JAWS 13: The First Screen Reader To Recognize Text In Images

By Curtis Chong

On October 24, 2011, Freedom Scientific announced the release of JAWS® for Windows version 13.  Most significant about this newest release of JAWS is a new feature which Freedom Scientific calls Convenient OCR.  Simply put, Convenient OCR is able to recognize text from a graphical object which contains a picture of text.  To my knowledge, this is the first screen access program in America to have such a feature.

While I do not yet know what impact Convenient OCR will have on our over-all access to electronic information, I do believe that it is a development that needed to happen.  For years, screen reading programs have had to come up with creative (and oftentimes heroic and undocumented) ways to extract textual information that could be converted into speech or Braille.  However, before JAWS 13, no screen reading program in this country could analyze and extract information from a picture of text.

It seems that today, more and more organizations are storing images of documents with no text equivalent.  Oftentimes, a blind user will receive PDF (Portable Document Format) files which screen reading software simply can’t read; the user receives a message saying something like, “Alert! Empty Document.”  Now, with JAWS 13, the nonvisual user has a better chance at reading those text images that were previously not accessible without sighted help.

It should be pointed out, however, that Convenient OCR will not solve the problem of the visual CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart).  Those pesky, squiggly letters are meant to be undecipherable by any computer.  Nevertheless, I believe that Convenient OCR will, over time, prove to be an indispensable tool in our never-ending quest to get at electronically-stored information.

If you want to hear more about JAWS for Windows Version 13, you can listen to Freedom Scientific’s FSCast Episode 58, found on the Web page http://www.freedomscientific.com/FSCast/default.asp.

 

A Less Expensive Bar Code Scanning Alternative

By Curtis Chong
Contributing Writer

Just about everything you buy these days has a unique bar code identifier.  If a person has access to the appropriate data base, this bar code can be tremendously helpful to identify a product whose label is otherwise read visually.

A number of devices are on the market today that enable people who are blind or visually impaired to scan bar codes to identify food items and many other products.  The most well-known of these is the i.d. mate Summit from En-Vision America, which costs around $1,299.  The i.d. mate Summit is portable, and it does not require an Internet connection when a product is scanned.

Because I did not want to spend $1,299 for the ability to be able to identify a product by its bar code, I searched around for a cheaper albeit less convenient alternative, and wouldn’t you know, I found it.  I came across a bar code scanner sold by a company called A T Guys.  The Metrologic Fusion Bar Code Scanner sells for under $300.  It is an omnidirectional scanner, meaning that it only has to face the bar code in order to see it.  The scanner is connected to the computer through a USB port, and there is no software to be installed.  One simply opens the www.bcscan.com web page, positions the cursor over an edit box, and points the scanner at a barcode.  The result is a page of information about the product–information which often includes very specific directions for the use of that product.  The only cost incurred is for the scanner itself.  Everything else is free.

I have used my bar code scanner to identify a wide variety of products, including food items, sun tan lotion, toothpaste, soda, musical CD’s, and DVD’s.  Just about everything I have scanned could be identified, and for the items that were not recognized, I was given the option to enter the information into the website so that I and others would recognize the same item should it ever be scanned again.  As far as identifying music CD’s and DVD’s, I was pleasantly surprised to find that in many cases, a full track listing came along with the results of the scan.

In conclusion, while the bar code scanner from A T Guys is less costly than the i.d. mate Summit ($299 versus $1,299), it does require an active Internet connection and a computer, and it is highly unlikely that a person will want to bring a computer to the kitchen, where most product scanning is likely to occur.

The Struggle To Upgrade My iPhone To iOS 5

By Curtis Chong

On October 12, 2011, Apple released iOS 5, the latest operating system for its line of “i” products.  Since my iPhone 4 had been purchased less than six months ago, I knew that I would probably not be eligible for an upgrade to the iPhone 4S, released on October 14, 2011.  But I really wanted to upgrade my iPhone’s operating system to iOS 5 to take advantage of some of the new VoiceOver features I had been reading about: the ability to assign text to unlabeled buttons which VoiceOver only identifies as “Button” and a much higher quality text-to-speech Nuance Vocalizer voice.  I also wanted to be able to update my iPhone without having to use the pesky iTunes program for Windows which (as you will see later) has caused me no end of frustration.

So, on the evening of the day on which iOS 5 was released to the public, I started up my iTunes program on my Windows computer and connected my iPhone.  As expected, I was informed that an update for my iPhone was available.  What I did not expect was another message, which told me that my iTunes program–which had worked fairly well until now–needed to be updated before I could update my iPhone.

So, I downloaded and installed the latest version of iTunes.  The installation went off without a hitch.  But when I actually tried to run the program, everything slowed down to a crawl; I could not move my cursor around the screen, it took minutes before I heard the message telling me that an iPhone update was available, and it took even longer to press the OK button to start the update process.  The cooling fan on my computer went into high gear, and a message popped up on the screen saying that my iPhone was being backed up.  Thinking that the system just needed a little time to do its thing, I decided to let the computer run for an entire day.  Lo and behold, when the day was over, nothing of any consequence had happened; my iPhone was still running the old iOS 4, and it didn’t look like I was going to get an update any time soon.

So, on Saturday, October 15, I took my iPhone to the Apple Store and verified that (no) I was not eligible for any early upgrades to the iPhone 4S and (yes) the people at the Apple Store could update my iPhone to iOS 5–in a mere fifteen minutes.  Needless to say, I was quite thrilled at the prospect since I had heard that updates to the iPhone using one’s own computer usually took more than two hours to complete.  Before the update actually happened, however, I made sure that the gentleman from the Apple Genius Bar understood that he needed to save my Contacts since they were not backed up.  As for the few apps that I had purchased previously, I was told that I would be able to restore them in short order simply by going to the App Store, selecting Update, and choosing the Purchased link.

Once the upgrade was finished, I found that my iPhone’s home screen had been rearranged to the default view and that all of my purchased apps were gone.  I was able to get my purchased apps back, but I did have to spend a good bit of time moving my iPhone icons around to get them organized the way I like them.

All in all, I am happy with the upgrade that has been done to my iPhone.  I am particularly pleased with the great service I received from Apple’s Genius Bar, and most of all, I am thrilled that I did not have to spend anything to have my phone upgraded to iOS 5. Kudos to the fine folks at the Apple Store!

Just Me and My Netbook

By Susie Stageberg

Anybody who has tried to share a home with two teenagers and one computer can
understand why, a year or so ago, I put down my foot and shouted, “Enough!
I want my own computer.” My family greeted this announcement with
puzzlement: Mom has really gone round the bend this time. If we humor her,
she’ll subside into her normal self.

But subside I did not. I talked to some of my coworkers and learned that some of
them had recently purchased a portable computer called a Netbook. I was
intrigued, more so when one of my friends let me actually put my hands on a Netbook.

Netbook is a term used to describe a small laptop computer. Measuring approximately 10
inches by 7 inches by 1 inch, these diminutive machines might make you say
“Aw, it’s so cute” when you first see one. A Netbook’s screen is,
because of the size of the computer, smaller than a laptop or desktop computer
screen. The keyboard is more like a regular laptop keyboard than the standard
full-sized keyboard; it is flat, not tiered, and there is no number pad. The
mouse is built into the computer rather than separate from it. Netbooks
typically weigh a little over 2 pounds compared to 5 or 6 pounds for a standard
laptop. In short, it’s a compact little machine.

But the deciding factor was the price. The Netbook I bought cost around $400. I
already have my own copy of JAWS
for Windows, so there was no extra cost for a screen reader. Within days of
my ultimatum, I was the proud owner of my very own Netbook computer.

My Netbook, like most, has wireless connectivity built in, so I can surf the Web or send
e-mail from my yard, at the kitchen table, or in bed. After some practice, and
with the addition of a few adhesive-backed dots to essential and hard-to-find
keys, I was able to type fairly well on the Netbook’s keyboard. If I want to
write something really long, I can plug in a standard keyboard to one of the
Netbook’s USB ports and type just as I would on a desktop computer. Since I
don’t use a mouse, I disabled the mouse on my Netbook. I put a password on my Netbook,
which nobody knows unless I want them to. The kids cannot get on and install
iTunes, Facebook, or war games. Even if they succeed in figuring out my
password, there’s no mouse for them to use, so they are effectively stumped. This
is all part of my evil master plan to keep my computer to myself.

How, you might ask, do they keep the price on this computer so low? One way is to
use older software. My Netbook came with Windows XP installed–fine by me, even
though the rest of the world is at least two versions of Windows ahead of me. The
small screen size is dismaying for people who want to look at the screen, but it
is no problem at all for me.

As with anything else, there are disadvantages to the Netbook. The speakers aren’t
very powerful, so if I’m in a room with a TV going and I want to read e-mail, I
have to use headphones. The initial Internet security program I installed did
not prevent the computer from getting a nasty virus that caused the whole
system to crash; this necessitated a re-installation of Windows (I changed
Internet security programs immediately). If you want refreshable Braille on your
Netbook, you have to have a separate Braille display, which cuts down on the
portability.

All of these negatives do not outweigh the positives. I can tuck my Netbook into a bag
or a suitcase and take it wherever I go without breaking my back. The built-in
wireless means I can do e-mail anywhere I can get a connection. All in all,
$400 well spent. And nobody uses it but me!

By Michael Barber

The Wilson™ Digital Voice Recorder is one of the smallest and simplest digital recording devices I’ve seen.  Measuring just 2 inches by 3 inches by 0.5 inches, it will easily fit in your hand, your purse, your pocket, or anywhere else you care to put it.  It also comes with a belt clip, which allows it to be conveniently attached to a belt or purse.

Hold the Wilson™ recorder in your hand facing you with the speaker grill at the top.  Just below the speaker grill, there are three easy-to-feel buttons.  From left to right they are: Record, Play/Pause, and Delete.

On the front of the unit, at the top right-hand corner, is a light which will flash when you’re recording.

As you’re facing the unit, there is a slide switch on the left side of the recorder.  When this switch is in the up position, you can record up to eight hours of information.  When the switch is in the down position, you can record up to four hours.

On the right side of the recorder is a USB port to connect the recorder to a computer for transferring files.

On the back side of the unit is a large belt clip.  When this clip is open, you will find the door where the two AAA batteries can be inserted.

To record a message, simply press the Record Button, listen for the short tone, and release it.  You can now record your message.  To stop recording, simply tap the Play/Pause Button, the middle of the three buttons, and you’ll hear two short tones.  You can play your message by pressing the Play/Pause Button.  If you record more than one message, the recorder will play the newest message first followed by the oldest to the newest messages.  Keep in mind that you must press the Play/Pause Button to play each message.

To delete a message, you first press the Play/Pause button to start message playback.  While the message is playing, press the Delete Button (the button furthest to the right) twice, and the message is deleted; you will hear two short tones.

If you record a message with the SP/LP switch in the up position, the quality of the message is somewhat distorted but still understandable.  Further, there is no volume control on this unit; the volume is set to a fairly high level. There is also no headphone jack on the unit, which would have afforded privacy.  The final observation I have is that you cannot pause the playback of a message; it is sometimes important to be able to pause a message and be able to continue where you stopped.

It is my understanding that newer units will be coming out soon which will have the volume control as well as six and 12-hour recording times rather than the current four and eight-hour times.

The Wilson™ Digital Voice Recorder is being sold through the Aids and Devices store of the Iowa Department for the Blind for $20.95.  However, when the newer units become available, the price may or may not remain the same.

This is an excellent unit for someone who does not want or need a more complex recording device.  If all you want to do is record messages and play them later, you don’t care about all the bells and whistles available on other units, and you want something very economical, this is the unit for you.  However, I must repeat that not being able to pause a message during playback is a definite drawback for this unit.

 

Olympus Digital Recorders Still Accessible to the Blind

By Curtis Chong

Contributing Writer

About a month ago, I purchased the Olympus DM-620 digital voice recorder in my ongoing quest to acquire the latest and greatest in nonvisually-accessible digital recorders.  The Olympus DM-620 digital recorder is the latest in a line of Olympus digital recorders with voice guidance that makes most of the recorder’s settings and features nonvisually accessible.  Other Olympus models that can be purchased with voice guidance are the Olympus DM-420, DM-520, DM-2, and DM-4.

With the voice guided prompts, most of the recorder’s features are nonvisually accessible.  It is still not possible to set the date and time without sighted help, and information about how much memory and/or recording time you have available is still not spoken, but the important settings can be adjusted with the help of voice guided prompts.

I needed a little bit of sighted help to install the batteries and to identify some of the buttons.  However, after only a few minutes, I was able to operate the DM-620 and change settings on my own.

Pressing the Menu buttons starts the voice guidance which allows many recorder settings to be changed.  The first thing that you will probably want to change is the speed of the voice prompts which, by default, are set to speak fairly slowly.  Another setting that you might want to change is the format of the recording files.  I prefer to use the MP3 format at 128KBPS.

The Olympus DM-620 provides five folders that can be used to hold audio recordings.  They are labeled “Folder A,” “Folder B,” and so on.  Each folder can hold up to 200 files (i.e., recordings).

I have found with some digital recorders that it is often a bit tricky to know which folder you are using.  What I have done to overcome this problem is to record an audio file in each of the five folders stating the name of the folder.  For example, in Folder A, I record a file which says “Folder A”.  Then, I lock the file so that it cannot be erased accidentally.  Files can be easily locked and unlocked through the menus, and all of this is accessible with voice guided prompts.

There is an electronic version of the User’s Guide for the Olympus DM-620, available as a PDF document: DM-620 Detailed Instructions (English)

While much of this is readable with screen access technology, the file is formatted for visual presentation, and some of the information consists of unlabeled graphics.  Nevertheless, I found that with some effort, some useful information can be extracted from the PDF document.

All of the Olympus digital recorders I have used over the years have the ability to pause during recording and playback.  This means that you can stop the recorder at any time to avoid recording any unwanted information or pause while listening to long recordings.  Unfortunately, there seems to be no ability that I am aware of in the Olympus digital recorders with voice guidance to insert or add to recordings after they have been stopped.

All in all, I believe that the Olympus DM-620 is a very useful digital recorder, and it is reasonably accessible to the nonvisual user.

I was able to purchase this recorder on Amazon.com for about $126.  But you are more likely to find the Olympus DM-620 being sold for around $150.

Hefty Battery Pack For iPhone

By Karen Keninger

Contributing Writer

I just finished a seven-day biking and camping trip.  I wanted to bring my Apple iPhone along to take pictures, take notes, and stay in touch as needed.  But the battery on my iPhone would last for only one day.

My solution was a New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery Pack and Charger battery pack. According to the specifications, this battery pack would hold enough charge to recharge my iPhone six times–perfect for this trip.  At a cost of around $80 through Amazon.com, it seemed worth the investment since I could also use it for future camping trips or travels overseas.

The battery pack has an on switch with a LED indicator but no audible cues. The iPhone, fortunately, announces when it begins charging, so it’s easy to tell the battery is working. The battery shuts itself off when the phone is fully charged, so there is no need to worry about whether it’s on or off. The only way to tell when the battery runs out of charge, however, seems to be to plug the iPhone into it and see whether it works. Mine did run out because I charged another device on it, and I was left one day without iPhone usage as a result. A full battery recharge takes several hours. It comes with a couple of additional adapters and will work with anything that you can recharge in a USB port as well. It weighs about a pound and packs easily.