What's New in J-Say Pro 6.20

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Introduction

J-Say Pro version 6.20 is a free update to all users of J-Say Pro release 6.10.

This version of J-Say Pro is known as a “compatibility release”. As will be described below, the primary purpose of this product release is to provide compatibility for Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional version 10 from Nuance. Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional version 10 provides significant improvement in the area of voice recognition accuracy and so we are delighted to be able to provide a J-Say solution to support the fantastic levels of recognition now available.

For convenience, this document lists the new improvements which were introduced into J-Say Pro version 6.10 which are also available in this product release. The document will then go onto describe how to upgrade your copy of J-Say Pro from version 6.10 to 6.20 which as always is simple and straightforward.

J-Say Pro version 6.20 is directly compatible with the following technologies:

Access Technologies

JAWS for Windows version 9.0 Build 2169.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional version 10.0.

Mainstream Technologies

Microsoft Windows XP – all releases.
Microsoft Windows Vista – all releases.
Microsoft Office 2003.
Microsoft Office 2007.

New Features in J-Say Pro

Getting to Know J-Say Pro

We have considerably enhanced the J-Say Pro Learning Module so as to teach people even more about the product and how to use it. While no self-training materials are a substitute for tuition from a J-Say Specialist, we hope that the new J-Say Training Materials will be helpful for anyone who cannot afford the cost of tuition or who wishes to revisit a topic at a later date.

The J-say Learning Module is a full tutorial on how to use J-Say Pro 6.1, with topics ranging from using J-Say for the first time, through to more advanced elements such as reading and creating tables, completing forms on the Internet and using our new special functions which are described below. There are over 220 short structured sections of the Learning Module and, if you are listening to the DAISY audio narration, that is seven hours of training!

The J-Say Training Materials are provided in the following formats:

Standard Print.
An electronic series of Microsoft Word documents.
A fully structured DAISY CD playable with hardware and software DAISY players with up to 4 levels of navigation so you can easily find what you are looking for.
Books which are playable with the demonstration copy of Freedom Scientific’s FSReader DAISY Talking Book player. We are particularly excited about this because as well as being able to listen to the books on the computer, the playing and pausing of the book section can be controlled from within any application so you can easily learn a topic while working through it. A full set of new voice commands exists to control FSReader. Some commands are available when the microphone is “asleep”.
All materials are downloadable from our web site. For the first time, our J-Say Training Materials in both DAISY and electronic formats are available to download from the J-Say page of our web site.

Commands Are More Responsive When the Microphone is “Asleep”

We have considerably improved the reaction of J-Say when commands are spoken into the microphone when it is “asleep”. This includes the commands “Listen to Me”, “Microphone On”, “Speak Document” and “Be Quiet” to name but a few. We have also added the command “What Time Is It” which can be spoken while working in this mode.

Selecting Text

The process of selecting text has always been difficult when controlling the computer with the human voice. We are now able to offer a completely different method of selection which makes the process much easier with far less risk of corrupting the text in a document while attempting to select parts of it.

Within Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Internet Explorer, the procedure is:

Move the cursor to the start point of the text you wish to select.
Say “Begin Selection”.
Move to the end part of the text you wish to select.
Optionally, say “Speak Beginning and End”, which causes J-Say to speak the starting point of the selection as a reminder and the line containing the cursor, I.E. the potential end point.
Say “End Selection”, and the text in between the two points is selected.

Speak Programs

The command “Speak Programs” can now be spoken to cause J-Say to announce a list of programs currently running, each preceeded by a number. To switch to any one of the programs in the list, you can now either say “Speak Program” followed by its number previously obtained from the spoken list, or the command “select a Program” will bring into view a list of all running programs which can easily be moved to and launched with the “Confirm That” command.

On-Line Help System

Previously, the phrase “Get Command Index” brought into view a list of command categories and subsequently activated command lists within the JAWS Virtual Viewer. This approach has now been changed to an HTML “web page-like” environment with tables for easy navigation. The introductory page as well as giving the necessary Hyperlinks also explains how to navigate tables with the keyboard and the voice.

Audio Transcription

One of our biggest new features in the 6.20 J-Say upgrade is the ability to transcribe audio into text. While users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional have had this wonderful facility available for some time, it has been difficult for visually impaired people to take advantage of it. However, text which is dictated into a portable recorder away from the computer can now be transcribed with a high level of accuracy when you return to your computer.

A Chapter of the J-Say Learning Module fully describes how to set up an optimum environment ready for transcription which is a “one time” process, and how recordings can be successfully made for accurate transcription.

The preferred portable recorder for use as an Audio Transcription tool in this context is the Victor Reader Stream from Humanware and we have worked closely with Humanware in Canada so as to incorporate the ability to convert recorded audio notes into .WAV format ready for Audio Transcription. Apart from possessing a high quality microphone, the Victor Reader Stream is a multi-purpose device and is completely accessible to visually impaired person, since all functions including battery indication ar delivered using human sounding speech.

If for whatever reason you wish to take advantage of this function and you do not possess a Victor Reader Stream, please consult with your J-Say Supplier who can recommend a range of both mainstream and specialist recorders which can provide high quality reproduction.

J-Say Bookmarks

J-say Bookmarks allow you to mark text within a Microsoft Word document or a Web page, and jump to it quickly. You can set up to ten bookmarks per page. And you have a choice of specifying two different bookmark types:

Position Capture bookmarks record the precise character and line position of the cursor.
Text Capture bookmarks store the text contained on a line.

Using a bookmark is as simple as saying or typing “Go to bookmark x” (where “x” represents one through to ten) and the Bookmark is instantly located!

“Speak Bookmarks” allow you to hear your bookmarked text spoken, without your cursor position moving from its current location.

You have complete control over what happens when a bookmark is located through the Bookmark Manager or by speaking commands with your voice. When you set your bookmark, the focused character, word, line, sentence, or paragraph can be spoken, or the remainder of the document or Web page can be read from the cursor position. If the bookmark being used is located on a Web page, an additional option called “Activate Element” will activate a hyperlink automatically or will enable the JAWS “Forms Mode”. J-Say can be set to automatically highlight a bookmark once a Web page loads. In addition, you can choose to apply a bookmark to an entire Web site domain or just to a Web page.

The central repository for the management of bookmarks is found within the Bookmark Lists. Documents or web pages can be launched directly from the Bookmark Lists or the titles of the Bookmarks can be renamed or deleted.

J-Say Shortcuts

Using a consistent and easy-to-use interface, J-Say allows you to create voice links to items on your computer or to reproduce blocks of text on demand. These are known as J-Say Shortcuts. When Shortcuts are created, with voice commands you define you will be able to:

Open frequently used documents within Microsoft Word;
Open folders through which you regularly need to browse;
Save documents in predefined folders stored on your computer;
Attach a file from a designated folder to an Email message;
Launch frequently used web pages within Internet Explorer;
Create a new Email message from within any application;
Reproduce an Email address in a document or from within an Email composition field;
Instantly locate Email folders or move and copy messages to them while remaining in the current folder;
Reproduce a regularly used block of text with a single phrase.

In addition, you will be able to manage all aspects of the manipulation of Shortcuts including editing and deletion through the Shortcuts Manager.

Shortcut creation and manipulation can be carried out using the keyboard in the event that a Trainer needs to quickly and easily create Shortcuts for a new user of J-Say technology. For example, voice links to Email contacts can be rapidly established so that the user can create Email messages to people being corresponded with regularly. This makes a user feel that he or she is progressing rapidly and builds confidence when using the technology for the first time.

Shortcuts are divided into three groups:

Regular Shortcuts, for use when working with Microsoft Word documents, folders within Windows Explorer, Email folders and web pages.
Text Notes, for reproducing blocks of text.
Contacts, used in conjunction with Email addresses.

J-Say Sounds

J-Say Sounds is a new feature which will not only allow you to interact with your computer and applications faster but should also provide you with a break from the delivery of synthetic speech!

There are a number of events which occur that are specific to J-Say. These are events such as notification that the computer is ready for you to talk to it, the opening and closing of the “Correction Box”, to indicate that the J-Say key has been pressed, the location of various Bookmarks, and several others. These events are, of course, announced by J-Say but they can also be represented by specific Sounds.

By default J-Say events are announced through speech by the software, but there are two other options available to you. You can elect to have Sounds alone played, have J-Say only announce events, or have both. Sounds with speech is a very good way to learn what the various Sounds mean.

Additionally, you can learn what the J-Say Sounds mean through the Sounds Tutorial, activated directly by voice or through the J-Say Configuration Wizard introduced in version 6.0. The sounds Tutorial is contained within the JAWS Virtual Viewer and consists of a series of Hyperlinks, one for each J-Say event for which there is a sound. Pressing “Enter” or saying “Confirm That” when focused upon any one of the Hyperlinks will cause the sound to play. A specific sound can be played over and over until you have become accustomed to it.

Using J-Say Functions with the Keyboard

Almost all of the new J-Say facilities listed above can be activated using the keyboard in addition to being voice controlled. The use of the Grave Accent Key (referred to as the J-Say Key) is the central concept when activating J-Say functions.

The procedure is that the J-Say Key is pressed, released, then a subsequent key or combination of keys is pressed to execute the function. When the J-Say Key is pressed, you can elect optionally to hear a spoken message to indicate the keypress or to have a sound play. All keyboard commands are listed in the Learning Module and Command Summary.

Upgrading from J-Say Pro 6.10 to 6.20

Assuming that you have J-Say Pro 6.10 installed on the computer to host J-Say Pro 6.20, the below steps should be carefully followed. If you are upgrading from a version of J-Say Pro prior to 6.10, you should either refer to the J-Say Pro 6.20 Installation Guide accompanying your J-Say package or consult with your J-Say supplier.

JAWS for Windows Considerations

Prior to upgrading your J-Say software,you will need to delete any JAWS user settings relative to your Windows local profile:

Log onto the computer using your user account settings or if you are a Network Administrator you should use the cridentials of the person using the Assistive Technology.
Select the Windows “Start Menu”.
Select “Programs” or “All Programs”.
Select “JAWS 9.0”.
Select “Explore JAWS”.
Select “Explore My Settings”.
Delete any files contained within the folder which is revealed. There is no need to delete any sub-folders contained within the displayed folder.
Close the window displaying the folder to return to the windows Desktop.
Please now re-start the computer.

Once the computer has re-started, the JAWS “Start-Up Wizard” will appear. The JAWS “Start-Up Wizard” allows you to make personal changes to the way in which speech and Braille-based output is delivered. For example, the speech rate can be changed in order that JAWS can talk more slowly or quickly.

The JAWS “Start-Up Wizard” provides five screens for making changes. You must click the “Finish” Button on the fifth screen for any changes to take effect.

Under no circumstances should any additional custom script files be installed to the computer (should you have any) until the J-Say Pro software has been upgraded. Failure to observe this requirement will result in J-Say Pro not being able to function.

Should you decide not to make any changes within the JAWS “Start-Up Wizard” at this time, these can be made once all the software is installed and configured. When the JAWS “Start-Up Wizard” appears, press the “Escape” key to dismiss it. It can always be brought into view once again by activating the “Help” menu item available from the JAWS application window, then select “Help” and “Start-Up Wizard”. The J-Say Pro “Learning Module” describes this process in detail.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional Version 10

You will now need to install Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional version 10. When upgrading this software, you may be asked whether you would like to keep your existing “Voice Profile” or Speech Files you created for version 9.5. We suggest that you remove your existing Speech Files so as to re-train the new Dragon NaturallySpeaking software for improved voice recognition accuracy but this is a matter of personal preference.

J-Say Pro 6.20 Installation

When the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software has been installed you should upgrade your copy of J-Say Pro 6.20 by launching the file downloaded from the Internet or by inserting the CD into the CD-ROM drive.

Install the software in the same manner you used to install the original J-Say Pro product following all on-screen instructions.

When the computer has been re-started following the installation process the upgrade process is complete.

Additional Important Configuration

There is one further step which you need to work through which is extremely important if you are not creating a new Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional voice profile for your upgrade and you are using your additional speech files.

When the computer has re-started and the Windows Desktop is in focus, please press the J-Say Key, release it, then press the letter “W”. The J-Say Configuration Wizard appears.
Locate the option entitled “Restore J-Say Default Settings”. J-Say will announce “Restore J-Say Default Settings - Please press Space Bar or say Select Option to reset J-Say functions to their defaults”. This is the 23rd option down. Pressing the letter “R” five times will set focus to this option.
As instructed, press the “Space Bar” and J-Say will confirm that all settings have been reset.

Page Last Updated: Thursday, December 4, 2008

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