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AI Squared Zoomtext Extra Level 2i
by By Robert Thompson, TCS Product Review Coordinator January 2000 Tucson Computer Society Journal, www.tcs.org, rltjr@bigfoot.com - February 21, 2000 at 13:06:52:
Having a computer display with text I can read is just as important now as it was 15 years ago, when I bought my first one. The importance of this fundamental issue has not changed: if I can’t read it, it’s not going to do me any good. I was thrilled when Windows came along, and I learned I could customize colors, fonts, and other screen features the way I wanted. But that wasn’t enough. Dialog box text and other features were, and still are, too small. Holding a hand-held magnifier while trying to compute isn’t a practical solution.One great option is to use screen magnification and speech output software. I’ve used Zoomtext for years. In fact, my job would be nearly impossible to do without this and other accessibility tools. While I’ve used less feature-rich versions, this is the first time I’ve used speech integrated within Zoomtext.
Zoomtext Extra Version 7.0, by AI Squared incorporates both screen magnification and text-to-speech features to enable visually impaired people to use Windows. It comes in two flavors. Level 1 includes screen magnification features, and sells for $395. Level 2 adds a text-to-speech utility, “DocReader,” which reads documents aloud. Level 2 also speaks menu choices, and many, but not all dialog boxes. These applications work in Windows 95/98/NT only. For DOS support, add $200. A planned Level 3 product, not yet released, will work with a scanner and add Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, which allow users to scan documents, process forms, read handwritten materials, and read them on their monitors.
Documentation is provided on the CD through excellent help files on the CD. In addition, a large-print, 178-page document provides full details.
Zoomtext Extra Level 2 is not designed for totally blind users, but is for visually impaired users who can benefit with both screen magnification and speech support. Sometimes I want to simply view the screen, at others, to read a document and not track it visually. Otherwise, I may use the speech feature to verify what I’m typing. This is especially handy when entering data.
Speech output is through the sound card, and version 7.03, the current release, also provides support for dedicated “SSIL” speech cards. This type of card is specifically designed for speech output, and doesn’t process music; DecTalk, Arkenstone, Artic, and others manufacture this hardware, which provides enhanced speech output.
Zoomtext version 7 takes advantage of Microsoft’s ActiveX Active Accessibility features that make Windows features available to accessibility software. A minimum of 4 Mb video memory is recommended; it operates better with more video RAM. I appreciated seeing the performance improvement when I changed my video card from 4 to 8 Mb. When you change your computer’s display resolution and color depth, re-start Zoomtext to allow its Profiler to determine and adjust for your video settings.
Getting Started—Set-up is fairly straightforward, although things get cumbersome if you need to uninstall Zoomtext after updating to another revision. Version 7.02 was on the CD, which I updated to the current 7.03, accessed from their web site. Due to conflicts with L&H’s Voice Xpress Professional and a Zoomtext upgrade, I had to uninstall and reinstall both programs a few times during this review process, trying different install options. To completely uninstall, then reinstall Zoomtext, each time I manually removed the application and used Windows’ Regedit program to remove all instances of ZoomText. And while I don’t recommend using Regedit for this purpose, it worked. Reinstallation was a snap.
Level 1 Features—Screen magnification from 2-16 times, reversing screen colors or setting the display to various shades of black and white, are just the start. The screen can be magnified as a whole, or split vertically or horizontally to show magnified and normal-sized images. This mode works best for me when someone else is viewing the display with me, and they get lost in the magnified image. Or select a “lens” view to move the cursor and magnify only what’s underneath the cursor. Change the sizes and magnification of these windows to suit your needs. You can even set up multiple magnified areas onscreen, as targets, to monitor various areas; such as changing fields in your application, like the display of calculations, time, and so on. Occasionally there are glitches, some of them due to configuration issues and how ZoomText works with your PC’s graphics card. I’ve found a few minor bugs, which AI Squared is addressing. Overall, however, the program provides a plethora of possible features to customize to suit the user’s needs.
Level 2 Features—Speech output is quite good using the Tru-Voice engine. Set options to tell Zoomtext how and what to read, and how much detail should be read when dealing with screen features, dialog boxes, text, and so on. Choose from ten built-in voices, and adjust the volume, pitch, and reading rate. You can move over an icon and “speak it,” read menu selections, and more.
With DocReader, tell Zoomtext where to begin reading. A DocReader screen appears, where you can control reading speed and pitch. As the text buffer is read, there is a short delay as reading continues. This delay has been decreased in the current interim release, and performance improved. Read the whole document, or use various control keys to navigate and read or spell through the document. Reading web-based documents is a bit more involved, and I’ll have to review the instructions to perfect that task. Once you’ve made your selections, save the configuration as either the default, which will come up each time you start the program, or with a separate name. You might choose a name appropriate to each application or situation required, loading the one you want to use.
Shortcut keys, mouse actions, and menu choices provide lots of ways to interface with Zoomtext’s powerful features. Ctrl-Shift-U brings up the user interface, for example, and Ctrl-shift-D selects DocReader. If yours is a wheel mouse, hold a control key combination and roll the mouse wheel to zoom in or out. If your Windows application supports it, continue rolling the wheel to scroll in the document. You could use the same zoom controls to view and edit details in your photo editing program, CAD, or similar application.
Application Notes—A note about speech output: Both Zoomtext and L&H Software’s Voice Xpress, generate text-to-speech output and directs it to the PC’s sound card. If you try using Zoomtext while Voice Xpress is running, the speech engine used is the one provided by L&H. The speech quality is degraded, and the interface that comes up is the one L&H uses. If you’re using both products together, turn Zoomtext’s speech off (uncheck Enable Speech in its Profiler), and revert to the Level 1 settings.
Let me offer a major caveat, here. If accessibility products developed by different companies are installed, conflicts in their operation are almost certainly guaranteed. For example, Zoomtext and Henter-Joyce’s JAWS for Windows, designed for totally blind users, aren’t well integrated, at least in previous versions. When using JAWS, for example, try HJ’s MAGIC screen magnification product instead of Zoomtext. (Sorry, AI Squared, that’s my experience. These conflicts may have been resolved in a newer version of JAWS.)
Problems? Contact AI Squared, as they offer free lifetime technical support. Their support personnel were very thorough and complete in solving my predicaments and program conflicts. AI Squared has been perfecting their products for about 15 years, and have a great track record for support issues.
A 30-day demo of Zoomtext is available from the company’s web site. You can also find contact information, news on products, upgrades from previous versions, and frequently asked questions there.
Zoomtext Extra version 7 comes on a CD, with spoken installation instructions. The large-print manual provides good descriptions, a thorough tutorial, and plenty of screen shots. You’ll need a Windows-compatible sound card and speakers.
AI Squared has once again done a good job of integrating features, control, and overall quality to develop this highly regarded accessibility tool.
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