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JAWS 9 for Windows |
The most popular screen reader worldwide, JAWS® for
Windows works with your PC to provide access to today’s software
applications and the Internet. With its internal software speech synthesizer
and the computer’s sound card, information from the screen is
read aloud, providing technology to access a wide variety of information,
education and job related applications.
JAWS also outputs to refreshable Braille displays, providing unmatched
Braille support of any screen reader on the market. A training tutorial
is included. |
System Requirements
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Windows 95/98/Me/XP Home operating system
for JAWS Standard. JAWS Professional also works with Windows
NT 4.0/2000/XP Professional.
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32 MB of available RAM space is required.
64 MB is required for Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP,
and 128 MB is recommended.
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50 MB of available hard disk space required.
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If you intend to use the Eloquence for JAWS
software synthesizer, you need a sound card compatible with the
version of Windows you are running. If you choose not to use
Eloquence for JAWS, then you must have a JAWS compatible software
or hardware speech synthesizer, or a refreshable Braille display.
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VGA or higher-resolution video adapter (Super
VGA 256-colour recommended).
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Windows XP requires a 233 MHZ or faster processor.
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£560.00 - Sta - 8509
£680.00 - Pro - 80105 |
Key Features
FSClipboard
FSClipboard extends the functionality of the Windows Clipboard. When
you use the Windows Copy (CTRL+C) or Cut (CTRL+X) commands to place
text on the Clipboard, it replaces any text already there. When using
the FSClipboard feature, text that you copy is added to any text that
you have previously copied to the Clipboard. This allows you to continue
adding text to the Clipboard until you are ready to paste it into a
document.
To add text to the Clipboard, select it using the text selection commands,
and then press WINDOWS Key+C. The text is appended to the end of any
text already on the Clipboard. To paste all the text that you have
placed on the Clipboard so far, use the Windows Paste command (CTRL+V).
The text is inserted into your document at the current location of
the cursor. Each block of text that you copied is separated by a blank
line.
Improved Menu Reading
JAWS now relies on Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) information
when reading menus. This allows for greater accuracy when reading menu
items, which is useful for users who like to customize the Windows
system colours.
Getting Started with JAWS Cassette Tape
The Freedom Scientific Training department has created a new cassette
tape that helps you get up and running with JAWS quickly and easily.
It introduces users to the basics of using JAWS to work with Windows.
After you listen to the tape, you can receive further instruction and
detailed information by listening to the JAWS Basic Training DAISY
book.
Read DAISY Books on the JAWS Program CD with Most DAISY Readers
You can now insert your JAWS 9.0 program CD into most hardware DAISY
book readers and access Freedom Scientific training materials in DAISY
format. Most players present a list of all the DAISY training books
on the CD, allowing you to select the book you want to read.
New Training Materials Available in DAISY Format
JAWS 9.0 includes even more short training guides for various new JAWS
features available in DAISY format. To access this material, open the
JAWS Help menu and choose Training. FSReader Demo (installed with JAWS)
starts and a list of available DAISY training materials displays.
Note: These training materials are only available when installing JAWS
from the program CD or demo CD. If you install the downloadable version
of JAWS, you will need to download these materials separately from
the Freedom Scientific Audio Demos page.
The supplemental DAISY training materials in JAWS 9.0 discuss the following
topics: Portable Column and Row Titles in Excel, Using Custom Labels
in Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, How to Use
the Placemarker and Custom Page Summary Features, Skim Reading with
JAWS, Creating Custom Schemes for the Speech and Sounds Manager, Document
Presentation Mode, and Custom Labels in Excel.
Run JAWS from a USB Thumb Drive
A USB thumb drive is a small, portable device that can store much more
information than a floppy disk. You can now install a special version
of JAWS on to any USB thumb drive. This allows you to carry your current
settings with you to use on any computer. After you connect the drive
to the computer, a dialog box displays allowing you to start JAWS.
JAWS uses whatever authorization is available on the computer. If no
authorization is available, JAWS runs in 40 minute mode.
To use JAWS on a USB thumb drive, the computer must have Microsoft
Display Chain Manager (DCM) and JAWS Video Intercept installed. Any
computer where JAWS or MAGic is installed already has these components.
In addition, a special file is available that allows you to quickly
install these components on any computer without installing JAWS.
To run JAWS from a USB thumb drive, you must download a special version
of the program from the Freedom Scientific Web site. In addition, you
can download the executable file that allows you to install Video Intercept
and Microsoft DCM. The thumb drive version of JAWS will be available
tomorrow, October 4, 2005. For more information on running JAWS from
a thumb drive, see JAWS for Thumb Drives - Questions and Answers.
Note: A thumb drive version of MAGic Screen Magnification (version
9.50) will also be available.
New Start Menu Shortcut for Reference Materials
A new shortcut named "Explore the Manuals" has been added
to the Explore JAWS submenu in the JAWS program group. You can use
this shortcut to open a folder containing electronic copies of printed
JAWS documentation and other useful reference materials, including
the JAWS Quick Start Guide and a list of keystrokes in Word (.doc)
and text format.
Support for Roaming Profiles
You can now use the command line switch "/roam" when installing
JAWS on a network with roaming profiles. No separate folders are created
for user and shared settings. All settings are stored in the folder
where you installed JAWS. If you are installing JAWS from the package
for the Web, you will need to precede this switch with the /a switch
as well.
Hear the Name of the Script Attached to a Keystroke
When you enable JAWS keyboard help, you can once again hear the name
of the script attached to a keystroke. After pressing INSERT+1, press
any JAWS keystroke three times quickly to hear JAWS say and spell the
name of the script attached to that keystroke.
Use JAWS Authorization when Working in PAC Mate Desktop
JAWS 9.0 provides a new feature that allows you to make use of third-party
scripts that are locked to your JAWS serial number while using PAC
Mate Desktop. To enable this feature, open the Options menu and choose
Basics. Then, choose the Advanced button. Clear the Use Authorization
from PAC Mate check box. Remote JAWS will then use the computer's authorization
information (including the serial number) instead of the PAC Mate's
information.
Re-Initialize Authorization
You can now use the Re-Initialize Authorization command on the Utilities
menu to force JAWS to search for valid ILM authorization. If the search
is successful, JAWS displays your serial number.
Braille
Focus 40/80 Shortcuts for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
JAWS now provides Focus 40/80 shortcuts for various commands in Word,
PowerPoint, and Excel. These commands are the same as those previously
available for the Focus 44/70/84.
HTML, PDF, and the Internet
Document Presentation Mode
Document Presentation Mode allows you to read tables by row, just as
they are presented on the screen. With this feature, you can change
how JAWS structures HTML pages and other virtual documents (such as
PDF documents) in the virtual buffer. If you select "Simple Layout," each
cell in the table is displayed on a separate line. This is the default
layout, and the behavior should be familiar to users of JAWS 6.20 and
earlier. If you select "Screen Layout," pages are rendered
in the virtual buffer in a way that is more similar to what a sighted
user sees on the screen. All items in a single table row are displayed
on the same line, and each column is separated by a vertical bar. This
helps you better understand the overall table design as well as the
relationship between table cells in each row.
To switch to Screen Layout mode temporarily, press INSERT+V. Alternatively,
you can change this option for the current Web site by pressing INSERT+SHIFT+V.
Select "Document Presentation" and press the SPACEBAR to
choose "Screen Layout." You can permanently change this setting
on the Misc tab of the HTML Options dialog in Configuration Manager.
This new feature is especially useful for copying and pasting table
information from virtual documents. Because all text in the row appears
on the same line, you can easily select all the text in every cell
in a row with SHIFT+DOWN ARROW. Alternatively, you can press F8 to
select the entire table (if you are at the beginning). When you copy
and paste the row(s) or table into another document, the text of each
cell is separated by a vertical bar to preserve readability. You can
even use the enhanced functionality of FSClipboard to copy non-contiguous
rows or rows from different tables and then paste them all into another
document.
To see this new feature in action, press INSERT+V now. Select "Document
Presentation" and press the SPACEBAR to choose "Screen Layout." Then,
read the table below to see how the information is presented. Notice
how each cell is separated with a vertical bar and each row appears
on its own line.
Support for Mozilla Firefox
JAWS now supports the Mozilla Firefox Web browser (version 1.5 beta
or later). Firefox is a free browser that you can download from www.GetFireFox.com.
As of the JAWS 9.0 release, Firefox is in the process of public beta
testing. A final version has not yet been released. Even if Mozilla
releases Firefox from beta testing, the current level of support for
JAWS 9.0 remains under development. Freedom Scientific is continuing
to work with its beta team and IBM to complete full access to all the
functionality and features of this exciting new accessible Web browser.
While the majority of this support is in place now, not everything
is complete and Freedom Scientific will not be able to provide Technical
Support for this program as a result.
Freedom Scientific's goal is to make all of the features and useful
tools available in Internet Explorer available for Firefox as well.
You'll be able to use navigation quick keys, PlaceMarkers, custom labels,
lists of HTML elements, and more.
Support for MSN Messenger 7.0 and 7.5
JAWS now supports MSN Messenger 7.0 and 7.5. A number of the keystrokes
available in previous versions have been removed or changed. For a
complete list of current keystrokes, see the JAWS Help for MSN Messenger.
In addition, you can now access a list of verbosity options for MSN
Messenger by pressing INSERT+V. These options allow you to enable or
disable the typing sound, typing announcement, automatic message reading,
announcement of contacts that sign in, and whether JAWS speaks the
name of a contact when you receive a message.
In addition, JAWS 9.0 features a new MSN Messenger dictionary file
that contains definitions for a number of abbreviations commonly used
during online conversations. When you encounter these abbreviations,
JAWS reads the corresponding definition instead. For example, if you
read the abbreviation "LOL," JAWS says, "Laugh out
loud." Other abbreviations that JAWS recognizes include IMO (in
my opinion), BRB (be right back), BTW (by the way), HTH (hope this
helps), and many more.
Tip: The DAISY training material that can be installed from the JAWS 9.0 program CD includes a lesson on using the new MSN Messenger features.
To listen to this DAISY book, open the JAWS Help menu and choose Training.
Then, select the book "XTra_MSN_Messenger" and press ENTER.
Enhanced Features for Adobe Acrobat and Reader
Freedom Scientific has been working closely with Adobe to make PDF
files more accessible to JAWS users. When reading PDF files with JAWS
and Adobe Acrobat or Reader, you will experience increased responsiveness
and improved accuracy. JAWS can also better read font information and
switch to the appropriate synthesizer language when necessary. Navigation
in complex tables has also been improved. In addition, you can now
select text using the Virtual Cursor. You can then press the APPLICATION
Key to access a context menu containing commands applicable to the
selected text.
Note: Language detection is not available in version 6.x of Acrobat
or Reader.
Furthermore, the same great features available in Internet Explorer
are now available in virtual PDF documents. You can navigate using
the same commands you use for Web pages, including using Navigation
Quick Keys to jump to different document elements. Features like PlaceMarkers,
custom labels, and the custom summary are fully supported. You can
even press INSERT+V to access the same verbosity options available
in Internet Explorer.
In order to take advantage of these great features, it is important
that the PDF files are properly created and tagged by the document
author. Information on authoring accessible PDF documents is available
at http://access.adobe.com.
Support for Yahoo! Messenger
JAWS now supports Yahoo! Messenger version 7.0. Yahoo! Messenger is
a collaboration tool that allows you to stay in touch with your friends
and co-workers in a variety of ways. With Yahoo! Messenger you can
send mobile phone text messages (SMS), place PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone
calls, use traditional instant messaging, and more. You can download
the program from http://messenger.yahoo.com.
New Keystroke for Activating Mouse Overs
The keystroke for activating mouse overs on Web pages has been changed
to INSERT+CTRL+ENTER. This was done to avoid a conflict with the Firefox
keystroke, CTRL+ENTER.
Indicate ColSpan in Braille for HTML Tables
If you select the Indicate ColSpan in Braille check box, JAWS inserts
one vertical bar per column span between table cells. This can help
you read HTML tables with cells that span multiple columns. For example,
if a table cell spans two columns, the contents of that cell will be
followed by two vertical bars on your braille display. This provides
you with a better representation of the visual layout of HTML tables.
This check box is selected by default. You can change this setting
on the Lists and Tables tab of the HTML Options dialog in Configuration
Manager. This new option is only applicable if you select "Screen
Layout" as the Document Presentation Mode.
Microsoft Word
Navigation Quick Keys
Navigation Quick Keys for Word provide you with an easy and efficient
way to move through a document. You can quickly move the insertion
point to a number of different page elements, including headings, tables,
form fields, pages, sections, and more, with a simple keystroke. This
feature is similar to the navigation quick keys in Internet Explorer,
but is especially designed to help you navigate Word documents.
Navigation Quick Keys are automatically enabled while you are reading
with the Say All command. If you want to use this feature when not
performing the Say All command, press INSERT+Z. Then, use the keystrokes
in the Word Navigation Quick Keys table to move the insertion point
to the next or previous page element of the given type. To turn off
Navigation Quick Keys again, press ENTER. JAWS also turns off Navigation
Quick Keys if you switch to another document or program.
Note: While Navigation Quick Keys are enabled, you cannot type text
into the document. In addition, you can only use the TAB key to move
to the next form field or table cell.
Announce Accented Characters
If Typing Echo is set to characters, JAWS now announces accented characters
(such as à, é, î, and many others) and special
characters (such as ¿, ¡, and ß) as you type them.
For more information on how to type accented characters in Word, refer
to the Microsoft Word online help.
Hear Nested List Levels
JAWS can now automatically announce the nesting level of paragraphs
formatted as bulleted or numbered lists. Level one paragraphs are at
the highest level. Level two paragraphs are nested below level one
paragraphs, and so on. To enable this option, press INSERT+V in Word,
select "Announce List Nest Level," and press the SPACEBAR
to choose "On."
New Functionality for INSERT+T
In addition to announcing the name of the current document, pressing
INSERT+T now announces the current document view (such as normal, page
layout, outline, and so on).
Hide Custom Labels for Form Fields
JAWS 6.0 introduced the ability to assign custom labels to form fields
in Word documents. Now you can temporarily hide your custom labels
and use the original labels instead. Press INSERT+V, select "Use
Custom Labels," and then press the SPACEBAR to choose "Off." The
next time you move to a form field with a custom label, JAWS reads
the original label instead (if one is available).
New Keystroke for Selecting a Hyperlink in Word
The keystroke for selecting a hyperlink in Word has been changed from
INSERT+F8 to INSERT+F7. However, when you are using Spell Check in
Word, pressing INSERT+F7 still reads the misspelled word as it did
in previous versions. This change makes the keystroke for this command
consistent for all Microsoft Office programs.
Indicate Bullet Types
When you move to a paragraph formatted as a bulleted list, JAWS now
indicates the type of bullet used to create that list. JAWS can identify
ten of the most common bullet types, including picture bullets. If
you want to hear specific information about images used as picture
bullets, turn on the "Borders & Pictures" verbosity option.
If you do not want JAWS to indicate the type of bullet, press INSERT+V,
select "Bullet Type Indication," and press the SPACEBAR to
choose "Off."
More Support for Non Uniform Tables
JAWS can now properly detect and navigate non uniform tables with cells
that span one or more rows. In addition, JAWS 9.0 features a new verbosity
option that can provide you with detailed information about complex
tables that can help you get oriented. This option is enabled by default.
To disable this option, press INSERT+V, select "Table Description," and
press the SPACEBAR to choose "Off." This setting is retained
even after you quit Word.
New Focus Shortcut for Left Alignment of Paragraphs
The Focus braille display shortcut for left aligning the current paragraph
has been changed to LEFT SHIFT+DOTS 1-2-3 to avoid conflicting with
another shortcut.
Microsoft Excel
Create Custom Summaries in Excel
The Custom Summary feature allows you to create a snapshot of important
data from a worksheet, such as monthly totals, grand totals, and so
on. You define which cells appear in the custom summary by assigning
labels to them. The summary then displays the contents of all the specified
cells. The summary contains links, allowing you to move quickly to
any of the cells. If the worksheet's data changes after the custom
summary is created, the same summary can be used to obtain the new
information.
Use CTRL+INSERT+TAB to assign a label to the current cell. Once you
have assigned labels to all cells you want to include in the summary,
you press CTRL+INSERT+SHIFT+TAB to view the summary. JAWS displays
summary information for all worksheets that have custom summary labels
assigned.
Tip: The DAISY training material that can be installed from the JAWS 9.0 program CD includes a lesson on creating custom summaries in Excel.
To listen to this DAISY book, open the JAWS Help menu and choose Training.
Then, select the book "XTraCustomLabelSummaryExcel" and
press ENTER.
Easy Creation of Excel Formulas that Reference Different Workbooks
or Worksheets
When you create a formula in Excel, you can navigate to and select
a cell or range of cells in another workbook or worksheet in order
to use that data as part of the formula. When you create a formula
this way, JAWS now makes it easier to navigate to the cells containing
the data you want to include by announcing the name of the active worksheet/workbook.
In addition, you can now press CTRL+NUM PAD 5 when creating a formula
to hear the coordinates of the last cell you navigated to.
Define Row and Column Titles for Worksheets with Multiple Regions
The ability to use names in Excel to define row and column titles has
been extended to worksheets that have multiple regions. You can now
use names to define unique row and column titles for each region on
your spreadsheet. In addition, JAWS can now detect if the active worksheet
contains multiple regions. If it does, then multiple region support
is automatically enabled in the Excel verbosity options.
Tip: The DAISY training material that can be installed from the JAWS 9.0 program CD includes a lesson on using names to define row and column
titles in Excel. To listen to this DAISY book, open the JAWS Help menu
and choose Training. Then, select the book "XTraNewPortableRowAndColumnTitlesInExcel" and
press ENTER.
New Keystroke for Setting Monitor Cells
The keystroke for setting monitor cells in Excel has been changed from
ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+1 through 0 to INSERT+SHIFT+1 through 0. This keystroke
is easier for most users to press.
New Keystroke for Selecting a Hyperlink in Excel
The keystroke for selecting a hyperlink in Excel has been changed from
CTRL+SHIFT+H to INSERT+F7. This change makes the keystroke for this
command consistent for all Microsoft Office programs.
Phonetic Cell Coordinates in Excel
You can now press INSERT+C three times to hear the coordinates of the
active cell announced phonetically.
More Information About Input Messages
Input messages can be used to create forms in Excel. When you move
to a cell with an input message, JAWS now announces the following information:
The type of input (drop-down, date, time, and so on).
Any restrictions relating to the input that is expected (for example,
time input between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM).
Tutor help appropriate to the type of input expected.
Appropriate screen-sensitive help for the type of input expected.
JAWS also provides this information in Braille, if you have a Braille
display.
Review Detailed Information About Cell Appearance
You can now press INSERT+TAB twice while in a cell to display detailed
information regarding the visual appearance of that cell in the Virtual
Viewer. JAWS displays the width of the column, the height of the cell
if greater than one line, whether the text has been shrunk or rotated,
the cell's vertical and horizontal alignment, font information, the
presence of any inverted negative numbers and their colour, the indentation
level, and the number format.
More Information when Selecting Cells
When you select cells with Excel's selection commands, JAWS now indicates
the range of cells that you have selected. For example, if you are
in cell A1 and then select cells B1 and C1 with SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW,
JAWS says "Select C1."
Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express
Disable Announcement of Header Fields
You can now turn off the automatic announcement of the From and Subject
fields when you open a message in Outlook Express. To change this setting,
press INSERT+V, select "Announce Header Fields with Message," and
use the SPACEBAR to choose either "Yes" or "No."
Disable Automatic Message Reading in Outlook Express
In JAWS 6.20 and later, JAWS no longer reads the entire message automatically
when you open it in Outlook. In JAWS 9.0, this feature has been extended
to Outlook Express as well. If you want JAWS to automatically read
the message body after reading the subject, press INSERT+V, select "Read
Messages Automatically," and press the SPACEBAR to choose "Yes."
Read and Move to the BCC Edit Box
You can now press ALT+6 to read the BCC field while composing a message
in Outlook. Press this keystroke twice quickly to move the cursor to
the BCC field.
Disable Information Bar Announcement
In JAWS 6.10, a new feature was added that automatically announced
the content of the Outlook information bar. If you want to turn this
feature off, you can now press INSERT+V, select "Announce Information
Bar Messages," and press the SPACEBAR to choose "No."
Message Flag Announcement
If this option is on, JAWS announces when the currently selected message
has one of Outlook's message status flags, such as Important, Business,
Follow up, Personal, and so on. Turn this option off if you do not
want those flags announced. This option is only available in Outlook
2002 or later.
Other Programs
Quattro Pro
JAWS now supports Quattro Pro versions 11 and 12.
Scripting
New Functionality for F2 and SHIFT+F2 in Script Manager
In the JAWS Script Manager, pressing F2 or SHIFT+F2 no longer selects
the script name. This prevents the user from accidentally typing over
the function or script.
New Keystroke for Displaying the Object List in Homerow Mode
While in homerow mode (INSERT+SPACEBAR), you can now press ALT+F9 to
display the object list for the current homerow window in the Virtual
Viewer. This command is no longer available when cycling through the
MSAA output types with F10 while in homerow mode. |
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