Windows exploring

Our technology wiz Léonie Watson took yet another step into the unknown on her continuing journey to seek out new computer solutions. This one followed the launch by Microsoft of their new Windows 7 operating system. Would she boldly go where everyone else was heading

Windows 7 has plenty of accessibility features, aimed at helping people with a range of disabilities. These include screen magnification, an on-screen keyboard with predictive text, and the ability to use a touch screen interface. In some cases these are simple versions of existing access technologies. In others they are robust solutions in their own right.

As someone who is blind, I was naturally interested in Narrator, Windows’ screen reader programme. I also spend a lot of time at my computer, so I was curious about the speech recognition as well. With scant regard for life and limb, I decided to write this article using only these two access technologies. Let the adventures begin!

The first thing I noticed about Narrator was the quality of the default voice. With a little tweak of the settings, it was reasonable to listen to. You can change the speed, pitch and volume of the voice, to find levels that suit you best.

Narrator did seem slow to respond, particularly in comparison with the established screen readers. Once you tune into the slower pace though, the level of information available is remarkably good. With only minor bumps and bruises along the way, I was soon exploring the desktop, opening programmes, using Notepad and reading my email.

Full of confidence, I opened Microsoft Word and settled down to write this article. I was foiled at the outset though. I couldn’t get Narrator to read any text that I’d typed into the document. Accessing menus and toolbars was no problem, but otherwise it was the end of my first adventure.

Undaunted, I reverted to my usual screen reader, plugged in my microphone and started up the speech recognition programme. We intrepid explorers don’t usually worry about tutorials, but with speech recognition it’s important to train Windows to understand your voice. It’s a very easy process though.

Within moments, commands such as “Next”, “Open”, and “Undo” were ringing out. Not waiting for a moment, I opened up MS Word with a simple voice command, and began dictating this article.

The accuracy of the recognition was surprisingly good. Even without using my best BBC voice, I was able to dictate this article with only a few mistakes. Happily chatting away, I’d conquered yet another frontier.

So what of future voyages in cyberspace? For me, Narrator will be a handy, if limited alternative when my main screen reader stops working. For others, it may provide a free solution. In terms of speech recognition, I’ve already bought a headset microphone for better quality. It will be a useful way of writing long documents and pretending I’m on Star Trek. For others, it may be a viable solution to accessing a computer without a mouse or keyboard.

INFORMATION
Windows 7 is available in several versions direct from Microsoft and other well-known software dealers. Prices start at around £80.