hi for those who maybe don't want to read all of what's new in
lepard, see previous post, here is what's new in universal access,
taken straight from the apple site about leopards' 300 new features
Universal Access
Alex — A New Voice
Give yourself a new voice. Meet Alex — a new English male voice that
uses advanced,
patented Apple technologies to deliver natural breathing and
intonation, even at
fast speaking rates.
Plug-and-Play Refreshable Braille Display Support
Quickly set up popular, refreshable Braille displays. VoiceOver
detects and configures
as soon as you plug them in. No additional software or setup is
required.
Braille Output During OS Installation
For the first time ever on a desktop computer, you can use a Braille
display while
installing or upgrading your operating system.
The Braille Panel
See a virtual Braille display — a visual representation of VoiceOver
Braille output
onscreen along with an English text translation.
Customizable Braille Display Input Keys
Customize a Braille display more easily than ever before. Just choose
a VoiceOver
command, then press and hold the input keys. A tone sounds to let you
know the command
has been assigned successfully.
Contracted and Non-Contracted Braille
Output Braille in standard contracted format or non-contracted
“computer Braille.”
VoiceOver automatically converts contracted Braille under the cursor
so it’s easier
to edit, then contracts it again when the cursor moves.
NumPad Commander
Control VoiceOver using only the numeric keypad just like JAWS and
Windows-Eyes.
This makes it easier for screen reader users to switch from a PC to a
Mac and provides
easy access to your favorite VoiceOver commands.
Portable VoiceOver Preferences
Instantly reconfigure your VoiceOver preferences. Just plug in a
flash drive containing
your preferences and Leopard instantly reconfigures to work and act
just like your
Mac — without leaving a trace when you leave.
Faster Web and Page Navigation
Quickly navigate long documents or web pages. Jump to key elements
like headers,
tables, and links and by text attributes like underlining, bold,
italics, and color
— even text phrases.
Hot Spots
Monitor up to ten different areas onscreen and be alerted when
there’s a change.
Then jump directly to any hot spot to investigate or take action.
Drag-and-Drop Support
Use drag-and-drop actions by keyboard only, in accessible applications.
Integrated Interactive Tutorial
Learn VoiceOver unassisted in a safe environment. A built-in tutorial
lets you practice
as you learn.
Misspelled Word Detection
Hear when a word is misspelled while reading text. Choose a tone or a
spoken description.
Positional Audio Effects
Benefit from many new sound effects in VoiceOver. Audio cues provide
an improved
sense of location.
Highlight by Word or Sentence
Set the VoiceOver cursor to highlight each word or sentence being
read as it is spoken.
New VoiceOver Utility
Customize VoiceOver more easily. A new VoiceOver Utility layout
includes many new
options and preferences for customizing VoiceOver.
Improved Application Accessibility
Do more with VoiceOver. Bundled Leopard applications and utilities
have been enhanced
for improved accessibility.
