[bksvol-discuss] Re: OT Comments on these products?

  • From: "Michael Papp, Rehabilitation Technology Spec" <mpapp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 11:44:52 -0600

Producer from Dolphin allows the creation of DAISY format 
materials, and includes EaseReader (easy reader) which is a text 
to speech application. A Dolphin rep showed it to me at a training 
session a few months ago. It is basically a paired down version of 
EasePublisher (easy publisher). If you want to easily create DAISY 
books, it is a way to do it. It serves a fairly narrow need, and there 
are more powerful, and of course more expensive, products out 
there. I don't use it, so I don't have an opinion as to whether it is 
good or bad.
Easy Reader basically does the same thing as Text Aloud or 
Natural Reader.

MegaDots is Braille translation software, used to turn text into 
grade 2 Braille so it can be embossed. It is easy to use, and can 
convert a document open in Word into Braille and print it on your 
embosser. I use it very rarely, but when I do it is easy for me to 
use, and it is a pretty powerful professional program. I haven?t found 
an embosser yet for which MegaDots doesn?t have a driver. Most of 
the people I know who use it for professional employment, such as 
teachers and lawyers.

If money is an issue, some embossers come with their own very 
basic Braille Translators. 
Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, a ?Braille Font? 
may also suit your needs. You can download a Braille font face for 
free from http://www.duxburysystems.com/freeware.asp . This is 
just a font type face like Times New Roman or Arial. It won?t 
translate text into Braille, it just displays it on a screen or prints 
out on a text printer.

Michael Papp

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Smith" <donnafsmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 5:14 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] OT Comments on these products?


Hi all.  Does anyone have an opinion on either of the following 
products?

Text to Audio = Dolphin's Producer $400 first copy + $380 each 
additional copy
http://www.dolphinedu.com/

Text to Braille = MegaDots (bought out by Duxbury)
http://www.duxburysystems.com/prices.asp

Thanks.
Donna
 To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line.  To get a list of 
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.

Other related posts: