Hal Screen Reader
Intelligent speech & Braille for Windows®
Product Overview
You don't have to see a computer screen to use the latest IT applications. Hal Screen Reader provides the very best intelligent screen access for visually impaired computer users through speech and Braille.
User friendly
Right from the word go, Hal will talk you through its automatic and user friendly installation. Hal's sophisticated technology makes all kinds of Windows applications, the Internet and email, easy to use. Hal works by recognising and reading information from the computer screen aloud through your computer's soundcard. Screen information is also displayed in Braille for users of the many supported Braille devices. The information provided is comprehensive: Hal not only reads text but also recognises Windows dialogs, icons, buttons, menus and controls. Hal comes complete with online and context sensitive help and full manual both in print and on audio CD. Interactive tutorials are also included to make getting started with Windows easy, and Dolphin also offers lifetime technical support by telephone and email.
The Hal control panel makes all of the most common controls easy to find and more advanced features no more than two mouse clicks or key presses away. There are three choices of control panel – full view mode, menu mode or from the system tray so whether you are a new or experienced computer user, partially sighted or blind, you can find a style that suits your needs.
Browse the Internet
With Hal, reading a web page can be as simple as reading a word processor document. Web pages are easier to navigate using Hal. Screen reading is fast, accurate and automatic.The Dolphin Links Navigator makes sorting through links on a complex web page quick and easy.
If you use the mouse, choose one of Dolphin's high visibility mouse pointers. If you prefer the keyboard, you can browse the web and replicate using a mouse using Dolphin's Virtual Focus, which can be used with applications where there is no keyboard access to areas of the screen. Hal announces graphics labels automatically and reads through frames and tables quickly and accurately. Hal also offers quick navigation keys, full spelling and attribute announcement, easy form filling, focus tracking and much more.
With the Internet Updater, keeping up with Dolphin's latest software updates is as simple as clicking a button.
Reliable and automatic
Dolphin is proud of its reputation for producing well engineered, reliable products. Dolphin software has more built-in intelligence than any other screen access system. This allows Hal to work automatically with most off-the-shelf Window's applications; it can also be configured to work with complex or proprietary applications.
System compatibility
Hal is designed to meet the ever changing needs of today's IT environment. Accordingly, Hal does not alter either the operating system or application software in any way. This means that Hal is stable and reliable, whether installed on a home PC or business network server. It also ensures that your computer and software will remain compatible with that of friends and colleagues, thus keeping your lines of communication wide open.
Network independence
Hal Screen Reader is designed with independent operation in mind. Installed on a network or a server, Hal can be used from any terminal and can be switched on or off as required, giving the user the freedom to move around a building or campus. With many features to choose from, users can save their preferred settings and retrieve them from wherever they choose to log on.
Dolphin offers flexible licensing options and discounts for organisations with more than one Hal user.
Features
Hal works on all of the supported Windows platforms, including Windows Terminal Server and Citrix MetaFrame.
Speech
- Talks as you type, by character, by word or both.
- Read word, line, web page, document or entire Window at a single keypress.
- Listen to Windows - spoken prompts allow easy navigation through menus, dialogs, file systems and other Windows controls.
- Reads or spells out any text on screen: documents, menus, web pages, emails.
- Choose low, medium or high verbosity, or create verbosity schemes with your own prompts.
- Enhanced document reading.
- Easy browsing of Internet pages and other applications with the Dolphin Virtual Focus even where there is little or no keyboard access.
- Find your way through complex web pages easily with a list of links, headings or frames.
- Reading of PDF documents is easy and accurate.
- Create your own PowerPoint slides and presentations with full speech support for the slide content.
- Reads icons and Internet graphics labels and announces font and style information.
- Speech at login is provided when Orpheus 2 is running (Not supported with other synthesisers).
- Internet Updater for fast, automatic updates.
- Intuitive hot keys for easy operation.
- Works with any font, including accented characters and symbols.
- Choice of software speech synthesisers including Dolphin Orpheus (multilingual) and Microsoft Text-to-Speech.
- Orpheus' intelligent pronunciation recognises similar words by context.
- Orpheus voice editing facility allows customisation of voices. Orpheus is one of the most clear and responsive synthesisers available and is designed for high listening speeds. The skim reading option allows users to quickly review key words within long documents. It also comes with an exceptions dictionary, which can be personalised, allowing users to adjust pronunciation or add new words and acronyms.
- Choice of Orpheus languages, including: English ( UK and USA), Cantonese, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (Latin and Castilian) and Swedish. New languages are being added all the time.
- Speech verbosity controls allow you to choose how much speech feedback you want to hear.
- Compatible with many other hardware and software synthesisers.
Braille
- Fast and responsive Braille output.
- Text and graphical information at your fingertips.
- Choose computer or literary Braille (Grade 1 or Grade 2).
- Works automatically with a wide range of refreshable Braille displays and note takers.
- Accurate information on formatting, style and physical layout.
- Intelligently reads ahead so dialog information is conveyed in context.
- Choose low, medium or high verbosity, or create schemes with your own Braille prompts.
- Braille hotkeys, pre-programmed and user-programmable, speed up and facilitate operation.
General
- Comprehensive online and context sensitive help. A self-playing text and audio manual in the DAISY book format is also included, complete with Dolphins EaseReader DAISY player.
- Dolphin products include hotkey emulations of other screen readers and magnifiers to allow users new to Dolphin to use hotkeys they are familiar with.
- Key describe mode tells you what each key does as you press it making it easy to learn new hotkeys.
Hal comes with a print manual, quick reference cards in print and Braille, audio manual and interactive tutorials on CD.
Technical support is available by telephone and email.
Professional Edition
Simple, comprehensive and flexible configuration is the secret to Hal's Professional edition. It can solve IT accessibility issues for a business's staff and customers quickly and cost-effectively. Business software applications, corporate intranets and databases are often designed without consideration for visually impaired users but the flexibility of Hal Professional means it can be quickly trained to deal with even the most complex applications.
The benefits of Hal Professional are particularly valuable in the workplace. Employees in fast moving IT environments, such as call centres and banks, can set Hal to give them exactly the information they want through speech or Braille. Hal
Professional also improves access to web sites, bespoke databases, and to mainframe data and applications through Telnet and terminal emulation software.
Despite the advanced technology involved, configuration is straightforward. This means businesses do not have to pay out vast sums for scripting consultants or computer programmers to write new accessible software. The technology behind Hal Professional may be complex - but as a result, its operation is easy.
Your System
Hal Screen Reader works with Microsoft Windows 98, Me, NT v4.0, 2000, XP Home and XP Professional, Windows Server 2000,Windows Server 2003, Citrix MetaFrame XP (FR3) and can be installed on wide and local area networks, laptops and home PCs. No special equipment is required.
Minimum system requirements:
- Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT v4.0 (SP 6), Windows 2000, Windows XP Home & Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Citrix MetaFrame XP (FR3)
- Microsoft Internet Explorer v5 or later
- Intel P2 400 Mhz equivalent or higher, ==MB free hard disk space, 128 MB Memory or higher
- PCI or AGP graphics card (not "on-board" - Windows Hardware Compatibility List approved)
- Sound Blaster compatible sound card (not "on-board")
Please contact us for more information about our products and services.
Page Last Updated: Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Copyright 2005 BlinkSOFT Incorporated