[Blindtlk] Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook, @ FreedomScientific News March 30 2012

Sun Apr 1 07:08:54 UTC 2012

From: @ Freedom Scientific News [mailto:freedomscientificnews at freedomscientific.com] <mailto:%5bmailto:freedomscientificnews at freedomscientific.com%5d> 

Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2012 2:35 PM EDT

To: Humberto Avila [mailto:avila.bert.humberto2 at gmail.com] <mailto:%5bmailto:avila.bert.humberto2 at gmail.com%5d> 

Subject: Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

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For Immediate Release:

Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

Today, Freedom Scientific, one of the world’s leading screen reading and blindness product makers, has just recently developed and released a new breakthrough in its line of products of assistive technology for blind and visually impaired computer users. 

Have you ever wanted to take OpenBook® with you at all times anywhere you can possibly go with it? Or even better, have you always wanted to be able to pick up a handwritten note on a piece of paper and be able to read it instantly just like anybody else? Or maybe you are one of those frustrated students that are inundated with printed or handwritten material that you can’t read in or out of a classroom setting and you have to wait even hours or days for somebody to read to you. Maybe you are at a conference, you are given a business card or a simple handout that is important, and you need to fill out or read along?

Well, wish and wonder no more! Freedom Scientific now has the solution!

Due to popular demand, and numerous emails and feedback requests from our users, Freedom Scientific has decided to step forward.

We have released a new, updated, and improved OCR recognition engine for both, our Openbook® and JAWS® products. This bran new release includes many new features, which include, but not limited to:

*	The ability to recognize smaller type font and better recognition of columns in sophisticated tables, which can easily be confusing to read.
*	The ability to recognize print on smaller pieces of print paper, such as note slips or contact cards on the spot, with better print focus and not the scanner bed or camera.
*	Finally, the ability to recognize handwriting with about 85-90% accuracy!

Yes, that’s right! Our new OCR engine has built-in support for handwriting recognition. That means that you can either scan or place a handwritten note from a co-worker, a spouse, or from a door, into your camera or scanner of your choice, and Openbook® will automatically recognize it and be able to read it with speech and / or Braille output from your preferred synthesizer or Braille display! Not only this. You can open a .pdf, .jpg, or .png image that someone sent you with handwriting over the email on your computer, perform the OCR recognition command (JAWS 13 and later only), and bingo! You will hear the handwriting being spoken out to you or sent to your Braille display. Please note that these new features offered by this improved version of the OCR engine for JAWS® or OpenBook® software are only compatible with Openbook versions later than 8.0 and JAWS version 13.0 or later. Please note users of JAWS earlier than 13.0, we will release a version of the new OCR engine that we released with JAWS 13.0 later this month, with the same features as the ones offered now, so you aren’t left out on these new features! This update to the OCR engine can work with both 32- and 64-bit operating systems.

Want some even more awesome news from our OpenBook® development team? We have released OpenBook Mobile®, a scanning and reading solution app for your iOS device! This means that you can use our popular scanning and reading solution right from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, using VoiceOver and the camera of your device! Yes, that’s right, OpenBook® is going mobile, and you will be able to take it anywhere you go that you find printed material that you cannot read. You will be able to go on a trip, be given an airport boarding pass, and you will no longer need sighted assistance to see whether your plane was gone before you knew it, or to see your flight information. You will be able to go to a church service and be able to access printed booklets of hymns or group prayers easily and independently without requesting sighted help. Even more fantastic, you will be able to walk into a classroom door that appears to have no one waiting with you, bump into a little sticky note with your finger below or above the Braille marking of the classroom number, and not have to wait so many hours and precious study time trying to find out if the instructor canceled the class or whatever other scheduling conflict that might have occurred with that instructor. If you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you will get it out, snap a photo of that little sticky note, and you will be able to find out what’s wrong quickly, independently  and immediately with the built-in handwriting recognition of the OCR engine for OpenBook Mobile®! It’s so easy! 

Currently, OpenBook Mobile® for iOS platforms is available at the Apple iTunes store and it costs $2.99. This app is designed to fit any budget. So, what are you waiting for? Purchase your OpenBook Mobile® app for your iPhone / iPod / iPad now, and let your future shine today! The power of technology and handwriting is in your hands, like never before!

If you have any questions regarding these two new initiatives, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-444-4443 or e-mail us at support at freedomScientific.com. We would like to hear from you and your feedback!

Sincerely,

The Freedom Scientific Team **************

P.S. April Fools! ☺ ☺ :)))