To help you get acquainted with the basic operation of your system, we include a brief tutorial that opens at first launch. Many of our users choose to skip this step, as operation of the SpeakEasy is quite simple and intuitive. In addition, the system offers extensive audio documentation on how to use each of the features.

The SpeakEasy empowers its users with an extensive menu-based help system. Every user interaction has an associated help menu in case you get stuck. There is no need to learn complicated keystrokes or finger-twisting button combinations because everything is accessible via the help menu. Accessing the help menu is as simple as pressing the help button.

The purchase of the SpeakEasy Media System Complete entitles you to two years of free upgrades. Frequently, new features and current feature enhancements are added based on feedback from customers like you. These upgrades will be automatically installed on your system as they come available.

Do you need to learn to touch type? No problem! Most features of the SpeakEasy do not require any typing ability. Some capabilities, such as e-mail, do require typing on a keyboard. Included with the SpeakEasy is a guided typing tutor. Each lesson introduces new keys and explains how to find them. The fully audible typing tutor will alert you to mistakes and provide helpful tips as to the proper finger positions to use when typing the keys. You will be typing emails in no time!

Many of the exciting features that the SpeakEasy Media System offers require an internet connection. If you already have an internet connection, the SpeakEasy Media System can easily integrate with it. If not, your system ships with easy to follow instructions to sign up for a dial-up internet connection. BasicISP is our preferred provider based on service quality and low cost ($6.95 per month for unlimited usage), but it does not matter who you choose.

The Scan & Read feature scans printed documents, then reads them back in a high-quality voice. Simply place any form of printed text on the included scanner and the system speaks the words on the page. You can store these documents on your computer or send them to a portable player to be listened to while you are on-the-go.

For low vision users, the SpeakEasy Media System can scan a picture or text document and magnify it to a much larger size. Users can easily pan or zoom this image to see their document.

E-mail is a fantastic technology that allows us to keep in touch with family and friends. The SpeakEasy makes e-mail incredibly easy. The system provides you with a free e-mail address. Just provide us with your name and desired e-mail address, and the SpeakEasy will automatically configure all the settings for you. Just plug in your system and, "You've got mail!"

This is a fully integrated address book that allows you to store contact information including name, physical address, phone number, email address, and birthday. Email addresses that you save in your address book will automatically be added into your email account's contact list; and birthdays will be automatically added to you calendar. The SpeakEasy makes it easy to stay organized and keep you connected with your friends and family.

The SpeakEasy Media System offers a selection of thousands of music and talk radio stations. Just choose a category, and the music or talk show will instantly start playing for you. This service is much like satellite radio; but as with all of the content on the SpeakEasy Media System, there is no service fee. All you need is an internet connection.

Do you have a Daisy audio book CD that you would like to read? Did your friend give you CD of her favorite songs? The SpeakEasy Media System will allow you to listen to both! Just pop it into your disc drive, prop up your feet, and let your computer do the rest.

In addition to being compatible with Daisy books, the SpeakEasy Media System will enable you to read other audio books from the web. Available to users are Books on Tape (these have been recorded with human voices) and Audio Books (these are books read by machines). The list of books available is ever-expanding, and these will be at your fingertips.

Listen to the radio shows that you want to hear, whenever you want! The SpeakEasy Media System comes preconfigured with a variety of sources -- from shows that are pertinent to the visually impaired to NPR to major radio shows. Just select the show, then relax as your system retrieves the show and plays it with rich audio quality!

Get the news you want, when you want it. Using the easy-to-navigate menus, just select one of the preconfigured news sources (New York Times, USA Today, Blind Access Journal, etc) and your SpeakEasy Media System will automatically load the day's headlines. Choose which story you would like to listen to, and your system will immediately begin reading it.

Do you want to know why your refrigerator stays cool? How about a good recipe for chicken? Get answers to your questions using the Web Search feature of you SpeakEasy Media System. Just choose one of the search engines on the list, type in your question, and let the computer tell you the answer!

See if it's going to rain today using the Weather Forecast module of your SpeakEasy Media System. This feature delivers up-to-date weather forecasts whenever you need them; it will even give you the forecast for the week!

Let the SpeakEasy Media System help you in your quest for knowledge. After you type in a subject, your computer will read you answers from online encyclopedia sources. You may learn too much!

Not sure what a word means? No problem. The SpeakEasy Media System will rescue you from a potentially unpropitious moment!

Are you a poet looking for a word that rhymes with "orange" but means angry? Well, the SpeakEasy Media System cannot help you there. Unfortunately, nothing rhymes with orange (and your poem sounds totally weird). The Media System can, however, find you a synonym! Just type it in.

Forget the phone book, perform faster business searches using the SpeakEasy Business Directory. All you have to do is enter in search criteria and the zip code, and the SpeakEasy will give you a list of places to choose from.

These days, multitasking is an art. You are a busy person. Let us help you perfect that art with the Portable Player! You don't have time to sit at your desk and sift through files, and you shouldn't have to. Just send that information to your Portable Player, and take your documents on-the-go. This SpeakEasy Media System feature has been intuitively integrated with your system. Just press a button, and the text will be quickly transferred to your iPod. Listen to it at your convenience, wherever you are.

Let the SpeakEasy Media System's Talking Note Taker help you stay organized. You can write notes or lists, then give them a title, and store them into the SpeakEasy's virtually limitless memory. You will be able to retrieve these notes later based on title or date saved. Need to make your grocery list? Type it into Talking Note Taker, then send it to your Portable Player. Just make sure you don't forget to bring the player with you!

The Calendar feature will help you stay organized. You can enter tons of information about your upcoming events and set reminders to alert you as they draw near. When you enter the birthdays of your friends and family into your SpeakEasy Address Book, the integrated SpeakEasy Calendar will also be updated with their birthdays.

Keep on task as you work on your SpeakEasy with the talking alarm clock. You can check the current date and time, set a timer to count down the time, or set an alarm clock to alert you at a specific time. It's easy, and you will get your alerts while you are in any feature of the system.

Use the calculator feature to do simple mathematical calculations on your SpeakEasy.

The SpeakEasy Media System's main features have been designed to be easy to use and require little to no prior training for proficiency. The Advanced Screen Reader is considered an Advanced Feature. As such, it takes more skill and practice to use this tool effectively. It is, nonetheless, useful if you would like to run other programs on your computer. This feature functions similarly to traditional screen readers.

This feature is also considered to be a SpeakEasy Media System Advanced Feature. Just like the Advanced Screen Reader, this feature will require some practice for proficiency. It also works like traditional screen readers; however, when you select this feature from the SpeakEasy menu, you will be placed directly in a Mozilla Firefox web browser. From there, you can surf the web freely. When you wish to return to your Media System menu, just press the button!