New Flexible Web, Vocalizer, Support for Windows 8
Freedom Scientific have announced the release of Jaws 14 , the world’s premier screen reading software. This release includes a new feature called Flexible Web, designed to give users better control when reading Web pages. This innovation allows screen reader users to identify and block extraneous content, such as advertisements and social media links that sighted people skip right past, but that are serious hindrances to navigation and continuous reading for blind users. Available for use with Internet Explorer or Firefox, Flexible Web includes a wizard that makes it easy to create global rules or Web page specific rules.
JAWS 14 is also the first screen reader offering support for the Windows 8 Operating System. The new Windows 8 Start Screen and Windows Store Apps such as IE, E-mail, Calendar, and Contacts, are all supported. Freedom Scientific worked with Microsoft on the new Accessibility Driver, to provide JAWS cursor and Braille support on this new operating system.
“This release offers some significant breakthroughs in accessibility for screen reader users,” said Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management for Freedom Scientific. “Flexible Web is one of the biggest advances in Web access for screen reader users since the introduction of Navigation Quick Keys and the Links List. The new Vocalizer Voices, provided for free, allow JAWS users to read most Outlook 2010 and 2007 e-mails for the first time without having to open them in a browser. These advances, along with all the other features and enhancements, make this new version of JAWS a ‘must have’ to go along with our all new MAGic® 12 release.”
The JAWS 14 upgrade is an SMA release and can be downloaded as either a 32- or 64-bit version from the JAWS downloads page. DVD shipments to SMA holders and new product customers will commence on Nov 1, 2012.