Re: Preview of JAWS 12

  • From: chris hallsworth <christopherh40@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:38:48 +0100

Now that's interesting; we can input using Braille with "any" connected Braille display. According to Twitter it was only for the Focus 40 Blue. We'll await the first beta of JAWS 12 and I'll watch closely for comments relating to this new feature. I use my BrailleNote mPower sometimes as a bluetooth Braille display. If this new feature holds out and it works well for JAWS `12 users then I may check this out.




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On 03/08/2010 16:09, Geoff Connor wrote:
I like the idea of the ribbon option. It will be nice to have the option.

Geoff

-----Original Message-----
From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Gerald Levy
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2010 5:50 AM
To: JFW list
Subject: Preview of JAWS 12


Here's a brief preview of JAWS 12 I just came across:


by Curtis Chong

In early July, I attended a three-hour session conducted by Freedom
Scientific during which the company provided a sneak preview of JAWS for
Windows Version 12. Freedom Scientific has been working on this newest
release of JAWS for more than a year, and it is hoped that JAWS 12 will be
released before the end of 2010.

Long-time JAWS users will be interested to know that in JAWS 12, Freedom
Scientific proposes to replace the familiar JAWS Configuration Manager with
something called the Settings Center. In the Settings Center, you can search
for the setting that you want to change and then simply make the change. It
is no longer necessary to explore a variety of menus to track down where,
for example, you can change the level of punctuation that JAWS speaks or
increase the speaking rate of JAWS. Also, in the Settings Center, your last
25 changes will be displayed at the bottom of the tree view, making it
easier for you to fix a setting that might have been adjusted incorrectly or
adjust settings that you change frequently.

Another feature included in JAWS 12 is the ability to operate your computer
from the Braille keyboard of any connected refreshable Braille display.
Using the Braille keys, you can enter any character that would be entered
through a standard QWERTY keyboard, and this includes all JAWS commands as
well.

Also, a proficient Grade II Braille user will be able to enter text in
contracted Braille and have the result reverse-translated on the fly. I do
not see much value in this feature for me, personally, but I hesitate to
criticize the investment in time and effort that has been made by Freedom
Scientific; I simply do not know how many Braille users out there have been
longing to operate their computer from a Braille keyboard.

The final noteworthy feature in JAWS 12 is the ability to use a Virtual
Ribbon in Microsoft Office. Some blind computer users have expressed
frustration with the ribbon that has been incorporated into Microsoft Office
2007 and now into Office 2010. What Freedom Scientific is proposing for JAWS
12 is to give the Office user the choice of whether to use the ribbon as is
or to use the Virtual Ribbon provided by JAWS. This Virtual Ribbon provides
a user experience that feels more like the traditional menus with which a
lot of people are familiar. Time will tell whether this feature is worth the
investment. As for me, since I feel quite comfortable with the Office ribbon
as it is, I will probably choose not to use the JAWS Virtual Ribbon that
comes with JAWS 12.


In all, JAWS 12 seems like a bit of an improvement over JAWS 11. Certainly,
Freedom Scientific has incorporated some new features which some people will
like. As for me, I would wish for features in JAWS which make it easier for
blind people to compete in the workplace-something which Freedom Scientific
seems to have lost sight of over the years.


Gerald




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