[nabs-l] Fw: [braille-n-teach] Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

Wed Jul 18 18:59:26 UTC 2012

Oh No! My gosh Brandon, this was about almost 4 months ago. This is an April
fool's joke specifically for April 1. Unfortunately Brandon, as happy as you
might be, Freedom Scientific did not release such products and am not sure
how and when they will be released in the near future. And, I am the
composer, producer, and distributor of the April fools press release
article, and I did it for the sake of April fools tradition and such, and,
yes, to dream the impossible and to have a little fun. I hope that FS is
actually able to release those products I dreamed about in my article back
on April fool's day. But for now, I'm glad you've enjoyed the reading, and
keep dreaming! 
Sorry about that,
Humberto

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Brandon Keith Biggs
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 11:46 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] Fw: [braille-n-teach] Freedom Scientific Releases New and
Improved OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

Hello students,
I thought this would be quite a happy piece of news. I know this has 
happened to me, and I think I may really consider bringing my Ipad with me 
to school now.
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message----- 
From: Sonja Biggs
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 11:36 AM
To: brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com
Subject: FW: [braille-n-teach] Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved 
OCR Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

Sonja Biggs, MA, TVI, COMS
Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107
Palo Alto, CA  94306
650-833-9766

"Dream the impossible dream...then live it!" --Brandon Keith Biggs, Age 19, 
Blind Performer, LCA-CRB1

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________________________________________
From: Keith Christian [keithchristian at roadrunner.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2012 6:22 AM
To: Sonja Biggs
Subject: [braille-n-teach] Freedom Scientific Releases New and Improved OCR 
Recognition Software for JAWS and OpenBook

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 tha  t 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 wit  h 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! ? ? :)))

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