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All version 11 users of SuperNova Reader Magnifier, Hal Screen Reader, Lunar Screen Magnifier and LunarPlus Enhanced Screen Magnifier are eligible to receive their free major upgrade to the newly released version 11.50.

"The new and improved Help system is excellent...using SuperNova with Microsoft Word has become a far more enjoyable experience." Graham Allan, ICT teacher at Royal National College for the Blind

"It works much faster and better than before." A US customer.

"Good morning - I have installed Hal version 11.50 and I am very impressed." A UK customer.

• SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11 users should ensure their Dolphin Internet updater is turned on to automatically receive their version 11.50 upgrade. 
• Network administrators running version 11 of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar or LunarPlus should install the version 11.50 demo from the Dolphin website at www.YourDolphin.com.  No unlock or network code will be required. 
• Dolphin software maintenance agreement (SMA) owners will automatically receive their version 11.50 upgrade CD. 
• A free patch will shortly be available for all Dolphin Pen II customers running version 11.
• Customers running version 11 on the original Dolphin Pen I hardware are entitled to a free upgrade to the new Dolphin Pen II hardware, and should contact Dolphin or their Dolphin dealer.

Victor Reader Stream CD Edition combines the world renowned Victor Reader Stream and a special CD player accessory. Victor Reader Stream CD Edition is perfect for people who do not have a personal computer. It is the easiest way to transfer a collection of DAISY books on CDs onto one single, portable audio playback device, without the use of a PC.

Key Benefits:

• Ideal for readers who do not use a personal computer and who want the benefit of a pocket size Stream DAISY/MP3 player
• The perfect solution to transition from using Victor Reader Wave to Victor Reader Stream

Details are available on the HumanWare website.

Tobi, the open source DAISY authoring tool developed by the DAISY Consortium has now reached its first beta. We aim to release version 1.0 by the end of April 2010, but in order to meet this tight schedule we need testers! The more the better, so we can get feedback from a broad variety of users and environments. We offer support via developer and end user forums. You may also send queries directly to Daniel Weck, the lead developer of the Tobi project. Please visit the Tobi development site to download Tobi and get more information.

March 3rd, 2010, Palo Alto, CA – The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), awarded $5 million to Benetech, in collaboration with The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WGBH and the U.S. Fund for DAISY (USFDAISY), to create a research and development center that will greatly improve the processes and availability of accessible images for students with disabilities. The new Digital Image and Graphic Resources for Accessible Materials Center (DIAGRAM) will develop tools and best practices that will make it easier and more cost-effective to create and use accessible images across a range of educational content.

The new Digital Image and Graphic Resources for Accessible Materials Center (DIAGRAM) will develop tools and best practices that will make it easier and more cost-effective to create and use accessible images across a range of educational content. More information is available in the press release.

The DAISY book of the DAISY International Technical Conference in English and the DAISY book of the German-language conference "Barrier-free Preparation of Documents" have been published and are available on the DAISY2009 Conference website.

The Ulverscroft Foundation and the IFLA Libraries Serving Persons with Print Disabilities Section are pleased to announce the outcome of the bids for funding from the 2010 program. Ulverscroft Foundation has made 20,000 Pounds GB available for individual and organization awards to assist the development of library services for print disabled people worldwide and to foster cooperation between library services serving these persons. Individual awards have been offered to:

Mark Freeman, Libraries Manager, South Tyneside Library Service and Chair of Share The Vision, UK

Mark as a public libraries manager wishes to build on existing relations between the libraries in the North East of England and the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Mark has been awarded 2,150 Pounds GB to visit the Associate Member of the DAISY Consortium, South African Library for the Blind and, especially, their Mini Libs service in local communities.

Kathy Teague and Wendy Taylor, Librarians, RNIB National Library Service, UK

Kathy and Wendy are responsible for coordinating the Cataloguing Working Group of the IFLA LPD’s Global Accessible Library Project and are involved in the acquisition of a new library management system by RNIB NLS. They wish to visit the Celia Library in Helsinki, Finland to study their implementation of the new FRBR bibliographic model [Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records] which permits the assigning of relationships between different accessible formats of the same work. Celia belongs to the Finnish DAISY Consortium and is the first specialist library in this field to implement this model. Their visit has clear potential to enhance the DAISY Consortium member RNIB’s services and worldwide developments. Ulverscroft has offered 2,700 to fund this visit.

Yasmine Youssef, Librarian at the Taha Hussein Library for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt.

Yasmine is the library’s specialist in the production of DAISY books and wishes to visit DAISY South Africa to provide expert assistance in their development of DAISY production and to understand the challenges posed by accommodating 11 official languages. This opportunity will enhance her ability to develop services at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Associate Member of the DAISY Consortium) and to assist developments in other Arabic speaking countries. Yasmine has been awarded 2,550 Pounds GB to undertake this visit.

More information and the full list of award recipients can be found on the Ulverscroft Foundation website.

Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce the release of a new firmware for their DAISY Player PTN2. Version 3 has added support for: Microsoft Word .doc and unprotected WMA (Windows Media Audio) files.

The supported formats on PTN2 Version 3 are:

• DAISY 2.02, ANSI/NISO Z39.86/DAISY 3
• NLS, Bookshare, RFB&D
• TXT, HTML, DOC
• MP3, WAV, AMR-MB+, DAISY ADPCM2, OGG, WMA (unprotected)

Version 3 offers simplified operation and is more intuitive as it comes with faster touch key response and automatic bookmark numbering. More information is available on the PLEXTALK website.

The 4th European eAccessibility Forum will be held in Paris on April 12, 2010 and will provide an opportunity to hear first-hand about the eAccessibilty of public services from users with disabilities, public organizations and industries. The speakers are specialists involved in organizations representing users and consumers with disabilities, research organizations and companies operating in Europe or worldwide. The conference program is available on the 4th European eAccessibility Forum website.

The free upgrade for version 11 customers using a Dolphin Pen II are in the process of being uploaded to the Updates, Maps & Patches section of the Dolphin website and should be available for download within the next couple of days.

Find out what's new in version 11.50

Read the full version 11.50 press release

Download a free 30 day trial of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar or LunarPlus version 11.50

The Korean DAISY Consortium is made up of 21 member organizations including regional libraries and related organizations. A list of all 21 members is provided in the Korean DAISY Consortium entry in our Members area.

Whether you are new to Windows, trying to get to grips with the Microsoft Office Ribbon, or making the move from Dolphin Guide to a full screen reader; version 11.50 of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus have built-in help and support to get you learning and growing in confidence. Perfect for:

• New and novice computer users
• Colleges and schools supporting & training students with visual impairments
• Employees extending their workplace IT skills
• Supporting student or workplace assessments

Did you know that Dolphin Help is on hand just about whenever you need it?

If you are running SuperNova, Hal, Lunar or LunarPlus, simply press CAPS LOCK + F1 whilst in your Windows application. This hotkey pops up a menu providing quick and easy access to numerous help resources. Use the mouse or your arrow keys to select an item and LEFT CLICK or ENTER to open it.

Choose from:

Can you add a picture to a PowerPoint slide? Insert a Column break in Microsoft Word? Read the Formula Bar in Microsoft Excel? Move a Folder in Outlook 2007?

Let the Dolphin Help Menu show you how. The top item in your CAPS LOCK + F1 delivers task driven help content that walks you step-by-step through common activities, using your Dolphin screen reader or magnifier, whilst working in:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 7 and 8
• Microsoft Word 2007
• Microsoft Outlook 2007
• Microsoft Excel 2007
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007
• Microsoft Word 2003/XP (Currently only available in English)
• Microsoft Outlook 2003/XP (Currently only available in English)
• Microsoft Excel 2003/XP (Currently only available in English)

Instantly access and explore a convenient list of the most popular Dolphin hotkeys from this submenu. This item, second in the CAPS LOCK + F1 Help menu, is sub divided into convenient groups of Dolphin hotkeys, including Dolphin Cursor keys, Read From Here keys, Magnifier keys, Line View keys etc.

See a screenshot of the Hotkeys lists that appear in the CAPS LOCK + F1 Help Menu.

Quickly access all of the support resources on the Dolphin website www.YourDolphin.com/Support in your default web browser.

Familiar with the Windows System Tray? Know the differences between a List View and a Tree View? Can you select multiple items in Windows Explorer?

Windows Basics is a convenient introduction to these fundamental Windows concepts and more. Perfect for users that are new to the Windows environment, this option, fourth in the CAPS LOCK + F1 menu, offers 3 essential sections; Windows Basics, Windows Explorer and Windows Reference.

The fifth option in your CAPS LOCK + F1 Help menu lets you open your complete SuperNova, Hal, Lunar or LunarPlus user guide. Explore the contents list or the Index, search for a keyword or add your own favourites.

See a screen shot of the Dolphin Manual being searched.

Keep your own notes or reminders; My Notes is the last option in the CAPS LOCK + F1 Help menu. Select this option to launch a Notepad where you can easily make and read your own notes for the current application. Just like scribbling in the margins of your own training manual!

See a screen shot of the My Notes option in the CAPS LOCK + F1 option in action.

Don't forget that you can easily switch between any of the CAPS LOCK + F1 Help items and your current application with ALT + TAB. The help topic can be closed with ALT + F4.

1. Try the Setup Wizard - Configure your Dolphin software to suit you better
2. Contact your local Dolphin product support by phone or email
3. Join the international Dolphin community - Sign up for one of the many Dolphin Discussion Groups
4. Request your Hal user guide in Braille
5. Submit a query online
6. Try the DAISY version of the Dolphin manual supplied with a free copy of Dolphin's software DAISY player, EasyReader
7. Hit the Help button on your Dolphin software Control Panel
8. Download the handy Hot key Quick Reference guide from the Dolphin website
9. Used to another screen reader or screen magnifiers hotkeys? Switch to the JAWs, Window-Eyes or Zoomtext hotkeys
10. Take a virtual guided tour of your keyboard and the hotkey functionality by turning on key Describe Mode. Simply press CAPS LOCK + Forward slash and then hit any key combinations on your keyboard to hear their function.

A free major upgrade for all version 11 users of SuperNova Reader Magnifier, Hal Screen Reader, Lunar Screen Magnifier and LunarPlus Enhanced Screen Magnifier is available today. Version 11 users will receive their free upgrade quickly and conveniently via the Dolphin Internet updater found in the Help menu of their Dolphin software. 

The version 11.50 improvements are extensive and far reaching and are the culmination of more than 8 months intensive development work as Neil Hall, Low Vision Product Manager at Dolphin Computer Access explains:

"Our SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus customers are extremely loyal to Dolphin and the amount of feedback we received during Dolphin’s public beta test of version 11’s support for Windows 7 has more than demonstrated this.  We are 100% committed to giving the very best support to all our international users and are delighted to be offering this major upgrade, free of charge to all version 11 users. It is our way of saying thank you for your feedback and your support."

"Version 11.50 is a heavy weight upgrade and not only includes support for 32 and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, but also includes new, re-engineered support for Microsoft Word. This has resulted in faster, more robust performance in large Microsoft Word documents, 20 new quick navigation keys for moving around inside a Microsoft Word document, new meaningful announcements for 50 of the most popular Microsoft Word hot key functions such as bold, underline, italics, text alignment and more.  We have also overhauled the Spell-checker support and added intelligent tab key announcements."

However, the improvements, new features and extended application support reach further than just Microsoft Word.  Support for Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, Microsoft PowerPoint, Windows Live Messenger and Skype has all been developed in version 11.50 for magnification, speech and Braille users.

More athletic, version 11.50 is not only quicker and more agile in Microsoft Office applications; it’s also quicker off the starting blocks when turning on your PC, thanks to superior speech synthesiser management.  Neil Hall explains how version 11.50 has developments and innovations for Dolphin software users with all levels of sight loss:

"I know our speech users will also be eager to try the new spelling speed options, selecting the speed at which text is spelled independently of their standard voice speed preferences. A slower speed can make all the difference when clarifying the spelling of an unfamiliar or misspelt word. Other speech developments include voice pitch capital letter announcement options, improvements to word echo and four brand new speech verbosity schemes."

"SuperNova, Lunar and LunarPlus magnification users can all now access applications such as Google Earth and Windows Photo Gallery, thanks to new support for OpenGL and Direct Draw/Direct 3D applications.  There is also a new grey scale colour scheme that our users have been requesting, and some convenient high contrast mouse pointer schemes."

SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 are all immediately available in UK, US and Australian English, Belgian Dutch, Croatian, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Icelandic, Italian, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish.  A free 30 day trial of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11.50 is immediately available for download from the Dolphin Computer Access website. 

For the latest news and information about SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus, subscribe to the Dolphin Computer Access newsletter. Visit the SuperNova product pages for more information and for details of what's new in version 11.50.

• SuperNova, Hal, Lunar and LunarPlus version 11 users should ensure their Dolphin Internet updater is turned on to automatically receive their version 11.50 upgrade. 
• Network administrators running version 11 of SuperNova, Hal, Lunar or LunarPlus should install the version 11.50 demo from the Dolphin website at www.YourDolphin.com.  No unlock or network code will be required. 
• Dolphin software maintenance agreement (SMA) owners will automatically receive their version 11.50 upgrade CD. 
• Dolphin Pen II customers running version 11 can install their free upgrade to version 11.50 using the free Dolphin pen updater software available from 'Updates and patches' on the Dolphin website. 
• Customers running version 11 on the original Dolphin Pen I hardware are entitled to a free upgrade to the new Dolphin Pen II hardware, and should contact Dolphin or their Dolphin dealer.

The Final Draft of the DAISY Online Delivery Protocol Specification is available from the DAISY Consortium website Projects area.

The DAISY Online Delivery protocol is a web service API that facilitates the delivery of digital resources from service providers to end users. The protocol features a core set of operations that can be configured to enable a variety of different download models, making it a flexible and lightweight solution to the growing need for online delivery of published content.

The Working Group believes that the development of the specification is now complete and is seeking feedback through the public review phase, from February 18 to March 20, 2010. Please provide comments and implementation reports to the Working Group through the public feedback form available on the DAISY Consortium website at http://www.daisy.org/contact.

The IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) annual congress provides an opportunity to present library research and outcomes in Information Technology and Innovation in a multi-disciplinary international forum. The IFLA Information Technology, Cataloguing, and Classification and Indexing sections invite technologists, librarians and other interested parties working in the field of the Semantic Web to submit proposals for papers in a 4-hour joint session in Gothenburg, Sweden. This 4-hour session will start with a keynote presentation introducing the concepts of the Semantic Web and Linked Data. This is a call for additional papers that focus on how libraries can take over these technologies to create opportunities for their data and services on the Web. The deadline for submitting a detailed abstract (500 words) and full author details is February 28, 2010. More information can be found on the IFLA website.