[nfbwatlk] Fw: JAWS 8.0 with RealSpeak Solo Released

[Mike Freeman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Freedom Scientific News" 
<FreedomScientificNews at freedomscientific.com>
To: <k7uij at panix.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 4:14 PM
Subject: JAWS 8.0 with RealSpeak Solo Released




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Brad Davis
Blind/Low Vision Group
800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
www.FreedomScientific.com

Say It All with JAWS® 8.0 and RealSpeakT Solo

(St. Petersburg, Florida, November 28, 2006) - The latest version of JAWS 
for Windows® makes using screen reading technology easier on the ears.

The Say All feature in JAWS 8.0 allows users to immediately switch from the 
current Eloquence synthesized voice to the more natural-sounding RealSpeak 
Solo voices from Nuance that are included with each JAWS 8.0 license.

"While the responsiveness of Eloquence is still preferred for general 
navigation and use of applications, it is a real pleasure to have these 
great sounding voices when listening to a book or longer passage," said Eric 
Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management.

JAWS 8.0 was released November 17, 2006, and information has been posted to 
the Freedom Scientific Web site. All single and multi-user Software 
Maintenance Agreement (SMA) holders will receive the upgrade by the first 
week of December.

In addition to the available languages that RealSpeak Solo provides, JAWS 
8.0 also includes support for Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7), along with the new 
Microsoft Office Word 2007 and Microsoft Office Excel 2007, scheduled to 
release this quarter.

"The initial feedback from users who have experienced JAWS 8.0 with IE 7 has 
been outstanding," Damery said. "The combination of navigation and improved 
responsiveness, along with some of the newly added features in IE 7 and 
Mozilla Firefox®1.5 and 2.0, are really helping to improve the user 
experience while browsing."

The JAWS 8.0 package includes the RealSpeak Solo, SAPI 5 synthesizer CD. All 
the user has to do to install the voices is load the CD in the CD-ROM drive 
and follow the simple instructions to complete the installation. For English 
speaking markets, there are seven English voices included and two Spanish 
voices. Distributors will provide languages to other markets as they become 
available.

JAWS 8.0 also includes updated training material on CD, on the Web, and even 
an updated Getting Started that ships in all new packages. DAISY training 
material users will benefit from:

You can now play, pause, fast forward, and rewind the DAISY material using 
FSReader, without having to switch applications.


New DAISY books have been added for AlternateSayAll and SmartWordReading. 
The former describes how to adjust the RealSpeak Solo voices that are 
included with JAWS 8.0.
The latter describes how JAWS 8.0 improves the reading of alphanumeric 
strings of text, phone numbers, equations, and more.


The Basic Training material has been updated to reflect all changes in JAWS 
8.0.

See the full list of new features on the What's New in JAWS 8.0 Web page.

To check the status of your SMA, visit www.FSActivate.com and enter your 
JAWS serial number.

Those who wish to purchase an upgrade to JAWS 8.0 or renew an SMA may 
contact Freedom Scientific Sales or a local authorized dealer.


About Freedom Scientific
Freedom Scientific is the world's leading manufacturer of assistive 
technology products for those who are blind and vision impaired and products 
for the special education and learning disability markets.

Freedom Scientific® and JAWS® for Windows® are registered trademarks in the 
United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and 
products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.


Freedom Scientific, Blind/Low Vision Group
11800 31st Court North