We thought those of you on this list may find interest in the information on our Daisy products including a bit on the Plextalk. Below is a copy of our email newsletter. By the way, the latest word from Plextor is that the firmware update will be available for download from their website in August. Cordially, Jeff Samco IRTI Customer Support --- IRTI NewsClips The newsletter of Innovative Rehabilitation Technology Inc. May 2004 Volume 3, Number 2
Greetings to all our friends, Spring is beautiful here in the Sierra foothills. As is typical, spring arrives about 3 or 4 different times as winter makes several encore appearances. We continue to be very busy both on the business and development fronts. Our engineering guys have finished a new version of eClipseReader, our Daisy book reader and manager. We are also finishing up a companion program to eClipseReader. Stay tuned for more details and the release of eClipseWriter this summer. We also have many of our favorite products on sale this month. Look for savings on Sony minidisc recorders and CD players, Royal Tel-Time talking watches, digital voice recorders, travel speakers and more. Discounted prices are in effect through June 30, 2004. In this issue: * New Features in eClipseReader version 2.0 * Plextalk and Free Sony Travel Speakers * Web LV is the Solution! So What's the Problem? * DECtalk is Back! * Two Great Sony Minidisc Recorders, Take Your Pick and Save! * Out Standing New Laptops from IRTI. * The TIB Audio Magazine * Spring Sale Items * Subscription and Contact Information * New Features in eClipseReader version 2.0 Over a year ago, IRTI released the eClipseReader software for reading and studying DAISY books on a PC. It has been extremely well -received by schools and individuals alike. The multi-user features really enhance its usefulness in schools. We have added some exciting features to eClipseReader version 2.0. Very simply, eClipseReader now reads any ASCII text with its new built-in screen reader and conveniently turn text notes into topical outlines. Many common file formats can easily be converted and saved to a text format using popular word processors. Then read and study them with eClipseReader. These formats would include emails, Web pages, HTML files, XML files, Word documents and much more. And, we have incorporated powerful new study tools. Here are the new enhancements in eClipseReader 2.0. New Text Reading and note taking: Open any ASCII text document and review it with eClipseReader built-in Screen Reader. Navigate Text via Hot-key or on-screen graphic control buttons. Navigate by Word, Line, Paragraph and Screen. Text Search: Search a text document for a Word or Phrase. Spell Word feature: Spell any word using hot-key or graphic button. Where am I feature: Gives your reading position in a text document by announcing current line number out of the total number of lines. Add any Text Document Title to the Books Library: Just as with Daisy books, text documents may be added to your library list. Text Documents are automatically added after entering a Bookmark. Library entries are displayed by title of book or document and linked to the locations of books and text documents on your local hard drive or mapped network drive. Automatic Bookmark: eClipseReader automatically recalls your last reading position each time you open a DAISY book or text document. Bookmarks and Text Notes: You can set multiple bookmarks in a text document just as in Daisy talking books. The bookmarks are automatically labeled by number or give them your own title. Each bookmark may also contain your personalized text notes. Automatic Outline feature: With the simple press of a button, your bookmarks and text notes can now be reviewed anytime with eClipseReader's built-in screen reader. eClipseReader will automatically convert your bookmarks and text notes into a text document presented in outline form. The outline includes the bookmark number or title and your text notes associated with each one. We already have teachers planning to use this feature for student test taking. In this case, the test would be the text document and the student will easily be able to enter answers as text notes. Just the notes may be exported or printed for review by the teacher. Export Bookmarks and Text Notes to Note Pad: With a single hot-key or press of a button you can automatically export your bookmarks and notes to MS Note Pad. Then save it, print it, or edit it with your favorite word processor or Braille translator. This is a great way to start an outline for a book report or term paper. Or use it to collect all your notes to study for an exam. These new eClipseReader note taking tools really improves the efficiency of studying Daisy Books and text documents and promotes good study skills. eClipseReader's structured approach to note taking will help you be a better-organized student or professional. * Plextalk and Free Sony Travel Speakers The Plextalk CD Daisy recorder continues to be very popular. Many of our customers are creating their own audio books and using the tools in eClipseReader to manage, study and enhance their use. NOw, we are sweetening the deal. With the purchase of a new Plextalk for $895 from IRTI, you will also get a new pair of Sony Travel Speakers at no cost. These battery powered, stereo speakers really kick up your listening enjoyment of music or other audio played back with the Plextalk. Plus use these speakers with all kinds of other portable devices like a CD player, minidisc recorder, laptop, cassette player or radio. This combo special is available through June 30, 2004. As a reminder, IRTI not only carries the Plextalk PTR1, but also carries many useful PTR1 accessories including memory cards and adapters, wireless headphones and transmitters, specialized microphones, pre-amps for recording in stereo through the line-input, spare PTR1 batteries and much more. Also, for RFB&D members, IRTI can take care of shipping a new Plextalk to RFB&D for authorization to play their digital talking books. * Web LV is the Solution! So What's the Problem? Like us, you must have family and friends with vision impairments who really want to take advantage of the benefits of email and the internet. However, they have the common problem of not grasping the complexities of Windows, a PC and access software. Web LV is a simple, stand alone solution for those who are blind or with low Vision. Just like the hugely-successful Web TV of a few years ago, Web LV is a small internet box giving access to the popular activities of using the internet, writing and exchanging emails, and basic word processing. All this is accomplished in a very uncomplicated way. Web LV has built-in screen magnification up to 12 times and a screen reader to voice any text. Users select from simple menu choices. Web LV can be used alone with speech output only, or connected to a TV, CCTV or computer monitor for magnified viewing. Web LV was developed by Dr. Jim Bliss of JBliss Imaging Systems and is available in two versions. The stand alone version is $995. It consists of a small internet appliance only 11 by 8.5 by 2.5 inches and operates noiselessly. Web LV includes a keyboard with built-in screen magnification, trackball and mouse for low vision users. For blind users, Web LV is self voicing and operated using simple Tab, Arrow, Enter and other keyboard hot-keys. When viewing Web LV on a TV screen, the video quality is much better than Web TV because the image is magnified resulting in a sharper picture. Speech is heard through the TV speaker or any speakers or headphones you attach. You may also use Web LV with a Standard Computer monitor and Speakers. One can also purchase an optional printer or phone modem preconfigured at the factory. Web LV may be used with any generic internet service provider of your choice, or can come preconfigured from the factory with an Earthlink internet account. Web LV also includes an internal Ether-Net connector so it can be used with a high speed internet service. Web LV is also available in a software only version called Pick n click, priced at just $395. This way, Web LV can be used on an existing computer system. A 30-day trial version of the software is available to those who would like to try out this economical solution. It is important to note that in order to try out this software you should have an internet access provider. Also be aware that the price of both the Web LV internet appliance and the Web LV software for PCs do not include the typical monthly fees charged by an internet service provider. * The DECtalk is back! For more than a decade, DECtalk has been a classic among speech synthesizers. Many IRTI customers will use nothing else. Although software speech synthesizers have made speech more affordable there are still situations where people want a good hardware synthesizer to separate out their screen reader voice from everything else coming through their sound card. The new DECtalk USB is an external unit with all nine familiar DECtalk voices. There are both USB and DB9 RS232 connectors with cables supplied. There is a 2.5 inch built-in speaker, headphone jack and volume control. It operates on power through a USB connection, the included AC adapter or a 9-volt battery. DECtalk USB works with any screen reader or other application that works with the former DECtalk Express when connected through the RS232 port. When operating through the USB port JAWS and Window-Eyes will have new drivers available. Other applications will follow. The accompanying CD has installation software and quite a collection of entertaining songs the DECtalk will sing for you. The DECtalk USB synthesizer measures 3.6 inches wide by 5.5 inches long by 1.1 inches high and weighs just 9 ounces with battery. The DECtalk USB should start shipping about the time you receive this newsletter. An internal version for use in a PCI slot is coming next. Each is $695.95 from IRTI. * Two Great Sony Minidisc Recorders, Take Your Pick and Save! The quality of minidisc recordings are superb and contained in an incredibly small package. Minidiscs are great for recording music and listening to it on the go, for students recording lectures or professionals recording meetings, for hobbyists wanting to archive audio In a more retrievable format, and so much more. For nearly two years, IRTI has carried the Sony MZ-B100 Business Minidisc Recorder. We still think it is the most accessible models around. However, we have recently evaluated the MZ-B10 minidisc recorder and find it has some notable advantages. Although some secondary features are not as accessible, it offers new features that just are not available in the B100 and does so at a lower price. Our favorite new feature is variable speed playback up to 100% faster with digital pitch control. Here is a feature comparison we have worked up on both minidisc models. Features common to both models. . Very tactile control buttons. . Record feature is both tactile and audible when starting and stopping. . Separate tactile controls for the following: Play, Pause, Stop, Cue Forward, Review Rewind, Track Mark set and Erase, Volume thumbwheel, Record Mode set, Erase Track and Erase Disc. . Built-in mono speaker. . Stereo headphone jack, external stereo mic jack, combo jack for stereo analog line in or digital optical line in. . Stereo recording and playback. . Only has automatic level control for recording. . Optional AC adapter available. Advantages and comments on the MZ-B100 . Built-in stereo mics which permit better spatial recording and allow easier determination of which record mode is in effect. . Special Track Mark feature acts similarly to an index tone on audio tape for marking locations during recording. . Additional tactile controls for: Synchronized Recording on/off, High/Low Mic Sensitivity, Sound equalization preset settings, Voice Operated Recording on/off, Play Mode of single track or repeat all tracks. . Analog variable speed playback control with range of -20% to +10%. . Operates on one AA battery. . Includes tethered remote control. . Includes completely non-speaking clock and alarm. Advantages and comments on the MZ-B10. . Has variable speed playback with digital pitch control for range of -50% to +100%. . Slightly smaller in size and weight. . Much longer battery life since it uses two AA batteries instead of one. . Has an auto track mark feature on or off which marks long recordings every 10 minutes. Must be set through display menus. . Has a Quick Power Up feature which keeps the recorder from powering down every 30 seconds when not in use on battery power. Feature is set through display menus. . Has built-in mono mic which works very well. . Setting Record Mode audibly is less convenient since an external stereo mic needs to be used. . The following features are set through display menus: High/Low Mic Sensitivity, Synchronized Recording on/off, Sound equalization preset settings, Play Modes of single track or all disc with repeat on or off. Specialized instructions are included at no charge with the purchase of either recorder. Sorry, we cannot make the instructions available without a minidisc recorder purchase. These special prices are in effect through June 30, 2004. MZ-B100 is now $349, saving you $21. MZ-B10 $259, saving you $21. * Out Standing New Laptops from IRTI. Need to get mobile? Checkout the latest in IRTI Custom Laptops and compare prices. We know you will be impressed. All of the following laptops support the Intel Pentium M (mobile) processors with Centrino Wi-Fi technology. These new processors give superior performance over the Pentium 4 mobile processors that operate at higher CPU clock speeds. These laptops have impressive battery life from 5 hours to 10 hours depending on the Laptop configuration which can help you stay mobile through the entire school or work day. All of our portables are configurable to your specifications. Options include: Xp Home, XP PRO or 2000 operating systems Hardrive in 40 or 80 GB Processor Speed of 1.3 to 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M, and variable Memory size IRTI also carries a wide range of accessories for these Laptops: External USB Floppy drive, LAN Doc Port Replicators for quick connection to desktop peripherals, External Keypads, wireless hubs and routers, external Sony Travel Speakers and more. Here are 3 different laptop configurations for your consideration. 1. IRTI Mobile Laptop model M2M, starting at $1495.00. Includes 1.4 GHz Centrino processor, Windows XP home and DVD/CDRW combo drive and travel Case. Supports Intel Pentium M 1.3Ghz to 1.6Ghz, up to 768MB of DDR 200/266 with 256MB integrated on board and additional memory added on one SODIMM Slot, Intel 855GM Chipset with integrated Intel VGA for up to 64MB of shared graphics memory, 14" XGA Active Matrix TFT, 2 Spindle notebook, 10/100 E-Net, 56k modem, sound, One Type II PCMCIA, 2 USB 2.0, 1394 firewire, 1 parallel, ext VGA, IRDA, Speaker out, build in mic and mic jack. NO PS/2 or Serial, 8 cell Lithium Ion Battery, option 802.11b wireless. The Model M2M also has buttons that allow you to power and operate the CD drive for playing music while the Laptop is turned off. Weighs 5 pounds with battery Measures 12.99 by 10.74 by 1.17 inches. Includes carrying bag, battery, and AC adapter. 2. IRTI Mobile Laptop Model M3M with enhanced built-in battery capacity, starting at $1545.00. Includes DVD/CDRW Combo and Xp Home. Optional Support for extra battery to be installed in place of optical CD drive for up to 8 to 10hrs of run time. Supports Intel Pentium M 1.3Ghz to 1.6Ghz, up to 1GB of DDR 200/266 on two SODIMM Slots, Intel 855GM Chip set with integrated Intel VGA for up to 64MB of Shared graphics memory 14" XGA Active Matrix TFT, 2 Spindle notebook, 10/100 E-Net, 56k Modem, sound, One Type II PCMCI, 4 USB 2.0, 1394 firewire, 1 paralell, ext VGA, IRDA, Speaker out NO PS/2 or Serial, 8 cell Lithium Ion Battery, option 802.11b wireless. Weighs 5 pounds with battery Measures 12.99 by 10.74 by 1.17 inches. Includes carrying bag, battery, and AC adapter. 3. IRTI Mobile Laptop Model M5M, Ultra lite, starting at $1629.00. Including DVD/CDRW combo, XP home. Ultra lite weight with its 12.1 inch display. Thin and only 3.1 pound. notebook with internal DVD/CDRW Combo Drive. Supports Intel Pentium M 1.3Ghz to 1.7Ghz, And Dolthan 2MB Pentium M. Includes 256MB integrated memory and one uSODIMM Slot to support up to 768MB of memory Intel 855GM Chipset with Intel Integrated Graphics with up to 64MB of shared video memory. 12.1" XGA Active Matrix TFT Screen, 10/100 LAN, 56k modem, sound, One Type II PCMCI, 3 USB 2.0, 1394 firewire, ext VGA, IRDA, Multi Card Reader, speaker out NO PS/2 or Serial, 3 cell Lithium Ion Battery, option 802.11b wireless. Weighs 3.1 pounds with battery Measures 11.7 by 9.4 by 1.17 inches. Includes carrying bag, battery, and AC adapter. Feel free to call IRTI with any questions about our custom laptops and how we can match one to fit your lifestyle. * The TIB Audio Magazine We have previously overlooked mentioning on NewsClips that IRTI publishes an audio magazine called the Technical Innovations Bulletin (TIB). Each issue typically has an interview with someone in the field of assistive technology as well as demonstrations of products and sale-priced items only available to TIB subscribers. IRTI publishes the TIB three times a year and has been doing so for over 20 years. We send out the TIB only to US addresses. To sign up for a free subscription just email or call us with your mailing address. * Spring Sale Items. These special discounts are in effect through June 30, 2004. We have 2 Sony digital voice recorders which have been very popular and useful for keeping information organized using audio notes. We have the Sony ICD-B17 with up to 99 messages in each of 2 message folders and about 5hours of record time. Normally selling for $99.95 we have 3 available and discounted to $75 including the cassette instructions. We also have the big brother model in the Sony ICD-P17. This model has 5 message folders, about 4 and a half hours record time and USB connection for use with a computer. Normally priced at $139.95 we have 4 available and discounted to $99.00 including cassette instructions. We have two Sony accessories to enhance your audio listening. First, the incredibly fine-sounding Travel Speakers work great with everything from laptop computers to CD players and the Plextalk. Now the SRS-T57 are $45. And, we have the Sony wireless stereo headphones which will extend your freedom of listening up to 150 feet away from your stereo, streaming internet audio, Plextalk or other Daisy player. Usually the MDR-RF920RK are $89.95, now $69. We have 2 models of portable Sony CD players which also play MP3 files. The DNE-710 includes a line out jack and IRTI cassette instructions for $105, save $7. The DNF-610 also includes a radio for AM, FM stereo, TV 2-13 and weather band and IRTI cassette instructions. All this for $95 saving you $7. We have the Sangean portable radio with AM, FM stereo and TV 2-13 and wind-up earbuds. This radio is small enough to go into most pockets. It measures 5 by 3 by 1 inch but with a large enough speaker for personal listening without headphones. The DT220V is now $59 and includes IRTI cassette instructions, saving you $13. Next, all models of the beautiful Royal Tel-Time talking watches are on sale for $40 including cassette instructions, saving you $12. Choose between the basic model announcing time only, the intermediate model adding alarm and hourly chime features. The full-feature model further adds calendar, timer and stopwatch features. All models have a low vision clock face and hands and are available in women�s and men�s sizes and all have expansion bands. Finally, we have a couple 2-track cassette recorders which IRTI used to modify into the 4-track format but these never were modified. They are fine 2-track, hand-held units for recording personal notes, meetings, or listening to 2-track talking books as one can borrow from the local libraries. There is a Sony TCM-453 for $29 and an Aiwa TPVS-600 for $32. Call us for more details. * Subscription and Contact Information You certainly may forward this newsletter in its entirety to others or post it to email lists who would have an interest in it. If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter just send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "Unsubscribe NewsClips" in the subject and include your email address. As with all our customer information we do not sell, give, trade or otherwise release your personal information outside of IRTI. To subscribe and receive future issues of IRTI NewsClips send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and place "Subscribe NewsClips" in the subject line. IRTI 13465 Colfax Highway Grass Valley, CA 95945 Have questions? 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