Guess What? Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1 with Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express and Office 2007
Oct-11-2006Disclaimer
The following message includes information regarding Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1. Please note that Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1 HAS NOT been released at this time. We are, however, providing you with some small glimpses into the features that Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1 will contain. We are currently not answering any questions regarding the functionality of the beta. The only things we're going to talk about will be what we have included in our new Guess What series, which will continue daily up to the beta release date, October 16, 2006. We will answer all questions at that time. Please be patient; you will be rewarded.
If you're subscribed to the GW Micro or Guess What podcast feed, you'll automatically receive this Guess What in MP3 format. Check out www.gwmicro.com/podcast for more information. If you want to download the MP3, read this article online, or view more Guess What articles (when they are released), please visit www.gwmicro.com/beta.
Enjoy!
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Welcome to GW Micro's "Guess What?" series, an introductory look at the upcoming release of Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1.
We’ll be covering a new feature in Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1 every day until its release, so stop by our web site (www.gwmicro.com/beta) daily to make sure you don't miss any of the exciting new features.
Today, we'll be talking about changing the way you read Outlook and Outlook Express email messages. We'll also take a look at the upcoming Office 2007 applications, including the new Office 2007 Ribbon. Let's jump right in. I already have Outlook open on my computer with an email message open. First, let's take a look at how the new version of Window-Eyes is going to help make you more productive and efficient. Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1 will provide you with quick access status information, From, Date, To, CC, BCC, Subject, and Attachment fields. How will this make you more productive? Suppose you are reading the body of an email message, and you cannot remember who the email was from. Simply press ALT-1 to hear who the message was from.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
Or, maybe you need to quickly know when the email was sent. Press ALT-2 to hear the date the message was sent.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
With the power of Window-Eyes, you are now able to read the information quickly without having to move to those items. What an excellent way to speed up reading email, and making you more productive! And, you can do this for any of the items mentioned above. If you want to know all of the hotkeys, they are as follows:
ALT-1: From
ALT-2: Date/Sent
ALT-3: To
ALT-4: CC
ALT-5: BCC
ALT-6: Subject
ALT-7: Attachments
ALT-8: Status
And, regardless if you are using Outlook or Outlook Express, all of these hotkeys are the same. Note that if a header does not exist, you will be told. For example, if no one is CC'd on a message, you will hear, "CC not found."
Not only can you read the information quickly, but you can also use the same keys to navigate there quickly. For example, I'll press ALT-7 once to read the attachments, and then a second time to access them.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
If I had two attachments, I could Arrow through them. But, since I only have one, I can now open the Context menu in order to save or open the attachment.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
So, if I wanted to perform these functions, I would just press Enter. But, I'm going to press Esc, and move on to our next section.
Next, let's take a look at Office 2007. Window-Eyes 6.0 will provide you with the same functionality as you had with Office 2003, so you can still expect the same accuracy you have come to know and love with Window-Eyes. For example, you will still be able to read charts in Excel, you'll be able to use Browse Mode in PowerPoint, Word will be 100% text accurate, 100% of the time, and the Outlook Calendar will function, just like we demonstrated yesterday. Speaking of Outlook 2007, it now uses only Word for both editing and reading email messages, meaning Window-Eyes can provide 100% text accuracy 100% of the time in Outlook 2007 email messages. As you can tell, Window-Eyes is again leading the way to make these applications extremely accessible, and easier to use, which translates into more job opportunities for you.
Let's take a closer look at Word 2007 to give you an idea of how it works. I'm going to open Word just like I open Word 2003.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
There is a new concept in Word 2007. Gone are the days of the menu at the top of the screen. Now, a new and easier way has been developed to access the same great features you have come to know and love from Word. Instead of a menu system, there is now a ribbon across the top of the screen. Instead of a menu opening up vertically on the screen when you open a menu, the ribbon is always on the screen horizontally. Instead of pressing the Up or Down Arrow keys, you now Tab or Arrow through all of the controls. This is actually a nice feature because it ensures that you do not miss any controls. Don't worry, some of the older commands still exist. For example, I'll press ALT to access the ribbon.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
Now, I'll press the Right Arrow to go to the Insert tab.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
You hear Window-Eyes speaking several keys. These are the shortcuts and the accelerators, making it easy for you to access these commands quickly. And, if you forget them, you can always navigate here easily with Window-Eyes, and have it read them to you. I'll Tab through more of the controls, so you can hear what Window-Eyes says.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
You even heard Window-Eyes tell you the group that you were in, which is also new, since the ribbon has been added. If I continue to Tab, I'll get to the new Shapes Gallery control.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
Then, I can press the Right or Left Arrow to navigate through this new control.
<Window-Eyes Speech>
There are even groups within the Gallery control, and Window-Eyes will even read those groups to you, making this very exciting as you can see that Window-Eyes is supporting Office 2007 even before it ships next year.
We hope today's "Guess What?" has given you a glimpse into the power of Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1, and its innovative new support for Microsoft Outlook Express, Outlook, and Office 2007.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's "Guess What?" to learn more about Window-Eyes 6.0 Beta 1.
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