|
[ home ] [ projects ] [ download ] [ news ] [ funding ] [ contact us ] |
Latest version available: 3.1.0, 10 July 2010
The main theme of this release is support for file associations; this facility allows you to use SpeakOn as an audio player launched directly from a File Manager such as Windows Explorer or My Computer as well as Internet browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox.
There are also minor improvements and bug fixes.
Latest announcement including links to new features in the manual
Links are available further down the page to the manual, download page, mailing list and contact email address.
SpeakOn is a free media suite program that runs on your PC and is a speech-enabled environment containing mini applications called tasks for finding, retrieving and listening to various media. SpeakOn has been developed for people who are comfortable using computers. It does not require a screenreader or magnifier; it does not have a visual interface and in fact does not require a screen at all. You communicate with SpeakOn using a numerical keypad or the standard keyboard and SpeakOn responds with speech. With a low cost external wireless or USB slimline numerical keypad, you can operate SpeakOn with one hand from the comfort of your armchair.
All SpeakOn's tasks operate in exactly the same way. Once the interface is mastered, it offers quick and easy access to all its features.
SpeakOn contains 12 media tasks covering both mainstream and VI services - media offered for the visually impaired community. The features offered by these tasks are outlined below.
CD media - Play CD audio, compressed (MP3, WMA and more) music and books, listen to DAISY books.
Music - Play your own music in a veriety of formats; quickly and easily create playlists and edit them.
Podcasts - Stream or download on demand literally thousands of podcast files available through subject directories on the internet. Play podcast files downloaded by an external application to your computer. Links are provided to favourites such as the BBC and public radio podcasts.
Books - Organize and listen to your books in compressed audio (MP3, WMA etc), DAISY and text formats.
Radio Time - provides a 'Live' and 'On demand' player which is seamlessly integrated with the vast and powerful Radio Time directory. Browse and search over 100,000 stations and shows. Play all common formats and preset your favourites stations.
Thanks to Radio Time for their excellent co-operation and providing their directory free of charge with SpeakOn. The Radio Time website can be found at www.radiotime.com
Last FM - an accessible player for the Last.FM website. Last.FM is a service that tracks your musical taste, finds similar music, and provides musical recommendations and personalized radio. Last.FM provides a specialized player program which you can download and install on your PC. Unfortunately, this player is not easily accessible (if at all) to screen readers. The SpeakOn Last FM task provides a player which can be operated using the usual SpeakOn interface and hence it is fully accessible. Streaming Last.FM music is available for a modest monthly subscription fee.
Imagine that you have a radio with 40 or so stations, each of which plays a different genre of music. Imagine that you can skip a track you don't like and influence the frequency that tracks you like are played. You can also ban a track you don't like, forever. Last.FM enables you to listen to your personalized radio station which plays the tracks you like and plays the tracks that people with similar tastes to you like.
The Last.FM website can be found at www.last.fm.
Podcast - Stream or download on demand podcast files provided for the blind community such as 'In touch', 'Blind Cool Tech' and 'Info Sound'.
Radio - Listen to internet radio available for the blind community; ACB and Insight radio
TNAUK (Talking Newspaper Association of the UK)
eText publications - Browse, find and download automatically and then read text-based newspapers, magazines and network guides. Convert TNAUK eText publications to HTML for use with external players and mobile phones.
Audio publications - Browse, find and listen to streamed narrated newspapers, magazines and network guides. Download on demand audio publications for use with external players.
You must be a subscriber of TNAUK to use this service which is available to
the blind community for a modest annual fee.
The TNAUK website can be found at:
www.tnauk.org.uk.
Seeing Ear library - Browse, find and download automatically and then
read books from the Seeing Ear library.
You must be a subscriber to the Seeing Ear library to use this service which
is available free of charge to the blind community under certain conditions.
You can visit their website at
www.seeingear.org.
You can customize many of the tasks above. For example, you can create and organize your music in directories of your choice. Also, you can add your favourite radio stations and organize the links to your favourite podcast resources. Similarly you can organize your magazines and books.
Other tasks for SpeakOn will be available in the future and will integrate seamlessly with SpeakOn using exactly the same user interface.
A comprehensive manual including a step-by-step tutorial is available. Start by reading the 'Installing SpeakOn and getting started' section. http://www.a-technic.net/SpeakOn/docs/SpeakOn/ht/SpeakOn.htm
SpeakOn is available to download free as a single
installer. The system requirements, download and installation instructions
are here:
http://www.a-technic.net/SpeakOn/docs/SpeakOn/ht/SpeakOn-r-0016.htm.
There is a self-help speakon Yahoo group with a low traffic mailing list for
discussions on all matters relating to SpeakOn use at:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/speakon
If you already have a Yahoo ID you can join the group by sending an email
to:
speakon-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
For further information and constructive suggestions you are welcome to send us an email to: speakon@a-technic.net
SpeakOn was conceived, developed and is maintained by Isaac Porat.
a-technic are also working on a complete speaking solution for the technologically frail, code name Pipistrelle and based on custom hardware. More information on Pipistrelle can be found here. Pipistrelle may use some of the SpeakOn software.
|
[ Go up a page ] |