PR: KeyStrokes(R) 3.6 and SwitchXS(R) 2.1 extend accessibility of Mac OS X
Tiger
Amsterdam - 13 July 2005 - AssistiveWare today announced the release of
KeyStrokes(R) 3.6, SwitchXS(R) 2.1 and the AssistiveWare Access bundle.
KeyStrokes is an award-winning on-screen keyboard that provides virtually
complete access to Mac OS X and all standard Mac applications for people
who cannot use a keyboard. It also provides advanced PolyPredix(TM)
multilingual word prediction that can be used with the on-screen keyboard,
with the hardware keyboard and with SwitchXS 2.1. SwitchXS is a switch
access solution that provides virtually complete access to Mac OS X and all
standard Mac applications for people who cannot use a mouse or keyboard. It
offers full mouse and keyboard emulation by means of a so-called scanning
mode. With each click on the switch the user selects an action, such as
"move the cursor up" or "type B", from a "scanning" menu. The AssistiveWare
Access bundle offers the combined power of KeyStrokes and SwitchXS.
KeyStrokes and SwitchXS provide the best access solutions ever on the Mac
(and beyond) for people who are, for example, quadriplegic due to an
accident, or suffering from neuromotor diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) or Cerebral Palsy (CP) with
very limited limb movement.
KeyStrokes 3.6 is a major update with the following main new features:
- Includes a KeyStrokes Widget that facilitates using KeyStrokes for typing
in Dashboard
- Added a special Game Mode for enhanced compatibility with games such as
Ford Racing 2 that "freeze" the cursor
- Significantly improved performance under many conditions
- Now compatible with secure screen savers and with Snapz Pro X 2.0.2 and later
- Fix: On Tiger clicking on suggested items in the separate Prediction
window works again
KeyStrokes 3.6 is available in English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian,
and Dutch, but works fine with most other languages. The suggested retail
price is US$ 299 or Euro 249 (excl. VAT). Users of any other on-screen
keyboard can upgrade to KeyStrokes 3.6 for US$ 249 or Euro 199 (excl. VAT).
KeyStrokes 3.6 is provided as a free upgrade for registered users of any
previous version of KeyStrokes for Mac OS X. KeyStrokes 3.6 requires Mac OS
X 10.2 or higher. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is recommended. Version 3.1 is
still available for Mac OS 9 and earlier versions of Mac OS X. For more
information and a fully-functional downloadable demo please consult the
product page at http://www.assistiveware.com/keystrokes.php
SwitchXS 2.1 is a major update with the following main new features:
- Significant performance improvements (70% to 90%) during scanning
- More stable scanning rhythm at high scanning speeds on slower machines
- Now compatible with secure screen savers and with Snapz Pro X 2.0.2 and later
- Includes LayoutKitchen 1.0.2 for making custom panels
SwitchXS works with any HID compliant USB gamepad, joystick and keyboard,
and starting with Mac OS X 10.3 also with any HID compliant USB mouse or
trackball. SwitchXS also works with USB switch interfaces emulating any of
the above devices.
SwitchXS is currently available in English, French and Japanese but works
fine with most other languages. The suggested retail price is US$ 299 or
Euro 249 (excl. VAT). Version 2.1 is a free update for current users.
SwitchXS requires Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) or higher. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
or higher is recommended. For more information and a fully-functional
downloadable demo please consult the product page at
http://www.assistiveware.com/switchaccess.php
The AssistiveWare Access bundle: For people with a progressive disease and
for switch users who want to make use of the word prediction in KeyStrokes
we are now offering an attractively priced AssistiveWare Access bundle that
consists of a combined license for KeyStrokes, SwitchXS, and LayoutKitchen.
The suggested retail price for the bundle will be US$ 479 or Euro 399
(excl. VAT). Current users of KeyStrokes or SwitchXS can upgrade to this
bundle for a suggested price of US$ 239 or Euro 199 (excl. VAT).
This press release is also available at:
http://www.assistiveware.com/pr.php#PR130705
AssistiveWare (http://www.assistiveware.com/) has been involved with the
development of assistive technology software for the Apple Macintosh since
1996 and is the maker of award-winning KeyStrokes(R) and TouchStrokes(R)
virtual keyboards and SwitchXS(R) scanning on-screen keyboard.
