WebFriendlyHelp.com Blog » Computing http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog Thoughts and ideas about new access technologies, trends, and how you can get the most out of Windows software and access technology By Casey Mathews Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:56:39 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Digit-Eyes: affordable barcode reading for All! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/digit-eyes-affordable-barcode-reading-for-all/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/digit-eyes-affordable-barcode-reading-for-all/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:56:39 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=207 Continue reading →]]> This is just a quick post to allow you to know that Digit-Eyes is now available for the iPhone. There is an introductary price of $29.99 through July 31st 2010. I do not know how much it will cost after that date. What is it? Digit-Eyes is a barcode scanner. You can scan frozen dinners, cans of soup, CDs, books, and more. You can also create your own text and/or audio labels for those cases where there is no barcode available, or where the information for a current barcode is not sufficient.

To use Digit-Eyes to scan barcodes do the following.
1. On your IPhone, start Digit-Eyes.
2. Activate the scan button.
3. Every second, you will hear a click sound. When you hear this, it means that the iPhone has taken a picture.
4. Move the iPhone around the package and wait until a picture is taken.
5. Make sure you hold the iPhone about 4 to 8 inches above the package.
6. When a barcode is found you will hear a beep, and the information will be spoken automatically by Voiceover.
7. Buttons will appear that allow you to Google for more info, and to record a text/audio label.
Happy identifying everyone! ?

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/digit-eyes-affordable-barcode-reading-for-all/feed/ 1 iOS 4 Software Update via iTunes! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/ios-4-software-update-via-itunes/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/ios-4-software-update-via-itunes/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:33:44 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=201 Continue reading →]]> It’s now available! Just go to help, then to check for updates. Below is a very brief list of what’s new.

This update contains over 100 new features, including the following:

• Multitasking support for third-party apps*
– Multitasking user interface to quickly move between
apps
– Support for audio apps to play in the background
– VoIP apps can receive and maintain calls in the
background or when device is asleep
– Apps can monitor location and take action while
running in the background
– Alerts and messages can be pushed to apps using
push and local notifications
– Apps can complete tasks in the background
• Folders to better organize and access apps
• Home screen Wallpaper*
• Mail improvements
– Unified inbox to view emails from all accounts in one
place
– Fast inbox switching to quickly switch between
different email accounts
– Threaded messages to view multiple emails from the
same conversation
– Attachments can be opened with compatible third-
party apps
– Search results can now be filed or deleted
– Option to select size of photo attachments
– Messages in the Outbox can be edited or deleted
• Support for iBooks and iBookstore (available from the
App Store)
• Photo and Camera improvements
– 5x digital zoom when taking a photo**
– Tap to focus during video recording**
– Ability to sync Faces from iPhoto
– Geo-tagged photos appear on a map in Photos
• Ability to create and edit playlists on device
• Calendar invitations can be sent and accepted wirelessly
with supported CalDAV servers
• Support for MobileMe calendar sharing
• Suggestions and recent searches appear during a web
search
• Searchable SMS/MMS messages**
• Spotlight search can be continued on web and Wikipedia
• Enhanced location privacy
– New Location Services icon in the status bar
– Indication of which apps have requested your location
in the last 24 hours
– Location Services can be toggled on or off for
individual apps
• Automatic spellcheck
• Support for Bluetooth keyboards*
• iPod out to navigate music, podcasts and audiobooks
through an iPod interface with compatible cars
• Support for iTunes gifting of apps
• Wireless notes syncing with IMAP-based mail accounts
• Persistent WiFi connection to receive push notifications*
• New setting for turning on/off cellular data only**
• Option to display the character count while composing
new SMS/MMS**
• Visual Voicemail messages can be kept locally even if
they have been deleted from the server**
• Control to lock portrait orientation*
• Audio playback controls for iPod and third-party audio
apps*
• New languages, dictionaries and keyboards
• Accessibility enhancements*
• Bluetooth improvements
• Better data protection using the device passcode as an
encryption key* (Requires full restore.)
• Support for third-party Mobile Device Management
solutions
• Enables wireless distribution of enterprise applications
• Exchange Server 2010 compatibility
• Support for multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts
• Support for Juniper Junos Pulse and Cisco AnyConnect
SSL VPN apps (available from the App Store)
• More than 1,500 new developer APIs
• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPod touch 2nd generation
• iPod touch 3rd generation (late 2009 models with 32GB
or 64GB)

* Requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 3rd generation.
** Requires iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. SMS/MMS messaging and Visual Voicemail require support from your wireless carrier.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/06/ios-4-software-update-via-itunes/feed/ 0 Microsoft Fix It Center http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/microsoft-fix-it-center/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/microsoft-fix-it-center/#comments Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:09:29 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=190 Continue reading →]]> Finally there is a way to fix computer problems quickly, and easily. Microsoft has free software that will scan your pc, and try to fix computer problems. This software will work for Windows XP, through Windows 7. If the diognostics can’t help, the software will link you to the fix it center web site, and give you helpful information that pertains to your computer only. I have pasted information from the Microsoft web site below. This software does work with Access Technology, though you may need to tab around, and use mouse simulation to get through some of the screens. You will also need a Windows Live ID for some of the features.

Fix it Center finds and fixes many common PC and device problems automatically. It also helps prevent new problems by proactively checking for known issues and installing updates. Fix it Center helps to consolidate the many steps of diagnosing and repairing a problem into an automated tool that does the work for you.

Easy

Microsoft Fix it Center makes getting support easier than ever, with tools that help solve the issues you have now and prevent new ones.

•Easy to Install and Run: Easy-to-use wizards will guide you through the set-up process and help you anytime you need support.
•Automated: With automated troubleshooters, Fix it Center helps solve issues with your PC, even if you’re not sure what the exact problem is. Fix It Center scans your device to diagnose and repair problems, then gives you the option to “Find and fix” or to “Find and report.
•Preventive Care: By helping you find and fix issues before they become real problems, Fix it Center helps keep your PC running smoothly and automatically downloading the latest solutions.

Relevant Solutions

Microsoft Fix it Center personalizes solutions for your device, showing you only what pertains to your hardware and software.

•Personalized for your Device: By scanning your PC and devices to detect which hardware and software you are using, you get more personalized support with Fix it Center.
•Relevant Answers and Advice: Because Fix it Center keeps track of your devices and settings, you get only the help, solutions and articles that are applicable to your needs.

Puts you in Control

Microsoft Fix it Center gives you an easy way to stay in control and support your devices.

•Customized Settings: You choose the settings and level of automation, so Fix it Center fits how you want manage your devices.
•Manage Multiple Devices: With a single view of all your devices, it’s easy to manage multiple devices from one view. You can even manage them remotely.
•Recordkeeping: Now you’ll also have a record of all the updates and repairs that are made on each device with the continuous report in Fix it Center.
Try it now!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/microsoft-fix-it-center/feed/ 0 Alt+Tab Tuner for Windows Vista/7 http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/alttab-tuner-for-windows-vista7/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/alttab-tuner-for-windows-vista7/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:50:43 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=184 Continue reading →]]> If you are running either Windows Vista, poor soul, or Windows 7, blessed fortunate soul, you will likely remember how Alt+Tab worked in Windows XP. In short, it was fast, and snappy. There were no 3d views and stacks of windows to contend with. But hey, if you’re the got to have the eye candy type, more power to ya. Here’s the bottom line. If you want quick Alt+Tab functionality without the eye-popping stuff, get AltTabTuner.exe. You can change the way that alt tab looks in Windows Vista, and Windows 7. If you want the old Alt+Tab back, be sure to check the, “Old Style Alt+Tab Dialog” check box. Also, if you want to go back to the way that Alt+Tab worked in Windows Vista/7 out of the box, you can just hit the “Default” button.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/04/alttab-tuner-for-windows-vista7/feed/ 0 Siri: Your Personal Virtual Assistant (VPA) http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/01/siri-your-personal-virtual-assistant-vpa/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/01/siri-your-personal-virtual-assistant-vpa/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/01/siri-your-personal-virtual-assistant-vpa/ Continue reading →]]>

This is very interesting technology currently being developed. I am certain that sooner or later, we will all be using some form of virtual assistant. The below info is taken from the Siri.com Web Site.

About Siri

  • Bookmark and Share

Siri – Your Personal Assistant

Siri is a Virtual Personal Assistant – a new way to interact with the Internet on your mobile phone.  Like a real assistant, Siri helps you get things done.  You interact with Siri by just saying, in your own words, what you want to do.  You can ask Siri to find a romantic place for dinner, and get reservations for Saturday night.  You can discover things to do over the weekend, get tickets to the movies, or call a cab when you’re out on the town.  You don’t have to search through a bunch of web pages, following links and hunting down facts.  Siri does all the work giving you the information you need at your fingertips.

We believe that in five years most people who use the Internet will have a Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) to take care of the details of using online services.  We will look back at the birth of VPAs in 2009 and wonder how we ever got by without our trusted assistant.  The days of wading through links and pages from your mobile interface will seem quaint, because the natural way to interact with the rich world of information and services is to have a conversation.  As John Batelle, the author of The Search, says "The future of search is a conversation with someone we trust."

Siri is just getting started, and has a lot to learn.  Stay tuned – the era of the personal assistant has begun!

Technology Heritage – CALO

Years in the making, Siri is born out of SRI’s CALO Project, the largest Artificial Intelligence project in U.S. history. (CALO stands for Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes). Made possible by a $150 million DARPA investment, the CALO Project included 25 research organizations and institutions and spanned 5 years. Siri is bringing the benefits of this technology to the public, in the first mainstream consumer application of a virtual personal assistant.

To learn about how Siri works, continue on to Siri Technology.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2010/01/siri-your-personal-virtual-assistant-vpa/feed/ 0 Survey for computer users with low vision, or color blindness http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/10/survey-for-computer-users-with-low-vision-or-color-blindness/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/10/survey-for-computer-users-with-low-vision-or-color-blindness/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:39:00 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/10/survey-for-computer-users-with-low-vision-or-color-blindness/ Continue reading →]]>

This was taken from the Microsoft Accessibility Blog.

 

Hi. I am working on a research project to understand how people optimize their computer to make it easier to see. We just kicked off an online survey and are recruiting people who have vision impairments. So, if you have low vision or color blindness, we’d really appreciate your feedback. And if there’s someone you know who does, please pass this information to them.

Microsoft product teams will use the survey findings to guide them as they strive to improve our display features. Your responses are completely anonymous. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. To participate, please fill out our Microsoft survey for making the computer easier to see.

Thanks!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/10/survey-for-computer-users-with-low-vision-or-color-blindness/feed/ 0 PetVet, A Must Have App for the IPhone! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/petvet-a-must-have-app-for-the-iphone/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/petvet-a-must-have-app-for-the-iphone/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:11:32 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=164 Continue reading →]]> PetVet is a must have app for the iPhone. This app is designed for dogs and cats, and lists problems that each can have. It even covers things like what happens if your dog eats chocolate. You can also tap a button to locate the nearest vet hospital. At $1.99, you can’t go wrong. It is accessible with voiceover, but some of the buttons are labeled strangely, such as btnHelp.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/petvet-a-must-have-app-for-the-iphone/feed/ 0 I got a hunch! Get Help Making Decisions http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/i-got-a-hunch-get-help-making-decisions/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/i-got-a-hunch-get-help-making-decisions/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:10:11 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/i-got-a-hunch-get-help-making-decisions/ Continue reading →]]> Have you ever wished that you could ask a panel of experts about a decision you were grappling with? Have you ever thought something like, if only I could tell someone what I’m looking for they could give me the best answer for me specifically?

Check out hunch.com. Here you can choose from categories of topics, then choose a question like, what is the best computer speaker system, what iPhone app should I download, where should I take my next vacation, and on and on!

The web site will ask questions about you to tailor it’s responses to your likes and dislikes. Information is provided by data gathering, and user submissions. Then via machine learning comparisons are made, and patterns are spotted than can help you toward making that oh so important decision. Hmmm, should I post this blog entry?

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/09/i-got-a-hunch-get-help-making-decisions/feed/ 0 Fresh New Savings From Buy.com http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/fresh-new-savings-from-buy-com/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/fresh-new-savings-from-buy-com/#comments Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:58:47 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=136 Continue reading →]]> We have a few more savings from Buy.com. First up are two desktop computers from HP.

HP Pavilion Elite M9500F Desktop

  • Processor: 2.4GHz Phenom-9750(A)
  • Ram: 8GB DDR2
  • Hard drive: 750GB SATA 3G
  • Optical Drive: DVD+/-R/RW
  • Video: GeForce 9500 GS
  • Removable Storage: Card Reader

This computer comes with a mouse and keyboard, Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, and this computer is factory refurbished. Shipping is free!

List price: $839.99                  
SAVE $270.00         

Buy.com price: $569.99              

*Expires 8/17/09   

HP
Pavilion Elite M9500F Desktop

HP TouchSmart IQ524 Desktop

  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 2.0GHz
  • Ram: 4GB
  • Hard Drive: 500GB
  • Video: 22″ LCD Panel Display w/ Touch Screen
  • Windows Vista Home Premium

This unit is refurbished, and has free shipping available.

List price: $1,589.99          
SAVE $900.00       

Buy.com price: $689.99                

*Expires 8/17/09   

HP
TouchSmart IQ524 Desktop
 

Olympus WS-321M 1GB Digital Voice Recorder

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $99.99      
SAVE $44.00      

Buy.com price: $55.99      

*Expires 8/17/09 
Olympus
WS-321M 1GB Digital Voice Recorder
 

Kingston 2GB Secure Digital SD Card

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
Buy.com price: $7.99       
*Expires 8/17/09   
Kingston
2GB Secure Digital SD Card

Kingston 4GB DataTraveler 120 USB Flash Drive

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
Buy.com price: $10.59           
*Expires 8/17/09   
Kingston
4GB DataTraveler 120 USB Flash Drive

SanDisk 2GB Cruzer Micro U3 Smart USB 2.0 Flash Drive With Ready Boost

List Price: $14.99
SAVE 51%

Buy.com Price: $7.23

*Expires: Unknown

SanDisk
2GB Cruzer Micro U3 Smart USB 2.0 Flash Drive (Ready Boost)

Philips Active Noise Canceling Headphones

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $29.99
SAVE 56%
Buy.com price: $12.99
*Expires Unknown
Philips
Active Noise Canceling Headphones

Iomega Prestige Desktop 1.5TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $169.99          
SAVE $40.00          
Buy.com price: $129.99  
*Expires 8/17/09   
Iomega
Prestige Desktop 1.5TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

HP Pavilion DV7-2180US Entertainment Laptop

  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 2.0GHz
  • Video: 17.3″ HD+ LED BrightView
  • Ram: 6GB
  • Hard Drive: 500GB
  • Optical: DVD±R/RW
  • Webcam, and HDMI port
  • Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $1,734.88        
SAVE $534.89        

Buy.com price: $1,199.99   

*Expires 8/17/09   
HP
Pavilion DV7-2180US Entertainment Laptop

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/fresh-new-savings-from-buy-com/feed/ 0 Buy.com Special Deals! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/buy-com-special-deals/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/buy-com-special-deals/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:54:00 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/buy-com-special-deals/ Continue reading →]]> Buy.com has the following special deals on the following hardware.

 

Cavalry Storage CAUM Series 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive – Pre-formatted to NTFS    

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING

 

 

Looking for a laptop? Check out the HP G70-257CL Notebook. It features:

A 2.00GHz Pentium Dual-Core Mobile Processor T4200

3 GB Ram

320 GB hard drive

17" HD HP Widescreen

DVD±R/RW

Windows Vista Home Premium

 

Note that this is Factory Refurbished. Free shipping is available.

List price: $899.99                     

SAVE $400.00        
Buy.com price: $499.99    

*Expires 8/11/09   

 

 

If you need a few thumb drives

 

Kingston 4GB DataTraveler Hi Speed USB Flash Drive, 2 Pack     
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
Buy.com price: $18.74  
*Expires 8/11/09     

Kingston 4GB DataTraveler Hi Speed USB Flash Drive, 2 Pack

 

Here’s a great netbook at a very low price!

 

Acer Aspire One AOD250-1962 10.1" Netbook

Intel Atom N2701GB

160GB hard drive

Webcam

Windows XP Home Edition

Color is Pink

FREE BUDGET SHIPPING

Buy.com price: $294.95        
*Expires 8/11/09
Acer Aspire One AOD250-1962 10.1" Netbook

 

Do you have an iPhone, or iPod?

6-in-1 Car Wireless FM Transmitter Car Charger for iPod Touch, Classic, and iPhone 3G/3GS w/ LCD Display and Remote      
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
Buy.com price: $14.49     
*Expires 8/11/09            

6-in-1 Car Wireless FM Transmitter Car Charger for iPod

 

TDK DVD-R Media 16x 4.7GB 100 pack Spindle
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $51.89
SAVE $32.00

Buy.com price: $19.89  
*Expires 8/16/09     

 

TDK DVD-R Media 16x 4.7GB 100 pack Spindle

 

Get more thumb drive bang for your buck with 8 GB.

Kingston 8GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive (Cyan)
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING

List price: $63.00

SAVE 73%

 

Buy.com price: $16.76   
*Expires 8/16/09

Kingston 8GB DataTraveler 101 USB Flash Drive (Cyan)

 

Looking for a large SD card for your book reader?

Easystore 8GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Card – Class 4
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $76.00

SAVE 76%

Buy.com price: $17.76
*Expires 8/16/09  

Easystore 8GB SDHC Card

 

Need a lot of storage?

Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING

 

List price: $149.99

Buy.com price: Special Price  
*Expires 8/16/09

Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

 

Here’s another great laptop discount.

Sony VAIO NS Series Laptop

Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 2.2GHz

15.4",

4GBram

250GB hard drive

DVD+-R DL

Windows Vista Business
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $799.99
SAVE $100.04

Buy.com price: $699.95   
*Expires 8/16/09   

Sony VAIO NS Series Laptop

 

Below is one of the best deals we’ve seen on noise canceling headphones in a while!

Able Planet True Fidelity Noise Cancelling Headphones
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING

List price: $129.99
SAVE 61%

Buy.com price: $49.99   
*Expires 8/16/09 

Able Planet True Fidelity Noise Cancelling Headphones

 

We truly hope you’ve found what you were looking for here!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/08/buy-com-special-deals/feed/ 2 Preorder Windows 7! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/07/preorder-windows-7/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/07/preorder-windows-7/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:44:00 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/07/preorder-windows-7/ Continue reading →]]> Now that computer manufactures have been given Windows 7, I thought I’d remind everyone that it is possible to preorder Windows 7! Preordering will allow you to have the DVD in your hands on October 22 of this year. No lines, no scrambling to get the DVD.

Just make sure you know which version of Windows 7 you’re getting. For most home users, Windows 7 Home Premium will be fine. If you think you may need a little extra features in networking, or encryption, Windows 7 Professional may be the best choice. And if you are a geek like we are, you may just have to have Windows 7 Ultimate!

Just be sure that you get the full version. This way you can install windows without having to prove that you have previously owned a prior version of windows like Windows Vista. If you have a Windows Vista CD, or you don’t mind playing tricks with Windows, save yourself some money and buy the upgrade version of Windows 7. Just keep in mind that clean installs will be more involved, complex, and timely, but hey, a dollar saved is a dollar earned… or was that a penny.

Amazon has a nice selection of computers to choose from, and as the months pass by, we’ll see computers touting the advances inherent in Windows 7. Amazon’s reviews of products can many times give you a good idea about the products performance out of the box, at home or the office.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/07/preorder-windows-7/feed/ 1 Easy Protection with Microsoft Security Essentials http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/easy-protection-with-microsoft-security-essentials/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/easy-protection-with-microsoft-security-essentials/#comments Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:49:16 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/easy-protection-with-microsoft-security-essentials/ Continue reading →]]> I just wanted to make a quick note about the new beta of Microsoft Security Essentials. I’ve only had it running for a short period of time. However, the program is very accessible to screen reading technology. The nice thing about it is that updating, scanning for problems, and settings can all be accessed by tabbing around the home screen. As you go through the settings, descriptions of each setting can be found by reviewing the screen. One thing that i like about this, is that it’s integrated into Windows update. this means that updates to the program will be automatic. One other good thing about the program is that it protects against root kits. you can think of root kits like viruses, or other malware that try to infect the pc more deeply than traditional badware. As a free security program you may want to give this one a try. The price is right, and it’s one of the most accessible security programs I’ve come a crossed in a while.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/easy-protection-with-microsoft-security-essentials/feed/ 0 Fix Problems with One Click http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/fix-problems-with-one-click/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/fix-problems-with-one-click/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:56:06 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=120 Continue reading →]]> Have you ever had a problem on your computer? Of course what a rhetorical question. Microsoft is trying to automate fixing common problems in Windows. When you visit the Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services web site. You will see a list of problems that Microsoft will try and fix automatically for you. Once you hit the run button, a diagnostic will be performed that will troubleshoot the problem, and fix it for you if it can. Currently this service only works with Windows Vista. Windows 7 has troubleshooters built into the OS itself, so you won’t even have to go to the web site.

Here is a short list of problems that Microsoft will try to fix for you. This list is taken from the Microsoft web site linked to above. More troubleshooting tools will be added so you can check back for more tools whenever Microsoft gets around to publishing them.

  • Windows Vista Aero Glass visual effects are not working Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the visual Aero Glass effects, themes, and transparencies are not working on your computer. /li>
  • Printing problems and printing errors
    Automatically diagnose and repair when you cannot print, or for problems installing a printer, connecting to a network printer and related errors. /li>
  • Your CD or DVD drive cannot read or write media
    Automatically diagnose and repair problems with your CD or DVD drive when trying to read or burn media in Windows Vista.
  • Hardware devices not detected or not working
    Automatically diagnose and repair problems when the device manager does not detect your hardware, audio, USB and other devices, or when your devices are disabled or not working.
  • Problems with sound and audio or no sound
    Automatically diagnose and repair problems with sound and audio on your computer or when your computer does not play sound.

    • As I’ve said this is a short list. It would be cool if they had an RSS feed of new troubleshooters, but maybe they will as they add more.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/06/fix-problems-with-one-click/feed/ 0 WolfRam alpha Ready for Everyone! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-ready-for-everyone/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-ready-for-everyone/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 18:58:00 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=113 Continue reading →]]> sorry I’m a bit late on this one. But, WolfRamAlpha.com is ready to go! The first search box allows you to type in questions like why is the sky blue? you can also type in your first or last name and get statistical data on how often that name is used. Sometimes you have to play around with the wording to get the results you need. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one for sure.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-ready-for-everyone/feed/ 0 WolfRam Alpha to be Released tonight! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-to-be-released-tonight/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-to-be-released-tonight/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 17:59:23 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=107 This revolutionary new query technology will be released tonight at about 7:00 Eastern. This is three days ahead of schedule! In the mean time, have fun checking out the demo here!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-alpha-to-be-released-tonight/feed/ 0 WolfRam: Intelligent searching for everyone! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-intelligent-searching-for-everyone/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-intelligent-searching-for-everyone/#comments Sun, 03 May 2009 16:56:14 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=101 Continue reading →]]> Thanks to The Independant, we have a glimps into the future of information gathering via the web. This is great stuff, and I can’t wait to use it!

The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US last week, takes the first step towards what many consider to be the internet’s Holy Grail – a global store of information that understands and responds to ordinary language in the same way a person does.

Although the system is still new, it has already produced massive interest and excitement among technology pundits and internet watchers.

Computer experts believe the new search engine will be an evolutionary leap in the development of the internet. Nova Spivack, an internet and computer expert, said that Wolfram Alpha could prove just as important as Google. “It is really impressive and significant,” he wrote. “In fact it may be as important for the web (and the world) as Google, but for a different purpose.

Tom Simpson, of the blog Convergenceofeverything.com, said: “What are the wider implications exactly? A new paradigm for using computers and the web? Probably. Emerging artificial intelligence and a step towards a self-organising internet? Possibly… I think this could be big.”

Wolfram Alpha will not only give a straight answer to questions such as “how high is Mount Everest?”, but it will also produce a neat page of related information – all properly sourced – such as geographical location and nearby towns, and other mountains, complete with graphs and charts.

The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out “on the fly”, according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in “10 flips for four heads” and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out.

Dr Wolfram, an award-winning physicist who is based in America, added that the information is “curated”, meaning it is assessed first by experts. This means that the weaknesses of sites such as Wikipedia, where doubts are cast on the information because anyone can contribute, are taken out. It is based on his best-selling Mathematica software, a standard tool for scientists, engineers and academics for crunching complex maths.

“I’ve wanted to make the knowledge we’ve accumulated in our civilisation computable,” he said last week. “I was not sure it was possible. I’m a little surprised it worked out so well.”

Dr Wolfram, 49, who was educated at Eton and had completed his PhD in particle physics by the time he was 20, added that the launch of Wolfram Alpha later this month would be just the beginning of the project.

“It will understand what you are talking about,” he said. “We are just at the beginning. I think we’ve got a reasonable start on 90 per cent of the shelves in a typical reference library.”

The engine, which will be free to use, works by drawing on the knowledge on the internet, as well as private databases. Dr Wolfram said he expected that about 1,000 people would be needed to keep its databases updated with the latest discoveries and information.

He also added that he would not go down the road of storing information on ordinary people, although he was aware that others might use the technology to do so.

Wolfram Alpha has been designed with professionals and academics in mind, so its grasp of popular culture is, at the moment, comparatively poor. The term “50 Cent” caused “absolute horror” in tests, for example, because it confused a discussion on currency with the American rap artist. For this reason alone it is unlikely to provide an immediate threat to Google, which is working on a similar type of search engine, a version of which it launched last week.

“We have a certain amount of popular culture information,” Dr Wolfram said. “In some senses popular culture information is much more shallowly computable, so we can find out who’s related to who and how tall people are. I fully expect we will have lots of popular culture information. There are linguistic horrors because if you put in books and music a lot of the names clash with other concepts.”

He added that to help with that Wolfram Alpha would be using Wikipedia’s popularity index to decide what users were likely to be interested in.

With Google now one of the world’s top brands, worth $100bn, Wolfram Alpha has the potential to become one of the biggest names on the planet.

Dr Wolfram, however, did not rule out working with Google in the future, as well as Wikipedia. “We’re working to partner with all possible organisations that make sense,” he said. “Search, narrative, news are complementary to what we have. Hopefully there will be some great synergies.”

What the experts say

“For those of us tired of hundreds of pages of results that do not really have a lot to do with what we are trying to find out, Wolfram Alpha may be what we have been waiting for.”

Michael W Jones, Tech.blorge.com

“If it is not gobbled up by one of the industry superpowers, his company may well grow to become one of them in a small number of years, with most of us setting our default browser to be Wolfram Alpha.”

Doug Lenat, Semanticuniverse.com

“It’s like plugging into an electric brain.”

Matt Marshall, Venturebeat.com

“This is like a Holy Grail… the ability to look inside data sources that can’t easily be crawled and provide answers from them.”

Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of searchengineland.com

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/wolfram-intelligent-searching-for-everyone/feed/ 1 Windows 7 Troubleshooters http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/windows-7-troubleshooters/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/windows-7-troubleshooters/#comments Sat, 02 May 2009 18:56:15 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=97 Continue reading →]]> Windows 7 now has a new section within the control panel. This section is called “Troubleshooting”. The great thing about this is that it really does what it sounds like. Helps you troubleshoot common problems on the computer, without needing to call a friend, pay someone, or call for I.T.

By opening the troubleshooting section, and hitting the link that says, “All”, you get the following choices.

• Arrow display: This option helps you troubleshoot problems with the very beautiful graphics that people love so much. This one won’t help much for those of you using Access technology that uses the mirror display drivers. In fact when I ran it, that’s pretty much what it told me. You need to turn off any technology that uses mirror drivers. OK. Moving on.
• Connection to a workplace using direct access: This allows you to connect to your workplace via VPN technology. Direct Access is new technology built-in to Windows 7 that helps end users connect to VPN’s it sets up a persistent always on connection. The troubleshooter will check to see if you’re connected to a domain, and troubleshoot accordingly. Great stuff!
• Hardware and Devices: This will scan your system for hardware changes, and troubleshoot any hardware that it finds not to be working correctly.
• HomeGroup: HomeGroups are groups of computers that trust each other for the purpose of sharing data. They are meant for home use. For example, data among family members will be shared automatically, but if a friend visits, they can still get onto a wireless connection, without being able to get to the data within the HomeGroup. This troubleshooter will help configure this and check for problems.
• Incoming Connections: This troubleshooter will try to help configure your firewall. As the name implies, it helps troubleshoot incoming connections from other computers.
• Internet Connections: This will help you repair/reset your internet connection. This seems to be the same thing that you get with IE when you hit the diagnose connection link. This works great, and I actually disabled my network adapter, and windows fixed the problem automatically!
• Internet Explorer Performance: This helps resolve performance specific to add ons. What this seems to do is examine your add ons. To see which ones are causing problems, then disables problematic add ons.
• Internet Explorer Safety: This examines the security settings of IE. This looks at internet zones, pop ups etc to find out if security needs to be changed.
• Network Adapter: This is a bit like the internet connections troubleshooter, but this will specifically look at network adapters. This not only works with Ethernet, but wireless adapters as well.
• Performance: As its name implies, this tool examines any settings that pertain to system performance. This troubleshooter does seem to have a tendency to look at the visual settings, but if you’re experiencing performance issues of your own, give this troubleshooter a try before calling the tech.
• Playing Audio: This is a very good troubleshooter that examines all audio devices on the system. It tells you if a jack is unplugged, and examines each audio system, analog, SPDIF etc, to try to get audio running again. This one is very nicely done!
• Power: This is a great feature for laptop/netbook users. It examines the power settings, and suggests settings for improved battery life.
• Printer: This helps get a printer running. Running this troubleshooter told me that the printer service wasn’t started. Then it started the appropriate service. Next, it asked me if the printer was a local printer attached to my computer, or a printer on the network. I chose network, and just like that, it found the printer. When I hit next, the drivers were installed, and I was printing!
• Program compatibility: This checks programs and makes changes to allow them to run on Windows 7. Generally, this happens automatically when the program is run, but this can come in handy if you have a lot of older software.
• Recording Audio: Just like the audio playback troubleshooter, this is another very nice tool for fixing recording problems. This looks through all recording inputs, tells you were the jack is, and then begins troubleshooting. Very handy troubleshooter!
• Search and indexing: This asks you a series of questions as shown here. What problems do you notice? Select all that apply. Files don’t appear in search results. E-mail doesn’t appear in search results. Search or indexing is slowing down the computer. My problem isn’t listed above. (Please provide a description on the next page.)
• Shared Folders: This helps you troubleshoot problems accessing shared resources on other networked computers. This should make home networking quite a bit easier for many.
• System Maintenance: This helps clean up unused files and other temporary files that aren’t needed. It even checks system time, to make sure that’s not the cause of older files cluttering up the system.
• Windows Media Player DVD: This troubleshoots DVD playback in Windows Media Player. It searches to make sure that you have a DVD playback device installed, and goes on from there.
• Windows Media Library: If you are having trouble getting the library of songs to show up in Windows Media Player, this could help troubleshoot this. It can help rebuild the library if needed. Not a bad troubleshooter if you are a fan of Media Player.
• Windows Media Player Settings: This isn’t much of a troubleshooter, but if problems are found with your settings here, you can use this troubleshooter to automatically revert your Media Player settings to the defaults.
• Windows Update: Just as it sounds, this helps resolve problems getting Windows Updates. Usually this works well, but windows update can sometimes have problems, so I’m glad they included this diagnostic tool.

Windows troubleshooters are a wonderful edition to Windows 7! Remember that currently there are only 22 troubleshooters, and this is pre-release software. So by the time Windows 7 ships to consumers and pc manufactures there could be a lot more. Also, keep in mind that computer vendors can add their own troubleshooters in this section as well. This should make things much easier for folks. I’d be curious to hear your experiences with Windows 7 troubleshooters.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/05/windows-7-troubleshooters/feed/ 0 Windows 7 and volume Control http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-and-volume-control/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-and-volume-control/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:47:14 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=93 Continue reading →]]> In Windows XP, the volume control mute buttons were simple check boxes. Checked indicated that a sound source was muted.

Windows Vista’s mute buttons had a graphical component that made it difficult to check to see if something was muted. It was more by trial and error because the button simple said mute. There was no check box. Furthermore, you could mute applications as well. So you could mute Jaws if you wanted to, or you could turn down the volume within Jaws, while keeping Media Player’s volume high.

Windows 7 has mute buttons as well. However now the button caption reflects the state. So you will hear either “mute button”, or “unmute button”. This reduces the trial and error needed in Windows Vista to determine if something was muted or not. This is an improvement over vista, and I have missed the ability to so easily check to see if something was muted.

On a slight detour, I’ve noticed that digital audio via the SPDIF connections works much better in Windows 7. The audio is cleaner, and I can do neat effects like volume leveling from within the Windows interface itself. This was also not possible in Windows vista.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-and-volume-control/feed/ 0 Windows 7: Thoughts from a blind Access Technology Early Adopter http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-thoughts-from-a-blind-access-technology-early-adopter/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-thoughts-from-a-blind-access-technology-early-adopter/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:17:39 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=89 Continue reading →]]> Hello everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that I plan to do a few posts on Windows 7. Before I do, I’d like to know what you would like to know about? Gaming, application accessibility, ease of use, accessibility, or something else…

Whatever you want to know about Windows 7, write a comment, contact me directly, or even shoot me an email: help@webfriendlyhelp.com.
I look forward to your questions and comments.

Thanks

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/04/windows-7-thoughts-from-a-blind-access-technology-early-adopter/feed/ 0 Get Windows 7 Beta Sounds Early! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/03/get-windows-7-beta-sounds-early/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/03/get-windows-7-beta-sounds-early/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:47:10 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=79 Continue reading →]]> For those of you eagerly awaiting the release of Windows 7, or for anyone who likes to liven up their existing Windows experience, you will be happy to hear of Windows 7 sounds! These sounds appear to be taken from Windows 7 build 7048. As I do not have build 7048, I cannot confirm this.

What’s interesting to me is that some of the basic sound events are missing, such as close and open program. On the other hand, there are 13, count ‘em, 13 sound schemes!
Get the Windows 7 build 7048 Sound Scheme!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2009/03/get-windows-7-beta-sounds-early/feed/ 0 Find Out About Concerts In Your Area Fast! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/12/find-out-about-concerts-in-your-area-fast/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/12/find-out-about-concerts-in-your-area-fast/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:33:41 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=58 Continue reading →]]> LiveKick is a live concert search engine and recommendation web site that lets you know where and when all your favorite artists are playing. Automatically.

Just tell LiveKick where you live and who your favorite artists are and LiveKick will recommend upcoming local concerts by your favorite artists and by
other artists who are similar to your favorite artists. You can also search for upcoming concerts by your favorite artists anywhere they may be happening.
It’s easy to use, and free. Visit the site below.

LiveKick.com

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/12/find-out-about-concerts-in-your-area-fast/feed/ 0 Visit the Microsoft Store http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/visit-the-microsoft-store/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/visit-the-microsoft-store/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:40:53 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=56 Continue reading →]]> I just wanted to let everyone know that Microsoft has just launched their
own
store. It’s called the Microsoft Store!
  I never would have
guessed. Anyway, the really nice thing about the store is that you can buy Office, then download it, and install it. I presume that you’ll also get an email that has your product key as well.
So hopefully gone are the days of going to a retail store, and then having someone read you the product key!

,,,,

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/visit-the-microsoft-store/feed/ 0 Feature List For System Access 3.0! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/feature-list-for-system-access-30/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/feature-list-for-system-access-30/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:14:27 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=52 Continue reading →]]> I’ve been given the go ahead to post the what’s new info for System Access 3.0! This was taken from one of the forums within the SA Mobile network. Enjoy!

System Access 3.0 Feature List
I. Support For 64 Bit versions of Windows! Serotek is proud to announce the first release of a full-featured screen access product with support for Windows
XP and Vista that includes 64 Bit versions. What does this mean to the user? Beginning as early as June 2008, many of the computer stores and office supply
vendors have begun to stock their shelves with only computers running OEM versions of 64 Bit Windows. Many an unsuspecting customer has gotten home with
a brand new computer only to discover that they cannot install and use their access technology on it. With the release of System Access 3.0, this is no
longer an issue. Go out and buy a new computer, bring it home, install System Access 3.0 and you will be ready to go with your talking computer.

II. Support for refreshable Braille! With the release of System Access 3.0, you can now have speech and refreshable Braille output. With the use of the
Alva BC-640 Braille device, Serotek continues in its commitment to plug and play accessibility anywhere. Take your System Access and your Braille device
with you to any computer and have speech and Braille output with no installation needed. This also means that nothing is left behind, not even Braille
drivers when you are done working or playing at that computer.

III. Support for new simplified menus. Our users have become use to quick access to E-mail, community forums, diverse entertainment options and so much
more with very few key strokes within the System Access Mobile Network. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. The new simplified menu
structure puts all of your favorite choices into lists where first-letter navigation is now possible. While we call it the “simplified menu interface,”
many of our advanced users have told us that navigation is much quicker now. For those who want the classic numbered menu option, it is also still available.

IV. Support for more responsive Neospeech! Kate and Paul, our internally supported human sounding voices just got faster. Whether moving through menus
or typing quickly, users will notice more immediate reaction as the high-quality voices provide speech feedback to any computer task whether at work or
play.

V. Support for iTunes 8 and later! With the advent of iTunes 8, Apple has made it possible for adaptive technology organizations to support this application.
Serotek again raises the bar by not only supporting the application interface, but also the iTunes store with quick and easy navigation for account setup
and browsing the store itself. Whether you are looking for really cool podcasting, or getting serious about increasing and cataloging your music library,
System Access 3.0 will make it easy for you to find your way around.

VI. Support for System Access To Go loading at lightning speed! Due to its 75% smaller footprint, SATOGO (System Access To Go) becomes virtually instant
access to go whenever and wherever you need it even with a slow Internet Connection. Did you leave home without your U3 Key or Passkey CD? Don’t worry,
SATOGO has you covered on any computer with an Internet connection!

VII. Support for easier install and repair! Whether you are a brand new user or a Seasoned Serotek Subscriber, you won’t be hunting for that elusive install
file somewhere on the web site to set up or repair your software. If for any reason your System Access or Mobile Network won’t start for you, simply run


, log in with your credentials, go to the my account link and either repair your installation or download and set up a brand new copy of the System Access
software. System Access is even smart enough to know if you have an installation or not. If it sees the software on your computer, you will hear the repair
option. If it does not see an installation, it will show you an install link instead.

VIII. Support for a new higher quality voice chat client! With the System Access Mobile Network 3.0 release, users will notice a much improved experience
in the voice chat rooms. With its band-width conserving, yet crisp audio, full-duplex operation in specific rooms, the user can really enjoy the sounds
of their growing community.

IX. Support For Voice Communication Over A Remote Session! Whether you are fixing someone’s computer, showing someone a cool application you just installed
or providing instruction and training, the advent of full-duplex voice communication is just the thing to use instead of a telephone or even Skype. You
can now have your communication all in one place.

X. Support for All-In-Play Games! Screen Access on computers isn’t just for work anymore. It is also for fun. Serotek continues its spirit of cooperation
with other companies by collaborating with All In Play, an interactive gaming community to make it possible for System Access 3.0 users to play their games:
Tag, Crazy Eights, Draw Poker an Texas Hold’em. To check it out, browse on over to:

XI. Support for offline document scanning! With the System Access 3.0, it is now possible to scan and read documents using our optional “Document Scan”
application. The implementation of this feature is just another in a long line of user requests that Serotek has quickly responded to, in order to make
our products what you, the user wants in your Access software.

Oh an by the way, Firefox support will be coming just as soon as Mozilla releases an update that fixes accessibility issues introduced in 3.02. We are
told that 3.04 will be released on November 12.

So how much extra will Serotek customers pay for this upgrade? As always, all Serotek subscribers receive this and all other maintenance updates for the
cost of their yearly or monthly subscriptions. Remember, with Serotek, there are no costly software maintenance agreements to buy. We continue in our commitment
to making the most stable and reliable products affordable to those even on the tightest of budgets.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/11/feature-list-for-system-access-30/feed/ 0 Live Mesh: What is it? http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/10/live-mesh-what-is-it/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/10/live-mesh-what-is-it/#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:14:48 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=50 Continue reading →]]> I wanted to write briefly about a technology that Microsoft is currently beta testing called Live Mesh, or just Mesh for short. What is it you ask? Well, picture the ultimate synchronization tool that once implemented, you can forget about it. It is a rather simple set and forget type of program. I’ve pasted some info from the mesh.com web site. I do believe that this is one of the coolest technologies to come out of Microsoft in a while. Some of the aspects of this beta do not work great with Access Technology, but it is a beta after all. More below.

Imagine the possibilities

Imagine all your devices—PCs, and soon Macs and mobile phones—working together to give you anywhere access to the information you care about.

With Live Mesh, you can spend less time managing devices and data and more time connecting with family and friends or collaborating with colleagues.

All your devices working together

No more e-mailing attachments to yourself. Instead, synchronize the information you need across all your devices. The most up-to-date versions will be at hand when you need them—at home, at the office, and on the go.

Just install the Live Mesh software on each device. Then add folders to your mesh. Folders are automatically synchronized, always available.

Access from anywhere

Anything you add to Live Mesh is available from anywhere, including the web from your Live Desktop. Your Live Desktop comes with 5 GB of free storage, and can be used from most web browsers.

Need a program that’s only on your home PC? With Live Mesh, access to all your devices—and any programs on those devices—is at your fingertips, no matter where you are.

Note that the above feature doesn’t work with Access Technology currently. When/If this changes please let me know if you find out about it before I do.

Simple to share

Easily share files and photos with friends, family, and colleagues—invite them to a folder. Everyone is kept up to date because files can be synchronized automatically with all your devices and all their devices.

Update documents, post comments, or send instant messages, all right from the folder. The Live Mesh bar helps you connect instantly with other folder members.

Stay informed

Keep track of all the activities in your mesh. See the online status of friends and colleagues, find out who has updated which files or folders, post and read comments, and check the status of your devices.

News about your mesh is easy to access. You can view news items in the notifier, from the mesh bar, and on the Live Mesh website—available whenever, wherever you are.

Protection you know

Your mesh is password-protected with your Windows Live ID, so only you have access to it. When you share a folder with family and friends, they sign in with their own Windows Live ID to access it.

All file transfers are protected using Secure Socket Layers (SSL), the same technology your online bank uses.

And there you have it! I believe it’s pretty impressive, though I’ve been told that I’m a geek, so who knows! Drop me a note if you try this and let me know what you think of it.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/10/live-mesh-what-is-it/feed/ 0 The Net bible Revisited! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/the-net-bible-revisited/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/the-net-bible-revisited/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:30:02 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=48 Continue reading →]]> It is to my great satisfaction that I report my findings about the Net Bible. I can only conclude that my version was corrupted some way. At any rate, my issue with Colossians 3 has been resolved. It seems that the net Bible splits itself up slightly differently than traditional bibles. The translation notes are all there as well, so if you really want to delve into the scriptures, this is the easiest way to do it! This Bible is also free! It is accessible to Jaws, System Access, and Window-Eyes. Everything within the bible software is arranged like a web page. Basically just hit the link you want and you are off and running, or reading as the case may be. Have fun with this one, and let me know what you think?

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/the-net-bible-revisited/feed/ 0 Freedom Scientific introduces Remote Support Options for Jaws http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/freedom-scientific-introduces-remote-support-options-for-jaws/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/freedom-scientific-introduces-remote-support-options-for-jaws/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:00:37 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=45 Continue reading →]]> Freedom Scientific just spilled the beans on the big secret they alluded to in the August FSCast. It is called Jaws Tandem. The big news is that Jaws users can now help friends or co-workers with computer problems by connecting to the computer in question. When remote control is established, Braille, video and of course speech feedback is available to both parties. Text can be copied between the controller’s pc, and the remote pc, making it easy for logs, or other configuration information to be recorded, or analyzed.

In order to give someone control of your pc, press JawsKey+Alt+T. You then have to type a unique password that is generated by the Tandem service. The controller will give you the password. Then the controller can fix problems; conduct a quick training session, etc. You can quit the connection at any time by pressing JawsKey+Alt+T again. Both parties will be notified that the Tandem session has ended.

Conclusion

I believe that this is a revolutionary release and update to the Jaws product. And before anyone wonders, I am not paid by FS. I think that this technology will go quite a long way for Jaws customers in terms of helping them get support from knowledgeable people. Price is reasonable at $39 per quarter, or $139 annually. Organizations are not left out either. A one-time charge of $495 will get you Jaws Tandem, and remote desktop as well as Citrix support if it doesn’t exist.

Jaws beta 2 will introduce the Tandem service, which should be out any day now! While it is in beta, anyone can try it free of charge!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/09/freedom-scientific-introduces-remote-support-options-for-jaws/feed/ 0 Discussion of What’s New in Jaws 10.0! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/discussion-of-whats-new-in-jaws-100/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/discussion-of-whats-new-in-jaws-100/#comments Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:31:04 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=40 Continue reading →]]> Discussion of what’s new in Jaws 10.0!

 

I wanted to provide a discussion of what I thought of the new features introduced into Jaws 10.0. If you want to get this all right from the horse’s mouth, just go to the beta page for Jaws 10.0! Just remember that Jaws 10 will not be released for download until next week sometime. I have to say that over-all; I would sum up the improvements in Jaws 10 as evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. However, the modifications will catch some by surprise if not taken note of first. Now on to the new features!

 

Surf’s up page updated

 

“Surf’s Up!, the Freedom Scientific Web page that explains how to surf the Web with JAWS, has been updated to help instructors and students take advantage of the new JAWS 10 features that are mentioned on this page. Pay particular attention to the Forms page. It gives great details for using the new Auto Forms Mode function.”

 

You certainly may want to spend some time playing with auto-forms mode, as it is quite different from the manual way of activating forms mode. It will take a bit of time to get used to getting into forms mode without pressing a key first. Obviously quick navigation keys such as B, for button, H for heading etc will not work once in forms mode. Since this will be occurring automatically, you will need to get used to it. Fortunately, for those who like to stick with the old familiar way of doing things, you can turn auto-forms mode off.

 

Auto Forms Mode

“Auto Forms Mode will automatically turn on Forms Mode when you move into combo box controls using TAB, or edit fields using either TAB or ARROW Keys. This makes if far more intuitive and easy to interact with form fields found on web pages without having to do these extra key strokes. When you press ARROW Keys or TAB to move to an edit field, you will hear a sound indicating you can type at that moment without having to first press ENTER. When you exit the control using an ARROW Key, Forms Mode turns off and will let you easily continue to navigate in virtual mode again. This functionality can be very useful for new and sighted JAWS users in training environments but even long time JAWS users will quickly adapt to this new method with a little practice. By default, Auto Forms Mode is on. There are two ways to turn it off. First, you can press INSERT+V and then change the Auto Forms Mode option to off. Second, you can use the new Forms Mode Options dialog located in Configuration Manager.”

 

As I mentioned above, the person who has been using Jaws for years will take a little getting used to this new option, but new Jaws users should have a fairly easy time of things, as forms mode is handled automatically for you. Hey, one less key to remember!

 

RealSpeak Solo Direct Synthesizers

 

Here’s where things get a bit more responsive for those of you that like to use the SAPI five synthesizers. Again taken directly from FS!

 

“JAWS 10 supports RealSpeak™ Solo Direct synthesizers from Nuance® Communications. These new synthesizers work exclusively with Freedom Scientific products, provide better speed and performance over the Nuance synthesizers supplied with earlier JAWS versions, and will not interfere with any synthesizers currently installed on your system. To listen to samples or download these synthesizers, go to the RealSpeak Solo Direct Voices for Freedom Scientific Products Web page.

Another way to open this page is to use the new RealSpeak Solo Direct link available in the JAWS application window. The link is in Web Resources under the Help menu. “

 

 

Dictionary Manager Tree View

 

This next feature may appeal to those studying languages, or anyone wanting to hear words spoken correctly, in the correct pronunciation.

 

“The Dictionary Manager lets you change the way JAWS speaks words, phrases, abbreviations, or symbols to avoid any mispronunciation. In JAWS 10, the Dictionary manager has been expanded so that you can create rules applying to specific languages, synthesizers, or voices. Once the rule is created, it is added to the top of the Dictionary Entries list. It is identified by language, for example, English, and can be expanded into a tree view to show other restrictions that apply to the rule. To open the Dictionary Manager in any application, press INSERT+D. “

 

Navigation Quick Key Manager

 

This new option allows you to switch the quick navigation quick keys to something of your choosing. So for example, if you wanted to switch the quick navigation key of P to move to the next paragraph, to say the letter Y, then you could do that with this new option. So if one letter makes more sense than another go ahead and make the switch. The changes are instantly active.

 

Voice Profiles

 

This new option allows you to set a kind of preset for your voice settings. One area where this could have some use is in other languages, particularly Spanish. When you switch Jaws to speak in Spanish, Jaws speaks quite a bit faster than it should. Apparently, it makes Spanish people pause because I’ve heard this from more than one person. At any rate, you could now make a Spanish voice profile, or preset so that when the Spanish language is active the rate of Jaws speech is slowed somewhat. This feature has been available in Magic for a while, so now Jaws 10 has it to.

 

Language Menu Changes

 

I don’t really have any comments to the next two new features, so I’ll quote FS directly.

 

“The Synthesizer Language and Change Synthesizer commands have been removed from the Language menu in the JAWS application window and been replaced by the Voice Profiles command. This new command lets you select and instantly switch to another synthesizer and voice combination that you set up as a voice profile. For more about voice profiles, open the JAWS Help file, and refer to the Global Voices or Individual Voices topics. These topics are found in Voice Settings in the Using JAWS book.”

 

Unified English Braille or Contracted English Braille Setup

 

“JAWS can now provide contracted braille using either Contracted English Braille, formerly known as grade 2 braille, as defined in translation rules from the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), or Unified English Braille (UEB) as provided by the International Council on English Braille (IECB). Using Braille Options in the Configuration Manager, you can configure JAWS for either method using two new radio buttons: Contracted English Braille (default) and Unified English Braille. The braille translation method can be set up with or without a braille display attached to your system so that it is ready for use when you select the Enable Translator check box.“

Reply Directly to Sender

 

This feature has been available for quite some time in Jaws. I guess that it just works better now. This feature is nice because if you are on an email list, you can reply privately to the sender of a particular email. This is done with Insert+Shift+R. Try it, it works better now! But you may not notice anything new here.

 

No comments

 

The next few features I’ll just let FS say it, as I have no real comments here.

 

“Downloading Freedom Scientific DAISY Books with FSReader Demo

Starting with JAWS 10, you can use FSReader Demo to download DAISY books directly from the Freedom Scientific Web site. The advantage of this feature over earlier JAWS releases is that you no longer need the product CD to install any of the DAISY books.

You can also use the Check for Updates command to quickly select and download DAISY books. From the Help menu in the JAWS application window, choose Check for Updates, select any DAISY book from the list, and then choose the Install button.

Startup Wizard Change for Say All

The Use SAPI 5 During Say All check box has been removed from the JAWS Startup Wizard. The wizard opens at the end of the installation process, or can be opened from the Help menu of the JAWS application window.

To select a SAPI 5 or RealSpeak Direct Solo synthesizer and voice for Say All, use the Say All controls in the Global Voices or Individual Voices dialog box.“

 

Aria Live Region Support

 

Here’s where things get a bit interesting. Aria is another technology that pushes content to browsers. Jaws 10 will now work with this technology to provide updated sport scores, or weather stats etc. Unless you have Fire Fox 3, or Internet Explorer 8.0, you will not be able to take advantage of such technologies. IE8 should be out any day now, so I’ll be waiting to see what this does for me personally. It is for me one of the most exciting new features of Jaws 10. Hey, I never said I was normal, OK.

 

Windows Media Player 11!

 

Well it’s a bout time! We finally have better support for WMP 11! Let’s tick off the improvements:

  • Hear the name of the track by pressing Insert+Control+T.
  • When you are moving through a play list, Jaws will announce the track currently playing.
  • The auto-playlist feature now works. This is a feature that can make playlists based on ratings of songs, recently played songs etc.
  • Buttons and sliders should be more accessible and meaningful when used.

Good stuff and it’s about time!

 

Office

 

Jaws now fully supports Access 2007. I hope you that use this find it of benefit, and as useable as earlier versions of Access. The Outlook calendars in Office 2003, and 2007 has been made to run faster and more reliably in Jaws 10. This is good news for me, because I use this feature daily.

 

Run Jaws without Speech

 

No comment here, so FS takes it from this point.

 

“The Run JAWS Without Speech check box has been removed from the Advanced Options command located under the Set Options menu in Configuration Manager. This check box is now available in the Advanced Options dialog box by choosing Options (ALT+O) from the JAWS application window, selecting Basic (B), and then selecting the Advanced button (D) in the Basic Settings dialog box.

Script Manager Changes

The Selecta Synthesizer script (INSERT+CTRL+S) has been changed to the SelectAVoiceProfile script. Its purpose is to allow you to switch from one voice profile to another. Previously, the keystroke would let you dynamically change the speech synthesizer. It now allows you to dynamically change voice profiles.

The Selecta Language script (WINDOWS Key+CTRL+L) has been removed.

New Keystroke for Reading Clipboard Contents

You can now read the contents of the clipboard at anytime by pressing WINDOWS Key+INSERT+X. This feature was adopted from Magic where it was first introduced.

New HTML Table Keystrokes

When in a table on a Web page, you can move between and read columns by pressing WINDOWS Key+LEFT ARROW, which reads the previous column, and by pressing WINDOWS Key+RIGHT ARROW, which reads the contents of the next column. Select JAWS Commands for HTML for additional table keystrokes.”

That is it for now. I do hope that more features are listed soon on the FS web site. Let me know how your Jaws 10 experience is going for you when it comes out.

,,,,

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/discussion-of-whats-new-in-jaws-100/feed/ 0 Rip DVDs to Audio http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/rip-dvds-to-audio/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/rip-dvds-to-audio/#comments Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:03:29 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=34 Continue reading →]]> Have you ever wondered about ripping DVDs streight to audio as you can with regular CDs? In my latest tutorial, I walk you through the entire ripping process, from downloading, installing, setting it up, and finally ripping right to audio! Start ripping to audio, and have fun!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/08/rip-dvds-to-audio/feed/ 0 What do you do when your competition just may have a superior product? http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/what-do-you-do-when-your-competition-just-may-have-a-superior-product/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/what-do-you-do-when-your-competition-just-may-have-a-superior-product/#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:53:58 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=18 Continue reading →]]> Some companies try to actually compete for business and market share! May the best product for the customer win! What an innovative idea? Unfortunately, for all of us, some companies have a history of suing the competition. I guess the motto is if you can’t make better products, sue ‘em!

I am referring to Freedom Scientific! FS is suing GwMicro! First, many of you will remember that Freedom Scientific sued Serotek because of the name FreedomBox. Now Freedom Scientific is Suing GWMicro because of the new Window-Eyes 7.0 scripting, and place marker capabilities. These features are superior to Jaws’ scripting, and place marker offerings. See the GwMicro Blog Blog to read it yourself. So why can’t Freedom Scientific make a better place marker? Why can’t Freedom Scientific make a better venue for creation of scripts? Obviously, that last would be a serious undertaking, but few would argue the fact that Freedom Scientific is one of the largest Access Technology companies out there. We can probably safely say that lack of funds is not one of Freedom Scientifics’ largest problems.

So what exactly is Freedom Scientifics’ problem these days? More importantly, why try to crush the competition? I’d love to hear your comments on this one!

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/what-do-you-do-when-your-competition-just-may-have-a-superior-product/feed/ 0 Update On Net Bible First Edition http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/update-on-net-bible-first-edition/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/update-on-net-bible-first-edition/#comments Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:57:54 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=15 Continue reading →]]> Yesterday I blogged about the Net Bible’s missing scriptures. Today I tried to contact bible.org to ask about the missing verses. Regrettably, the form required the dreaded capcha to be filled out before it would submit it. As I said before, the Net Bible is only in its first edition. I hope that the second edition will include every verse found in other Bibles.

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]]> http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/update-on-net-bible-first-edition/feed/ 0 Welcome to the WebFriendlyHelp.com blog! http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/welcome-to-the-webfriendlyhelpcom-blog/ http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/2008/07/welcome-to-the-webfriendlyhelpcom-blog/#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:51:40 +0000 Casey Mathews http://webfriendlyhelp.com/blog/?p=3 Continue reading →]]> Well this is exciting for me. I have never had a blog, you should expect to get tech thoughts, tips, tricks and so on for sure, but you may get a few non-tech related musings here and there.

The blog will also showcase updates to the WebFriendlyHelp.com> web site. If you only care about article updates to the web site, then that’s the feed that you want to subscribe to. If you want updates and general thoughts and ideas I have about tech, then this is the feed for you. You could also subscribe to both so you don’t miss anything, in the event that I forget to update one feed or the other.

I have posted my first article. It is all about how to access pdf files, and how to extract text out of them. I hope you enjoy it. Here’s the link.
Reading and extracting Text out of Adobe Files>

Hope to see you in the comments. If you want to reach me, Please send email to Help, or via the Contact Form.

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