Earlier today, Apple released iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch devices.  According to Apple, the major features in this update include:

• Game center,
• iTunes TV show rentals,
• iTunes Ping,
• HDR Photography,
• HD Video uploads.

Nothing is mentioned about VoiceOver and accessibility, but that doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t focused on it as well.  Indeed, Apple *has* focused on VoiceOver and the results are mixed.  On the plus side, there are now two more audible cues, one indicating when a folder is opened and another indicating when a folder is closed.  Personally, I like these new sounds and think they’re a nice touch.  On the negative side, VoiceOver now cuts out certain syllables, such as the ending of certain characters when entering text, or when navigating the home screen.  The letter ‘e’ is hardly spoken at all and without the automatic phonetic pronunciation, it might be difficult to distinguish it from other characters.  Sadly, this particular bug presented itself a few updates back and was corrected; it’s a shame Apple has managed to reintroduce it yet again.

iOS4.1 has only been out for a few hours, so I’m sure more enhancements/bugs will be discovered in the next few days.  if you notice anything different in terms of accessibility, please leave it in the comments and I’ll revise this post.  For those wanting to see the official Apple announcement of iOS4.1 new features, it can be found here.

At first glance, these may seem to be minor fixes, however, as someone who uses a Mac for just about everything these days, they’re a big deal. After all, increased responsiveness translates to greater efficiency whether that relate to VoiceOver, or the faster launching of applications. To me, it also reaffirms Apple’s commitment to the blind in that they continue to work on VoiceOver VS putting it off until a major release.

If you’re using a Mac, have Snow Leopard and want the update, simply go to Software Update located under the Apple menu. Software Update will eventually tell you about the update — it may take a few minutes as everyone is downloading it now — and it should walk you through the installation process. I’d also encourage anyone who thinks Apple should put descriptions, or at least a link detailing VoiceOver changes in its update release notes to Email accessibility@apple.com and let them know your thoughts.

***begin content***

VIPRE 4 Upgrade Process
We are rolling out the upgrades to VIPRE 4.0 on a gradual basis over the coming weeks. You will be automatically notified. Your current product will prompt you to upgrade and make recommendation as to the correct download. If you have both VIPRE and SPF you will be given the option to install VIPRE Premium at no cost. If you currently have just VIPRE or CounterSpy you will be directed to the correct download page.

To help eliminate any confusions, let’s take a look at VIPRE 4.0. It comes in two flavors. The regular version without the firewall and the premium version which has a firewall built in. If you currently run VIPRE antivirus + antispyware version 3.x, and your subscription is current, you get a free upgrade to the regular VIPRE Antivirus Version 4. If you want to upgrade to the premium version, that’s a paid upgrade, (simply the difference in cost between the two)

Some people thought that the premium version was their upgrade, and this caused confusion. If you install VIPRE Premium on top of your regular VIPRE, it goes back into evaluation mode since you don’t have a new key. Buying the upgrade gives you a new key, specifically for Premium.

So, in summary: If you are upgrading from an earlier version of VIPRE to V 4.0 there is no charge.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version of VIPRE to VIPRE 4.0 Premium there is a nominal charge depending on whether it is a single license or home site license. See the web site for the pricing. Upgrading your Unlimited Home License to Premium is a killer deal though.

If you are upgrading from an earlier version of VIPRE and have our Sunbelt Personal Firewall you can upgrade to VIPRE 4.0 Premium for no charge.

So once again when we refer to VIPRE 4.0 this is the VIPRE without firewall. When we refer to VIPRE 4.0 Premium this is VIPRE with our firewall built in. We have a special upgrade page on the web site, which also has the Sunbelt Upgrade Detector to help you make the transition.
http://www.sunbeltsecuritynews.com/6MQIYA/100317-Upgrade

Cautions
There are a couple of cautions that you should be aware of as well.
With VIPRE 4.0 you cannot run SPF and VIPRE as separate programs. You would need to run Premium, as the programs share some code and this will cause issues.
Do not install Premium unless any previous firewalls have been removed. Even if disabled, two firewalls can cause the computer to crash or become unbootable.
Install the new programs in their default settings. These are the preferred settings.
Reminder to Sunbelt firewall users – uninstall the Sunbelt Personal Firewall before installing VIPRE Premium. If you have both VIPRE and SPF you eligible for the FREE upgrade to VIPRE Premium, BUT we do require that you process the FREE upgrade order through our OnlineShop. Follow the prompt — add to cart — and continue to checkout as you are upgrading to a new subscription. During the checkout process you will be prompted to login, if you do not know or remember your password, please call 800-336-3166 or email us customerservice@sunbeltsoftware.com and we will be happy to provide that to you. We are available M-F 9am-6pm EST.

You can click here to read additional information about this update.

My thanks to Brian Hartgen who mentioned this announcement on Twitter. You can view the article in its entirety by clicking here.

***begin content***

A major upgrade for Dolphin Access Tools

18-Feb-2010

A free major upgrade for all version 11 users of SuperNova Reader Magnifier, Hal Screen Reader, Lunar Screen Magnifier and LunarPlus Enhanced Screen Magnifier is available today. Version 11 users will receive their free upgrade quickly and conveniently via the Dolphin Internet updater found in the Help menu of their Dolphin software.

The version 11.50 improvements are extensive and far reaching and are the culmination of more than 8 months intensive development work as Neil Hall, Low Vision Product Manager at Dolphin Computer Access explains:

“Our SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus customers are extremely loyal to Dolphin and the amount of feedback we received during Dolphin’s public beta test of version 11’s support for Windows 7 has more than demonstrated this. We are 100% committed to giving the very best support to all our international users and are delighted to be offering this major upgrade, free of charge to all version 11 users. It is our way of saying thank you for your feedback and your support.”

“Version 11.50 is a heavy weight upgrade and not only includes support for 32 and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, but also includes new, re-engineered support for Microsoft Word. This has resulted in faster, more robust performance in large Microsoft Word documents, 20 new quick navigation keys for moving around inside a Microsoft Word document, new meaningful announcements for 50 of the most popular Microsoft Word hot key functions such as bold, underline, italics, text alignment and more. We have also overhauled the Spell-checker support and added intelligent tab key announcements.”

However, the improvements, new features and extended application support reach further than just Microsoft Word. Support for Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Live Messenger and Skype has all been developed in version 11.50 for magnification, speech and Braille users.

More athletic, version 11.50 is not only quicker and more agile in Microsoft Office applications; it’s also quicker off the starting blocks when turning on your PC, thanks to superior speech synthesiser management. Neil Hall explains how version 11.50 has developments and innovations for Dolphin software users with all levels of sight loss:

“I know our speech users will also be eager to try the new spelling speed options, selecting the speed at which text is spelled independently of their standard voice speed preferences. A slower speed can make all the difference when clarifying the spelling of an unfamiliar or misspelt word. Other speech developments include voice pitch capital letter announcement options, improvements to word echo and four brand new speech verbosity schemes.”

“SuperNova, Lunar and LunarPlus magnification users can all now access applications such as Google Earth and Windows Photo Gallery, thanks to new support for OpenGL and Direct Draw/Direct 3D applications. There is also a new grey scale colour scheme that our users have been requesting, and some convenient high contrast mouse pointer schemes.”

SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 are all immediately available in UK, US and Australian English, Belgian Dutch, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish. A free 30 day trial of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 is immediately available for download from the Dolphin Computer Access website.

Click here for more information about Nextup.com’s Acapela offerings and an interactive demo of the various voices.

Many functions of Wayfinder Access depend on its ability to connect to an online server. licensing information is verified via this server and map data itself is generally retrieved on demand. If Wayfinder Systems, or I guess now Vodafone were to take these servers offline, the product would become useless. This is very frustrating to the many who use the product on a daily basis, or to people like me who frankly spent quite a bit of money purchasing what we were told was a “life time” license.

Exactly what can be done about this unfortunate situation is hard to say, however, Talknav, a Wayfinder Access dealer in the UK has created an online petition with the goal of raising awareness of howe termination of Wayfinder Access development will impact the blind and vision impaired community.

I really applaud Talknav’s initiative and urge people to take a look at the online petition, even if you don’t own Wayfinder products.

A short list of new features found in Mobile Geo 2.0 include:

• Advanced address search which allows you to enter any part of the address to search for it faster.
• Five times faster route creation when in Turns Only mode.
• More accurate distances and estimated time of arrival calculations.
• Improved heading averaging when walking in a big city with narrow streets and high buildings.
• More information about the current street when using the where am I function, such as pedestrian only, split street, one-way, bridge, tunnel, etc.
• Ability to look up alpha numeric address numbers. For example 23A Jones Street where 23A is the address number.

There are two press releases concerning this release, the first and more detailed describes the changes and new features since 1.5. The second, describes the official release and documents changes implemented since the public beta period.

Just because Disqus is working great for me, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work great for you. Certainly, if you encounter any difficulty, or if you have any questions, I want to know.

I hope you enjoy and make use of the new commenting system.

Steve

CLARITY Releases an AFFORDABLE screen magnifier, WinZoom LITE! « AccessTech News: “”

Steve

***Begin content***

Dragon Search is the Fast, Accurate and Smart way to search online content on your iPhone™ using your voice. Simply speak your search queries and get simultaneous results from a variety of top websites and content sources including: Google™ (or Yahoo!™, Bing™, depending on your default settings) YouTube™ Twitter™ Search iTunes™ Wikipedia® The innovative Dragon Search Carousel allows you to quickly access results from multiple sources, and is a one-stop shop for all of your search needs, even when you are “Hands-Busy” REVIEWS Press Reviews: Mel Martin – TUAW: “The iTunes integration is quite nice. Say ‘Harold Budd’, for example, and click the iTunes icon and you’ll see what the iTunes store has to sell. Or you can search Wikipedia or Google and learn all about him.” Greg Kumparack – MobileCrunch: “The design of the application is rather clever…you can flip between them [results] on a whim via the carousel at the top…” Jennifer Van Grove – Mashable: “We were left practically speechless by the quality of Dragon Dictation, an iPhone app that does instant speech-to-text transcription. The same company has just unveiled their latest iPhone offering — Dragon Search — and it’s just as impressive as the first.” “The app is stupidly simple to use and lightening fast…” iTunes Reviews: Np2244 – “I just downloaded dragon search and it is incredible. I couldn’t ask for something so fast, accurate and versatile. I mean, search all facets of the web in one fell swoop. I love it. You let me search facebook too and it’s better than sliced bread.” Bootareen – “It has a very simple interface and convenient scroll bar on top to switch the source of your search. The sources switch instantly, I don’t know how they do it but its super efficient and convenient.” Vsqa – “Hands-down the best damn voice search app on the app store. Amazingly fast and accurate. Bug free product great work.” FEATURES • Fast and accurate, fully automated speech recognition • Horizontal tool bar enables fast access to alternative search sites • Easily modify or correct search queries by using a list of alternative suggestions Dragon Search is powered by Nuance’s world-renowned Dragon® NaturallySpeaking® software, and it is specifically designed to make searching the internet on your iPhone easier than ever. PRIVACY POLICY Dragon Search does not upload or store any personal information. Spoken search queries are processed by fully automated speech recognition technology in secure data centers with stringent privacy and security standards. These search queries are not associated with any personal data from your phone. Dragon Search will utilize spoken speech queries collected over time to continuously improve and provide high speech recognition accuracy. Details are described in the end user license agreement, provided here for your convenience: http://www.dragonmobileapps.com/EULA-search.html

If you’d like to go directly to this app in the iTunes store, simply click here. At the moment, the app is available for free.

Steve

***begin content***

HumanWare Launches the BrailleNote Apex – Shipping December 1st, 2009

Longueuil, November 11, 2009 — HumanWare has launched the BrailleNote Apex, the thinnest and lightest notetaker especially for professionals and students who are blind.

Powerful and sleek at just 2 cm (0.78″) thick and weighing only 812 grams (1.8 lbs), the BrailleNote Apex is designed for portability and functionality. Intelligent ergonomics have always been the benchmark of HumanWare products, and the BrailleNote Apex performs with comfort and agility. A comfortable full-size Braille keyboard makes notetaking quick and easy, while HumanWare’s signature thumb keys make extensive reading effortless.

“As a proud supporter of Braille literacy, HumanWare is committed to developing products that help blind people to fully participate in the quickly evolving, digital world around them. Because we believe that communication is the key to success, we strive to put every opportunity in the hands of our customers with Braille products that meet their needs every day. The BrailleNote Apex puts the power of digital communication at everyone’s fingertips,” says Gilles Pepin, CEO of HumanWare.

Added horsepower and multiple storage options define the BrailleNote Apex’s productivity with its 8 GB of internal memory and support for high capacity SDHC cards, along with 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports, built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth.

The advanced technology is driven by the new Windows CE 6.0 operating system which enables the expansion of KeySoft, a comprehensive, user-friendly suite of productivity applications with feature-rich content that is 100% accessible. This powerful software combination will facilitate future enhancements and ongoing improvements in response to user requests.

Almost ten years after the introduction of the BrailleNote, the revolutionary BrailleNote Apex is the ninth notetaking device in a line of products that has been helping people who are blind to be a vital part of the global information age since 2000.

For the latest news and information about BrailleNote products, subscribe to the BrailleNote Newswire at www.humanware.com. And for more details about the BrailleNote Apex, visit www.humanware.com/apex.

Hear about the Apex in the next couple of days:
November 13th

ACB Radio, an internet radio station sponsored by the American Council of the Blind, will air a 2-hour live special program featuring Matthew Janasauskas, HumanWare’s Director of Technical Support on Friday, November 13

Time: 9:00 PM. EST. Listeners will have an opportunity to call and ask individual questions regarding the BrailleNote Apex. To listen, please visit http://www.acbradio.org/mainstream

November 16th

Accessible World Tek Talk will presents the Apex Braillenote, November 16, 2009
Time: 5:00 PM PST, 6:00 PM MST, 7:00 PM CST, and 8:00 PM EST
and elsewhere in the world Tuesday 1:00 GMT

Select The Pat Price Tek Talk Training Room at: http://www.accessibleworld.org
Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.

November 24th

HumanWare has scheduled an Apex introduction webinar on Tuesday, November 24th

Time: 7 PM. EST on http://accessibleevent.com/

For more information about these or other HumanWare products, please contact us:

Canada
call toll free: 1-888-723-7273
Email: ca.info@humanware.com

UK/Europe
Tel: +44 1933 415 800
Email: eu.info@humanware.com

Australia/Asia
Tel: +61 2 9686 2600
Email: au.sales@humanware.com

U.S.A
call toll free 1-800-722-3393 or (925) 680-7100
Email: us.info@humanware.com

Steve
***
KAPTEN, the first voice-controlled GPS, will be distributed in the USA through Independent Living Aids, retailer of blind, low vision, and hearing loss products.

The Kapten voice-controlled GPS is the most innovative product developed for the blind and low vision community in recent years.
Jericho, NY (PRWEB) November 9, 2009 — Kapsys, an innovative French company and inventor of the first voice-controlled GPS, announces a partnership with Independent Living Aids, one of the largest distributors of products for the blind and visually impaired in the US. This agreement is intended to develop distribution and market share in the United States. Launched in October 2008 in France, Kapten is currently distributed in western European countries such as the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. Now, the first voice interactive GPS for smart urbanites will be available for larger networks of distribution in the US.

Kapten Personal GPS Voice Navigator

“Our collaboration with Independent Living Aids sets the path of our development in the US. We are confident that we have the right partner to expand our distribution network in America”, says Marc Tastayre, Kapsys’ Sales and Marketing Director.
Irwin Schneidmill, President of ILA says, “We are excited to have this opportunity to work with Kapsys. The Kapten voice-controlled GPS is the most innovative product developed for the blind and low vision community in recent years. We are confident the Kapten will be well received and anticipate tremendous sales in the US market.”

The revolution

§ Kapsys has revolutionized the market by introducing the very first smart urban navigator with no screen.
§ The ultra-compact Kapten is 100% voice interactive, weighs 50 g and has a credit card format.
§ Kapten is more than a GPS. It’s a multi-transport navigator.
§ Kapten adapts to the way you get around—on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, public transportation or car. It automatically adjusts your itinerary and directs you using the navigation mode you choose with a simple voice command.
§ Kapten is also an MP3 player, an FM radio and a hands-free kit for your mobile phones.

About Kapsys
Created in 2007 by Aram Hekimian, Kapsys is a young, innovative company based in Southeast France. Kapsys designs, develops and markets voice-centric solutions for personal mobility and navigation. Kapsys launches Kapten, the first voice GPS for smart urbanites featuring: multi transport navigation, geo-tagging, audio guide, MP3 player, FM radio, and community website platform.

790, avenue du Dr Maurice Donat – Le Marco Polo A1, 06 250 Mougins Sophia Antipolis – France / Tel : +33 4 92 28 88 88 / Fax : +33 4 92 28 88 89 / www.kapsys.com

About Independent Living Aids, LLC
Independent Living Aids, LLC is the oldest privately-held mail-order company in the United States with products for individuals who are visually impaired or blind. With over 30 years of experience providing essential aids with superb service, ila has become a trusted source of products for this community. All items offered are carefully selected, quality products sold at reasonable prices. Helping customers remain independent is the goal, and every item is chosen with that goal in mind.

200 Robbins Lane, Jericho, New York 11753 (516) 937-1848

I have some thoughts on today’s announcement which I will share in another post, however, wanted to share information from Apple’s site concerning the new iPhone and how they’ve incorporated accessibility into their predominately touch screen device. The following comes directly from Apple’s accessibility page: http://www.apple.com/accessibility/iphone/vision.html .

***Begin Apple content***

Vision
The revolutionary iPhone also includes an equally revolutionary screen reader, and other innovative accessibility features that make it easier to use for those with impaired vision.
VoiceOver

The same VoiceOver screen reader made popular on the Mac is now a standard feature on the iPhone 3G S. It’s the world’s first gesture-based screen reader, enabling you to enjoy the fun and simplicity of the iPhone even if you can’t see the screen.
What makes VoiceOver on iPhone truly remarkable is that you control it using simple gestures that let you physically interact with items on screen. It’s easy to learn and fun to use. Instead of memorizing hundreds of keyboard commands, or endlessly pressing tiny arrow keys to find what you’re looking for, with VoiceOver, you simply touch the screen to hear a description of the item under your finger, then gesture with a double-tap, drag, or flick to control the phone.
VoiceOver delivers an experience unlike any screen reader you’ve ever used before. Traditional screen readers describe individual elements on the screen, but struggle to communicate where each element is located or provide information about adjoining objects. This contextual information is very important but typically filtered out by other screen readers. For example, “off-screen” models used by traditional screen readers to represent applications and web pages intentionally strip away contextual information and describe web pages as a list or menu of items. But with VoiceOver on iPhone 3G S, you’ll experience something entirely new.
Because VoiceOver works with iPhone’s touchscreen, you interact directly with objects on the screen and can naturally understand their location and context. So, when you touch the upper-left corner of the screen, you’ll hear what’s in the upper left corner of a web page, and as you drag your finger around the screen, you’ll learn what’s nearby, providing an amazing new sense of context and relationship between the items you hear. For many, VoiceOver on iPhone will provide, perhaps for the first time, a true sense of how things appear on screen, not just descriptions of what they are.
You’ll hear descriptions of every item on the screen, including status information such as battery level, Wi-Fi and cellular network signal levels, the cellular network provider, and time of day. It even lets you know when the display changes to landscape or portrait orientation, and when the screen is locked or unlocked.
The speaking rate is adjustable so you can set it to a speed that best suits your listening ability. VoiceOver uses distinctive sound effects to alert you when an application opens, when the screen is updated, when a message dialog appears, and more. And, when Voiceover is talking, the volume of background sounds and music are automatically lowered, “ducking” under the voice, so you can clearly hear what VoiceOver is telling you.
It speaks your language
VoiceOver includes built-in voices that speak 21 languages including Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Dutch, English (US), English (UK), Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Spain), and Swedish.
Getting started
VoiceOver is built right into the iPhone 3G S. There’s nothing extra to purchase or install. All you need is the iPhone 3G S, iTunes 8.2 or later, and a Mac or PC. You can activate your iPhone and enable VoiceOver without sighted assistance using iTunes with a compatible screen reader like VoiceOver included in Mac OS X and GW-Micro Window-Eyes® for Windows XP and Windows Vista (sold separately). When you activate iPhone using iTunes, you can enable VoiceOver on the iPhone to start using it right away. Sighted users can also enable VoiceOver for you directly on iPhone using the Accessibility menu in the Settings application.
How it works
With VoiceOver enabled, you’ll use a different, but simple set of gestures to control the iPhone. For example, instead of tapping to click a button or select an item, you tap to hear a description of the item you touch and double-tap to click or select it.
When an item on the screen is selected, a black rectangle called the VoiceOver cursor appears around it. The VoiceOver cursor is displayed for the benefit of sighted users with whom you may be sharing your phone. When you prefer privacy, VoiceOver includes a screen curtain that turns off the display so no one can read it without your knowledge.
In addition to touching and dragging around the screen, you can also flick left and right to move the VoiceOver cursor precisely to the next or previous item on the screen—no matter how big or small it is. By flicking, you have precise control of what you hear even when it might otherwise be difficult to place your finger on it.

Entering Text
When you’re typing text, such as an email message or a note, VoiceOver echoes each character on the keyboard as you touch it, and again to confirm when you enter it. You can also have VoiceOver speak each completed word instead of and in addition to individual characters as you type them. A flick up or down while typing moves the insertion point cursor left and right within the text so you can edit a word just as easily and precisely as typing a new word.

To help you type more quickly and accurately, iPhone features word prediction and suggests the correct spelling when you type a word incorrectly. With Speak Auto-text enabled, you’ll hear a sound effect and the suggested word spoken automatically. You can just keep typing to ignore it, or press the space key to have iPhone type it for you.
The Rotor

VoiceOver features an innovate new virtual control called a “rotor.” Turning the rotor— by rotating two fingers on the screen as if you were turning an actual dial — changes the way VoiceOver moves through a document based on a setting you choose. For example, a flick up or down might move through text word by word. But when you choose the “character” setting, each time you flick up or down VoiceOver will move through the text character by character — perfect when you’re proofreading or editing text.
You can also use the rotor to navigate web pages. When you’re on a web page, the rotor contains the names of common items, such as headers, links, tables, images, and more. You select a setting, then flick up and down to move to the previous or next occurrence of that item on the page, skipping over items in between.
Applications
VoiceOver works with all of the built-in applications that come with iPhone 3G S, such as Phone, iPod, iTunes, Mail, Safari, and Maps. So, you can place and receive calls, surf the web, text and email your friends, check your stocks and the weather, and much, much more. Apple is also working with iPhone software developers so they can make their applications VoiceOver compatible. Learn more

Voice Control
In addition to gestures, you can use your voice to play music and make a phone call. Just press and hold the home button, listen for the audio prompt, and speak the name of the artist, album, or playlist you want to hear. You can pause, play, change tracks, even shuffle your music.
When you want to make a call, speak the name or telephone number of the person you want to call. iPhone 3G S understands 21 different languages. Learn more
Zoom

While many iPhone applications let you zoom in and out specific elements such as images in Mail, or webpage columns in Safari, Zoom lets you magnify the entire screen of any application you’re using to help you see what’s on the display. Zoom can be enabled on iPhone 3G S using iTunes when you’re setting up the iPhone, for yourself or someone else, or later, using the Accessibility menu in the Settings application on the iPhone.
Zoom works everywhere, including the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens—even with applications you purchase from the App store.

A simple double-tap with three fingers instantly zooms in and out 200% and you can double-tap and drag three fingers to dynamically adjust the magnification between 100% and 500%. Even when zoomed, you can continue using all of the familiar flick, pinch, tap and other iPhone gestures to run your favorite applications. Zoom can also be used with white-on-black (reverse video) and speak auto-text.
White On Black
For those who need or prefer higher contrast, iPhone 3G S provides an option to change the display to White On Black. This reverse video affect works in all applications including the Home, Unlock, and Spotlight screens and can be used with Zoom and VoiceOver.
Speak Auto-text
When typing, iPhone suggests a word before you finish typing it or a correction when a word is misspelled. Speak Auto-text speaks these suggestions so you can hear them when they’re presented. When zoomed, for example, the suggestion might not be visible on screen, but you can hear and accept it without seeing it. If you’re using VoiceOver, you won’t have to interrupt your typing and touch the suggestion to hear it. Speak Auto-text can be enabled even when you’re not using VoiceOver or Zoom.

Tactile Buttons
iPhone includes a few, easily discernible physical buttons used to control the phone: the Sleep/Wake button, located on the top edge; the Ring/Silent switch and volume-control buttons, located on the upper-left edge; and the Home button, centered below the display.
Giant Fonts For Mail Messages
For improved email readability, you can increase the default font size of email text from Medium (the default) to Large, Extra-large, or Giant.

iPhone Stereo Headset
iPhone comes with a stereo headset with a high-performance microphone built into the cable. Plug it into the standard 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack and the headset lets you control music playback and answer and end calls by clicking the built-in remote control button.
Several add-on products are also available to work with iPhone that can help those with hearing disabilities, including a hearing aid-compatible induction ear loop from TecEar, wireless remote headset from Oticon, and others.
Hands-Free Speakerphone
Enjoy hands-free communication using the built-in speakerphone, which you can also use to listen to Visual Voicemail, music, podcasts, and video.
Audible, Visible, And Vibrating Alerts
Turn the ringer on, and iPhone delivers both audible and visual alerts. You can activate alerts for phone calls, text messages, incoming and sent mail, and calendar events. iPhone also offers an audio option confirming keyboard clicks. You can even set incoming calls to display a full-screen image or photo of the caller.
In silent mode, iPhone vibrates instead of playing a tone. To ensure that you never miss a notification, you can also have iPhone vibrate and play an audio alert.
Downloadable, Assignable Ringtones
You can assign distinctive ringtones to individuals in your contacts list, using the ringtone as an audible caller ID. Visit the iTunes Store to create, purchase, and download additional ringtones of your favorite songs (sold separately).

User Guide In Accessible HTML
The iPhone User Guide is provided online in HTML format designed with accessibility in mind. You can read the guide using your favorite screen reader and web browser on your Mac and PC, and using Safari on the iPhone with VoiceOver.

Steve

***
Longueuil, QC, May 6, 2009 — NFB-NEWSLINE, the largest electronic newspaper service in the world for the blind and print-disabled, providing free access to over 280 newspapers and magazines, is pleased to announce the launch of NFB-NEWSLINE Online (Web site: www.nfbnewslineonline.org). Through NFB-NEWSLINE Online’s breakthrough and innovative features, subscribers can enjoy both an enhanced experience in reading the news as well as dramatically increased flexibility in how they choose to access their favorite publication content. We are now able to provide Victor Reader Stream users (Web site: www.humanware.com/stream) with full and innovative access to all of our publications through one new initiative, NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket.

With NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket, users of the Victor Reader Stream can experience an increased flexibility and functionality with NFB-NEWSLINE and can more easily and quickly get their news through their digital talking book player. NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket is a dynamic software application that a subscriber installs on his or her computer that, through an Internet connection, automatically downloads the publications of the subscriber’s choice to his or her Stream (the publications will be available in your Talking Books Library). Through this revolutionary initiative, subscribers can use their Victor Reader Stream to gain easy and immediate access to their favorite publications and enjoy the reading experience that is offered with a DAISY-reading device. NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket dramatically increases both the content and value of your Victor Reader Stream; why not subscribe today?

For further information about NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket, visit www.nfbnewslineonline.org and select “NFB-NEWSLINE In Your Pocket.”

Humanware NFB Newsline Stream

Steve

***announcement follows***

To all users of the NLS download pilot service:

The pilot phase of the NLS downloadable audiobooks and magazines service will end April 28, 2009. It will be replaced by the permanent service Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), which you will be able to access at a new web site, https://nlsbard.loc.gov, beginning Thursday, April 30, 2009.

Users who know their passwords will be able to log on to the new site; users who rely on their browsers to remember their passwords will need new ones (follow instructions in Section II). All user accounts will be migrated to the new system, so you do not need to reapply. All materials previously downloaded will remain usable, so you will not need to redownload your reading material.

This message describes what’s new about BARD and explains what steps must be taken to access the new site. Please read the entire message carefully.

Section I. What’s new about BARD:

1. Unlimited downloading. The BARD service will no longer limit the number of books and magazines that you may download. Any account holder may download any item at any time. During heavy demand, however, NLS may limit the number of simultaneous downloads for each account.

2. New logon page. The site login will now use a form rather than a dialog box. It is the same type of logon found on most internet pages and should be immediately familiar to users of other sites. This is an important note for screen-reader users.

3. New search functionality. BARD searches will yield more effective results. The use of multiple search terms will return only results containing all of the terms.

4. New “Most Popular Books” list. By selecting the “Most Popular Book” link from the home page, users may access a list of the top twenty most downloaded books on the BARD service in the last ninety days. Fiction and nonfiction titles will be listed separately.

5. Redesigned magazine section. The “Recently Added Magazines” link will now display links to only the most recent issue of each magazine. Magazines older than one year may be accessed from each title’s magazine archive. Links to the archive are at the bottom of each magazine’s page.

Section II. Take the following steps to access the new site:

1. You must know your login ID and password to log on to the new site. For all users, your login ID is your e-mail address.

2. If you know your login ID and password, you will not need to do anything. Simply access the new site, https://nlsbard.loc.gov, starting Thursday, April 30.

3. If you have forgotten your password, you must obtain a new one before you can log on to the new site. Since the new site has a different address from the pilot site, you cannot rely on your web browser to automatically log in to BARD.

4. If you do not know your password but you are able to automatically log on to the pilot site because your browser knows your password, you must choose a new password. To do so, select the link “Update My Settings” from the site home page. From the settings page, select the first link, “Change Your Password.” Enter your new password twice, and then select the “Change Password” button. Remember this new password to access BARD.

5. If you cannot log on to the site because you do not know your password, you may have a new one sent to you. Access the password recovery page at https://www.nlstalkingbooks.org/cgi-bin/public/dtbscripts_v2/recoverpw.cgi. Enter your e-mail address and then select the “Send Me a New Password” button. A new temporary password will be generated and sent to your e-mail address. Once you retrieve the password, log on to the site and choose your new password. Remember this new password to access BARD.

6. If for some reason you are not able to use any of these options, please send a request for a new password to NLSDownload@loc.gov. Because of the anticipated large number of requests, please expect your new password within two business days.

The last day of availability of the pilot site will be Tuesday, April 28. The service will not be available at all on Wednesday, April 29, to allow user accounts to be migrated to the new site, which will be available on Thursday, April 30.

NLS appreciates all who have participated in the pilot test. Your feedback has allowed us to continuously improve the site and to plan future expansions, such as the inclusion of braille books. Though the pilot phase is ending, we remain open to your feedback about the BARD service. Please send your comments to NLSDownload@loc.gov. Send questions or requests about the book and magazine collection to your library.

***begin announcement***

ZoomText 9.18 Now Available!

Improved performance, smooth panning, scripting and support for Vista 64-bit

Yup, this one’s big! It’s a ZoomText update that’s packed with new features and enhancements that are too important to ignore.

For starters, we’ve given ZoomText a major tune-up that provides improved performance across the board. How major of a tune up is this? Well, early adopters of 9.18 are telling us that ZoomText and their applications are running faster… and that we’ve fixed some nagging problems that we weren’t even aware of.
Next, we’ve added a cool new feature called Smooth Panning (patent pending) that allows you to comfortably navigate your applications without all that abrupt jumping around in the magnified view. As you type text, arrow key through menus and dialogs, and switch windows, ZoomText smoothly pans from one location to another.

But there’s more: ZoomText Scripting is now included in every license of ZoomText Magnifier and Magnifier/Reader. With ZoomText Scripting, you can automate tasks in ZoomText and most applications, allowing you to work faster than ever before. Just imagine cutting 10 steps down to one or two! To learn more about ZoomText Scripting, go to www.aisquared.com/scripting.

We’ve also added support for 64-bit editions of Windows Vista, which is rapidly becoming the standard on new laptops and desktops. With ZoomText 9.18, when you’re ready to upgrade to one of these new systems, ZoomText is ready to go with you.

Get ZoomText 9.18 Today

Already own ZoomText 9.1 or later? If so, get on the fast track and download the free ZoomText 9.18 update right now. Just go to www.aisquared.com/updates.

Still using ZoomText 9.0 or earlier? No problem. Low cost upgrades start at just $75 for ZoomText Magnifier and $99 for ZoomText Magnifier/Reader. To place your order, call Ai Squared toll-free at (800) 859-0270.

Use Our New “Easy Pay” Plan

For those with vision impairments and who need ZoomText to use their computer, Ai Squared wants to help in any way we can. So if money is an issue, our sales staff will work with you to set up a graduated payment plan to make purchasing ZoomText easier.

Plans start at $37/month for Magnifer and $55/month for Magnifier/Reader and are available for end-user purchases of our domestic single-user products (U.S. and Canada only). To learn more about the Easy Pay plan and to place your Easy Pay order, call our sales department at (800) 859-0270.

Get More Information and a Free ZoomText Trial

Want more information on ZoomText and the new 9.18 release? Check out the ZoomText product page, 9.18 info page and product release notes. Better yet, take ZoomText 9.18 for a test drive and see for yourself. Download the free 60-day trial and check out everything that ZoomText has to offer on your computer.

Steve
***

Dear Victor Reader Friends:

HumanWare is please to announce the release of the new Stream Companion 3.0 program.

It is available for free download on the Stream support page at:
http://www.humanware.com/stream_support

[SNIP]

The HumanWare Companion is optional software to support the Stream or the ClassMate Reader. There is no need to install this software unless you need its functionality. The Companion automates the unzipping of books and creation of folders on the SD card so many people find it more convenient than Windows for transferring books and files to the SD card. The Companion also lets you convert audio note files to wav files for use on your computer. The new features and changes for version 3.0 include:

- A complete new interface using simple pull-down menus instead of former multi-page dialogs. Now there is a Transfer menu with items for each of the Stream bookshelves.
- Five less controls in the transfer dialog windows making the dialogs easier to navigate especially for keyboard users. The Refresh button has been moved to the File menu. The About and Help buttons have been moved to a Help menu. The two controls for SD space before and after the operation have been moved to the status line at the bottom of the screen.
- The options dialog of the Tools menu lets you choose the interface language from a list of available languages. You can also choose which book player (Stream or Classmate) you are using.
- A new tree view allows you to view your music by folder and/or file.
- The Options dialog of the Tools menu lets you choose to sort your book titles or file names either alphabetically or by location (path).
- You can now append to an existing playlist in the Music window.
- There are single shortcut keys for each of the bookshelf transfer windows.
- There is a Tools menu item to create the new Stream 3.0 SD card label.
- Companion now supports the new Bookshare zip format. Select the check box to include zip files in the Talking Books transfer window and your zip Bookshare books will appear in the book list. Then just check the Bookshare books you wish to transfer. Companion will request your Bookshare password, unzip your books and transfer them to your SD card.

Also, with respect to NLS download books in the United States, we are aware that the previous Companion version 2 was not transferring some NLS books properly. These issues have been corrected in Companion 3.0.
After installing the User Guide can be read by selecting the Help menu.

HumanWare hopes you enjoy the new Companion 3.0 software.

Thank you,
The HumanWare Team

HumanWare is please to announce the release of the new Stream 3.0 software. Stream 3.0 is a major release with exciting new features and numerous usability improvements. Version 3 responds to popular requests received from many Stream customers. New features include:

- Optional multi-level bookshelf navigation for Other Books, Podcasts, and Text. Now you can optionally organize these bookshelves into multiple levels of folders and navigate at those levels.
- Optional multi-level folder navigation within Music files. For example, now you could choose to organize your music by levels such as genre, artist, and album and navigate at those levels to more quickly find your desired music.
- Further you can now instantly create temporary playlists of a subset of your music collection and limit Random play to only that portion of your music.
- Text Search. Now you can enter words to search for in your text files or text portion of DAISY books.
- A new Bookmark alert feature can be enabled to notify you when you pass over a previously bookmarked position during playback. It will even automatically announce your audio bookmarks.
- Two text-to-speech voices. The English versions will now include both a male and female text-to-speech voice.
- Optional voice label for your SD cards

Usability Improvements:
- A 30 minute Time Jump choice has been added
- Single hotkey (#9) to toggle music random play on or off
- Book title is included in the delete confirmation prompt. Also, after deletion, the next book on the bookshelf is announced.
- Press key 4 in music to repeat the current song
- Go To Percent added to Other Books and Podcasts
- Automatic removal of the UPG file after the software upgrade

and more. Please see the Release Notes for full details on the new features and instructions on how to use them.
Both the software and Release Notes can be downloaded from the Stream support page at:
http://www.humanware.com/stream_support

Select the Software link on that page. You will find the Release Notes at the top and the English 3.0 software download links. You can choose from two English versions one with Samantha + Tom text-to-speech voices and another with Samantha + Daniel (UK) voices. You can upgrade to version 3 from any prior Stream version. To install the new software, follow these steps:

- Download the software zip file
- Unzip the single UPG upgrade file from the zip file. You do not need special unzip software. Simply press Enter to open the zip file and you can then select the UPG file.
- Copy this UPG file to the root of your Stream SD card.
- Disconnect the Stream from the computer, connect it to AC power and turn it on.
- The Stream will automatically start the update process which takes about 2 minutes during which time it will announce intermittent “please Wait” messages. The Stream will power off when the new software is installed.

After the new software is installed, an html Release Notes document will also be available in a HumanWare sub-folder of your Text Bookshelf so you may read the Release Notes with your Stream. The html version allows you to navigate the Release Notes section by section using the 2/8 keys to select the level and keys 4 and 6 to move between sections.

With this announcement, version 3 is available in English only. As other version 3 languages become available they will be posted on the same download page. We also are releasing a new version of Stream Companion which will be described in a second email.

HumanWare values your continued support of the Victor Reader Stream. We remain committed to our customers to make the Stream the most powerful, flexible, and enjoyable product used for listening to digital talking books, computer files, and music.

Thank you,

The HumanWare Team

–

Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain, February 18, 2009

In the last few years the number of users of Code Factory’s screen readers for Windows Mobile devices has been skyrocketing. Code Factory is currently the only company developing screen readers for more than one mobile operating system: Symbian, Windows Mobile and Blackberry from RIM. Mobile Speak Smartphone and Mobile Speak Pocket are the two versions of Code Factory’s screen reader available for Windows Mobile devices.

One of the great features unique to Mobile Speak Smartphone and Mobile Speak Pocket is the User Centered Licensing System released more than a year ago, which allows users to deactivate their license from a device and reactivate it in a new supported device without any additional cost. This new licensing system has encouraged our customers to frequently switch from one device to another; that is why our development team has worked very hard to support more than 15 new smartphones and Pocket PCs. The other big competitive advantage of choosing a Windows Mobile Code Factory screen reader is the opportunity to experience traveling and walking around with Mobile Geo, Code Factory’s award-winning GPS application. V2.1 of Mobile Speak Smartphone and Mobile Speak Pocket will be compatible with V1.5 of Mobile Geo, planed to be released by March 2009.

NEW DEVICES supported by V2.1

Version 2.1.205 of Mobile Speak Smartphone supports five new smartphones:

Samsung SGH-i200,
Palm Treo 500,
Palm Treo 500V from Vodafone,
HTC S640 and
HTC S740.
Version 2.1.205 of Mobile Speak Pocket supports eleven new Pocket PCs:

AT&T Samsung Epix,
HP iPAQ 910 (Business Messenger),
Samsung SCH-i760 from Verizon Wireless,
HP iPAQ 600 Business Navigator,
Sprint HTC Touch Pro,
AT&T HTC Fuze,
Verizon xv6850 Touch Pro,
Sprint HTC Touch Diamond,
Palm Treo 800W from Sprint,
Palm Treo Pro, and
Asus P750.

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES of V2.1

Both Mobile Speak Smartphone and Mobile Speak Pocket V2.1.205 include:

Full support for Windows Mobile 6.1.

Improvements to Code Factory’s built-in Braille reader application, also called BRF reader:

Support for the new Bookshare format. To learn more about the new Bookshare library visit http://www.benetech.org/about/press_releases/PR_2009-01-26_Bookshare.shtml.

Added a Find function that lets you enter a search string using computer Braille or literary (grade 1 or 2) Braille.

New options for adding bookmarks and jumping to a selected bookmark.

With Mobile Speak Pocket, pressing DoubleTap4 in a BRF file will now close it.

In Mobile Speak Smartphone as well as Mobile Speak Pocket, you can access the Braille Reader through a dedicated icon located in the Mobile Speak control panel.

To learn more about the BRF Reader visit http://www.codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=241.

New upgrade installation process

This new upgrade installation process allows the user to install a new build (or reinstall the same one that is already on the device), without first uninstalling Mobile Speak and its components if they are already running on the device. There is no need to stop Mobile Speak/Magnifier to do this.

Enhanced support for Office OneNote

You can install Office OneNote on your device if you connect it to a computer with Microsoft Office 2007. Just launch OneNote 2007 on your PC when the device is already connected via ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center, and you will be prompted to install OneNote Mobile. Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile Speak Smarpthone now read the list of saved OneNote files, read all menu and toolbar option names rather than the bitmap number for some, and inform you if there is a sound clip inserted in the note.

V2.1.205 also features new settings and commands for both Mobile Speak Smartphone and Mobile Speak Pocket

New settings and commands for Mobile Speak Smartphone

Two new commands for the Default command layout: Home+4 will open the Start menu wherever you are. Home+Long4 will return focus to the Today screen.

The user dictionary has been redesigned. It can be opened by pressing Home+4 in the Settings command layout. It is now possible to navigate the list of pronunciation entries using the Left/Right arrow keys; pressing the left softkey will now close this dialog and automatically save your new entries and changes to existing ones; and the right softkey will now open the menu of options, including “Cancel” which will let you exit the user dictionary without saving any entries or modifications.

Supported cell editing in Excel Mobile: After opening the Excel file, select “Edit mode” from the menu opened by the right softkey. Navigate to the cell you wish to edit, and select “Cell text” from the “Edit” sub-menu in the right softkey menu. This should place you in an edit field where you can use the left and right arrow keys to position the cursor at the point where you wish to start editing. Press the left softkey to save your revision to the cell entry, or select “Cancel” from the right softkey menu.

New “Character repeat filter” option. You will find this option in Control Panel > Modes > Text Processing. This is checked by default and so when you have a string of repeated symbols like 20 dashes, Mobile Speak Smartphone will only say “dash” three times.

New help mode: Press Home+Long5 in any layout and in any screen to get context-sensitive help. Press the left softkey to close this screen. Only available in English.

New settings and commands for Mobile Speak Pocket

New command for switching between existing command layouts: Press Alt+Tab (Default and Mobile Geo layout, if Mobile Geo is installed and running).

Easier way to enable and disable response to screen taps respectively: Use the commands Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Left and Alt+Ctrl+Shift+Right, rather than the touch screen itself.

New input method called Touch Keypad: This method is used in the same way as the Touch Virtual Keyboard input method, but the screen orientation remains in portrait mode. There are two keypad types: Numeric and Letters. When this input method is activated, the Numeric keypad is selected by default. You switch between keypad types by pressing the Mobile Speak Pocket Control key. The Numeric keypad has five rows with three keys each. The first four rows are similar to a 12-key dial-pad with 1,2,3 in the first row, 4,5,6 in the next, 7,8,9 in the third, and *,0,# in the fourth. The bottom row has keys for the Left softkey, Backspace key, and Right softkey (from left to right). If you wish to long-press a key in the first four rows of this keypad, press the MSP Shift key to switch to the “Numeric: Long” mode. Pressing the Shift key again will switch you back to the mode for short key presses. On the other hand, the Letters keypad has seven rows with five keys each. Letters are not arranged in QWERTY or any language-dependent keyboard layout. Instead, you have the letters ‘a’ through ‘e’ in the first row, ‘f’ through ‘j’ in the second, ‘k’ through ‘o’ in the third, ‘p’ through ‘t’ in the fourth, and ‘u’ through ‘y’ in the fifth. Then the sixth row has the following keys: ‘z’, period, apostrophe, dash, and the Symbol key. The last row has the following keys: Space, comma, ampersand, forward slash, and Backspace. When you press the Mobile Speak Pocket Shift key while the Letters keypad is selected, then you switch to the “Uppercase” mode. The first five rows will input the uppercase equivalents of the letters from ‘a’ through ‘y’. The sixth row has the following keys: ‘Z’, colon, at sign, underscore, and the Symbol key. The last row has the following keys: space, question mark, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, and Backspace. To exit the Touch Keypad, press the Mobile Speak Pocket Alt key.

To read the full list of new features and improvements made for V2.1, visit http://www.codefactory.es/descargas/family_1/product_3/Whats_new_pocketpc.html for Mobile Speak Pocket and
http://www.codefactory.es/descargas/family_1/product_2/whats_new_smartphone.html for Mobile Speak Smartphone.

New users are invited to download a free 30-day trial version of Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile Speak Smartphone and discover how Mobile Speak can convert an otherwise inaccessible mainstream device into an essential communications tool. Users of previous versions of Mobile Speak Pocket and Mobile Speak Smartphone are welcome to install the V2.1 update free-of-charge and enjoy the latest product enhancements. To obtain the download, follow the wizard at http://www.codefactory.es/en/downloads.asp?id=44.

To read more about Mobile Speak Smartphone, visit http://www.codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=36.

To read more about Mobile Speak Pocket, visit http://www.codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=98.

To learn more about the other screen readers developed by Code Factory, visit http://www.codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=16.

To buy Code Factory’s software, contact your closest distributor. A list is available at: http://www.codefactory.es/en/purchase.asp?id=54.

About Code Factory

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Terrassa/Barcelona, Spain, Code Factory is the global leader committed to the development of products designed to eliminate barriers to the accessibility of mobile technology for the blind and visually impaired. Today, Code Factory is the leading provider of screen readers, screen magnifiers, and Braille interfaces for the widest range of mainstream mobile devices including Symbian-based and Windows Mobile-powered Smartphones as well as Pocket PC phones and PDAs. Its product line is the only one to support phones working on the GSM, CDMA and WCDMA networks. Code Factory’s success lies in giving excellent customer support and in responding immediately to the needs of its end users.

Among Code Factory’s customers are well known organizations like ONCE, and carriers such as TIM, Vodafone, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and AT&T. The company also collaborated with leading TTS providers and Braille manufacturers, thus enabling Code Factory to provide excellent text-to-speech technology in many languages for Mobile Speak products, and to incorporate support for over twenty wireless Braille devices into the software.

For more information, feel free to contact Code Factory S.L.:

Code Factory, S.L., Rambla d’Egara 148 2-2, 08221 Terrassa (Barcelona)
info@codefactory.es, www.codefactory.es
Code Factory, S.L. – 2009

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your “Subscriber Preferences Page” at http://www.codefactory.es/en/services.asp. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. You also can send an email to marketing@codefactory.es for any request related to your subscription.

.

–
Caroline Ragot
Marketing Director

Code Factory
Making mobile phones and PDAs accessible to the blind and visually impaired.
Moving Accessibility Forward!
www.codefactory.es