@Freedom Scientific Newsletter
PEARL and OpenBook 9 Now Shipping
Version 9 of Freedom Scientific’s popular OpenBook® scanning and reading software has now been released. It is available for both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows®, and contains many new features. Highlights include:
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Customers who have received their new PEARL camera with OpenBook report they are delighted with the speed, accuracy, portability, and ease of use.
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OpenBook 9 sells for $995, and an upgrade from any previous version is $150. The PEARL camera is priced at $1,195 with a Special Half-off Introductory Price of $600, extended through October 31, 2010. For more information check out the PEARL product page. |
JAWS 11 Free Update Released in August
The latest version of our JAWS screen reading software, 11.0.1467, was released in August. It can be obtained by checking for updates from the Help Menu, or by downloading the full update.
In this update, new features include:
- Multi-monitor support. JAWS now works on Windows 7 or Windows Vista® computers configured to use multiple monitors.
- Update to MLB and NFL scores in Research It. The MLB Scores and NFL Scores lookup sources in Research It have been expanded and now provide links to box scores and game summaries.
A free update to MAGic 11 will also soon be released, including dual monitor support in Windows 7 and Vista.
PAC Mate 6.5 Announced
Freedom Scientific will soon be releasing an update to the software for the PAC Mate Omni™ accessible Pocket PC.
New features include:
- The RealSpeak voices that have become popular in many other Freedom Scientific products come to PAC Mate Omni. Not only does this give English language users a wider selection of natural sounding voices, but it also further extends PAC Mate Omni’s utility to those who work with multiple languages.
- Unified instant messaging with Mundu® IM, providing easy access to a wide range of instant messaging networks including AIM®, Windows Live, Google Talk® and Yahoo®.
- Built-in DAISY support with the FSReader™ DAISY player
PAC Mate 6.5 is a free update to all PAC Mate Omni users.
JAWS 12 Public Beta Coming in September
The much anticipated public beta of JAWS 12 will soon be available from our Web site. This is your opportunity to be on the cutting edge of screen reading technology and provide us with feedback at the final stage of the development process.
JAWS 12 has many exciting new features that enhance your efficiency and productivity on the PC. To find out about them, don’t miss the August FSCast.
New Free Webinars for JAWS 12 and PAC Mate Omni
Our Training Department has put together four new FREE Webinars:
- PAC Mate Omni, an Introduction, October 5, 2010
- Virtual Ribbon Menus - New in JAWS 12, November 15, 2010
- Settings Center - New in JAWS 12, November 16, 2010
- Text Analyzer - New in JAWS 12, November 30, 2010
Read more and register online at the e-learning entrance page of the Freedom Scientific Training Headquarters.
Hands-on Workshops in Saint Petersburg for the Fourth Quarter
Hands-on, instructor-led workshops held in our Saint Petersburg, Florida, headquarters training lab are the absolute best way to learn more about JAWS screen reading software and MAGic screen magnification software. All of these workshops will be taught with JAWS 12 and Windows 7. Now is the time to enhance your skill set. For the fourth quarter, we have the following workshops scheduled:
- Supporting and Teaching Windows with JAWS and MAGic, September 13 through 17, 2010 - $1,249
- Web Page Testing with JAWS, October 26 and 27, 2010 - $499
- Basics of Scripting with JAWS and MAGic, November 1 through 5, 2010 - $1,249
- Supporting and Teaching Windows with JAWS and MAGic, December 6 through 10, 2010 - $1,249
- Script Development with JAWS and MAGic, December 13 through 17, 2010 - $1,249
Purchase two or more workshops at the same time or attend two workshops back-to-back and receive a 10 percent discount on each workshop.
Visit the training workshop page for more information on these and other training workshops.
WYNN is Centerpiece to Australia’s Write to Read Project
The Westport Club, a local community club of the Port Macquarie-Hastings region of New South Wales, Australia, recently partnered with Quantum Technology to provide assistive technology that supports students with significant learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
The Westport Club’s vision is to "make a significant contribution to the quality of community life." It sees its commitment as one that responds to the community’s specific needs by identifying and building relationships. So when Jim Bond, a dyslexia campaigner, and Quantum Technology came to discuss the growing problem of learning disabilities among Australian school children, the club was “all ears.”
Attention to this situation was brought to the forefront when a 2009 report from the Council of Australia Governments (COAG) revealed that working age Australians were below required literacy and numeric skills needed to meet the demands of everyday life. This report led the New South Wales Department of Education to create new guidelines for the teaching of literacy, based on the recommendations of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
- Improve curricula delivered in a structured, sequential, and explicit way for all students
- Intensive intervention for those children struggling to keep up with their peers
- Identify children who do not respond to well-supported teaching methods and work very hard with minimum progress as “children with dyslexia”
- Develop strategies and identify appropriate technology to compensate for learning problems
Since failure to learn to read can lead children to have a variety of lifelong struggles, socially and behaviorally as well as educationally, the Westport Club recognized that it wanted to make a difference in the lives of these children. In doing so, it would improve the quality of life for the children and for the community in general. It recognized that without intervention, dyslexia could have social and economic costs for the community in the future.
The Write to Read Project is Born
Working together, The Westport Club and Quantum Technology created The Write to Read project. The project will address the needs of the 5 to 10 percent of the school population who are experiencing low self-esteem, severe frustration, and perhaps some social and behavioral problems at school and at home. They want the appropriate technology and training to be given to the children who need assistance in the learning process and believe WYNN is the best technology to assist with this goal.
As acknowledged by the ACARA, reasons for struggling to read or write vary with the individual. Therefore, presentation of materials should also vary to meet individual needs. Quantum Technology suggested to The Westport Club that WYNN software be the centerpiece to The Write to Read project. WYNN provides an individual learning environment tailored to each child’s needs and, therefore, could bring flexibility and modern technology into the classroom.
This conclusion was based on the following WYNN precepts:
- Contains a range of tools to help struggling readers to change the way information is presented
- Converts any text into speech – children may listen to their books, assignments, or tests
- Reads Web pages aloud, providing valuable information while children are studying
- Words are brightly highlighted as read, so students may easily follow along
- Provides writing assistance through Word Prediction
- Provides an array of study tools including the ability for children to record their thoughts
After reviewing WYNN, The Westport Club agreed with Quantum Technology that WYNN would be a valuable tool in the plan for improving literacy among the students of the area. The Club provided money to purchase WYNN for implementation into 11 schools in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region. These funds will also provide training of teachers and students by Quantum Technology.
Project Takes Off in June
The Write to Read project was implemented on June 7, 2010. As part of this project, WYNN will help to provide greater independence to struggling students by enabling them to perform tasks they formerly had difficulty accomplishing. This, in turn, is expected to lead to greater self-confidence, improved grades, a sense of achievement, and a new lease on learning through the use of assistive technology. The Westport Club’s vision of making a difference through The Write to Read project continues the Club’s strong tradition of support to the community.
FSCast Talks to a Totally Blind Doctor; JAWS 12 Preview
The July edition of FSCast, Freedom Scientific’s official podcast, features an interview with Dr. Tim Cordes, one of only two qualified medical doctors in the United States who are blind.
In the August edition, Eric Damery unveils many of the new features in our JAWS 12 screen reading software, which will be available for download in public beta shortly.
You won’t want to miss any of these interviews, and you won’t if you subscribe to FSCast. The subscription is free, and delivers notification right to your computer when new FSCasts are released. If you did miss a previous FSCast, catch up by visiting the FSCast archives to download FSCast episodes in MP3.
Reminder: With JAWS now providing excellent support for iTunes, you can subscribe to FSCast through the iTunes Store.
Freedom Scientific's Mission
To develop, manufacture, and market technology-based products that provide equal access to information and computing for those with vision impairments or learning disabilities.
