We have recently released a new version of the SpeakEasy Media System Software.  We are excited about the update.  Many of the new features and enhancements came from direct feedback from our customers.  Below is a list of updates.

Major New features:
1. A Calculator has been added under the Productivity menu.
2. A Calendar has been added under the Productivity menu.  You can add events, event details, and reminders to alarm you as your event approaches.
3. An Address Book can be found under the Productivity menu.  This feature enables you to store contact information that includes name, physical address, phone number, email address, and birthday.  It has been integrated with the calendar for Birthdays, and with e-mail for the e-mail addresses of your contacts.
4. A Business Directory will help you look up information about businesses. You need only enter a name to search and a zip code, the SpeakEasy will give you a list of search results along with the address and phone number of businesses that meet your search criteria.  Find this new feature in the News and Information category.
5. You can use a Timer or set an Alarm Clock with the new Talking Clock feature found in the Productivity category.  Once set, no matter where you are in the SpeakEasy, you will be alarmed when the time is up.
6. SpeakEasy now supports the use of portable USB drives.  You can export or import documents from your own USB drive.

Minor New Features:
1. Check the current date and time from anywhere in your SpeakEasy.  Just press Control + Shift + T.
2. Talk Radio Stations have been added under the Entertainment menu.  This feature works the same way as the Music Stations; but gives you access to your favorite talk radio stations.
3. A New Help Mode is available by pressing F2.  Just press this button, then press any key and hear its function.  We hope you find this to be a quicker and more interactive help mode for many screens.
4. The new Spellchecker makes a sound play when a word is misspelled.  It will alert you right after you press the spacebar after you have entered the misspelling as well as when you are reviewing what you have typed.  Find this new feature within Note Taker and Email.
5. Automatic magnification feature enabled for Advanced Internet Browser and Advanced Screen Reader. 6. Added support for reading the content of PDF docs, as well as Microsoft Word.

Improvements:
1. Tones will give you auditory cues as to how far down a menu or list you have gone.  The tone starts high at the top and becomes lower as you approach the bottom.
2. CapsLock will now quickly silence your SpeakEasy.  It is simply a quick mute, but the SpeakEasy will start talking again if you press any new keys.
3. To adjust the volume of your SpeakEasy, use the Control + Shift + Up or Down arrow key.  Similarly, to adjust the speed of your SpeakEasy, use Control + Shift + Left or Right arrow.
4. SpeakEasy now supports MP3 CDs in the Audio CD Player
5. Now you can check the weather anywhere.  Enter in the zip code or city and state to get the week’s weather.
6. A Next Page option has been added to the audio books. This will make searching for books much easier as you can keep scrolling through the provided list of books.
7. Scan and Read features have been streamlined to be easier to use.

8. NVDA and Magnifier auto-launch when you Exit the SpeakEasy Software.

9. Email can now handle tens of thousands of messages.  You can also perform Reply Alls to group emails and save emails as drafts.
10. Significant re-vamping of SpeakEasy and NVDA documentation can be found in the Help and Tutorials section.