Here’s an update from Code Factory, for all of my readers who use Mobile Speak. Comment here and tell us what you think of your Mobile Speak experience.
Update from: Caroline Ragot – Marketing Director
marketing@codefactory.es
Mobile Speak 4.5 for Windows Mobile is now available
It has never been so easy to dial a number with a touch screen!
Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain, July, 1st, 2010
Mobile Speak 4.5, a free update for all users of Mobile Speak 4.0, is now available! Since the release of Mobile Speak 4.0, Code Factory’s Windows Mobile development team has focused its efforts on improving Mobile Speak’s touch interface, and make the touch experience more intuitive and accessible than ever.
Using a Touch Screen Becomes as Easy as Using a Phone with Physical Keys
Mobile Speak 4.5 includes two new touch screen interaction modes, based on the concept of a standard joystick and a standard numeric keypad. All of the physical keys used to control the screen reader and phone in non touch screen devices have now been converted by Mobile Speak into very intuitive virtual touch keys. It is therefore easier and faster dial a number, enter text, or navigate through the menus of your touch screen device.
The two new touch screen input methods are named Keypad mode and Joystick mode. You can switch to the Keypad and Joystick modes from the default Quadrant mode with command + volume up/down key.
In Keypad mode, the touch screen is divided into 12 virtual keys, arranged just like a phone keypad (1, 2, and 3 at the top; 4, 5, and 6 in the second row; 7, 8, and 9 in the third; and the star, 0, and hash keys in the bottom row). By accessing the Keypad mode, you can type numbers just as with a physical keypad.
In addition, you can combine these virtual numeric keys with the command key to perform command shortcuts, just as in previous (non-touch) versions of Mobile Speak. For example, to mute Mobile Speak, press the command key followed by the virtual 0 key at the bottom center of the screen. Long-time users of Mobile Speak will find this method of accessing commands familiar, and new users will also find it a convenient alternative to the standard touch gestures.
To access the left and right softkeys, delete characters, or press enter, you can use a gesture called a "slide back" in one of four directions. For example, to access the left softkey, you can perform a "slide left and back" by sliding your finger right-to-left and then left-to-right without releasing your finger or pausing between the two motions. This gesture may take a few tries to be able to perform it smoothly, but once you familiarize yourself with it, it provides a quick and easy gesture to access common functions.
Tip: To quickly become familiar with the virtual touch keys, gestures and commands in Keypad mode, use the Keyboard Help mode. This is activated and deactivated by pressing the Command key (Home key) + long press on the virtual key 5.
Besides this Keypad mode, Mobile Speak 4.5 also features a Joystick mode in which the touch screen is divided into 9 virtual keys, arranged in a 3 x 3 grid. This touch input mode is intended for users who prefer to interact with the phone using taps rather than by slide gestures. The central key is joystick Enter, while the 4 keys directly above, below, left and right of the joystick correspond to the joystick up, down, left and right keys. The bottom left key is the left softkey, and the bottom right key is the right softkey, and the upper right key is the delete key (upper left is unassigned). Therefore if you are scrolling a list, you only have to make taps on the top center or bottom center of your touch screen to scroll up and down the list.
More commands are available with the Joystick mode: long tap on the top left key (virtual key 1) to start menu, long tap on the top right key (virtual key 3) to close an application, long tap on bottom left (virtual key 7) to lock/unlock screen and device, and long tap on bottom right to toggle the privacy mode.
Improved Typing Experience
If you wish to type text messages using your touch screen, you can activate the virtual touch QWERTY keyboard. To do so, press Command + long press on virtual key 4 if you are in Keypad Mode, or Tap 1 (Go to) and double tap 4 if you are in Quadrant Mode.
Based on Mobile Speak users’ feedback, some touch gestures have been reassigned to use the virtual touch keyboard in a more effective way:
Triple tap: exit Touch Keyboard.
Slide up/down/left/right: arrow keys, navigate the text.
Double tap 1: simulate space key.
Double tap 2: simulate back key.
Double tap 3: simulate enter key.
Double tap 4: Activate the “Keyboard layouts” mode which allows to switch the keyboard layout (slide left/right) and the keyboard language (slide up/down).
You still can set the Dynamic Mode on/off from MS4 Control Panel > Main Settings > Touch.
New Braille Functionality
There are two new features for Braille users!
Support for the Focus 40 Blue Braille portable device from Freedom Scientific . Listen to a Jonathan Mosen’s demo at www.codefactory.es/descargas/Audio/focus_40_blue.mp3
Mobile Speak 4.5 also features a new Braille touch input mode. This mode divides the screen in 2 columns and 4 rows which emulate a Braille keyboard with 8 keys. Keys are mapped as Braille dots using this layout:
Left column (from up to bottom): Dot 7, Dot 3, Dot 2, Dot 1.
Right column (from up to bottom): Dot 8, Dot 6, Dot 5, Dot 4.
You can type text using this mode by following these steps: Dots can be switched on/off by pressing their virtual key. Note that there’s no multitouch support in Windows Mobile so you need to configure your Braille character dot by dot. Each time you press a dot Mobile Speak will announce "Dot X on/off". Once you have activated all the desired dots, perform a slide down to type the character.
Apart from activating and deactivating Braille dots you can also use slides:
Slide up: Reset Braille dots.
Slide down: Type current character. If all the Braille dots are deactivated this gesture will simulate the Space key.
Slide left: Backspace key.
Slide right: Enter key.
Don’t forget that Mobile Speak 4.5 is Cross Platform, visit codefactory.es/en/press.asp?id=388&y=2010&n=83 to read the Mobile Speak 4.5 for Symbian press release.
If you are a new user, download now Mobile Speak 4.5 at www.codefactory.es/en/downloads.asp?id=347 and try it for 30 days for free.
If you are using a version prior to Mobile Speak 4.0 and wish to upgrade to Mobile Speak 4.5, contact your distributor to purchase an upgrade license. To consult the complete list of Code Factory’s official distributors, visit www.codefactory.es/en/page.asp?id=351
To learn how to install Mobile Speak 4.5 for Windows Mobile for the first time, follow the instructions at codefactory.es/descargas/family_4/ms_4_50_userguide_wm.htm#_Toc254946069
To learn how to upgrade to Mobile Speak 4.5, follow the instructions at codefactory.es/descargas/family_4/ms_4_50_userguide_wm.htm#_Toc254946080
To read more about Mobile Speak 4.0 visit codefactory.es/en/products.asp?id=318
Important: If you are a user of Mobile Geo 2.5, we have also released a minor update v2.6 to insure the compatibility between the latest version of Mobile Speak and Mobile Geo. Therefore if you wish to use Mobile Speak 4.5 with Mobile Geo, you also need to upgrade to Mobile Geo 2.6.
That’s the latest from Code Factory. How has your experience with their touch technology been? Comment below and share your thoughts.
LL