Dolphin Computer Access today announced the forthcoming availability of a free major upgrade for all version 11 users of SuperNova Screen Reader

Scheduled for late 2009, version 11.50 will deliver Dolphin magnification, speech and Braille users a host of performance, productivity and usability improvements, as well as building on version 11 its support for Microsoft newest operating system, Windows 7. Windows 7 support Less than a week after Microsoft announced the availability of a Windows 7 public beta, Dolphin followed suit launching version 11 of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus including support for Windows 7.

Mike Hill, Development Director for Dolphin Computer Access explains the reaction to Dolphin's first public beta;

"The volume of Windows 7 support feedback received from our customers, users and prospective users has been overwhelming; people have really engaged with Dolphin's first public beta programme. As well as the human feedback, the anonymous product improvement data that our users have given us permission to collect, has also been really constructive in helping us perfect our Windows 7 support."

"Since the version 11.01 release in May 2009, Dolphin have released a further three updates for version 11 users, with more than one hundred improvements and fixes. Now that Microsoft has officially launched Windows 7, I would actively encourage all version 11 users to update to the latest version 11.04 of their Dolphin software. Numerous improvements are specifically included for our Windows 7 users, as well as fixes for users of other operating systems."

Free upgrade for version 11 users scheduled for late 2009

Dolphin Computer Access have also confirmed their intentions to provide all version 11 users of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus with a free, major upgrade to version 11.50. Scheduled to be released in late 2009, version 11.50 will immediately be available in the widest range of languages, and will include a series of major productivity, performance and usability improvements for screen reader, screen magnifier and Braille display users.

Version 11 users can expect their free upgrade to version 11.50 to include:

• Further enhancements to deliver official support for both 32-bit and 64-bit client versions of Microsoft's newest operating system for desktops and laptops, Windows 7
• A range of performance and functionality improvements to transform Dolphin's support for Microsoft Word, resulting in a more productive and pleasant experience in Microsoft Word 2007, 2003, 2002/XP
• Over 20 new quick navigation hotkeys for moving around inside a Microsoft Word document
• New more meaningful announcements for approximately 50 Microsoft Word hot key functions including formatting and style changes
• Adjustable spelling speed, great for clarifying the spelling of an unfamiliar or misspelled word
• Microsoft Word Spell Checker improvements Increase in pitch when announcing capital letters
• New step-by-step help content describing how to complete common activities in popular applications while using Dolphin software, including Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8, Word 2007, Outlook 2007, Excel 2007 and PowerPoint 2007
• 4 new verbosity schemes, designed to meet the varying needs and experiences of Dolphin software users
• Page progress announcements and download progress announcements for Internet Explorer users
• Improved support for direct draw applications such as Google Earth Now magnifies OpenGL applications such as Google Earth
• New mouse pointer schemes
• Official support for 64-bit Citrix environments
• New and updated Braille translation tables including Arabic and Slovak
• Literary Braille input for the HIMS Braille Sense Plus.

Version 11 users act now

Version 11 users of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus looking to migrate to Windows 7 are encouraged to update to the latest version 11.04 by turning on their Dolphin internet updater. Step-by-step instructions are available from the Dolphin Computer Access website. Network Administrators may prefer to download the update patch. Customers looking to evaluate Dolphin's Windows 7 public beta support are able to download a 30-day trial from the Dolphin website. Version 11 users that would like to receive priority notification of the free major upgrade to version 11.50 should sign up for 'Find Out First', via the Help menu in their Dolphin Control Panel. Alternatively anyone can sign up to receive the Dolphin newsletter via the Dolphin website.

Visit Dolphin's website for more information

More Accessibility Features in Open Source Operating System for Mobile Phones Android 1.6

The most recent release of Android 1.6, a.k.a. Donut, introduces accessibility features designed to make Android apps more widely usable by blind and low-vision users. In brief, Android 1.6 includes a built-in screenreader and text-to-speech (TTS) engine which make it possible to use most Android applications, as well as all of Androids default UI, when not looking at the screen. Android-powered devices with Android 1.6 and future software versions will include the following accessibility enhancements:

• Text-to-Speech (TTS) is now bundled with the Android platform. The platform comes with voices for English (U.S. and U.K.), French, Italian, Spanish and German.
• A standardized Text To Speech API is part of the Android SDK, and this enables developers to create high-quality talking applications.
• Starting with Android 1.6, the Android platform includes a set of easy to use accessibility APIs that make it possible to create accessibility aids such as screenreaders for the blind. Application authors can easily ensure that their applications remain usable by blind and visually impaired users by ensuring that all parts of the user interface are reachable via the trackball; and all image controls have associated textual metadata.
• Starting with Android 1.6, the Android platform comes with applications that provide spoken, auditory (non-speech sounds) and haptic (vibration) feedback. Named TalkBack, SoundBack and KickBack, these applications are available via the Settings > Accessibility menu. In addition, project Eyes-Free (which includes accessibility tools such as TalkBack) provides several UI enhancements for using touch-screen input. Many of these innovations are available via Android Market and are already being heavily used. We believe these eyes-free tools will serve our users with special needs as well.

You can turn on the accessibility features by going to Settings --> Accessibility and checking the box "Accessibility". While the web browser and browser-based applications do not yet "talk" using these enhancements, we're working on them for upcoming releases. Check out this Google Open Source Blog post for more details, and stay tuned to the eyes-free channel on YouTube for step-by-step demonstrations on configuring and using accessibility support on Android.

Freedom Scientific Releases JAWS® 11

Freedom Scientific announced the English release of JAWS version 11, the worlds leading screen reader for visually impaired computer users. This new release includes features that will expand educational and employment opportunities for users at all levels. These new features include Research It, Word Index, a free software DAISY player, and enhancements specifically for Windows 7, including UI Automation support and improved ARIA support. The new Research It feature lets users quickly access information for any application and immediately return to what they were doing. Use just a few keystrokes to look up information such as word definitions, Wikipedia results, weather conditions, news stories, or even sports scores. When you have finished reviewing the information, simply press ESCAPE to return to your current task. An Internet connection is all that is required to use Research It with JAWS 11. There is also a very comprehensive Research It Developer's Guide that shows how individuals or organizations can modify Research It to create their own lookups on the Web or even within their own network for improved on-the-job efficiency.

Beginning with PAC Mate™ Omni earlier this year and now with JAWS 11, Freedom Scientific is pleased to include a free FSReader software DAISY player for all of our customers. “There is no question that DAISY books are becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives," said Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management, "and having a free reader installed along with our screen reader and MAGic® screen magnification products is a real benefit. We have also updated all the free Basic Training DAISY books, and they are all now shipping right on the DVD.

Visit Freedom Scientific for all details on Jaws 11