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In this issue we feature news on the following:
Release
of myReader
Change the way you look at low vision FOREVER……
myReader from Pulse Data is the worlds first low vision auto-reader. This revolutionary product represents the most significant advance in reading aids for people with low vision for more than 20 years.
myReader redefines the process of reading, making the experience faster, more relaxing and less visually tiring for low vision sufferers.
myReader will be launched at an invitation only event at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday 30th September. The launch will be supported by a series of rolling launches throughout every state in Australia. This is an event not to be missed!
For further information on a venue near you, contact us directly on (02) 9686 2600 - or our local distributor– see back page for details.
VoiceNote User Story
‘I wanted to share with you how my VN was crucial in maintaining my self-esteem and literacy during the last three stressful, life changing months. I purchased the QWERTY keyboard VN and from the instant I unpacked it, our immediate relationship was highly interactive and extremely productive. Attending school via the telephone and online became much easier and more efficient within 24 hours. My compact, user friendly new VN accompanied me to the hospital and I was able to surf the net and attend class the very evening I learned about my new disability.
Until the onset of the strokes, I had used JAWS, Outlook Express and MS Word on a daily basis for many years. They have now been completely and mysteriously purged from my memory bank!
On Monday, I completed and e-mailed my final exam for my initial life-coaching course with absolutely no sighted assistance. I can surf the net efficiently and comfortably from my bed. It’s so easy!
This afternoon, I will begin sharing my newly acquired knowledge with a user who is having trouble. I will continue to keep you informed as my exciting and intriguing journey with my amazing VN progresses!’
Diane Kelker,
Actress, Coach, Former Child
Pulse Data Announces BrailleNote PK - the World's Smallest PDA
You've heard the saying "good things come in small packages"? Well terrific things come in really small packages. Pulse Data International, the world's leading manufacturer of personal data assistants for the blind, is proud to announce a new member of the BrailleNote family to complement our other great models. It's BrailleNote PK, the BrailleNote that fits in your pocket. Available in October, BrailleNote PK is the ultimate PC companion for people on the move.
Because most professionals on the go can't really do without a full laptop, the last thing they want is to lug a large additional device with them. They want a small, intuitive PDA. BrailleNote PK is the solution, the ultimate in portability for the blind person who needs to be connected, but who can't make compromises on functionality. Best of all, with an interface designed from the ground up with blind people in mind, it's intuitive and efficient. That's important when you have deadlines to meet and a thousand things to do.
· Full Wireless networking support
· Built-in Bluetooth
· Full network client support
· USB
· Amazing new Media Player
· Supports all versions of Microsoft Word
· Flexible e-mail support
· Long battery life
· Many great KeySoft applications and features that have made BrailleNote the market leader in PDA technology for blind people.
· And, it's real!
BrailleNote User Stories
‘Six months ago, I became a BrailleNote user, and now I don't know what I ever did without it. In the short time that I have had it, the
BrailleNote has made a huge difference to my independence.
For example I can:take my own notes using the word processor,
look up people's phone numbers that are stored in my address list, read books using the book reader, check the date and time with a simple keystroke, and most importantly …. schedule and keep track of my numerous appointments using the planner.
I must mention one more thing that I absolutely love about the BrailleNote. That is the ability to prepare emails off line, without the restriction of having to sit in front of a computer.
Using “Keymail”, the BrailleNote's wonderful email programme, I am able to write, correct and proof read my emails, while I am travelling on the train. Then when I come home, I just connect my BrailleNote to my phone line and send my emails.
I really can't say anymore than, “It's Just Amazing” For those of you, who are thinking of getting a BrailleNote, I say “go for it”. You will never regret your decision.’
Debbie Yuille
‘As a student and someone who has to give oral presentations, the Braille display was the winning part of the BrailleNote compared to other note takers. I am also an old KeySoft user from way back & while hardware products have changed, keysoft is still so simple to use.
I find PDI very receptive to suggestions about our changing, individual needs. As a student I might need something quite different to a senior, who may have completely different needs. PDI provides it.’
Lisa Hayes
South Australian
Appointment
Pulse Data Australia is excited to confirm that we have recently appointed well-known Adelaide identity, Mr David Savage as a Special Agent for Pulse Data Australia.
David lives at Grange and is a long time resident of South Australia. His background is in communications where he has held many positions of prominence. He is now very active in Lions Australia, as well as many other service organizations, including the SA Rugby Football Union. He holds anelectronics and communications degree and a Diploma in Public Relations.
David will be working closely with the RSBSA and other major Agencies and is now ready, willing and able to provide SA clients a top level of service.
National Vision Research Institute of Australia
This organization is a division of the Victorian College of Optometry and is associated with the Research Centre for Optometry and the Visual Sciences. It is proudly supported by Pulse Data Australia.
The Director of Research, Professor Paul Martin, has now completed the establishment of his laboratories in the National Vision Research Institute at Carlton in Melbourne. His research group is working at full capacity producing high quality vision research of international standing into how the eye and the brain work together to give the sense of sight. They are addressing the very basis of visual acuity, colour vision and colour blindness.
The staff at Pulse Data Australia wish Paul and his team every success with their valuable work.
Pulse Data Expands Blindness Product Offering
Complementing its existing range of products for people who are blind, Pulse Data is delighted to announce the release of two sensational new Braille displays.
Weighing only 560g (1.23lbs) and 389g (0.86lbs) respectively, the new 40-cell and 24-cell Brailliant refreshable Braille displays are the smallest, lightest and most compact displays on the market today. Designed for use with a laptop or desktop computer, and offering both Bluetooth and USB connectivity, the Brailliant 24 and Brailliant 40 are the ideal workplace companions.
“The launch of the Brailliant 24 and Brailliant 40 Braille displays reinforces Pulse Data’s commitment to providing the highest quality mobile products for people who are blind,” says Pulse Data’s Blindness Product Manager Jonathan Mosen. “As a blind person who travels a lot, I know how much equipment blind people often have to carry. Our robust, reliable, wireless, and lightweight, displays take refreshable Braille for the PC to the next level. Nothing can substitute for proofing written material in Braille when you need to be sure of your formatting and accuracy. When you're working with text on your PC, a speech synthesizer can make it hard to tell the difference between words like ‘weather and whether’, ‘to and too’, ‘him and hymn’. A Brailliant gives you true literacy with your PC, in a package that doesn't break your back, or your budget".
The Brailliant 24 and Brailliant 40 Braille displays will be available from Pulse Data from August 2004.
Warwick Expo
It's not so often that we at Pulse Data Australia get to exhibit in country and rural areas. Most conferences and trade shows are held in the high population capital cities. Similarly, country people may find it difficult to get to the big city centres due to the time it takes and possibly relying on others to get them there. This means that those living outside the large metropolitan areas can miss out on knowing what developments have occurred in adaptive technology, or worse, miss out on learning what is available to help them. Sure you can read and discuss technology with others but nothing beats being able to have hands-on experience and being able to chat with the suppliers of equipment in order to assess the best solutions for you.
Therefore, it was a real pleasure for us all to be able to hold a display in Warwick, a smallish town about 2.5 hours west of Brisbane, earlier this year.
The vision impaired population of Warwick have become, over the past few years, very active in terms of lobbying for their needs to be met and working together to acquire resources to help low vision and blind residents to assist them in daily living activities.
Lead by a very energetic, focused and enthusiastic man, Frank Taylor, the vision impaired people (VIP) of Warwick have been able to obtain, with a very generous sponsorship from the Gambling Commission, and support from Guide Dogs Queensland, some SmartView video magnifiers and a ScannaR.
SmartView is I’m sure well known to all. It allows someone to place printed or graphical material on the tray and to have it magnified many times on the monitor for clear and easy viewing.
The ScannaR is a reading machine whereby printed material such as books and notices are scanned then read aloud. Both pieces of equipment come with features which offer users flexibility in how information is accessed and presented.
It is the intention of Frank and his peers that the equipment should be accessible to as many VIP's in the community as possible and they plan to set up a rental scheme where users can rent the equipment for a small fee. They also plan to house some of the equipment in a venue which is easily accessed by the community and thus set up an open access system.
Our technology solutions are more than just fancy toys; they can mean the difference between having and not having independence and freedom. We look forward to visiting other rural areas in other states as the opportunity presents.
Kurzweil 1000 Version 9 Released
Following is a summary of the new features you can find in the newly released V.9 of the K1000 Scanning and Reading solution from Kurzweil. This is why we recommend this product so highly:
· Improved OCR - provides the most accurate recognition, while having the ability to automatically correct many errors, producing the best possible scanning results.
· Audio Spooler Monitor - Track progress of audio file creation. This feature is useful when creating multiple audio files.
· Sending Files to Portable Devices - In addition to other supported portable devices, such as BrailleNote, Book Courier and Road Runner devices, documents and books that are accessed and enhanced by K1000 can also be read on the go.
· Information Access Online Encyclopedia Lookup - Encyclopedia articles can be read, edited, or saved and may also contain internal links and links to related articles or Web sites.
· Expanded Online Information Search and Retrieval – An expanded list of e-book and e-magazine Web sites.
· Full-Function Talking Business Calculator - The business calculator complements the existing, powerful scientific, standard and statistics calculators.
· DAISY Format Support - Kurzweil 1000 opens, reads, edits, and saves text-only DAISY files, including all bookmarks, links and notes.
· Narrow Dictionary or Thesaurus Results Using Parts of Speech - Allows users to find the precise word or definition when they need it. Users can reduce the number of dictionary and thesaurus results by selecting a Part of Speech, such as an adjective, adverb, noun, or verb, in the dictionary or thesaurus dialog.
· User Interface and Editing Enhancements Document Links - Explores links embedded in documents, such as searchable online encyclopedia pages with an audible chime to identify the link.
· Notes - Complements the existing set of study skills tools, including the Bookmark and Summarize features, by providing an additional way to annotate documents.
· Quick Access to Recently Opened Files - Kurzweil 1000 keeps track of up to five files opened in a session.
· Ranked Spelling Improvements - Ranked Spelling keeps track of spelling errors as a document is edited and scanned. Users can go back to the document to review each occurrence of a misspelling and make changes manually if they wish.
There is lot’s to the new K1000 and some really attractive prices too. Order from Anthony on (02) 9686 2600 before the end of October to receive special rebates.
Queens Birthday Honours List Award
Dr Russell Smith, is known to many in Australia as a brilliant innovator, a great leader and an all round good bloke. In his role as CEO of Pulse Data International, I have had the pleasure of working for him in a direct reporting capacity for 7 years now I am always impressed, not only with his intellect, but his gracious and humble approach to life.
Recently these attributes were recognised in the Queens Birthday Honours List for New Zealanders who have made an outstanding contribution in their field. Everyone at Pulse Data International was very proud to read that he has been made a member of the NZ Order of Merit for his services to the blind and visually impaired.
Russell has been a leader and innovator in this field for decades and this distinguished honour is a fitting tribute to the difference he's made to the lives of VIP’s not only in New Zealand and Australia, but throughout the world.
Congratulations Russell!
Go small, think big with PocketViewer
View anything, wherever you are with the PocketViewer. Packed with a range of exciting new features the PocketViewer now comes in full colour. The PocketViewers surperb picture quality allows you to read maps, view photographs and illustrations all in full colour.
Contact your nearest distributor to find out how Pulse Data’s PocketViewer can help you.
ZoomText 8.1 Released!
Upgrade Delivers New Features
We are pleased to announce the release of ZoomText 8.11.2.
This update delivers a variety of enhancements and fixes, including:
· Smoother scrolling in ZoomText's magnified view: Scrolling in ZoomText's magnified view is now much smoother. This dramatic improvement is especially noticeable at higher magnification levels and when using ZoomText's Line and Lens zoom windows, mouse pointer enhancements, and the view locator.
· Improved reading in Outlook and Outlook Express. Reading email in Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express is now more fluent and reliable. With ZoomText's AppReader, messages are read from beginning to end with the accuracy you expect.
The ZoomText 8.11.2 update is free to registered users of Ztx V8.10 and later. The update can be acquired online using one of:
· Automatic Updating: With ZoomText’s auto-update feature enabled (in the Program Preferences dialog), ZoomText will automatically detect, download and install the 8.11.2 update.
· Check for Updates: Launches the ZoomText update wizard, which acquires available updates via the Internet. In the Windows Start menu, select Programs > ZoomText 8.1 > Check for Updates.
· Manual download and install: You can manually download this update from the web site www.aisquared.com/support/updates.htm. When the download is complete, double-click on the file to begin the installation.
QuickTips: Capturing the ZoomText Screen
From time to time, it's useful to capture ZoomText's magnified view for placement in documents and email. Normally, capturing the screen is accomplished by pressing the Print Screen key, which copies the screen image to the Windows clipboard. However, this command will not capture ZoomText's magnified view. To capture the magnified view, a special 'Capture ZoomText Screen' command is provided.
To capture ZoomText's magnified view
1. Setup ZoomText magnification options as desired.
2. Scroll the magnified view to display the desired portion of the screen.
3. Press the Capture ZoomText Screen hotkey: CTRL + ALT + SHIFT + C.
The captured view now resides in the Windows clipboard, ready to paste into the desired application.
Wanted to Buy
Mens Braille mechanical/wind up wrist watch in working order.
Contact Robert Nixon (02) 9872 5766 or (02) 9872 5859
Thanks for joining us for this issue we look forward to your company again for the Spring edition. Don’t forget to look out for the BrailleNote PK, the Brailliant 40 cell and 24 cell Braille display and of course myReader!
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