by John M. Williams
Dolphin’s SuperNova Pen for Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP provides visually- impaired individuals easy access to information. The unique, user-friendly program combines magnification, speech and Braille capabilities for Windows. Its fractional magnification feature gives visually impaired users the option to choose lower magnification levels in increments of less than 1x magnification.
The Pen’s fractional magnification is operated from the Visual property within the main Control Panel, the soul of the program. The Control Panel opens when the Dolphin software starts, and it is comprised of property sheets called Visual, Speech, and Braille. Icons of each function point users to individual sheets. The Control Panel can also be accessed through the hotkeys Left Control + spacebar. To switch between the property sheets, users press Control + Tab, or they can click on the desired tab on the left hand side. Each property sheet has the same layout.
The Visual property sheet provides general options for magnification level and style. Users can either increase or decrease the magnification size and change the color of the screen. There are modes such as Full screen, Window, Split screen, and so forth, that expand the product’s versatility.
The Speech function provides fluency, volume, and speed. The text is read to you as you type it. There are hotkeys to read and review your text. (Hotkeys are available for all the functions.) These are features found in screen readers. Sometimes the speech is in a woman’s voice and other times a man’s. I never used the user-defined function that allows users to create your own voices. When I speeded up the man’s voice, however, he reminded me of a drunken Richard Burton.
The Braille property sheet allows access to the most commonly used features. Since I have never used Braille, I did not use this function.
The Pen’s practically zero weight makes its portability a plus. A strap attached to the Pen means you can wear it around your neck or carry it in your pocket or purse. When you separate the Pen to insert one
part into a USB port, however, you can’t connect the bottom part to the top of the pen. This increases the risk of losing the separated part. In future versions, the Pen should be modified so the separated part can be mounted on the top of the part plugged into the USB port.
Two disks accompany the SuperNova Pen. One provides a 30-minute demonstration on how to use the program. But no matter how many times I installed the disk, whenever I tried to run the program, it would shut down my computer. I discarded this disk and decided to learn on my own.
The second disk is a SuperNova Manual in Daisy Book Format. I placed the disk into my CD drive and closed it. Soon I was following the instructions on how to use the Pen. The instructions are easy to follow and a print set comes with the package. The well-written instructions show Dolphin followed the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) rule when writing the instructions.
Installing the Dolphin Pen is simple. I inserted it into a USB port on my laptop. Speech was not required for the installation, therefore I did not have to run Windows Narrator. Once inserted, I opened Windows Explorer and pressed D to navigate to Dolphin Pen. Next I ran the file Go.exec to install the autoplay utility. I was instructed to install the Dolphin Interceptor by selecting the OK button. When I did this, Windows restarted. By leaving the Pen in the USB slot, the Dolphin Access software was launched when Windows restarted. One drawback with having the Dolphin SuperNova Pen installed is, when I turned my computer on, it took five minutes for the icons to appear on my desktop before I could use my computer. When I deleted the SuperNova Pen and started my computer, the desktop icons appeared in a minute.
If I was visually-impaired, I would want the Supernova installed before I turned on my computer. With installation, the Dolphin Control Panel appeared in the upper left hand corner of my page. I could easily read anything on the page. I could magnify the icons many times. The speech doubled the certainty of the icons I viewed.
For everyday usage, I inserted the Pen into the USB port and waited to hear the device- connect sound. A second ascending chime told me the Dolphin was loading. When the Dolphin application is closed, another chime plays. When I heard it, I removed the Pen.
I used the SuperNova for word processing tasks, to develop a PowerPointTM presentation and to develop and read charts. The magnification and speech functions made it easy to see and hear what I was doing. These features are definitely assets for people with and without vision problems.
The minimum system requirements are Windows 2000, Windows XP Home, and Windows XP Professional. Additional requirements are Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 or later, Intel PA 4200 MHz equivalent or higher, 125 MB free hard disk space, 128 MB memory or higher; PCI or ASO Graphics, Sound Blaster compatible sound card and USB port (USB 2.0 recommended).
The price of the Super Pen Desk Top Standard Full Edition is $1,195. The Pen edition full copy is $1,290. Since many programs for blind individuals perform only one or two functions, given the Pen’s three functions, the prices are reasonable. The market can eventually lower the Pen’s price.
There is a lot to write about the SuperNova Pen. And a lot to learn. As with any software program, it takes time to learn. For me, once I mastered the program, I became more efficient and more productive. If I was visually-impaired, I would buy this product because it would increase my independence, buoy my self-confidence, and expand my access to information. It would put me on an equal level with sighted individuals in the information technology field.
If I was marketing this product, I would market it in the education and professional areas. In the United States, I would particularly market it among the Native American, African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American populations. These are underserved communities. I can also see it used to help develop games for individuals who are visually-impaired or who have learning disabilities.
For information about the Pen visit www.dolphinusa.com and the e-mail address is info@dolphinusa.com.
John Williams has been writing about assistive technology for more than 25 years. A sample of his book Assistive Technologies: Creating a Universe of Opportunities for People with Disabilities can be seen at www.atn-ctcf.org.
