Home Catalogue Software

The Voice of the World Wide Web: Spoken Internet/Web access for blind and visually impaired users

Existing stock now available at this reduced price while stocks last!

Now compatible with Internet Explorer!

Home Page Reader (HPR) is a spoken on-ramp to the Internet for computer users who are blind or visually impaired.

This innovative product provides unprecedented Web access by quickly, easily, and efficiently speaking web page information. HPR provides a simple, easy-to-use interface for navigating and manipulating web page elements and utilises the tremendous capabilities of IBM’s multilanguage text-to-speech synthesiser for speaking.

Using the numeric keypad on the keyboard, a person who is blind or who has a visual impairment can hear the full range of web page content provided in a logical, clear, and understandable manner.

Comprehensive Web Access
Using an IBM text-to-speech synthesiser, Home Page Reader speaks Web-based information aloud in a clear and effective manner as it is presented on the computer screen. Users hear everything from a description of graphics, to forms, frames and tables. Special navigation features provide additional help in understanding complex tables and data input fields, and a simple search function provides the capability to look for descriptive text on a page or the entire Web.

Customisable User Interface
With Home Page Reader, users with low vision can quickly change font size, type and colour to customise the way information is presented to them. Users can easily design a personalised look based on visual preference. Windows and panes can also be resized to make the information easier to see, and a moving cursor that is synchronised with Home Page Reader’s voice can help users maintain their focus while reading Web pages.

Magnification of Web pages and highlighting words and characters as they are spoken in both text and graphic Web page views can assist users with low vision in reading information. Text and links are read by different voices – a male voice speaks plain text while a female voice speaks links. Users may customise this and other speech and text settings according to preference.

New Desktop Reader Capability
In addition to being a Web browser, Home Page Reader includes a desktop reader with keyboard navigation and speech output for Adobe Reader, Macromedia Flash, and a number of Windows applications, including the Windows desktop and selected system applications, such as:

• Help
• Control Panel
• Notepad
• Media Player
• Settings
• Start menu
• Taskbar
• Windows Explorer
• WordPad

Adobe PDF and Macromedia Flash Support
With the proliferation of PDF and Flash on the Web, users who are blind or have low vision need a way to access this content. One of Home Page Reader’s most important new functions is the ability to read accessible, tagged Adobe Reader 6.0 PDF documents and accessible Macromedia Flash Player 7 content. Now, users with visual impairments don’t have to miss out on potentially valuable information.

Features

• Reads Web pages, the Microsoft® Windows® desktop and selected system applications
• Supports Adobe PDF and Macromedia Flash content
• Provides access to popular Web-based e-mail applications (such as Yahoo Mail and MSN Hotmail)
• A talking installation that makes setup fast and easy
• An interactive, talking hands-on tutorial and comprehensive on-line help features; including contextual help and users guide
• Integrated, easy-to-setup mailer facility
• A new user interface, allowing users to begin accessing basic Web information with a minimum learning curve
• Synchronised presentation of graphics, text, speech, visual highlight
• Support for blind users; customisation of the audio presentation through voice changes, special sound effects, text tagging, etc
• Support for low-vision users; magnification, highlighting and customisation of the visual presentation for font size, background, colour, etc
• Integrated, easy-to-use, local and Internet search facility
• Speaks selected multimedia applications such as Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, etc
• Available in 10 languages
• Assists Web developers in testing for accessibility

A demonstration version of Home Page Reader Version 3.021 is available for download from the IBM Accessibility Centre website . This 30-day demonstration program is able to be copied and distributed freely. Note that before you install the 30 day trial of Home Page Reader, you must have installed and run Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or higher on your system.

Sources of Technical Support for Home Page Reader

We strongly recommend that you subscribe to the Home Page Reader Listserver. This excellent email technical support service is offered free of charge to all Home Page Reader owners – and provides answers usually within 24 hours to any problems you experience with the program. It is staffed by developers of the program based in the IBM Accessibility Centre in Texas.
To join the listserver, send an email message to [email protected]. Leave the body of the message blank.

Upgrade to Home Page Reader 3.04

Attention all fully licensed users of IBM Home Page Reader (HPR) 3.0/3.02 English, 2.5 English, and 2.0, the complimentary HPR 3.04 upgrade is now available (Feb 2005) for download from ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/sns/hpr/hpr304upg_us.exe (34 MB). Please note the system requirements for version 3.04 (below) before upgrading, as several requirements have changed since HPR Version 3.021.

New Features

1. Ability to read accessible, tagged Adobe Reader 6.0 PDF documents and accessible Macromedia Flash Player 7 content.

2. Inclusion of a desktop reader with keyboard navigation and speech output for a number of Microsoft® Windows® applications, including the Windows desktop and selected system applications such as:
   
   • Help
     
   • Control Panel
     
   • Notepad
     
   • Media Player
     
   • Settings
     
   • Start Menu
     
   • Taskbar
     
   • Windows Explorer
     
   • WordPad

3. Improved features for users with low vision, including the highlighting of controls and images in the Graphics view as they are spoken and simple page magnification using either the Zoom setting within Home Page Reader or the Magnifier tool in Windows.

4. Enhancements in accordance with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Specifications and Guidelines that can help Web developers increase accessibility of their pages.

5. A Developer’s Help document that outlines helpful hints, tips and techniques for Web developers who use Home Page Reader to test their Web sites for accessibility. The document also offers suggestions for fixing accessibility flaws.

6. Significant speech performance enhancements, including:
   
   • Automatic Reading of pure text pages.
     
   • Navigation of large Select Menus.
     
   • Various page navigation commands.
     
   • Typing echo.
     
   • Overall speech performance in Home Page Mailer (HPM).
7. Support for “Close Window” buttons in second, and multiple HPR windows.
8. Support for JavaScript.
9. Support for HIDDEN and DISPLAY attributes used in dynamic html.

See below for the System Requirements for version 3.04. Please note version 3.04 no longer supports Windows Me or 9x.

System Requirements for Home Page Reader V 3.04

• Windows
  
  • Operating System: Win 2000, XP
    
  • Minimum RAM: 64 – 128MB RAM
    
  • HD Space Required: 200MB
    
  • Minimum Processor: Pentium 233MHz (300MHz recommended)
    
  • Minimum Display: SVGA 800×600, 256 colours
    
  • CD-ROM: 4x
    
  • Sound Card: 16bit, Microsoft Windows compatible
    
  • Internet: Internet service provider connection
    
  • Internet Explorer V 6.0 or higher
    
  • For PDF support: Adobe Reader version 6.0
    
  • For Flash support: Macromedia Flash Player 7

Note: Sound and modem combinations are not supported. You need a separate sound card and modem.
To use the Home Page Reader mail facility, the ISP must provide Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) support.

Prices

	Code	Media	Platform	$AUD Price	$AUD GST
	Home Page Reader Single User Licence	Shelf Stock Clearance - Existing stock now available at this reduced price while stocks last!
	bATOOP7830	CD-ROM	Win 2000, Win XP	$199.99	$0.00