is much to say about the Stream but you, the customer,
are the most important factor in its success. HumanWare appreciates your support
of the Stream. The excitement about the Stream and its use for school, work, and
leisure continues to grow. Stay tuned for future news on this exciting technology.Best
wishes,Gerry Chevalier Victor Reader Product Manager"

Stream Companion Software English version 1.0

For you lucky Stream owners. Also watch out for a big speed increase when copying books to the player via the usb interface early next year.

"The Stream companion is an application used to manage your digital talking books (DAISY or NISO) and audio notes.

Use the Stream Companion to copy these DAISY or NISO books to your storage card or remove them from the storage card.
The Stream Companion can also convert your Stream's audio notes to WAV files you can use on your computer. It can also be used to remove audio notes from your storage card and remove converted wav files from your computer.



"

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.

Victer Reader Stream New Software to download

The Stream now has a new software version 1.1.15 available for users free of charge. This includes some really good new features including audable.com support, xml and html heading navigation, jump to percentage in text files, auto creation of folders on SD cards, bookmark usability improvements, dedicated jump by line on FW and FF keys, corrected bugs and a fix for high quality headphones.

The update process is simple so if you’re a user of the product go and grab the new software.

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!

Classmate reader

ClassMate Reader
Portable reading system supports K-12 students with reading difficulties
Longueuil (Quebec, Canada), October 17th, 2007 - HumanWare is proud to
introduce a revolutionary device for students with reading difficulties for
grades K-12. The ClassMate Reader is a tool to help students in and out of
the classroom improve reading comprehension, increase reading speed and
develop strong vocabulary. This tool is indispensable for students who need
to refer back to previously recorded notes, tests or chapter summaries, as
well as for anytime, anywhere learning.

The ClassMate Reader is a unique, portable and lightweight system about the
size of a portable gaming system with a large LCD screen. Students can
listen to the audio version of their textbooks and study materials, while
following the highlighted text on screen. This portable system is ideal for
students in any learning setting, including the classroom, resource room,
library, extended learning programs and at home. The system promotes
phonetic recognition and fluency and will significantly boost the support of
teachers who work with students who are dyslexic.

The ClassMate Reader has several features only found on more expansive
PC-based software solutions such as text-to-speech, highlighting,
dictionary, text and vocal notes and audio book navigation. It can be part
of the teacher's strategy to build students' independence in the learning
process and enhance their confidence and self esteem. The system's design
was carefully crafted to engage students and dispel the notion that
assistive devices are unappealing.

Scientific studies have demonstrated the advantages of a multi-modal based
reading approach (audio and visual) for dyslexic students. With the
simultaneous use of text and audio, students will improve their reading
comprehension which is conducive to improve academic achievement and higher
test scores. The ClassMate Reader can be used as an accommodation when
administering tests, eliminating the necessity for the teacher to read the
exam to students.

The ClassMate's study features are built to assist in retrieving information
through the use of text notes, highlighting, bookmarks and voice notes. The
ClassMate Reader can play various electronic book formats starting with the
new NIMAS (National Instructional Material Accessible Standard) format,
including DAISY, Bookshare.org, Audible.com, text, wav, MP3 and audio files.
The player also provides integrated text-to-speech for reading books in text
format, such as those from Bookshare.org. It uses a removable SD flash
memory card or USB memory stick to store books and electronic texts. It can
easily transfer files from a PC with its standard USB connection.

Brenda McBride, Product Manager for HumanWare said, "We developed the
ClassMate Reader from input of students with learning disabilities and their
supportive networks around the country. Taking their needs into account, we
better understood the features and tools they require to be successful
readers and lifelong learners. I am especially excited about our built-in
dictionary to help students instantly look up words with vocal output."

The ClassMate offers all of the most advanced DAISY functions, as well as
navigation capabilities for any book or textbook. Students will appreciate
the ClassMate Reader for quickly and effectively consulting their school
books, making voice notes, study and practice and recording their teacher
during class.

The ClassMate will be available for purchase online in the U.S. at
http://www.humanware.com/ or from Don Johnston Incorporated at
http://www.donjohnston.com/ (800-999-4660) in late autumn 2007 at an
affordable price of $439. In early 2008, The ClassMate Reader will become
available in other countries around the world.

Mobile Speak Smartphone version 2.0

Hello All,

Just a year after the release of the world's first screen reader for Windows
Mobile Smartphones, Code Factory is again setting a new standard of
innovative access to mainstream mobile technology with the concurrent
release of the first screen magnification product for the Windows Mobile
Smartphone/Standard platform, and of Mobile Speak Smartphone version 2.0
featuring user-centered licensing, increased responsiveness and more than 50
enhancements.

Code Factory is committed to incorporating customer feedback and is,
therefore, offering this public beta free of charge to both existing
customers and those considering a Smartphone and using a trial of the
product. Note that if you have previously obtained a trial license to use
with older versions of Mobile Speak for Windows Mobile Smartphones and the
thirty-day trial period is over, you can obtain a new trial activation when
you install Version 2.0 on your device.

The public beta is available at:

http://www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak_smartphone/mss_downloads.htm

As always, we are deeply grateful for your support for Code Factory
products. Mobile Speak Smartphone would not have become today's leading
screen reader for Windows Mobile Smartphones without your valuable input.

*** What's New in Mobile Speak Smartphone Version 2.0?

http://www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak_smartphone/mss_whats_new.htm

Mixed Bag

We’re nearing the end of another week. Interesting work for the last few days and lots to do next week before my trip to natter with the good people in Ireland, get the malt out Derry!

Life is pretty quiet at the moment. Seann should be coming down for a birthday bash in Ipswich the weekend before me 30th in November and I’ve asked a few people over for that. Its probably going to be a few beers and malts and lots of food and details are being worked out at the moment so if anyone fancies it let me know because I’m sure to have forgotten to ask people.

Clare and I are off to a comedy night and expo thing on Saturday which I’ll blog about next week.

Dave and I made it on to the news section of www.whisky-pages.com which is rather cool.

Terry Clasper found out that attaching a USB extension to the PK will let one use a memory stick in the device and that is a rather nifty thing to be able to do with the little beastie.
I was in Epsom on Thursday evening having a drink with Don and Andrew and fun was had. This does however lead me on to commenting on the Rising Sun a year since the re-opening.

They have totally ruined the pub. Walked in to a room full of suits and was told by a uninterested robotic eassten European bar made the only beers they had on were bitter special and bombardier. Totally sad, and naff. Chris and Mark weren’t even in the place which says something. Young’s you are naughty naughty naughty!

I expect the food is still top but I won’t be returning. Bland in the extreme.

Moving back to last week Clare and I went to a free Sonday dinner at the Rose and Crown in Ipswich which was lovely cooked by Mary and everyone had a fun time. The beers were varied and the jokes and good humor were much in evident. Nice one Nigel!

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.

25 Years of the CD

I found the above of interest. If like me you've had cds as a part of growing up this is a must read.

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.

Victor Reader Stream

HumanWare is proud to introduce its most compact, most powerful DAISY book and music player to date, the Victor Reader Stream.
As the newest member of the family of Victor Reader digital talking book players, the Stream offers the same powerful and simple to use user interface made popular by the Victor Reader Classic+ and Wave players used by thousands worldwide. The Victor Reader Stream can play various electronic book formats, including DAISY, Bookshare, text, wav, MP3 and OGG Vorbis audio files. As well, the ability to play the popular commercial books from Audible.com will be added by September. The player also provides integrated text-to-speech for reading books in text format, such as those from Bookshare. It uses a removable SD flash memory card to store books, music as well as electronic text, and can even record voice notes.
"The VR Stream benefits from our many years of expertise learned through developing and marketing tens of thousands of our Victor Reader digital talking book players all over the world," says Gerry Chevalier, Product Manager. "No other DAISY player has offered so much in such a small device."
The Stream offers the most advanced DAISY functions, as well as navigation capabilities for all kinds of books, from textbooks to fiction. Students will definitely appreciate Victor Reader Stream for quickly and effectively consulting their school books, making voice notes or recording their teacher during class. This tool is indispensable for people who are required to use reference books as a regular part of their job.
"This new player was designed to meet the needs of the increasing number of on-the-go blind and low vision students and professionals," said Gerry Chevalier. "Its small size and flexible SD card storage allow our customers to take their entire book and music library with them anywhere, anytime."
The best news of all... priced at only $329, the Stream is your best buy for DAISY players, offering so much performance and functionality at such a low price.

KeySoft 7.5 soon to be released

HumanWare will be releasing KeySoft 7.5 this August, making your BrailleNote more useful and efficient. Whether you have a BrailleNote or VoiceNote mPower, a BrailleNote PK, or a BrailleNote or VoiceNote Classic, there will be a version of KeySoft 7.5 for you.
What's in KeySoft 7.5?
Improved SD card and USB Drive support (mPower only)
Secure Digital (SD) cards are a simple and cost effective type of media that is ideal for exchanging files and documents between blind and sighted individuals using devices such as BrailleNotes, PC's, PDA's and smart phones. KeySoft 7.5 supports a much broader range of models and sizes of SD cards and USB drives and provides improved speed and performance in accessing and saving information.
SSL Email Encryption
A number of major internet service providers have announced that they will begin requiring this new security standard to be used when sending and receiving email via their networks. KeySoft 7.5 delivers full SSL support as a part of its improved KeyMail application.
RFB&D AudioPlus DAISY Books (mPower and PK)
KeySoft 7.5 includes fully integrated support for the special AudioPlus formatted books provided by RFB&D to its members in the United States. AudioPlus books on CD from RFB&D are restricted to RFB&D members who must reside in the United States because of copyright restrictions imposed by the publishers of the books. The enhanced KeyBook application will automatically recognize an RFB&D AudioPlus book and will now prompt the user to enter their personal identification number to access the book.
Bookshare Support for Institutional Accounts
The existing support for unpacking electronic books from Bookshare.org has been enhanced to include full support for both individual and institutional Bookshare.org accounts. The KeyBook application will recognize a text, braille, or DAISY book from Bookshare.org. KeySoft 7.5 efficiently provides everything necessary to wirelessly access the Bookshare.org web site, download the text, braille or DAISY electronic book and unpack and read the book, without having to use a PC.
Built-in Playlist Support for Media Player (mPower only)
New with KeySoft 7.5 is the ability to select multiple files in any file list and have them automatically queued and played in KeySoft's built-in media player application. Select your favorite music tracks or chapters of an audio book and let KeySoft 7.5 play them for you automatically. It's like having your own personal DJ!
Multilingual Foreign Languages Now Available
Multi-lingual speech and braille support is now available for the entire BrailleNote family of products running KeySoft 7.5 or later, at no additional cost. Languages offered are Spanish, French, German and Italian. Documents, web pages and email messages can all be read in their original language with the correct speech pronunciation. Documents and email messages can be composed, read and spell checked in multiple languages and quickly changed on the fly.
Unified English Braille.
KeySoft 7.5 gives you the option of using Unified English Braille (UEB). UEB is a new braille code for English that has been developed over a period of more than 10 years by representatives from English-speaking countries, including the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. This exciting development provides braille users with more straightforward access to the textual world. Email addresses, web addresses, mathematics and all sorts of signs and symbols can be written and read directly without resorting to computer braille. Because it has been designed with computers in mind, braille to text translation, when printing or emailing a document that you have written in braille, is much more accurate.
Upgrade to the Duxbury Braille Translator
KeySoft 7.5 incorporates the latest version of the Duxbury braille translators to provide better-then-ever translation both from print to braille and braille to print.
New Visual Display Application (KeyView)
KeySoft 7.5 delivers a completely new visual display application for the PC called KeyView. KeyView eliminates the need to use the older and more complex method of Windows HyperTerminal. It is fully accessible and is also Windows Vista compatible. Using KeyView, a sighted teacher, parent or colleague can view in real time the work being done on the BrailleNote, including the braille on the braille display and an immediate translation from braille to text. This provides a transparent interface between the print and braille reader.
Outlook Synchronization Improvements
The KeySync PC application has been improved to provide greater accessibility for screen reader users and has a number of significant stability enhancements. KeySync allows a professional or student who is on the move to have a fully synchronized calendar and contact list always available. Changes made on the BrailleNote or the PC are synchronized with a quick connection.

HumanWare Moving Forward
HumanWare listens to its customers worldwide and works to meet the urgent needs of every segment of our market, which includes the professional consumer and educational sectors. KeySoft 7.5 addresses important braille codes and tables necessary for our international market as well as urgent technical enhancements to meet the rapidly changing requirements of Internet Service Providers. The new Oxford Concise Dictionary and Thesaurus which was released in January 2007 and the Nemeth Tutorial, released in May 2007, offer productivity with newly developed KeySoft extensions. A new version of GPS is scheduled for this summer. We continue to work diligently with Microsoft to improve MS Word conversion.
Get Ready!
Don't miss KeySoft 7.5 - Make sure you have a current Software Maintenance Agreement so you can download your copy of KeySoft 7.5 as soon as it is released. KeySoft 7.5 from HumanWare will change the way you work, learn and play.

CodeFactory Announce New Version of Popular Product Lines

CodeFactory have just announced Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile Speak Smartphone 1.1 and 1.3 availability for download. This version has full support for Windows Mobile v6 and includes support for PowerPoint and improvements in other applications and Braille fixes.

Go grab and check out the above linked info.


Also of interest for the Braillests or gamers amongst you are some new games for the mobile platforms.

‘* The games are: Braille Brain which tests your reading and writing
proficiency in contracted Braille, Cryptic Crazy which asks you to
unscramble the letters of a word, Touch Type which tests your QWERTY or
Braille typing speed and accuracy, and Word Wizard which is a Hangman-like
game with single- and multiple-word modes where you guess the word/s given a
limited number of letter guesses.’


You can get the Smartphone version from
http://www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak_smartphone/mss_downloads.htm

Hal/Supernova version 7.03 swims on to the net

The bofins at Dolphin have been working away and made some useful improvements on the web side of things at last. They also now support grade II Braille input with the Humanware Braille Connect range of displays. Its free, so grab your update if you're a v7 user. Pen customers will have to wait a little longer for the update.

GW Micro Blog

GW Micro now have a blog up. This promises to be more than just a Window-Eyes space as they already have some interesting commentary on Vista. They’re not the first AT company to do something like this though as me mate Eccentric Dave from Dolphin has a little thing going over at the Dolphin WebPages. Much more of this to come in the future? You bet!!

W-E 6.1 Beta2

W-e 6.1 beta2 is now up for download with some nice improvements for Vista including better support for the search functionality within the start menu and improvements to the speaking of controls in the speech recognition application. Also many more vista and XP fixes.

Support for list view groupings under XP and Vista plus a new range of start-up options and support for the Braille Connect range of Humanware displays.

I spy an MI5 career as the blind invisible man

Ian Hamilton is a nice bloke and comes up with some good stuff. this is a funny but sadly true read and just had to be printed on the blog lest it be taken from the above linked pages in the future. I really tried to select a section to print but just couldn't omit anything from this comedy romp.

Am I invisible? Well, some days it appears that I am. There is a strange phenomenon going on which either has to be exploited or investigated. Now I'm not a scientist, but there is an extraordinary correlation between how poor someone's sight is and how much they can be seen by the general public. It's weird. It's like the poorer your sight becomes, the harder it is for anyone to see you. Very slowly you fade away to nothing. There is, perhaps, at best, just a faint outline of a person moving through the crowd. The guide dog can be seen clearly, but the person is invisible.

Once, I was sitting in the executive departure lounge at Glasgow Airport (now, I'm not saying that to show off but I was put in the elite waiting room by one of the airport staff who thought it would be helpful - actually, I think she was just getting me out of the way) and for some time I was alone, till one other traveller appeared.

The lounge was quiet, with only the faint crunching sound of a blind man and his dog gorging themselves on free biscuits. (I wonder who supplied them?) The other passenger then made a call on his mobile. "Hi, I'm at Glasgow Airport. Yes, I'm completely alone."

I screamed, "No! no! I'm here. Ya-hoo! Yahoo!", while bouncing up and down on my seat.

He continued. "Yes, yes, I can speak freely," he said in a booming voice.

"No! No! You can't speak freely, I'm here - look, see," I said while figuratively slapping him repeatedly around the face.

He then proceeded to go into great detail about what football players he would be buying and selling for his club. "I'm thinking of buying Jo Bloggs for around 200 thousand - um, yes, as long as he gives up the drugs and alcohol. Obviously, it would be good if his foot would grow back, then he'll be the player for us. Selling - well, who the hell would buy one of ours?" It was a Scottish Premier League chairman.

He plumped himself down next to me and confessed to his life


My instinct was to run around the room naked, falling over chairs and tap dancing on the tables while whistling Dixie. Obviously, I didn't do any of these. I sat quietly taking mental notes. Well, it is my job. He was so near I could have reached out and touched him with my left hand. What was he thinking? He was sitting only feet from a journalist. But because I was blind he just couldn't see me. Some people just have to be protected from themselves. No, I'm not going to embarrass him by giving his name.

So, here's my idea. Stick with me on this one, it's good. How about the blind spy? According to a charity for the blind, four out of five blind people of working age are unemployed. A shocking statistic, I know, but perhaps this could be a good way to get many of them back to work by using our so-called natural skills. Being invisible and, of course, our extraordinary hearing. Although I'm not so sure about my hearing. Sometimes I become very deaf, particularly at home, for some strange reason. "Ian, you couldn't do the dishes?" Answer: "Sorry, what was that?" Another yell comes from the kitchen. "Ian, the bin needs emptying." Answer: "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

We've got all the technology now. Talking mobile phones with camera, infra-red object detector, digital recorder, colour detectors and blind-friendly global positioning systems. We've got so much kit that when we plug it in at night to do the charging the street lights dim.

A couple of years ago MI5 was going through a recruitment campaign looking for more agents. It should have started looking around the blind colleges and training centres - not Oxford and Cambridge. Apart from being invisible, for some reason, those of the public who have the special powers that can see us tend to be the mad, bad, criminally insane and deranged. These types always feel the need to off-load all their darkest secrets, as if somehow a blind person knowing them just doesn't count.

Many years ago, I was approached by a man in a bar. He plumped himself down uninvited and started to confess to me about his life of crime. Armed robbery, receiving stolen goods, almost everything apart from murder. If only I'd had a modern phone with a camera, I could have secretly taken his photo, recorded his confession with my miniature digital recorder and scanned the colour of his clothes using my colour detector. Then I could have called the police, giving my GPS co-ordinates, and maybe scooped myself a large reward. The alternative is to try to escape. It's not easy trying to squeeze yourself and a labrador out of the window in a disabled toilet, particularly when you don't know where you're landing.

Even when a blind person can be seen, normal rules of security don't apply. Before the recent tightening of security at airports, being blind didn't appear to constitute any threat. I could walk through customs with 10 kilos of crack cocaine under one arm, a box marked "bomb" under the other one, and dragging a case with "swag" printed across it. But as long as I had a white stick or a guide dog, I had some kind of blind diplomatic immunity. If only David Blunkett were still Home Secretary he could have implemented my army of blind spies.

Ian Hamilton reports on disability issues for BBC Scotland.

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.

E-Access Blog

Yet another AT blog but focusing on government policy as well as assistive technology.

Windows Mobile 6 preview

Introducing NonVisual Desktop Access

This looks a rather interesting project. I’m going to download and take a look. I guess it won’t be as fully featured as the free Thunder product but its open-source and fre.

“NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is a free and open-source screen reader for the Windows
Operating System, enabling blind and vision impaired people to use their computers
for no more cost than the computer and Operating System itself. Started in April
2006, it has grown to become quite usable as a day-to-day screen reader, enabling
the user to do most tasks they would need to. It is not as stable or as bug-free
as some of the commercial screen readers, but since December 2006 the creator of
NVDA has been able to use NVDA full-time as his primary screen reader, finally giving
up his original commercial product.”

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.”

W-E 6.1 Public Beta 1 now Available

GW Micro are now out with the first full featured screen reader to support the new Windows Vista OS. Click above to download even if you don’t have w-e and to try it for yourself.

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.

Window-Eyes 6.1 Beta and Vista

Doug from GW will be on the ACBRadio show Main Menu next week along with Microsoft to discuss Vista. Apparently Fredom Scientific have refused to take questions and be interviewed, does this mean that they have lackluster support for the OS or at werst that they will come out with nothing at all on the 30th? I don’t know about Dolphin’s plans in this area.

Today at the ATIA conference in Orlando, Florida, GW Micro announced they will release
a free, downloadable public beta of Window-Eyes 6.1 that anyone, even non-Window-Eyes
users may try for themselves under Windows Vista on January 30th, the same day Microsoft
has its General Release of their new operating system.
Users of Window-Eyes 6.0 running under Windows 2000, XP or Windows Server 2003 will
also be able to download a separate public beta of Window-Eyes 6.1 for testing under
Windows 2000, XP, or Windows Server 2003.
The upgrade cost from Window-Eyes 6.0 to Window-Eyes 6.1 is FREE! After the public
beta testing for Window-Eyes 6.1 Beta 1 is complete and the final version is ready,
there will be two options depending on your operating system. If you already own
Window-Eyes version 6.0 and will be running under Windows Vista, you will need to
contact GW Micro and have a CD shipped to you. The only cost will be a $5 shipping
and handling charge for the first 30 days this CD is available. After the 30 day
period, we will go back to the normal charge for replacement CDs.
If you are using Windows 2000, XP or Windows Server 2003, it is not necessary to
obtain the CD - it is optional. If you are using any of these operating systems you
may simply download the upgrade when it becomes available.
So - to recap - the free public beta will be available for download next week when
Microsoft has its General Release of Windows Vista. When Window-Eyes 6.1 is complete
and finalized, it will be a FREE upgrade. Installing under Windows Vista does require
a new CD, so if you want to run under Vista then you must contact GW Micro and get
a CD for only $5 shipping and handling. If you are using Windows 2000, XP, or Windows
Server 2003, the final version of Window-Eyes 6.1 may be downloaded; obtaining the
Window-Eyes 6.1 CD for Windows 2000, XP, or Windows Server 2003 is optional.

New MSP Available for Download

Code Factory are at it once more with the release of MSP version 1.0.9 featuring some nice improvements and supporting all Humanware Braille input and output devices including key maestro.

‘Barely a year and a half since Mobile Speak Pocket made mainstream mobile devices
accessible to the blind and visually impaired, Code Factory is again making breakthroughs
with the release of MSP Version 1.0.9 which features:
s Support for more Pocket PCs, Braille devices, and hardware accessories like a Bluetooth headset/handsfree and external Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard.
Support for more applications, not only those that come with Windows Mobile and Pocket PC by default, but more importantly, third-party software that increase the functionality of these portable and already powerful devices.
Support for different file types including Braille formatted (BRF) files and Adobe
PDF documents.
Support for several languages through configurable speech output, comprehensive locale-dependent input panels, and multilingual Braille input and output, thus making MSP more and more popular worldwide.
Support for our growing user base, in terms of promptly providing fixes to reported
bugs and delivering high-quality free updates where most feature requests during
a product cycle are implemented.

But why just read a summary of what Version 1.0.9 offers? Click
http://www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak_pocket/msp_features_v109.htm
to find out more about what’s new in this MSP release.