VoiceNote mPower QT USER GUIDE V7.0 11 Mary Muller Drive P.O. Box 3044, Christchurch, New Zealand. Telephone +64 3 3844555. Fax +64 3 3844933 E-mail: info@humanware.com World Wide Web: http://www.humanware.com P/N NT296 Corporate HumanWare Limited Headquarters 11 Mary Muller Drive, P.O. Box 3044 Christchurch, New Zealand Phone: +64 3 384 4555 Fax: +64 3 384 4933 e-mail: info@humanware.com Web: www.humanware.com North America 175 Mason Circle Concord, CA 94520, USA Phone: (800) 722 3393 Fax: (925) 681 4630 e-mail: us.sales@humanware.com 1030 René-Lévesque, Drummondville, Québec, CANADA Phone: 1-888-723 7273 Fax: (819) 471 4828 e-mail: ca.sales@humanware.com Europe 3 Blotts Barn Business Centre Brooks Road, Raunds, Northamptonshire NN9 6NS United Kingdom Phone: 01933 626000 Fax: 01933 626204 e-mail: eu.sales@humanware.com Bredaseweg 108a, 4914 NS Oosterhout The Netherlands Phone: 31 162 437 910 Fax: 31 162 437 904 Sjouddev. 8, 35246 Växjö Sweden Phone: 46 470 764 490 Fax: 46 470 711 088 Australia Suite 2, 7-11 Railway Street, P O Box 944, Baulkham Hills Asia NSW 2153, Australia Phone: (02) 9686 2600 Fax: (02) 9686 2855 e-mail: au.sales@humanware.com Copyright © 2005 HumanWare Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express written permission of HumanWare Limited. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this user guide is correct at the time of issue. Neither HumanWare Limited nor its agents assume responsibility for errors or omissions in this information. No liability is assumed for damages resulting from the use of this information. This product complies with the requirements of EMC Directive 89/336/EEC. Braille translation copyright © 1975-2005 Duxbury Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Authorised European Union Representative: HumanWare 3 Blotts Barn Business Centre Brooks Road, Raunds Northamptonshire NN9 6NS United Kingdom phone: +44 (0) 1933 626 000 fax: +44 (0)1933 626 204 e-mail: eu.info@humanware.com web: www.humanware.com Susceptibility to Interference. There may be temporary degradation of the image when the VoiceNote mPower QT is subjected to a strong radio-frequency field, electro-static discharge or transient electrical noise. FCC Warning. This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, in accordance with the manufacturer's instruction, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device in accordance with Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC Rules and Regulations, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: 1. Reorient the receiving antenna. 2. Relocate the equipment with respect to the receiver. 3. Move the equipment away from the receiver. 4. Plug the equipment into a different outlet so that the equipment and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the booklet prepared by the Federal Communication Commission helpful: "How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems". This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4. Shielded cables and certified Class B peripherals must be used on this product. Using unshielded cables or uncertified peripherals may result in this unit not complying with FCC Rules Part 15. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user's authority to operate this equipment. Notice for Canada. This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment regulations. Modem Information (USA ONLY) This equipment complies with Part 68 of the FCC rules. Located on the equipment is a label that contains, among other information, the FCC registration number and ringer equivalence number (REN). If requested, this information must be provided to the telephone company. The REN is used to determine the quantity of devices which may be connected to the telephone line. Excessive REN's on the telephone line may result in the devices not ringing in response to an incoming call. In most, but not all areas, the sum of the REN's should not exceed five (5.0). To be certain of the number of devices that may be connected to the line, as determined by the total REN's contact the telephone company to determine the maximum REN for the calling area. This equipment cannot be used on the telephone company-provided coin service. Connection to Party Line Service is subject to State Tariffs. If this equipment causes harm to the telephone network, the telephone company will notify you in advance that temporary discontinuance of service may be required. If advance notice isn't practical, the telephone company will notify the customer as soon as possible. Also, you will be advised of your right to file a complaint with the FCC if you believe it is necessary. The telephone company may make changes in its facilities, equipment, operations, or procedures that could affect the operation of the equipment. If this happens, the telephone company will provide advance notice in order for you to make the necessary modifications in order to maintain uninterrupted service. If trouble is experienced with this equipment, please contact: HumanWare 175 Mason Circle Concord CA 94520 Phone 800-722-3393 If the trouble is causing harm to the telephone network, the telephone company may request you to remove the equipment from the network until the problem is resolved. This equipment uses the following USOC jacks: RJ11C It is recommended that the customer install an AC surge arrester in the AC outlet to which this device is connected. This is to avoid damaging the equipment caused by local lightening strikes and other electrical surges. This equipment is Hearing-Aid Compatible (HAC). The telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 makes it unlawful for any person to use a computer or other electronic device, including fax machines, to send any message unless such message clearly contains in a margin at the top or bottom of each transmitted page or on the first page of the transmission, the date and time it is sent and an identification of the business or other entity, or other individual sending the message and the telephone number of the sending machine or such business, other entity, or individual. (The telephone number provided may not be a 900 number or any other number for which charges exceed local or long-distance transmission charges.) Contents 1 Getting Started....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Equipment Checklist. ................................................................................ 1 1.2 General Features........................................................................................ 2 1.3 Software Features...................................................................................... 3 1.4 Orientation................................................................................................. 5 1.5 Keyboard. .................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Power Switch.............................................................................................6 1.7 Speech. ...................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Earphones. ................................................................................................. 7 1.9 KeySoft Concepts...................................................................................... 8 1.10 The KeySoft Menus. ............................................................................... 10 1.11 A First Experience................................................................................... 13 1.12 General Functions. .................................................................................. 16 1.13 Switching Between Tasks. ...................................................................... 20 1.14 Keyboard Assistance. .............................................................................. 21 1.15 Saving before Switching off....................................................................21 1.16 Setting Time and Date............................................................................. 22 1.17 User Settings. .......................................................................................... 24 1.18 User Guide............................................................................................... 25 1.19 Where to Now. ........................................................................................ 27 2 VoiceNote mPower QT Hardware. ...................................................... 29 2.1 The Battery. ............................................................................................. 29 2.2 Long Term Storage. ................................................................................ 35 2.3 Using the Serial Port. .............................................................................. 36 2.4 PC Cards.................................................................................................. 41 2.5 Compact Flash Cards. ............................................................................. 43 2.6 Secure Digital Cards. .............................................................................. 44 2.7 USB Peripherals. ..................................................................................... 45 2.8 External Disk Drive................................................................................. 47 2.9 Using a Remote Visual Display. ............................................................. 50 2.10 Remote Synthesizer................................................................................. 53 2.11 General Care............................................................................................ 53 3 Word Processor. .................................................................................. 55 3.1 What is a Word Processor. ...................................................................... 55 3.2 Text and Braille. ...................................................................................... 56 3.3 The KeyWord Menu. .............................................................................. 57 3.4 Documents Folders and Drives. .............................................................. 58 3.5 Opening a Document............................................................................... 60 3.6 Naming a Document. .............................................................................. 62 3.7 Creating a Document............................................................................... 63 3.8 Reading a Document. .............................................................................. 63 3.9 Review Commands. ................................................................................ 66 3.10 The Cursor............................................................................................... 67 3.11 Format Indicators. ................................................................................... 69 3.12 Editing a Document................................................................................. 71 3.13 Breaking your Document into Pages. ..................................................... 74 3.14 Checking the Word Count and File name. .............................................. 75 3.15 Searching a Document. ........................................................................... 75 3.16 Checking the Cursor Position..................................................................78 3.17 Going to a Specified Position.................................................................. 78 3.18 Marking Places for Quick Reference. ..................................................... 79 3.19 The Spelling Checker. ............................................................................. 80 3.20 Opening ASCII and Plain Braille format Documents.............................85 3.21 Large Documents. ................................................................................... 88 3.22 Switching Between Documents. ............................................................. 88 4 Book Reader. ....................................................................................... 89 4.1 Reading the Sample Book. ...................................................................... 89 4.2 Additional Reading Commands. ............................................................. 90 4.3 Miscellaneous commands. ...................................................................... 92 4.4 Review Book Opening Options. ............................................................. 93 4.5 Reading Books Stored on Other Drives. ................................................. 95 4.6 Exiting KeyBook..................................................................................... 97 4.7 Bookshare................................................................................................ 98 5 General Functions. ............................................................................ 103 5.1 Date. ...................................................................................................... 104 5.2 Time Options......................................................................................... 104 5.3 Grade of Keyboard Braille Entry. ......................................................... 106 5.4 Braille Options. ..................................................................................... 107 5.5 Keyboard Settings. ................................................................................ 108 5.6 Review Voice. ....................................................................................... 109 5.7 Visual Display. ...................................................................................... 111 5.8 Next Appointment. ................................................................................ 112 5.9 Power and Battery Status. ..................................................................... 112 5.10 User Guide............................................................................................. 112 5.11 Insertion................................................................................................. 113 5.12 Repeat and Spell.................................................................................... 114 5.13 Hear Punctuation. .................................................................................. 114 5.14 Move to Another Task. ......................................................................... 115 5.15 Change Speech Volume Rate and Pitch................................................ 116 5.16 Editing at a Prompt................................................................................ 117 6 Embossing and Printing Documents..................................................119 6.1 Setting Up the Embosser or Printer....................................................... 119 6.2 Printing with Infrared. ........................................................................... 119 6.3 Printing with USB. ................................................................................ 120 6.4 Printing with Bluetooth. ........................................................................ 120 6.5 Embossing or Printing a Document. ..................................................... 121 6.6 Embossing Options. .............................................................................. 121 6.7 Embossing a Group of Documents. ...................................................... 123 6.8 The Embosser Set-up List. .................................................................... 123 6.9 Printing a Braille Document.................................................................. 126 6.10 Testing the Embosser. ........................................................................... 127 6.11 The Printer Set-Up List. ........................................................................ 128 6.12 Testing the Printer. ................................................................................ 128 7 Advanced Word Processing. ............................................................. 129 7.1 Overview. .............................................................................................. 130 7.2 Document Types. .................................................................................. 131 7.3 Formatting a Text Document. ............................................................... 132 7.4 Formatting a Text Document for Embossing........................................ 145 7.5 Block Commands. ................................................................................. 152 7.6 Cursor Movement Modes...................................................................... 161 7.7 Moving to the Start of the Next Line. ................................................... 162 7.8 Moving to the Next Tab. ....................................................................... 162 7.9 Inserting the Time Date or Calculator Result. ...................................... 163 7.10 Binding Spaces. ..................................................................................... 164 7.11 Pasting an Address. ............................................................................... 164 7.12 Working with Documents on other Drives. .......................................... 165 7.13 Saving a Document. .............................................................................. 166 7.14 Quitting a Document. ............................................................................ 167 7.15 Creating Other Document Types. ......................................................... 168 7.16 Braille Documents................................................................................. 169 7.17 Formatting a Braille Document............................................................. 171 7.18 Extended Characters.............................................................................. 181 8 Scientific Calculator. .......................................................................... 189 8.1 Entering KeyPlus. ................................................................................. 189 8.2 Entering a Calculation........................................................................... 190 8.3 Basic Operations. .................................................................................. 192 8.4 Memory Operations. ............................................................................. 199 8.5 Scientific Operations. ............................................................................ 201 8.6 Inserting a Result or a Calculation. ....................................................... 205 9 Planner. ............................................................................................. 207 9.1 Entering the Planner. ............................................................................. 207 9.2 The KeyPlan Menu. .............................................................................. 207 9.3 Selecting a Date..................................................................................... 208 9.4 Scheduling Appointments. .................................................................... 212 9.5 Recurring Appointments. ...................................................................... 215 9.6 Reviewing the Appointments. ............................................................... 220 9.7 Changing an Existing Appointment. ..................................................... 223 9.8 Selecting Another Date. ........................................................................ 226 9.9 Alarms. .................................................................................................. 226 9.10 Embossing and Printing. ....................................................................... 230 10 Address List. ...................................................................................... 231 10.1 Adding an Address. ............................................................................... 232 10.2 Looking Up an Address. ....................................................................... 235 10.3 Changing a Field or Adding More Information. ................................... 237 10.4 Deleting a Record.................................................................................. 238 10.5 Duplicating a Record............................................................................. 239 10.6 Inserting an Address into a Document. ................................................. 239 10.7 Embossing Addresses............................................................................ 240 10.8 Printing Addresses. ............................................................................... 242 10.9 Templates. ............................................................................................. 242 10.10 Copying Addresses................................................................................ 246 10.11 Selecting an Address List...................................................................... 249 10.12 Creating an Address List. ...................................................................... 250 10.13 Using KeyList to Manipulate Databases............................................... 252 11 E-mail................................................................................................. 253 11.1 What Can KeyMail Do.......................................................................... 254 11.2 KeyMail Menu. ..................................................................................... 255 11.3 Before You Start....................................................................................257 11.4 Correcting Input Errors. ........................................................................ 258 11.5 Writing an E-mail Message................................................................... 259 11.6 Attaching a file to an e-mail.................................................................. 261 11.7 Read E-mail........................................................................................... 262 11.8 Connect to Send and Receive E-mail.................................................... 276 11.9 Setup Options. ....................................................................................... 280 12 Web Browser. .................................................................................... 287 12.1 Overview. .............................................................................................. 287 12.2 Connecting to the World Wide Web..................................................... 288 12.3 Changing to another Part of KeySoft. ................................................... 288 12.4 Logging on. ........................................................................................... 289 12.5 Navigation. ............................................................................................ 290 12.6 Moving from Page to Page or Site to Site............................................. 294 12.7 Page Management. ................................................................................ 295 12.8 Application Management. ..................................................................... 297 12.9 Favorites. ............................................................................................... 300 12.10 History. .................................................................................................. 302 12.11 Saving and Refreshing Web Pages. ...................................................... 304 12.12 Tables. ................................................................................................... 306 13 Connectivity ....................................................................................... 307 13.1 Understanding Connectivity Concepts..................................................308 13.2 Connection Configurations. .................................................................. 309 13.3 The Connectivity Menu......................................................................... 310 13.4 Using a Wireless Connection. ............................................................... 311 13.5 Wireless Configuration Options............................................................ 315 13.6 Dial up and LAN Connections.............................................................. 316 13.7 Active Connection Details. ................................................................... 322 13.8 Review an existing connection configuration....................................... 322 13.9 Glossary of terms: ................................................................................. 324 13.10 Troubleshooting. ................................................................................... 324 13.11 Firewalls. ............................................................................................... 325 13.12 Bluetooth. .............................................................................................. 326 13.13 Accessing the Network through your VoiceNote mPower QT. ........... 330 13.14 ActiveSync. ........................................................................................... 335 13.15 KeySync. ............................................................................................... 347 13.16 File Synchronization. ............................................................................ 364 14 File Manager...................................................................................... 367 14.1 Selecting Files Folders and Drives........................................................ 368 14.2 Checking the Spelling of Folder or File Names.................................... 368 14.3 The Directory Option. ........................................................................... 369 14.4 Folder Manager. .................................................................................... 369 14.5 Copying a File. ...................................................................................... 372 14.6 Erasing a File......................................................................................... 373 14.7 Renaming a File. ................................................................................... 373 14.8 Moving a File. ....................................................................................... 374 14.9 Protecting a File. ................................................................................... 374 14.10 Groups of Files and Wild Cards............................................................ 375 14.11 What is a Directory. .............................................................................. 377 14.12 Creating Renaming and Erasing Sub-Directories. ................................ 380 14.13 File Translation. .................................................................................... 383 14.14 Translation Menu. ................................................................................. 384 14.15 Importing Files. ..................................................................................... 384 15 Utilities Menu. .................................................................................... 401 15.1 Backup or Restore Files. ....................................................................... 401 15.2 Pronunciation Dictionary. ..................................................................... 405 15.3 Date and Time Set. ................................................................................ 408 15.4 Application Programs............................................................................ 409 15.5 Miscellaneous Options. ......................................................................... 410 15.6 Key Management. ................................................................................. 411 16 Media Center. .................................................................................... 413 16.1 Media Player. ........................................................................................ 413 16.2 Information on your media file. ............................................................ 420 16.3 Changing Tasks. .................................................................................... 421 16.4 Audio Recorder. .................................................................................... 421 17 Database Manager. ........................................................................... 435 17.1 KeyBase Menu. ..................................................................................... 437 17.2 Exporting data. ...................................................................................... 446 17.3 Creating a new Database. ...................................................................... 447 17.4 Sort Orders. ........................................................................................... 457 17.5 Record Title........................................................................................... 459 17.6 Associated Database Name ................................................................... 460 17.7 Database File Management. .................................................................. 462 18 Games. .............................................................................................. 465 18.1 Starting a game...................................................................................... 467 18.2 Entering commands............................................................................... 468 18.3 Leaving a game. .................................................................................... 471 18.4 Saving games......................................................................................... 472 18.5 Reading previous moves. ...................................................................... 473 18.6 The status line........................................................................................ 475 18.7 The single key mode. ............................................................................ 476 18.8 Downloading and playing more games................................................. 477 18.9 Selecting games for children................................................................. 477 18.10 Freely available games. ......................................................................... 477 18.11 Commercial games................................................................................ 478 18.12 Hints and walkthroughs......................................................................... 478 18.13 Internet resources. ................................................................................. 479 18.14 History of text adventure games. .......................................................... 480 19 Command Summary.......................................................................... 481 19.1 General Commands. .............................................................................. 481 19.2 Wordprocessor. ..................................................................................... 486 19.3 Calculator. ............................................................................................. 495 19.4 Planner................................................................................................... 498 19.5 Address List...........................................................................................503 19.6 E-mail. ................................................................................................... 504 19.7 Database Manager. ................................................................................ 506 19.8 Games.................................................................................................... 508 19.9 Unicode Characters. .............................................................................. 510 19.10 Web Browser......................................................................................... 510 19.11 Stopwatch. ............................................................................................. 514 19.12 Media Player. ........................................................................................ 515 19.13 Audio Recorder. .................................................................................... 515 19.14 FM Radio............................................................................................... 516 Appendix A User Settings for VoiceNote mPower QT. ............................. 517 Appendix B Information on BookShare. .................................................... 519 Appendix C Troubleshooting the VoiceNote mPower QT. ........................ 521 Appendix D Computer Braille Reference List. ........................................... 525 1 Getting Started. Welcome to the VoiceNote mPower QT, an innovative personal productivity system, from HumanWare. VoiceNote mPower QT incorporates a computer style keyboard, high quality responsive speech, and a suite of powerful applications running under the Windows CE operating system, all packaged into a truly portable system. This user guide tells you all about the VoiceNote mPower QT. Note: For ease of reading, the VoiceNote mPower QT will be referred to as VoiceNote mPower QT throughout the rest of this user guide. 1.1 Equipment Checklist. Carefully unpack your VoiceNote mPower QT. Save the box and packing materials for future use. Your VoiceNote mPower QT package comprises the following items: VoiceNote mPower QT; AC adapter; Slim line carrying case; stereo Earphones; USB cable; Modem data cable; Serial communications cable; 9 to 25 pin cable adapter; Audio CD containing a "Getting Started Tutorial;" Getting Started Guide in embossed Braille; Command summary in ink-print; PC software for BrailleNote Family on CD-ROM. Your VoiceNote mPower QT may also include a modem cable adapter if you live in the UK, Australia or New Zealand. 1.1.1 Optional items include: BrailleNote GPS. Braille Manual. Multilingual – add on languages including french, german and spanish. Software Maintenance agreements. 1.2 General Features. The VoiceNote QT is a compact portable Personal Organizer with a computer style keyboard and synthesized speech output. The VoiceNote mPower QT runs under the Windows CE 4.2 operating system. It has serial, USB client and host ports and a Bluetooth transceiver as well as a high-speed infrared port. The VoiceNote mPower QT has 128MB of flash memory technology to retain information indefinitely even if the batteries run flat. A Type 2 Compact Flash slot and a Type 2 PC card slot allow for additional storage and LAN and/or wireless Network options. The Secure Digital (SD) card slot allows for another 1 Gigabyte of memory, and the USB host port will take a range of memory devices. 1.3 Software Features. A multi-purpose program, called KeySoft, running under the Windows CE operating system, is especially designed for people with a visual impairment. KeySoft provides the following functions: A word processor called KeyWord that is powerful yet surprisingly simple to learn. KeyWord has most of the features of an office word processor, including unlimited text insertion, search and replace, indents, clipboard operations, spell check and so on. It can even directly import and export the popular Microsoft Word format documents. An e-mail program called KeyMail that lets you send and receive electronic mail. KeyMail works using a standard e-mail connection. You can also send and receive attachments with your e-mail. An internet browser called KeyWeb, that allows you to search and use the world wide web and also read locally stored html documents. A Media player that plays a range of audio format files and allows you to record and play back memos. It also provides you with an FM Radio that can be automatically tuned and have multiple stations preset. A calendar, scheduler and planner called KeyPlan. Your entries may include alarms that sound even if the VoiceNote mPower QT is switched off. An address list manager called KeyList that sorts your entries and allows flexible searching. Addresses can be copied into letters and e-mail. A synchronization Tool called KeySync that works in conjunction with KeyPlan and KeyList to keep their records up to date with MS Outlook on a PC. A 10 digit scientific calculator called KeyPlus. Support is provided for both Nemeth and British Braille mathematics. A book reader called KeyBook that enables you to read Braille books, or books in any standard text format including Microsoft Word format. Books opened in KeyBook are protected from accidental editing. A Keyboard Learn function that helps you to learn the keyboard layout and the available quick key functions. A File Manager that allows folder management and files to be copied, renamed, protected, deleted or translated. A program called ActiveSync that allows the VoiceNote mPower QT disk structure to be viewed and managed on a PC running Microsoft Windows. A Database Manager called KeyBase that allows you to develop new databases and modify the definition of existing databases. An application that enables you to play text adventure games, also known as Interactive Fiction. These games are played using text-based input and output. A Remote Synthesizer mode that allows the VoiceNote mPower QT to act as a speech synthesizer for other computers. You can switch easily between these KeySoft tasks, which are fully integrated so you can transfer information between them. KeySoft has both forward and back translators, so a text document can be imported into the VoiceNote mPower QT and translated automatically into an uncontracted (grade 1) or contracted (grade 2) Braille document, and vice versa. The VoiceNote mPower QT can output its display to a separate visual display. Sighted observers or teachers can use the visual display screen to view what you are doing on the VoiceNote mPower QT. A remote screen viewer based on the Palm hand-held computer is also available. Information can be transferred to and from another computer such as a PC or Apple Macintosh, or specialized equipment such as a self-contained scanning system. 1.3.1 The Windows CE Operating System. The Windows CE operating system version 4.2 is a modern, powerful operating system designed for small hand-held computers. It supports many technologies such as e-mail, desktop PC synchronization, portable mass storage and more. 1.4 Orientation. VoiceNote mPower QT is supplied in a slim line wrap around leather carry case. To open the case, lift the flap on the front edge. Fold back the case to allow operation of the VoiceNote mPower QT. A panel of netting holds the VoiceNote in place, this runs across the top of the front face, just beyond the keyboard. The speaker is positioned beneath this netting. 1.5 Keyboard. The keyboard has a standard typewriter layout for letters and numbers. To position your hands correctly there are small raised dots on each of the "home" keys, F and J. There is also a raised dot on the I key. As discussed later, the Keyboard Learn mode, accessible from the Main Menu, is an invaluable aid towards learning the placement of the various keys. The bottom row of keys, from the left, consists of 11 keys as follows: CONTROL, HELP, MENU, FUNCTION, SPACE BAR, REPEAT, SINGLE QUOTE, DELETE, LEFT ARROW, DOWN ARROW, and RIGHT ARROW. The function key has a raised dot on it. On the second row, SHIFT is at the left-hand end and SLASH is the right-most key. The last five keys on the second row are: COMMA, PERIOD, SHIFT, UP ARROW, and SLASH. On the third row, the left-most key is READ and the right-most key is ENTER. Between L and ENTER are the usual SEMI-COLON and APOSTROPHE keys. On the fourth row, TAB is at the left-hand end and the BACKSLASH key is at the right-hand end. The fifth or top row consists of ESCAPE, the numbers 1 through 9, then 0 followed by DASH, EQUALS, and BACKSPACE. To help you locate the number keys, the 3, 7, and 0 keys have raised dots on them. In this User Guide, combination key presses are described in the following way. The instruction: Press READ with T, means that you should hold down the READ key, press the T key briefly, then release both keys. It is important that you fully depress the first key, in this case the READ key, before you press the second key, which is in this case the T key. 1.6 Power Switch. From the front edge of your VoiceNote mPower QT, move your hand along the left side of the case and towards the rear and you will come upon a rocker type power switch surrounded by a raised rectangular frame. To switch the VoiceNote mPower QT on, press the power switch near the front of the rocker. A power on message is announced, the content of which will depend on where the VoiceNote mPower QT was when you last switched off. To switch off, press the power switch near the rear of the rocker. Every time you switch the VoiceNote mPower QT on, its operation resumes in exactly the same place as it was when you switched it off. If you are not sure if the VoiceNote mPower QT is on or off, feel the position of the power switch. If you don’t use the VoiceNote mPower QT for approximately 10 minutes it will enter hibernate mode, where the power drawn from the battery is the same as if the unit was switched off. Pressing any key will end the hibernate mode, but it is recommended that you momentarily press READ with SPACE to end the hibernate mode. This will avoid the possibility of inserting unwanted characters if a document was open when the unit entered the hibernate mode. If your VoiceNote mPower QT announces "Battery low," or does not come to life, you should plug in the AC adapter. The power socket is located at the rear of the VoiceNote mPower QT on the extreme left. Locate the socket then the small plug on the end of the AC adapter cable. Plug the small AC adapter plug into the socket. Plug the AC adapter into a wall socket. The message "AC adapter on" is announced to confirm battery charging is in progress. If the VoiceNote mPower QT does not start, wait 30 seconds or so and try switching it off then on again. If this does not work then press the Reset button. The VoiceNote mPower QT immediately beeps to confirm that it has been reset. After about 10 seconds, KeySoft announces a sign on message and resumes from the Main Menu. 1.6.1 Resetting the VoiceNote mPower QT. The Reset button is located just behind the Power switch. The Reset button is recessed to avoid accidental operation, so you may need to use a pointed object to press it. Details of when and how to reset the VoiceNote mPower QT are mentioned in context throughout this user guide. There is also a detailed description of each type of reset in Appendix C Troubleshooting, as well as reference to each type under Reset Topics in the online index. 1.7 Speech. You can listen to the VoiceNote mPower QT using either the built-in loudspeaker at the center back of the VoiceNote mPower QT or headphones. If headphones are plugged in, the loudspeaker is automatically disabled. The headphone socket is on the back of the VoiceNote mPower QT, directly to the right of the central "bump". The speech volume, speed and pitch can all be controlled by keyboard commands. These commands are described fully in 1.12.3 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch, but nevertheless it is important to know how to control the volume of the speech right now. To increase the volume press FUNCTION with PERIOD. To gradually increase the volume you can hold down the FUNCTION key and tap the PERIOD key repeatedly. To decrease the volume press FUNCTION with COMMA. 1.8 Earphones. VoiceNote mPower QT comes with a set of stereo earphones. To use the earphones, adjust the volume to a comfortable level after fitting the earphones and while the VoiceNote mPower QT is speaking. The VoiceNote mPower QT will also work with a wide range of other popular ear- and headphone styles. 1.9 KeySoft Concepts. Learning to use the VoiceNote mPower QT is easy because the User Interface is very consistent. Similar operations in different parts of KeySoft are carried out in similar ways. This section covers the concepts behind the way KeySoft operates. 1.9.1 Help Messages. At any point in KeySoft you can get information about the options that are available. To do this, press HELP. KeySoft help is context sensitive, which means that you are only given help relevant to your current situation. Remember to press HELP for Help when you need it. It does not affect your work in any way, and after you have finished reading the Help message, you are returned to the point at which you selected Help. When the help system is being used to review a list of available commands, pressing ENTER on the announced command will cause that command to be executed. 1.9.2 Prompts. Whenever KeySoft requires input from you, a brief message called a prompt is announced. The prompt indicates what input is required from you. If you are unsure how to respond, press HELP for help. Where possible, KeySoft offers reasonable suggested choices. 1.9.3 Repeating Spoken Prompts. If you miss hearing a prompt when it is spoken the first time, don't worry. You can listen to it again by pressing REPEAT. 1.9.4 Automatic Cut-off of Prompts. KeySoft gives detailed spoken prompts and messages to help you learn the system. To prevent these messages slowing down an experienced user, speech is cut off automatically by the next keystroke. 1.9.5 Menus. KeySoft uses a series of menus to provide a quick and easy way of performing many complex functions. Each menu contains a list of options from which to choose. For example, the Main Menu allows you to select the Word Processor, Planner, Address List, and so on. The selection of items is described in 1.10.1 Reviewing the Main Menu. Many of the more frequently used functions are also available via short-cut key combinations. These are mentioned in context throughout this user guide, as well as being listed in the Command Summary. 1.9.6 Exiting the Current Activity. Another concept used throughout KeySoft is that of exiting what you are doing and taking one step back to the previous option point. You can do this by pressing ESCAPE. 1.9.7 Instant Access. You can switch from one KeySoft task to another with a simple key sequence. For example, you can switch from the Word Processor to the Planner, and then return to the same point in your document. For information on how to do this, refer to 1.13 Switching Between Tasks. 1.10 The KeySoft Menus. 1.10.1 Reviewing the Main Menu. To start with, go to the Main Menu by pressing MENU. KeySoft announces: "Main Menu." To announce the first item of the Main Menu, press SPACE. KeySoft announces: "Word processor." You could select the word processor at this point, but our present object is to review all the items in the Main Menu. So, press SPACE repeatedly, pausing to read and listen to each of the 16 options in the menu, which are: Word Processor; Planner; Address List; E-mail; Internet; Media Player; Book Reader; Scientific Calculator; Database Manager; Games; File Manager, which allows files to be copied, translated, etc; Utilities, which is a group of general purpose functions; Remote Synthesizer, which makes the VoiceNote mPower QT act as a speech synthesizer for other computers; Keyboard Learn, which helps you to learn the Braille keyboard functions; For Information press READ with I, which provides information about the VoiceNote mPower QT such as the serial number and software version. For the Options Menu, press FUNCTION with O, anywhere, which is a reminder of how to access the Options Menu. The last item is: "End of Menu." Having stepped forward along the menu by pressing SPACE repeatedly, you can step back by pressing BACKSPACE repeatedly. When using speech, if you don't want to hear a complete announcement, you can cut it off and move to the next item by pressing SPACE or BACKSPACE. This speech cut-off occurs at all points in KeySoft. 1.10.2 Structure. The entry point to KeySoft is the Main Menu, which contains 16 items. You can announce each of these items in turn, and select one. When you have done this, you are generally presented with another menu. The system may extend to 3 or 4 levels of sub-menu. This structure is an important aspect of KeySoft. Items are grouped together for easy location, so a huge range of functions can be found from one starting point, the Main Menu. For example, if you start at the Main Menu and choose the Word processor option, you are presented with the KeyWord menu. This contains the following items: Create a document, Open a document, Emboss a document, Print a document, and Setup options. These all relate to word-processing. If you choose to Emboss a document, you are presented with a further choice of Embossing, or Setting up the embosser, and so on. Now let's see how the Main Menu works. 1.10.3 Selecting from the Main Menu. When KeySoft announces the option you want, press the ENTER key. The exceptions are Information and Options Menu, which contain directions on how to access them. Don't worry about getting in over your head, because you can always back out of a selection by pressing ESCAPE for exit on the keyboard. When you have selected an item from the Main Menu, you are generally presented with another menu, from which you can again select an item. To announce a Help message describing your options at any point, press HELP. To return to the previous menu, press ESCAPE. To go directly to the Main Menu, press MENU. 1.10.4 Keyboard shortcuts. As well as moving through the menus an item at a time as described in the previous section, you can take a keyboard shortcut directly to the menu item by typing its first letter. This automatically selects the item, so instead of having to press ENTER when the item is announced, KeySoft takes you straight to the action selected when you would have pressed ENTER. For example, if you were at the Main Menu and you wanted to go to the Word processor, you could press W. Instead of "Word processor", KeySoft will go straight to "KeyWord Menu". Press O and instead of "Open a Document", KeySoft will go straight to "Folder Name". This is a real time saver. 1.11 A First Experience. Most people hate reading User Guides. They would much rather just have a go, on the presumption that if the product is any good, it should be obvious how it works. If that's you, then this is your section. We'll go through two simple demonstrations: in the first we'll create a basic word processor document, and in the second we'll do an addition with the calculator. You should only need the simple commands that have been introduced so far. If you are not keen on jumping in at the deep end, don't panic. It's not essential to follow these demonstrations, because after this part we'll revert to normal manual mode, and describe in detail all the wonderful things that the VoiceNote mPower QT can do. 1.11.1 General. Most people hate reading User Guides. They would much rather just have a go, on the presumption that if the product is any good, it should be obvious how it works. If that's you, then this is your section. We'll go through two simple demonstrations: in the first we'll create a basic word processor document, and in the second we'll do an addition with the calculator. You should only need the simple commands that have been introduced so far. If you are not keen on jumping in at the deep end, don't panic. It's not essential to follow these demonstrations, because after this part we'll revert to normal manual mode, and describe in detail all the wonderful things that the VoiceNote mPower QT can do. 1.11.2 Writing a Simple Document. The aim of this first exercise is to write a very simple document with the word processor. To reach a common starting point, go to the Main Menu by pressing MENU. Your VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Main menu." To get to the word processor, press W. Your VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "KeyWord menu." To Create a document, press C, for Create, and your VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Folder name? General," KeySoft is asking which part of its filing system you want to use, and is offering the "General" folder. This is fine for now, so follow the prompt and press ENTER. KeySoft then announces: "Document to create?" You are being asked to provide a name for the new document, so type a name such as: "test." When you have typed the name, press ENTER. Your VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Top of document. Blank." This means that you have created a new document named “Test,” and the cursor is sitting at the top of it. You are now free to type whatever you like. For this demo, just type a simple sentence such as: "This is a test of my new VoiceNote mPower QT." type the first word and press SPACE. Each word is spoken when the space bar is pressed. Complete your sentence. That's all we'll write for now. To finish this little exercise, press ESCAPE. Your VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "KeyWord menu." You are back at the Word processor menu, and your new document has been automatically saved. If you press ESCAPE again you arrive back where you started, at the Main Menu. 1.11.3 Trying Out the Calculator. You might also like to try out the Calculator, which you can do without any extensive knowledge of the VoiceNote mPower QT. From the Main Menu, go to the Scientific Calculator by pressing S. You hear: "KeyPlus. Zero." This means that the Calculator is ready. If someone has previously used the Calculator and it announces another number than zero, you can clear it by pressing CONTROL with I. Let's try calculating 2 + 3. The plus function is obtained by pressing the EQUALS key, you don't need to press SHIFT to obtain the plus function. To calculate the result, press ENTER. Your VoiceNote mPower QT should announce the answer "5". To complete the exercise, press MENU, to return to the Main Menu. 1.12 General Functions. Some useful general functions are available wherever you are in KeySoft. These functions may be accessed from the Options Menu, or often more conveniently via a Quick Command sequence. The general functions allow you to control the configuration of Time, Date, Braille settings and so on. You could be using the Word processor, or using the Calculator, or reading a menu when you request one of these functions. After display of the requested function you are returned to the place from where you initiated the request. The Quick Commands typically use the SPACE, BACKSPACE or ENTER key in combination with another letter. For example, FUNCTION with T announces the current time. Not all items on the Options Menu have an associated Quick Command key combination. Pressing FUNCTION with O anywhere in KeySoft will access the Options Menu. KeySoft announces: "Options menu." The Options Menu can then be reviewed by pressing the SPACE and BACKSPACE keys on the keyboard. The Options Menu comprises a long list of items. Only some of the items are relevant at this point but the complete list is provided so you know what to expect when you read the menu. Where applicable, the equivalent Quick Command is also given. The Options Menu contains the following items: Date; FUNCTION with D Time Options; For Time press FUNCTION with T For Stopwatch press FUNCTION with W Grade of Braille for Keyboard entry; Braille Options; Keyboard settings; FUNCTION with K Review voice; FUNCTION with R Connectivity; Visual display; Next appointment; FUNCTION with N Power and Battery status; User Guide; READ with HELP Insertion; FUNCTION with A Spell. Repeat and spell; FUNCTION with L Hear punctuation. Repeat with maximum punctuation; FUNCTION with P Move to another task; FUNCTION with S and finally the speech settings, a list of 6 items that tell you how to adjust the volume, speed and pitch of KeySoft's speech, and the 2 media player volume commands complete the Options menu. The "Insertion" item is announced only when it is appropriate to insert such things as the date or time such as in KeyWord. To select an item, move through the menu until the required item is displayed, and then press ENTER. Alternatively, from anywhere in the Options menu, press the initial letter of your choice. This does not apply to the speech settings, which are discussed in 1.12.3 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch. We will now deal with some of the more commonly used items in the Options menu. All the functions in the Options Menu are detailed in Chapter 5. 1.12.1 Setting the Keyboard Voice. The first of these settings determines how KeySoft speaks what you type. Press FUNCTION with O, then K for Keyboard. KeySoft announces: "Keyboard voice? Words." The options are as follows: To spell words as they are typed, press S followed by ENTER; To speak whole words, press W followed by ENTER; To both spell and speak words, press B followed by ENTER; Or just press ENTER to leave the selection unchanged. The suggested setting is "Words." You can request help, using HELP for a reminder of these options. Three further Keyboard settings are then presented relating to your preferred typing Braille grade, alerting of prompts requiring input of computer Braille and whether you wish to use 6 or 8 dot computer Braille. These are included even though your VoiceNote mPower QT has a qwerty keyboard as they affect the braille entry option. See 5.5.2 Preferred Keyboard Braille Grade. To leave the Keyboard Settings, press ESCAPE. 1.12.2 Repeating an Announcement. As we have already mentioned, you can get KeySoft to say a prompt again by pressing REPEAT if you didn't quite catch it. To repeat the prompt with variables such as file names or folder names spelled out, press FUNCTION with L. To reveal the most detail, you can repeat the last prompt with full punctuation and spaces. To do this, press FUNCTION with P. After either command you are returned to your original place in KeySoft. 1.12.3 Setting Speech Volume Speed and Pitch. The characteristics of VoiceNote mPower QT's voice can be changed anywhere in KeySoft, as follows: For higher volume, press FUNCTION with PERIOD; For lower volume, press FUNCTION with COMMA; For faster speech, press FUNCTION with EQUALS; For slower speech, press FUNCTION with DASH; For higher pitch, press SHIFT with FUNCTION with EQUALS; For lower pitch, press SHIFT with FUNCTION with DASH. There are 32 volumes, 16 speeds and 16 pitches, and they change one step at each key press. A reminder of the commands is given in the Options Menu, at the end of the list. 1.12.4 Power and Battery Status. The VoiceNote mPower QT Power & Battery status can be obtained at any time. Press FUNCTION with O, then P. KeySoft announces the battery charge level as a percentage of fully charged, and whether the AC Adapter is On or Off. For more details, refer to 2.1.3 Checking Power Status. 1.13 Switching Between Tasks. KeySoft allows you to move directly from one KeySoft task to another without returning to the Main Menu. You can switch between the Word processor, Scientific Calculator, Planner, Address List, E-Mail, etc. For example, if you are writing a document and you need an address, you can switch directly to the Address List, look up the address, and then return to the Word processor. You are placed back at the same point in your document. The following hot keys are available for switching tasks: To select the Word processor press FUNCTION with 4; To select the Scientific Calculator press FUNCTION with 5; To select the Database Manager press SHIFT with FUNCTION with D; To select the Games press FUNCTION with G; To select the Planner press FUNCTION with 6; To select the Address List press FUNCTION with 7; To select the E-mail system press FUNCTION with 8; To select the Book Reader press FUNCTION with 9; To select the Internet browser, press FUNCTION with 0 (zero); To select the Media Player, press FUNCTION with M. There is also a Task menu available. To access this, either: 1. Press FUNCTION with O for the Options menu then M for Move to another task, or 2. Press FUNCTION with S. KeySoft announces: "Task menu." You can make a selection by either: 1. Review the menu items using SPACE and select one by pressing ENTER. or, 2. Press the initial letter of the task; for example, W for Word Processor. Remember that, if necessary, you can always get back to the Main Menu by pressing MENU. 1.14 Keyboard Assistance. There are two ways of getting help with keyboard input. The first is available from the Main Menu, and is called "Keyboard Learn." In Keyboard Learn, KeySoft announces the function of the key that you press, but no further action results. It also announces the function of the key commands that are always available. For example, pressing FUNCTION with T will give the response “announce the time.” Keyboard Learn is invaluable for familiarizing yourself with the keyboard layout and Quick Commands that are available at any point within KeySoft. The second mode works in the Word processor, Web Browser, Calculator, Planner and Book Reader . It is called Announce Key mode, and can be entered by pressing READ with A. The function of any key or key combination is announced. For example, in the Word processor, READ with J announces: "Back one word," without causing any further action. Announce Key mode is helpful for learning the commands available in the selected KeySoft application. You can exit either mode by pressing ESCAPE. 1.15 Saving before Switching off. Before you switch off your VoiceNote mPower QT, it is good practice to return to the Main Menu first. This ensures your current work is saved. If you don't do this, and subsequently the battery becomes discharged, the current version of your work will be lost. That's fairly unlikely, but it's good insurance for the cost of one keystroke. If you have storage cards and/or an external memory drive , you should consider backing up your work regularly. It's a common thing to do with any computer. It minimizes the amount of data you could lose should a computer or software "crash" occur. You can back up all your working files by using the Back up function in the Utilities menu, as described in 15.1.1 Backing Up. 1.16 Setting Time and Date. When you first get your VoiceNote mPower QT you should check that the time, date and Time Zone settings are correctly set. By selecting your correct time zone, you can have the VoiceNote mPower QT’s clock adjust automatically when you select whether you are in or out of daylight saving time. If the VoiceNote mPower QT’s battery goes completely flat, the system will advise that the time and date need to be set when the machine is restarted. To announce the current day and date, press FUNCTION with D. To announce the current time, press FUNCTION with T. These commands are available from any place within KeySoft. If either the date or the time is incorrect you can set new values and have them announced in your preferred format from the “Date and Time Set” option in the Utilities Menu. To set the Date and time, follow this procedure. Remember that on-line help is available at any point by pressing HELP, and that if you wish to leave a announced value unchanged, just press ENTER to move onto the next item in the list. You may exit the setup list at any point by pressing ESCAPE. 1. Return to the Main Menu by pressing MENU. 2. Press U to go to the Utilities Menu. 3. Press D to go to the Date and Time set option. 4. Choose your preferred date format. For USA format where the date is in the form month/day/year press S, or for UK format where the date is in the form day/month/year press K. To save your entry, press ENTER. 5. Choose your preferred time format, 12 or 24 hour. For a 12-hour clock press A, for a 24-hour clock press B then complete your entry by pressing ENTER. 6. Select your Time Zone. To cycle through the list of time zones, press CONTROL with SPACE. Alternatively press the initial letter. Complete your entry by pressing ENTER. 7. In daylight saving time: Press Y if you are in daylight saving time, or N if you are not, followed by ENTER. 8. Enter the current time. Press HELP to announce instructions on how to enter the time in the format you have selected. 9. Enter the current date. Press HELP to announce instructions on how to enter the date in the format you have selected. After setting the time and date you will be returned to the Utilities Menu. Note: It is possible to set up the time to synchronize every time you use ActiveSync. This is covered in 13.14.7.1 Synchronizing Time in ActiveSync. 1.17 User Settings. VoiceNote mPower QT provides many user definable options. As you get to know more about how your VoiceNote mPower QT works, you can change the way it behaves to better suit your personal preferences. Your VoiceNote mPower QT supplier will most probably have set the User settings most appropriate to your needs. The following items will be of principal interest: Speech; volume, rate, and pitch; Time and date correctly set, and in preferred format; Keyboard input voice setting; words, characters, or off; Review or reading voice settings; punctuation settings, numbers or digits; Braille language; US, UK, or Australian; Braille grade for keyboard input; grade 1, 2 or computer Braille; Calculator language Nemeth or UK maths; Computer Braille language; US, or UK; Computer Braille 6 dot or 8 dot; Spelling checker dictionary language installed; Address list database installed; E-mail database installed. Some of these items have already been covered in this chapter, but for convenience, Appendix A of the User Guide provides additional assistance and, if appropriate, a reference to the relevant section in the User Guide. The next section explains how to use the Electronic User Guide to read a particular section of the user guide. After reading this next section, you could use the Electronic User Guide to read Appendix A, User settings for the VoiceNote mPower QT. 1.18 User Guide. The User Guide is built into KeySoft, so that you can look it up any time you want. Using either the Table of Contents or the Index to locate a reference, the User Guide will take you directly to the topic you wish to read. If you wish to read the User Guide like a book rather than look up specific references, simply open the chapter or appendix in the Book Reader like any other book file. You will find the files in the Manuals folder on your KeySoft System Disk. Alternatively, the entire User Guide is available in several PC friendly formats on the CD-Rom that came with your VoiceNote mPower QT. This gives you the option of working through a chapter trying things out on the VoiceNote mPower QT while reading the user guide on a PC, printing or embossing a copy etc. The rest of this section concentrates on the on-board User Guide, how to access it and how to use it. 1.18.1 Location of User Guide Files. As an alternative to accessing the Electronic User Guide through its Table of Contents or Index, you can also read the User Guide as a number of KeyWord documents. Each chapter and appendix is a separate KeyWord text document. As of version 5.0 of KeySoft, you may notice that each file name ends with a two letter code such as bb, bq, pk, vb or vq. This identifies the model type – the first letter is b for BrailleNote or v for VoiceNote, the second letter is b for BT, q for QT. The PK files have pk after them. If the code is not correct for your model, contact your distributor. These files are all stored in a folder called "Manual" on your KeySoft System Disk drive. 1.18.1.1 User Guide Version Check. There is a simple version check built into the User Guide. Simply access the Index, and select the "Version" entry in the usual way. When you press ENTER it will announce "This manual is for the VoiceNote mPower QT using version x.x of KeySoft." If the model name or version is not what you expected, contact your distributor. Please note that the number "1.x" is not related to the version number, it is simply the outline heading number from the user guide. 1.18.1.2 Version. This manual is for the VoiceNote mPower QT using version 7.0 of KeySoft. 1.19 Where to Now. By now you should have a good basic knowledge of the VoiceNote mPower QT and KeySoft. The entire User Guide is stored in the VoiceNote mPower QT so you can read each chapter at your leisure. The User Guide can be read using your VoiceNote mPower QT as previously described. A good starting point is to browse through the Table of Contents, as this will provide you with an appreciation of the topics covered in the User Guide. Please read the next chapter, which concerns practical hardware matters like the batteries, port connectors and card slots. To read chapter 2, follow the procedure discussed in the previous section. You will find chapter 2 in the Table of Contents so you can select it from there and start reading. After Chapter 2, most of the remainder of the User Guide is all about KeySoft and you can pick and choose what to read. If you are new to KeySoft, you might want to work through Chapter 3, which introduces the basic Word processor functions. You might then want to read Chapter 5, which deals with the functions available via the Options Menu, or Chapter 7 for advanced word processing features. Chapter 4 covers the book reader, and how to download books from Bookshare.org, if this site is available in your area. And chapter 6 covers how to emboss or print documents. Alternatively, you can read Chapter 8 on the Calculator, Chapter 9 on the Planner, or Chapter 10 on the Address List. If you are interested in using e-mail or accessing the internet, and/or using the other connectivity options the VoiceNote mPower QT offers, read Chapter 13 on Connectivity, then Chapter 11 on E-mail, or Chapter 12 on the Web Browser, depending on your interest and requirements. Chapter 14 describes use of the File and Folder Manager, and the translation of files from Text to Braille and other formats. Chapter 15 covers the Utilities menu, where topics like backing up, restoring files and software upgrades are discussed. Chapter 16 covers the Media Player and audio recording facilities. It also includes how to access the FM Radio. Chapter 17 covers the Database Manager. If you are keen for a bit of a distraction from your work or want to sharpen your mind, read Chapter 18 to learn how to play games on your VoiceNote mPower QT. Chapter 19 provides a convenient listing of all the keyboard commands for the VoiceNote mPower QT. These are categorized under general commands as well as commands for each of the applications of KeySoft. You might find it tedious to read a User Guide, but we have endeavored to make sure it is full of useful information, and it's surprising what sticks in your memory. When people say, "I didn't know you could do that!" it usually means that they haven’t read the User Guide. And remember; please make frequent use of VoiceNote mPower QT’s superb Help that you can access at any point by pressing HELP. It's a valuable source of information, whatever part of KeySoft you are using. 2 VoiceNote mPower QT Hardware. 2.1 The Battery. The VoiceNote mPower QT can operate from its internal rechargeable battery or from its AC adapter. The length of time you can run the VoiceNote mPower QT from a fully charged battery is typically over 20 hours before it becomes flat. Activities like embossing, e-mailing and using ports or wireless connectivity increase the drain on the battery. Using the built-in modem also drains the battery more than, say, editing documents. Storage cards that draw their power from the VoiceNote mPower QT's battery reduce the available battery life too. The VoiceNote mPower QT warns you if the battery is getting low. When the battery gauge indicates that the battery is down to 10% full or less the following warning is announced periodically: "Battery is low." If possible, connect the AC adapter to re-charge the battery now. You typically have about 2 hours of battery life remaining. If the battery continues to run down and becomes nearly flat, KeySoft announces the following message: "Battery is critical." If this message is announced you should act within the next 30 seconds or your VoiceNote mPower QT may switch itself off. The time available to switch off may be as little as 30 seconds but it is typically 15 to 20 minutes if you are not using high current accessories. You have two options. You can connect the AC adapter and carry on working indefinitely, or you can save your current work and switch off. To save your work, just return to the Main Menu. If the VoiceNote mPower QT switches itself off, it cannot be switched on again until it is powered from the AC adapter. Your VoiceNote mPower QT automatically manages its power usage to give you the maximum life from the battery. It will enter into hibernate mode after about 10 minutes of inactivity. Pressing any key will end the hibernate mode, but we recommend that you momentarily press the CONTROL keys to end the hibernate mode. This will avoid the possibility of inserting unwanted characters if a document was open when the unit entered the hibernate mode. You can help by switching off your VoiceNote mPower QT when you are not going to be using it for a while. Remember that you can switch your VoiceNote mPower QT off and on without effecting your work in any way and your VoiceNote mPower QT resumes from where you were when you switched off. 2.1.1 Battery Care. Like all rechargeable batteries, as the VoiceNote mPower QT battery ages its capacity reduces. If your VoiceNote mPower QT is used every day we expect that the battery will last typically 18 months before the battery's capacity is noticeably lower than it was 18 months before. We recommend that you send the VoiceNote mPower QT back to an authorized VoiceNote mPower QT service center to replace the battery. Replacement batteries are expected to last typically 18 months before they too, need replacing. 2.1.2 Charging the Battery. To charge the battery, simply plug the AC adapter in and the VoiceNote mPower QT looks after the battery charging itself. If the VoiceNote mPower QT battery is flat and the AC adapter is connected, the battery is fast charged in about 2 hours. Charging takes less time if the battery is only partially discharged. You can charge the battery and run the VoiceNote mPower QT simultaneously although the battery may take longer to charge. You can leave the AC adapter connected indefinitely without any risk of damaging the battery. To connect the AC adapter, locate the power socket on the back of the VoiceNote mPower QT, near the left-hand corner of the case. Insert the plug on the AC adapter cable into the socket, and plug the AC adapter into a wall socket. The VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "AC adapter on.” The message is announced even if the VoiceNote mPower QT is switched off. If this message is not announced after a second or two, check that the AC supply is switched on, and that the plug on the end of the AC adapter cord is inserted securely into the VoiceNote mPower QT's power socket. When the battery is charging, if the AC supply is interrupted, or the AC adapter is disconnected the VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "AC adapter off.” This message, too, is announced even if the VoiceNote mPower QT is switched off. 2.1.3 Checking Power Status. You can check the state-of-charge of the battery and whether the AC adapter is connected from anywhere in KeySoft by pressing FUNCTION with O, then P. First, the battery state-of-charge in percent is announced: “Level c percent,” where c is the battery's state-of-charge. Then the AC adapter status is announced: "Adapter (status)," where "status" is either "on" or "off." After these messages are announced, you are returned to your original place in KeySoft. . If the gauge is too inaccurate, that is, it has been too long since it was last recalibrated, KeySoft will not be able to give a percentage state of charge. Instead it will announce, "AC Adapter (status). The gauge needs recalibrating and is not accurate enough to give a percentage reading." If the AC Adapter is not plugged in, KeySoft will also announce "The battery is critical" or "The battery is not critical" To find out how to re-calibrate the battery gauge, refer to 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. VoiceNote mPower QT incorporates a battery gauge that is originally calibrated at the factory. For best performance, the gauge needs to recalibrate periodically as the battery ages during its life. Remember that as the battery ages, its capacity reduces. When the battery gauge is calibrated it measures the battery capacity. If the battery's capacity is reduced then the battery gauge over-estimates the remaining charge in the battery. The VoiceNote mPower QT will recalibrate itself automatically during normal use. This will happen every time you fully charge the battery so that the level is 100% and then use the VoiceNote mPower QT until it announce "Battery Critical". As it is good for the health of your battery and to recalibrate the gauge, it is recommended that this occurs approximately once a month. The only time you would need to manually recalibrate the battery is when the power status check tells you as described in the previous section. Another noticeable sign is when the "battery is low" warning is closely followed by the "battery is critical" warning. There should be a gap of from one to two hours of continuous operation between these warnings. Note that this gap can be less depending on which cards you have plugged in or whether USB devices are connected. If in doubt, check the power status by pressing FUNCTION with O, then P. 2.1.4.1 How to manually recalibrate the Battery. To manually set up the VoiceNote mPower QT to recalibrate its battery, you will need a spot where it can chatter away to itself without disturbing anyone, with a nearby power socket to connect the AC adapter. 1. On the VoiceNote mPower QT, make sure you have no unsaved work. It is very important that you remove any storage cards, or card or USB devices. 2. Go to the Options Menu by pressing FUNCTION with O. 3. Press READ with I. KeySoft will announce "Support Information Mode". 4. To select the option "Recalibrate the Battery gauge", press R. If you haven't already plugged in the AC Adapter, you will be asked to do so. 5. What KeySoft does next depends on how much charge is left in the battery at this time, however it is all automatic. It may not start up initially but when the process gets to the point of discharging the battery, KeySoft will talk repetitiously to help it to do so, thus the need to choose a spot where the noise won't bother you. Once the battery is flat, KeySoft will automatically initiate the recharging cycle. When the whole cycle is complete, KeySoft will announce: "Battery Test Completed." You can check the status of the recalibration process at any time by pressing SPACE. This will give you the times for the various charge and discharge stages depending on which stage it is in. 2.1.4.2 Checking Battery Information. As well as recalibration, you can also check a range of battery and battery gauge characteristics using the Support Information mode. To enter the Support Information mode from anywhere in KeySoft press FUNCTION with O, followed by READ with I. You can now select the following options: 1. To find out if the battery gauge has recalibrated and is accurate, press A. For example, if the battery gauge is calibrated KeySoft will prompt, "Gauge is accurate, Error: plus or minus 2%" If the gauge is inaccurate, KeySoft will prompt, "Gauge is not accurate, Error: plus or minus x%" As discussed in, if you regularly recharge the battery to full then run the VoiceNote mPower QT on batteries until it announce "Battery Critical", your battery gauge will remain accurate. 2. To determine the "Last charge" information for the battery, press B. The reported time indicates the time it took to fully charge the battery after plugging in the AC Adapter. The report is in the form: Last charge: 234 minutes. Completed: Friday, February 9, at 2:47pm. Started: Friday, February 9, at 10:53am. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 3. To determine the charge available from the battery, press C. For example, a typical message is: "Nominal available charge 9,800." The higher the value the greater the charge. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 4. To review the last measured discharge count of the battery, press D. The last measured discharge is the learned battery capacity. For example, a typical discharge message is: "Last measured discharge 16,000." The higher the value the greater the capacity available from the battery when it is fully charged. 5. To determine the charging status, press S. For example, if the AC adapter is connected, the VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Fast charging", or "Trickle charging." If not, the VoiceNote mPower QT announces "Discharging." After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. 6. To announce the voltage of the battery, press V. For example: "Battery voltage 7.2 Volts" 7. After executing this command you are returned to the Support Information mode. To return to the place where you selected the Options menu, press ESCAPE. 2.2 Long Term Storage. If you store a VoiceNote mPower QT for more than two to three weeks, the battery will become completely flat. If the battery was less than fully charged prior to storing the VoiceNote mPower QT, the time for the battery to become fully flat will be shorter. This is because VoiceNote mPower QT's battery self discharges internally and because VoiceNote mPower QT draws a very small amount of current even when it is switched off. The battery gauge will be inaccurate at that point, and if you use this feature, you will need to re-calibrate the gauge as described in 2.1.4 Recalibrating the Battery Gauge. If you intend to leave the VoiceNote mPower QT switched off for more than a few days, fully charge the battery beforehand, or leave the AC adapter connected if this is convenient. If you intend to store a VoiceNote mPower QT for more than two to three weeks without the AC adapter connected, ensure your work is saved by returning to the Main Menu, and fully charge the battery before putting the VoiceNote mPower QT into storage. When you take a VoiceNote mPower QT out of long-term storage, first connect the AC adapter to recharge the battery. Switch the VoiceNote mPower QT on. If the battery has gone quite flat, you will be prompted to reset the time and date and so on. Press ENTER several times if you want to leave that for later or refer to Appendix C, which describes the procedure for initializing the VoiceNote mPower QT. 2.3 Using the Serial Port. Place the VoiceNote mPower QT in front of you with the keyboard oriented as you would use it. The many sockets and connectivity ports are arranged around the sides and back of the VoiceNote mPower QT. Starting from the front of the left side, and working around to the back, you will find: The small record button, the audio output socket for earphones, the audio input socket for a microphone, the power switch and the recessed reset button. Reach beyond the keyboard to the back of your VoiceNote mPower QT and investigate the layout of the back of your VoiceNote mPower QT. From the left there is the small round AC Adapter socket. Keep moving to the right and you will notice that the bottom half of the back is recessed. This is a metal panel that holds most of the ports. They are recessed to protect them from being easily knocked. The first port in this panel is the USB client port above an SD card slot. Moving right from there is the CompactFlash slot, a 9 pin serial port, two horizontal USB host ports, one above the other, and a modem jack. On the far right, back on the casing again, there is an infrared port set between two slightly raised vertical ridges. Down the right side of the unit, you will find the PCMCIA card slot. This has a recessed ejector button on the side furthest from you. Each of these ports is discussed in more detail directly following this section. Please note that if you inadvertently or deliberately remove a card or a plug from the VoiceNote mPower QT while it is active, that is while data is being passed through the connection, it may result in a loss of data, an error message, or even in some cases, corruption of the file or software. 2.3.1 Using the Infrared Port. The infrared port is located at the rear of your VoiceNote mPower QT on the right, directly behind the ENTER key. Run your hand across the back of the VoiceNote mPower QT on the extreme right and you will feel a vertical channel. The infrared port communicates though a window that is located in the channel. The VoiceNote mPower QT's infrared port conforms to the Infrared Data Association specification for infrared communications. This standard is called "IrDA" for short. This type of infrared communication can work up to a high speed. The VoiceNote mPower QT's infrared port can be used for printing or for communicating with a remote visual display. You can also run ActiveSync on a PC and access your VoiceNote mPower QT through the Infrared port like an extension of the PC. Using the infrared port, you can print to a printer equipped with an infrared port. You can also print to a printer that is connected to an IrDA compatible accessory such as the JET EYE printer adapter. This adapter is normally connected between a PC and a printer without an infrared port. Embossing and printing using the infrared port is described in 6.8.6 Embosser Port. To communicate with a remote visual display using the infrared connection, an IrDA compatible port is needed on the PC. The JET EYE PC is an accessory that provides such a port. It is designed for use in conjunction with a PC or a lap top computer, plugging into a serial port on the host computer. Terminal software running on the PC enables the PC's screen to display output from the infrared port of the VoiceNote mPower QT. This provides a sighted teacher with a text display matching the VoiceNote mPower QT display. Using VoiceNote mPower QT's infrared port to communicate with a remote visual display is described in 2.9 Using a Remote Visual Display. IrDA compatible infrared communications work over a distance of up to about three feet (1 meter) for standard power devices and up to at least eight inches (200 millimeters) for low power devices. The VoiceNote mPower QT is a standard power device. The host's and VoiceNote mPower QT's infrared ports must face each other but they do not have to be lined up exactly because the infrared beam is quite wide. After a little experimentation, you will be able to determine the most convenient arrangement of equipment that works reliably. 2.3.2 Using the Modem. The internal modem can be used for sending and receiving e-mail. A modem port is located on the far right of the recessed rear panel. Your VoiceNote mPower QT is supplied with a modem cable for connecting VoiceNote mPower QT's modem to a phone line. If you live in UK, Australia or New Zealand, an adapter that plugs into a standard "BT" type phone jack is also supplied with your VoiceNote mPower QT. The modem cable plugs into the adapter and the adapter plugs into a phone jack. The modem cable has a phone type plug at either end of the cable. Insert one plug into the VoiceNote mPower QT modem port and the other end into a phone jack. To do this, locate the locking clip on one side of the plug. Orient this side to the bottom of the modem port, engage the plug in the socket and push the plug home. A latch holds the plug that should hold when the cable is lightly pulled. To unplug, squeeze the clip in towards the plug and pull the cable. The case bottom is scalloped under the modem port so that you can easily get your fingertip under the clip. When the plug is unclipped it releases freely. Don't forget to disconnect the cable when you are done. As a precaution check for anything connected to your VoiceNote mPower QT before transporting it. 2.3.3 USB Client Port. The USB client port is located above the SD card slot on the left hand end of the back recessed panel. It is a completely different shape to the USB host ports, being small and shaped a little like a miniature 9 pin port set flush into the panel. It is oriented so that the wider side is facing up, just like the 9 pin serial port. The primary purpose of this port is to connect your VoiceNote mPower QT to a PC via ActiveSync. For details on how to do this, refer to 13.14.5 ActiveSync using USB. 2.3.4 Using the Serial Port. The serial port is on the recessed rear panel of your VoiceNote mPower QT, to the left of the USB host port. It is a nine pin male port with the usual screw holes on each side to secure the plug. The serial port can be used to provide a connection to a visual display, PC or other equipment. You can use the serial port to connect to a terminal, an embosser or printer that has a serial interface, a modem or to other computers to import and export documents and files. You can use the VoiceNote mPower QT as a remote speech synthesizer by connecting the serial port to a suitable driver. You can also run ActiveSync on a PC and access your VoiceNote mPower QT through the serial port like an extension of the PC. Your VoiceNote mPower QT is supplied with a serial cable that has two identical nine pin plugs on each end of the cable. You don't have to identify which is the right end of the cable, either end will do. The connectors can only be plugged in one way. To plug in the connector hold the plug horizontal and push it gently into the socket. If it does not engage turn it through 180 degrees and try again. The cable supplied is called a "null modem cable." This cable works with most equipment except external modems. A different cable is needed to communicate with a modem and equipment that emulates a modem. The 9 pin plugs on each end of the serial cable incorporate two locking screws designed to secure the plug when it is plugged in. Use of these screws is recommended to prevent the plug falling out in use. The screws can be tightened and undone by hand. In the usual way, turning them clockwise does them up and turning them anti-clockwise undoes them. Do not over tighten the screws; a light force is sufficient to hold the connector. Don't forget to disconnect the cable when you are done. As a precaution check for anything connected to your VoiceNote mPower QT before transporting it. 2.3.5 USB Host Ports. The two ports to the right of the serial port are USB host ports. They are stacked one on top of the other. USB host ports on the VoiceNote mPower QT allow you to use the VoiceNote mPower QT with a range of USB-compatible devices including: External floppy disk drive, USB memory drive, Some USB printers, and An external memory card reader. The two ports between them have a total power supply of 500 milli-Amps, so if using both at once it is important to ensure that the devices plugged in do not require more than this between them. 2.3.6 Audio Sockets. On the left side of the unit, there is a microphone input socket, an audio output socket and a record button. The microphone input socket takes a high impedance electret microphone with a 3.5mm plug. There is also a built in microphone. The audio output socket is stereo and works with most head or earphones with a 3.5mm plug. It will also connect to a set of mini speakers, as used with a PC. Remember that these will also need to be plugged in to a wall socket. 2.4 PC Cards. The VoiceNote mPower QT has a slot for plug-in PC cards, also known as PCMCIA cards. These cards are about the size of a credit card, only thicker. The PC card slot can be used for a microdrive or PC storage card, or an approved type of wireless card as discussed in 13.4.1 Creating a new Wireless Configuration. To find out what PC card accessories are available or will become available call your VoiceNote mPower QT distributor. CompactFlash cards can be used in the PC card slot as well as in the dedicated CompactFlash slot in the rear panel, as discussed in the next section. An adapter is available into which you slide the card before inserting it into the slot as described below. Feel along the right-hand edge of the VoiceNote mPower QT and you will find a horizontal slot. The card eject button is located in a recess behind the slot. 2.4.1 Inserting and Removing PC Cards. PC or PCMCIA cards can be installed only one way. A polarizing key prevents a card from being fully plugged in if it is the wrong way up. A simple strategy for finding the correct orientation is to just try gently plugging it in. If it engages, gently push it home. If it stops with a "clunk" with the card protruding some 10 mm from the slot, take it out, invert it and try again. You can also identify the correct orientation by touch. The front of the PC card is the short edge on which there are many indentations along its entire length. Hold the front edge away from you. Run your fingers along this edge and just around the corners, where you will find some polarizing ridges. If the card is facing upward, there will be two ridges on the right-hand side. The groove between them can be detected with your fingernail. On the left, there will be one ridge. If necessary, turn the card over so that there are two ridges on the right and one on the left. You could label the PC card once you have identified the correct orientation. PC cards should be inserted with the VoiceNote mPower QT switched on. When you do so the VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Card Ready." To remove a PC card, firmly push the PC card eject button. Remember it is located behind the PC card slot. This disengages the card from its connector and pushes the card out about a quarter of an inch. Always use the eject button even if the card has a cable with a grip. You can now pull the PC card completely out of the slot. If the card is removed with the power on, VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.4.2 Accessing files on the PC Card. The PC card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the PC Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press P for PC card. Proceed as normal. 2.5 Compact Flash Cards. A Compact Flash card is 3.5cm by 4cm, about the size of a matchbook. It provides considerable extra data storage, and cards come in a large range of capacities running into several gigabytes. The VoiceNote mPower QT has a card slot for Compact Flash cards. This slot is located on the back of the unit. As well as allowing you to use Compact Flash cards for extra data storage, the Compact Flash card slot can be used for data storage using a CF memory card, or as a plug for Compact Flash card type accessories. CompactFlash cards can be used in the PC card slot as well. An adapter is available into which you slide the CompactFlash card before inserting it into the PC card slot as described in 2.4 PC Cards. 2.5.1 Inserting and Removing CompactFlash Cards. The CompactFlash card is wider than it is long, so it is important to orient the card correctly, as attempting to plug the shorter side in may damage the pins in the back of the slot. Also, a polarizing key makes the card more difficult to plug in if it is the wrong way up. A simple strategy for finding the correct orientation is to just try gently plugging it in. If it engages, gently push it home. If it resists being inserted, take it out, invert it and try again. You can also identify most CompactFlash cards' correct orientation by touch. The front of the CompactFlash card is the longer side that has two rows of pin sized indentations. The bottom side of most CompactFlash cards has a slight grip ridge along the opposite edge. You could label the CompactFlash card once you have identified the correct orientation. Compact cards should be inserted with the VoiceNote mPower QT switched on. When you do so the VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Card ready." To remove a CompactFlash card, hold the card firmly and pull it out. This is quite tricky if you have big fingers or no fingernails. Most CompactFlash cards have a grip ridge that makes them easier to grasp. If the card is removed with the power on, VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.5.2 Accessing files on the CompactFlash Card. The CompactFlash card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the CompactFlash Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press C for CompactFlash card. Proceed as normal. 2.6 Secure Digital Cards. On the back of the unit, underneath the USB Client port, there is a card slot for Secure Digital cards, also known as SD cards. These cards are only 32mm x 24mm x 2mm big i.e. less than a quarter of the size of a CompactFlash card, and yet can hold up to 1 Gigabyte of data at time of publishing. This is a very new technology and it won't be long until the capacity will increase. For up to date information on the latest developments, check out our website; www.humanware.com. The VoiceNote mPower QT uses SD cards for memory only. It does not support SD accessories such as wireless or Bluetooth cards. 2.6.1 Inserting and Removing SD Cards. The SD card is about the size of a postage stamp, and only 2mm thick. One corner is cut off at a diagonal, which makes it easy to orient it by touch. The short edge of this cut off corner is the end that is inserted into the SD card slot. You will notice that on one surface of the card, there is a row of ridges along that edge; this side faces down. On each long edge is a notch. If you hold the card as if you were going to insert it, i.e. with the cut off corner and ridged end away from you, along the right side the notch is small, only 2mm long and 1mm deep. However on the left side, the notch is longer and houses a sliding lock mechanism. When the slider is pushed away from you, the card is unlocked and is read/write. When the slider is pushed toward you, the card's memory is read only. SD cards should be inserted with the VoiceNote mPower QT switched on. When you do so the VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Card ready." Push it gently in until you hear it click. To remove an SD card, push it in gently until it clicks then release it. The card will pop out far enough for you to grasp and remove it. If the card is removed with the power on, VoiceNote mPower QT announces: "Please wait..." and after a few seconds the prompt "Card removed" will confirm that the card is disengaged. 2.6.2 Accessing files on the SD Card. The SD card slot is treated as a drive by KeySoft. To access files on the SD Card, at any file prompt, go to the drive list and press S for SD card. Proceed as normal. Likewise if you wish to save a file to the SD card. If you find that you can't save a file to the card, check the sliding lock mechanism on its left edge, as this may be in the "read-only" position, which is closest to the end that goes into the slot first. 2.7 USB Peripherals. As mentioned earlier, there are a range of devices available to work with the VoiceNote mPower QT, that offer a broad range of data storage options, as well as printer access. These are all discussed in turn below. 2.7.1 USB Storage Devices. There are a range of storage devices that work with the VoiceNote mPower QT. Which ones you wish to work with will probably be determined by the other technology you are using and what storage media works best with it. In all cases, when the device is plugged into one of the USB host ports on the back of the VoiceNote mPower QT, it will appear on the drive list as whatever name the device provides. When at a file or folder prompt, simply select that drive. Here is some background information on each type of storage device: External floppy drive: This technology has been around the longest, and offers storage on standard 1.44MB floppy disks. This is a small capacity compared to the other devices, but the universal availability and affordability of floppy disks still makes them a viable storage choice. USB Memory drive: Sometimes known as a USB key, stick or thumb. This is a small device with a USB plug set into one end of it. They vary in shape, size and storage capacity, which can range from 128MB to 1GB. These devices are convenient as they don't have cables, are highly portable, and can be used with a PC without the need for an external card reader, unlike the CompactFlash, PC and SD cards. External card reader: There are card readers available that can be used with the VoiceNote mPower QT as well as a PC. There are card readers for all the types of storage cards, and some take more than one kind. While this may seem a bit redundant when there are three card slots in the VoiceNote mPower QT itself already, it is nevertheless possible. When plugged in, these storage devices show up in the drive list as Hard Drive. 2.8 External Disk Drive. VoiceNote mPower QT supports the LS120 SuperDisk Drive as an accessory. The SuperDisk is a high density storage drive. It can store up to 120 Megabytes of information on a floppy disk which is the same size as the standard 3.5 inch disk. It can also read standard 3.5 inch floppy disks. There are technical differences between the various LS120 drives available. Only the drive recommended by HumanWare should be used in conjunction with VoiceNote mPower QT. HumanWare has tested and approved the PCMCIA Travel 120 SuperDisk drive made by Accurite Technologies Inc for use with the VoiceNote mPower QT. The Travel 120 supports three disk formats: 720 Kbytes. 1.2 Mbytes. 120Mbytes. The first two formats are compatible with standard 3.5 inch floppy disks. You need LS120 diskettes to store information in high density format. The Travel 120 disk drive is small and light - an oblong of about 4 inches (10cm) by 6 inches (15cm) by three quarters of an inch (15 mm). The top surface is smooth and the bottom surface is easily distinguished by its four circular rubber grips, one in each corner, and the indented serial label in the centre. At one short end there is a cable with a PC interface card on the end of it. The bulge in the cable is a noise filter. Beside the cable on the end of the SuperDisk is a small round port for the power adaptor. At the other short end of the unit is a slot for inserting a diskette. On the right side of this end below the slot is an ejector button. Disks are ejected electronically. This means that you cannot remove a disk unless the drive is powered on, and connected to the VoiceNote mPower QT. WARNING: Do not turn off your BrailleNote when the SuperDisk's motor is running. This could result in the loss of files on the SuperDisk diskette. If you have initiated an operation that results in the SuperDisk being accessed, wait until the SuperDisk motor stops then switch off your VoiceNote mPower QT. 2.8.1 Uses for an External Disk Drive. The disk drive is ideal for situations where floppy disks are an easy form of file transfer between a PC and the VoiceNote mPower QT, such as a school classroom. You can also use a disk drive to: . Back up valuable data, for example, an address list, e-mail or general documents. VoiceNote mPower QT's internal storage system is designed to minimize the risk of data loss. Nonetheless, it is unwise to rely on the VoiceNote mPower QT to retain the only copy of your valuable documents indefinitely. You might even accidentally delete valuable documents yourself. Backing up your electronic documents is good practice. It helps minimize the cost of re-instating lost documents. A backup option is provided in the Utilities Menu. . Store bulky documents or files such as e-mail attachments. That is, to provide mass storage. Using an external disk drive as a mass storage device allows you to off load or archive information from your VoiceNote mPower QT to free up memory space. . Exchange files with other computers, for example, electronic books. You can exchange information with other computers using a Super-Disk drive. To do this you save information to a standard 3.5 inch floppy diskette using the usual PC format for this type of diskette. The storage is limited to 1.44 Mbytes. Anyone with a standard floppy disk drive is then able to read it. You can also read a 3.5 inch floppy diskette produced by someone else on a Windows PC. 2.8.2 Connecting the Travel 120 SuperDisk. The Travel 120 must be used in conjunction with a power adapter. Insert the plug on the end of the power adapter's cable into the back of the Travel 120 drive and plug the adapter itself into a wall socket. Next take the PCMCIA interface card at the end of the main cable and insert it into the PCMCIA slot on the right side of the VoiceNote mPower QT. You can connect the Travel 120 at any time, as the drivers needed for it to work are already installed in the VoiceNote mPower QT. You do not have to turn the VoiceNote mPower QT off first. If the VoiceNote mPower QT is on, the SuperDisk makes a series of twittering and whirring noises KeySoft announces a message confirming that the drive has been connected. Similarly a message is announced when the drive is disconnected. The SuperDisk drive appears in VoiceNote mPower QT's drive list as a "Storage Card" once it is connected. 2.8.3 Inserting a Diskette To insert a diskette first orient the diskette. It has a large metal shutter on one edge and in the centre of the underside there is a round metal hub. Hold it so that this hub is facing down and the metal shutter edge is away from you. Now gently push that edge into the slot on the front of the Travel 120 until you hear it click home. To eject the diskette, press the button on the front right of the disk drive lightly. The button is rectangular and it has a tactile action when you push it. The diskette is ejected electronically just far enough so that you can grasp the diskette and pull it completely from the drive. 2.8.4 Care of the Travel 120 SuperDisk. The Travel 120 can be used over a temperature range of 40 to 131 degrees F or 4 to 55 degrees C. Avoid over heating it. For example, do not leave the Travel 120 in a vehicle in full summer sunlight. The storage medium in a floppy diskette is a delicate coated disk inside a protective plastic jacket. A shutter covers the access hole when the diskette is removed from the disk drive. The shutter is only retracted when the disk is in use. Do not open the shutter or touch the surface of the diskette. This is likely to permanently damage the diskette. Use only pre-formatted diskettes in the SuperDisk. 2.9 Using a Remote Visual Display. VoiceNote mPower QT can provide a text output via the serial , USB or infrared ports to a visual display. Sighted observers or teachers can use the visual display screen to view KeySoft's prompts and help messages, and your text if you are typing a document. The visual display can be a terminal or a PC, laptop or hand-held computer running terminal emulation software. The terminal or terminal emulation software must emulate a DEC VT100 or an ANSI terminal. For PC's running Windows, "HyperTerminal" is provided as part of the communications accessories and can be used as the terminal software. To facilitate the use of HyperTerminal as the remote Visual Display for the VoiceNote mPower QT, a program shortcut is provided on the CD-Rom supplied as part of the VoiceNote mPower QT package. 2.9.1 Connecting a Remote Visual Display to the Serial Port. In the following discussion when we refer to a terminal, we mean either a dedicated terminal or a PC running terminal emulation software. The following procedure might require the help of a technician if the terminal is unfamiliar to you. The procedure involves connecting the VoiceNote mPower QT to the terminal using a cable and setting up the terminal to communicate at a certain speed and format. This can be done manually for some terminals. Or if the terminal is intelligent, done by the terminal itself as it automatically detects the serial speed and format. The necessary settings are: bit rate: 38400 bps. parity: none. data bits: 8. stop bits: 1. 1. To connect VoiceNote mPower QT's serial port to a terminal, first plug one end of the serial communications cable into the serial port as described in 2.3.4 Using the Serial Port. 2. Plug the other end of the cable into a matching socket on the terminal. If the terminal has a 25 pin D type connector instead, use the 9 pin to 25 pin adapter. Ensure the terminal is switched on. 3. Finally, direct the VoiceNote mPower QT to drive the serial port by selecting the remote visual display output as described in 2.9.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off below. Now, when the VoiceNote mPower QT displays something such as a prompt the terminal should also display the corresponding prompt. If the terminal responds when the connected VoiceNote mPower QT displays something but the terminal's display is not intelligible then the speed and/or format are probably not right. Correct the settings and retry. 4. Ensure that the COM port that you are going to use for this connection is not being used by another software application or hardware device. 2.9.2 Connecting a Remote Visual Display using the Infrared Port. A suitable remote visual display for use with the infrared port is either a portable computer or a PC equipped with an IrDA port. Although there are many IrDA devices available, they are not all compatible. Check first that the computer has an IrDA compatible port. The following procedure might require the help of a technician if the equipment is unfamiliar to you. First set up the terminal software on the computer to receive its input from its infrared port. Next, position the computer so the infrared port on the VoiceNote mPower QT is facing the infrared port on the remote display device. Finally, direct the VoiceNote mPower QT to send display output to the infrared port as described in 2.9.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off. 2.9.3 Turning the Visual Display On and Off. The last step towards providing a visual display is to have your VoiceNote mPower QT send text to the serial or infrared outputs. Press FUNCTION with O, then V for Visual display. KeySoft announces: "Visual display, Currently off." The options are: To send the visual display to the Serial port press S then ENTER; To send the visual display to the Infrared port press I then ENTER; Or just press ENTER to leave the selection unchanged. To turn the visual display off again after use, press F for OFF then ENTER. Use the serial port if you are using a standard computer terminal or a PC running a terminal emulator program. Use the infrared port if you are using a desktop or hand held PC with an infrared port and running a terminal emulator program. 2.10 Remote Synthesizer. Your VoiceNote mPower QT can act like a Keynote Gold Stand Alone speech synthesizer. You can then run a screen reader on a desktop PC, using your VoiceNote mPower QT as its synthesizer. The serial communications or null modem cable provided with your VoiceNote should be used to connect the PC to your VoiceNote. If your PC's serial port has a 25 pin connector you will need to use the 9 pin to 25 pin adapter also provided. Plug the cable into the serial port on the rear of VoiceNote as described in 2.3.4 Using the Serial Port. Plug the other end into a serial port on your PC. On your VoiceNote mPower QT, at the Main Menu, press R. KeySoft announces: "Remote synthesizer ready." The VoiceNote mPower QT now acts as a Keynote Stand Alone synthesizer. VoiceNote mPower QT cannot be used for its normal functions while it is acting as a synthesizer. To exit the Remote Synthesizer mode, press ESCAPE and you are returned to the KeySoft Main Menu. You should plug in the AC adapter if you intend to use your VoiceNote mPower QT as a remote synthesizer for an extended period. 2.11 General Care. Apart from re-calibrating the battery gauge and cleaning the case, the VoiceNote mPower QT needs no special maintenance. The internal battery should last typically 18 months before needing replacement and this must be done by an authorized service agent. Keep beverages like tea and coffee away from the VoiceNote mPower QT. Periodically wipe the case down with a warm damp cloth. Don't use any cleaning compounds. 3 Word Processor. This chapter introduces the basics of KeyWord, the word processor part of KeySoft, and describes how to create, read and edit a document. Advanced aspects of KeyWord, including creating documents with more complex formats, and quickly making extensive changes to a document, are covered in Chapter 7. In the following discussion, the general terms "announcements," "prompts" and "reading" apply to any of the outputs available in the BrailleNote family of products. If your model is a VoiceNote, they refer to audio output only. For BrailleNote models, they can refer to either the Braille display, the audio output, or both. 3.1 What is a Word Processor. A word processor is like a sophisticated Braille writer or typewriter. The difference is that you do not have to get the document right first time. You can add, delete and change things to your heart's content, and all the time your work is stored in VoiceNote mPower QT's memory. You only need emboss or print your document when you are entirely satisfied with it. There are other advantages too. You can make changes at a later date, and you can keep all the various versions. It's easy to make copies of documents, and filing and retrieving is much simpler than with hard copy. Besides writing documents, KeyWord is useful just for reading documents such as e-mailed documents that have originated elsewhere. These can be read directly without translating them to Braille. 3.2 Text and Braille. When you start to compose a document, KeyWord assumes that you want to do it in text, so the layout and format are for a print page, suitable for printing directly. This doesn't mean that you are committed to a text document, however. You can send it to an embosser and KeySoft automatically translates it into a suitable format. Alternatively, you have the option of creating a Braille document directly, with a layout and format for a Braille page. A Braille document requires the use of the F-D-S and J-K-L keys to input the Braille characters, which is discussed in 7.16.1 Creating a Braille Document. A Braille document may be embossed directly or printed using automatic Braille-to-Text translation. Unlike some other word processors, KeyWord allows you to work with the layout of a document as it will be printed or embossed. This means that you are working with the actual layout while you are editing, and you do not have to make allowances for any effects of formatting commands. KeyWord allows you to format a document for printing and independently format the same document for embossing. The two sets of formatting controls are independent. Consequently the layout of a document, either text or Braille, can be precisely controlled without making changes between printing and embossing. The document remains unchanged when you send it to a printer or embosser. 3.3 The KeyWord Menu. To select the word processing functions, start from the Main Menu and press SPACE repeatedly until "Word processor" is announced, and then press ENTER. Alternatively, just press W. KeySoft announces: "KeyWord Menu." Press SPACE to announce the first item in the KeyWord Menu, which is: "Create a document." As the prompt suggests, you use this option when you want to create a new document. Press SPACE again, and KeySoft announces the second item, which is: "Open a document." You use the "Open" option to read an existing document, or to make changes to one. Press SPACE again, and KeySoft announces the third item in the KeyWord menu, which is: "Emboss a document." You choose this item once a document had been created and edited, and you are ready to emboss it. Press SPACE again, and KeySoft announces the final item in this menu, which is: "Print a document." You choose this item to print a document on an ink printer. As with the Main Menu, you can review the KeyWord Menu by pressing SPACE or BACKSPACE, and you can select an item by pressing ENTER. Alternatively, you can select an item directly from the KeyWord Menu by pressing the initial letter, such as E for Emboss a document. In this chapter we concentrate just on opening and editing a document. Embossing and printing are covered in Chapter 6. 3.4 Documents Folders and Drives. 3.4.1 Documents. Documents are the most common type of file you will use on the VoiceNote mPower QT. You must give each document a unique name enabling KeySoft to distinguish one document from another. For example, when you use KeyWord to write a letter, that letter is stored as a document. Every document name should indicate what type of information it contains. A document name can be up to 250 characters long, including spaces. It cannot contain the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > | 3.4.2 Folders. When you have been using your VoiceNote mPower QT for a while you could very easily accumulate several hundred documents, and it could become tedious to find any particular one. To make life easier, documents can be organized into groups called "Folders." Initially, there are folders named "General," and "My Books," together with a number of others which KeySoft uses. Besides these, you can create as many new folders as you wish. If you have a lot of files to organize and are comfortable with the concept, you might want to create a directory structure of folders, where there is more than one layer of folders. Details about how to do this and all other aspects of folder and file management are covered in Chapter 14. Folders can contain both Braille and text documents. Folder names can be up to 250 characters long, and can consist of any Braille signs except those for the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > | 3.4.3 Drives. Documents can be stored by different pieces of hardware in the VoiceNote mPower QT, called disk drives, or just drives. VoiceNote mPower QT incorporates a type of memory called flash memory. The associated drive is referred to as a Flash Disk. It provides fast, secure storage, retaining its contents even if the battery is flat. It is the memory you normally use to save your documents. You can copy, rename, erase or edit and re-save documents to the Flash Disk. Another drive is the KeySoft System Disk. This drive stores information installed in the factory. This includes the main operating software, User Guide, and a sample book. Information installed at the Factory is retained even if the battery goes flat, but user information stored in the KeySoft System Disk will be lost. It is therefore not recommended that you save documents in the KeySoft System Disk, but you can open documents like the sample book and the VoiceNote mPower QT user guide that are stored in it. If you do save documents in the KeySoft System Disk, be aware that they will be lost if the battery goes flat or you do a Reset with J-K-L keys held down. You can also add external drives to the VoiceNote mPower QT. 3.4.4 Changing the Current Drive. There is a way of selecting a drive in KeySoft generally, which is not restricted to KeyWord. If you are at a prompt for a file name or folder name, and you have not had the opportunity to select a drive, then press BACKSPACE. KeySoft announces: "Drive? (Last drive used)." To step through the list of available drives press SPACE. The list comprises the Flash Disk and KeySoft System Disk, and if in use, the CompactFlash card and/or Storage card and Network. To select a drive, either step through the list of available drives press SPACE then press ENTER, or just type the first letter of the drive name. External drives such as USB memory drives will appear on the drive list without a hot key. To select such a drive, step through the list and select as described previously. 3.5 Opening a Document. Several documents are provided with KeySoft. If you want to read one of them, how do you select it? From the KeyWord menu, select "Open a document." KeyWord announces: "Press ENTER for Folder name? (name)," where the word "name" between the brackets is really the name of the last folder used. To select a document you must first select the appropriate folder. There are three different methods of doing this: 1. To select the offered folder, just press ENTER. This is the folder that was last used. 2. To look through the list of available folders, press SPACE or DOWN ARROW repeatedly. When the name of the folder you require is displayed, select it by pressing ENTER. You can move back along the list, by pressing BACKSPACE or UP ARROW repeatedly. While scanning the list you can quickly relocate to an alphabetical position in the list by pressing a letter. For example, pressing T puts you at the beginning of the list of folders starting with T. If you keep on pressing T, you cycle through all the names starting with that letter. 3. Type the name of the folder you require, and press ENTER. With this method, remember that you have to type the name exactly or it will not work. You can change the current drive by pressing BACKSPACE or CONTROL with D at the "Folder name?" prompt. The Flash Disk is assumed here. If another drive was previously selected, a drive prompt is given as described in 3.4.4 Changing the Current Drive above. When you have selected a folder, KeyWord asks: "Document to open? (name)," where the word "name" between the brackets is really the name of the last document you accessed. Just like folder selection, the same three methods are available for selecting a document. Select the offered document by just pressing ENTER, or review the list of documents by pressing SPACE repeatedly and select a document by pressing ENTER, or type the document name and press ENTER. This selection procedure is significant because it is general throughout KeySoft, and is not restricted to just opening a document. Whether you use the SPACE or DOWN ARROW key to scan through a list of folders or documents is a matter of personal preference. Similarly, you may use either the BACKSPACE or UP ARROW key to move back through a list. If you are opening an ASCII text file, or a plain Braille document you will be prompted to review the options associated with the opening and subsequent saving of the document. Section discusses the options given when opening such documents. 3.6 Naming a Document. In the next section we talk about creating a document, but first we discuss names. Each document must have a unique, meaningful name so that it can be stored and later retrieved by specifying its name. You can use whatever name you like, with up to 250 characters and spaces. It cannot contain the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > | If you have several documents on a similar subject, you may find it helpful to put the common part of the name first. For example, you might have: "Club minutes, January," "Club minutes, February," and so on. These document names would be grouped together alphabetically for easy location. If the months are put first, the documents are scattered through the list of documents. Documents can be grouped into folders to make them easier to find. As an example, the documents just mentioned might all be put into a folder called "Club minutes 2001." The rules for naming a folder are the same as for naming a document. Some characters are reserved and you may not use them in a document name. They are: \ / : " < > | * and ? 3.7 Creating a Document. We now create a trial document. From the Main Menu, select the Word Processor option. From the KeyWord menu select "Create a document." KeySoft announces: "Folder name? General." The General folder is fine; so press ENTER to accept KeySoft's suggestion. You are then asked: "Document to create?" Type in the name: "Sample," with or without a capital S as you wish, and press ENTER. KeySoft announces: "Top of Document. Blank." You are now at the top left-hand corner of an empty text document. Without worrying about mistakes, type half a dozen sentences. Each word is spoken only when you have pressed the space bar to complete the word. You can change the Keyboard Voice so that KeySoft speaks each letter as it is pressed, or both words and letters. How to change the Keyboard Voice was discussed in. You may also notice that you can type indefinitely without worrying about the right margin. This is because KeyWord automatically starts a new line if it cannot fit another word onto the current line. This process is known as word wrapping. Start a new paragraph by pressing ENTER to start a new line, and type a few more sentences. When you have finished typing, press ESCAPE. Your document is saved, and you are returned to the KeyWord menu. 3.8 Reading a Document. We now discuss the various commands for reading a document. We recommend you open your "Sample" document, or the "Demonstration Document" that comes with KeySoft, so that you can practice using the reading commands. The "Demonstration Document" is found in the "General" folder. Open the document as explained in 3.5 Opening a Document. Note: If you are ever unsure which document you are reading, press CONTROL with READ with I, then F for filename. This will display the name of the document. 3.8.1 Listening to a Document. When you are reading sentences or paragraphs, you may be simply listening to the text, or checking it in detail for errors. You can choose to hear the amount of detail you require by setting the punctuation level. You may also choose whether numbers are spoken as words or as digits. You use the keyboard to enter commands when listening to VoiceNote mPower QT's speech. To listen to a document without stopping, press READ with G, for "Go." KeySoft continues reading to the end of the document unless you stop by pressing READ with SPACE. You can start and stop as you wish with these two commands. To return to the top of the document, press READ with T. KeySoft says: "Top of document