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Press Release
Penfriend Ltd |
Press ReleaseRelease of Penfriend XLPenfriend Ltd is pleased to announce the release of the first upgrade to Penfriend XL. This is the new flagship product from the producers of the highly acclaimed supportive writing software for Windows. Penfriend XL is a writing and reading aid for:
It includes:
The main features:Screen readingPenfriend XL now has a screen reading feature integrating with many applications through MS Active Accessibility. It is now possible to read menus and dialogues on your desktop, text from your word processor or other applications, and even text from web pages. If you have suitable voices installed (several are freely available), it can speak in many European languages. You can now read French text with a French voice! Penfriend XL can, like its esteemed predecessors, read back each letter, prediction, word or sentence as written, and can read text from the clipboard of virtually any application. This helps people with limited literacy to concentrate on the meaning of a text, or to improve their literacy by following the highlighted words as they are read. The text being read can be automatically transferred to the clipboard, thus by using a large font one can obtain text magnification and all the text being read back appears in the part of the screen where the clipboard has been positioned. This will be valuable to those with visual impairment. On-screen keyboardsPenfriend XL also includes on-screen keyboards for several languages. This makes it very easy to type in languages foreign to your computer. Writing in a language with accented characters on a UK keyboard is normally difficult, but now is just a mouse-click away with Penfriend XL, without requiring confusing adjustments to the computer itself. It is easy to type with both a standard British keyboard and an on-screen keyboard for the language of your choice. The keyboards also enable the physically disabled, who may have control of only a mouse or pointing device, to select letters and therefore write in several languages. For those with dyslexia it removes the need to glance between keyboard and screen. However, being included with Penfriend it is more affordable and more accessible than alternatives. Predictive TypingPenfriend XL helps those with dyslexia, specific learning difficulties and physical disabilities to type more effectively by predicting the next word they intend to write. It works alongside any normal word processor software, and monitors what is typed. Before each letter is typed, it suggests a list of likely words, any of which can be finished with a single keystroke. Penfriend XL makes it possible to predict in many languages, now including English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish and Latin. Its enhancements make it suitable for a wider audience, including modern language students, native writers in those languages, and those in mainstream education who seek to write more easily. Predictive typing speeds up typing by saving keystrokes. For physically disabled people, this saves effort and time, helping them to write longer documents or complete other tasks. For those with dyslexia, it avoids the doubt and error of typing so many letters, again saving time and improving accuracy. It is easier to identify a correctly spelt word in a list than think how to spell it from scratch. Unlike a spelling checker, a predictive typer does not wait for you to make a mistake before helping; it builds confidence by predicting correctly spelt words before you make mistakes. The lexicons of words provided include a range of vocabulary sizes for both expert and novice writers in each language, so that each can find words they expect, without being troubled by terms they do not understand. PerformancePenfriend Ltd has a long and distinguished history of effective and well-designed word prediction and user-friendly software for special needs. In a study by the CALL Centre, which specialises in studying and recommending technology for disabled users, Penfriend was found to be the most effective predictive typer, predicting more than 70% of words by the time the first letter was written! Penfriend XL has a carefully chosen range of features to allow people with various abilities to write, and read, but is not crowded with incomprehensible options. This makes it work out of the box, while also bringing benefits to those who want to spend a little time getting to know it. Colours and fonts are precisely adjustable for each user, making the words as legible as possible. The number of predictions offered, the technique by which items are replaced on the list, and the way in which new words are learned and offered are all adjustable according to taste. Topic dictionariesIt is easy to teach Penfriend XL new words from text files or clipboard. If you have an example of text with relevant words for a subject available in advance, it can quickly be taught to Penfriend, making those words immediately available for prediction. At the end of the session the words can either be added permanently to the lexicon or discarded in favour of another topic. SupervisionPenfriend XL has an unusually effective way of dealing with new words, making it easy for parents or teachers or adult users to distinguish between newly learned correct (but unusual) words, and misspelt or improper words. Writing style and preferences are recorded individually for each user. The lexicons are automatically remembered for each, but in all cases lexicons can be loaded and changed at will, with all of the options as well as words being configured separately for each user, to make it even more convenient. While the default settings are appropriate to a wide range of users, teachers, parents and assistants can adjust options to make Penfriend XL work even more conveniently for particular individuals. Ease of Use, stability and price.Penfriend is the most intuitive of the literacy support programs as well as giving the highest quality prediction. It does not crash your computer and comes at an affordable price. One major user says they choose Penfriend because of its price, stability and ease of use. AvailabilityPenfriend XL is offered in addition to Penfriend XP and W3, which will remain available for people who do not require its advanced features. Penfriend W3 will remain available for Windows 3.1 and 95, while Penfriend XP is offered for Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000 and XP. Penfriend XL includes speech synthesis from SAPI 5 as standard, and the voices may be replaced using optional third-party speech engines, many of which are available freely. Penfriend XL is available now from Penfriend Ltd and all good educational and special needs software suppliers. It will cost £120 for one user, and £30 per additional user on the same site. A free demonstration copy is available for download. Special prices are available to the education sector in Scotland through Learning and Teaching Scotland. AcclaimSome comments on Penfriend XL"Predictive word processing allows pupils to write down what is in their head, instead of what they know how to spell. Penfriend XL predicts words, reads back text and provides on-screen keyboards for accented characters in several languages. I predict Penfriend XL will lead to increased fluency and greater motivation in the MFL classroom." "The latest edition [XL] has a screen reader which is invaluable for very dyslexic pupils to read relevant program menus for them. In Microsoft Word, this enables the spell checker and synonyms facilities to be read out on a right click. About Penfriend LtdThe Penfriend product range has been available since 1993. Penfriend Ltd was formed in 1999, having taken over from Design Concept. It is a privately owned and successful business based in Edinburgh, Scotland, but trades across the globe. For more information, please contact Roger Spooner by Email and visit our web site at www.penfriend.biz. Copyright Penfriend Ltd, 20th April 2005 www.penfriend.biz |