[Blindtlk] Freedom Scientific Announces PAC Mate Omni 6.5 Release

[David Andrews]

>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>Media Contact: Brad Davis
>800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
>www.FreedomScientific.com
>Sales: info at FreedomScientific.com
>
>The World's Most Versatile Notetaker Extends Its Lead with Release of
>PAC Mate Omni 6.5 (St. Petersburg, Florida - July 3, 2010) - Freedom
>Scientific today announced the next release of its popular accessible
>Pocket PC - PAC MateT Omni 6.5. Already an industry leader in
>accessible mobile functionality for the blind, the free 6.5 release
>for English language users expands the PAC Mate Omni's capabilities
>with an array of new features:
>
>RealSpeakT Voices Since Freedom Scientific introduced the RealSpeak®
>voices in JAWS®, MAGic®, and OpenBook®, many customers have enjoyed
>the more natural sound, particularly for reading lengthy texts. Many
>have asked for these voices with the PAC Mate Omni. With Release 6.5,
>you can easily switch between Eloquence and RealSpeak synthesized
>speech with a simple command from anywhere on the PAC Mate Omni.
>
>RealSpeak is available in many languages, further heightening the PAC
>Mate Omni's appeal among those who work with multiple languages.
>
>Expanded settings dialogs in the PAC Mate Omni 6.5 provide thorough
>independent control over primary and secondary voices and Braille
>languages.
>
>TwitterT Client The popular social networking site Twitter has become a
>huge hit with many blind people because it is exclusively text-based.
>Freedom Scientific has collaborated with Trinket Software to include
>support for its Twikini client in the PAC Mate Omni. Wherever you have
>an Internet connection, you can tweet, check your mentions and direct
>messages, and review your Twitter timeline. If your preference is for
>Braille input, you can tweet in contracted Braille.
>
>Unified Instant Messaging with Mundu® IM The PAC Mate Omni continues to
>offer free Windows LiveT Messenger support out of the box. With the 6.
>5 release, we've added support for Mundu IM, a unified instant
>messaging solution supporting a number of services including MSN®,
>Yahoo®, ICQ®, AIMT, Google®, and Jabber®. Chat with your buddies in
>real time, no matter what the service. The PAC Mate Omni with Mundu IM
>gives the deaf blind access to the many relay services that interface
>with AOL®, and instant messaging is available in contracted Braille,
>letting messages fly back and forth even faster. Mundu IM is available
>for purchase separately.
>
>Built-in FSReaderTDAISY Player Freedom Scientific's FSReader software
>opens a world of accessible reading material for the visually impaired.
>Used with Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY)-formatted
>talking books, FSReader delivers a host of powerful navigation tools
>for reading:
>
>a.. Go directly to a specific chapter, heading, or page b.. Set an
>unlimited number of annotated bookmarks c.. Speed up or slow down
>speech whether listening to a recorded narrator or synthesized speech
>Download or purchase on CD DAISY 2.0 and DAISY 3.0 e-books (the
>ANSI/NISO standard) like those available from www.Bookshare.org, and
>browse, read, and study. Play AudioPlus® books from Recording for the
>Blind & Dyslexic® (RFB&D®).
>
>There are numerous other enhancements and performance improvements in
>the PAC Mate 6.5. Coupled with the powerful Microsoft Office® support,
>e-mail options, and other applications already in the PAC Mate, the 6.
>5 release continues to broaden the range of tasks one can accomplish on
>the go with this multi-faceted device.
>
>Release 6.5 will be available in August as a free download from the
>Freedom Scientific Web site.
>
>About Freedom Scientific Freedom Scientific is the leading worldwide
>provider of assistive technology products for those with vision
>impairments. The Company sells its products worldwide and has offices
>in Florida and Switzerland. The Company's products have been
>translated into 24 languages and are available in 55 countries.
>Freedom also has a line of software products for those with learning
>disabilities.
>
>Freedom Scientific®, PAC Mate OmniT, JAWS®, MAGic®, OpenBook®, and
>FSReaderT are either trademarks or 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.

                         David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920