Kurzweil Educational Systems Announces Kurzweil 1000 Version 9

BEDFORD , MA - Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. has introduced Kurzweil 1000™ Version 9, a scanning and reading software for people who are blind or visually impaired. The latest version of the software makes printed pages and electronic archives more accessible and usable than ever before with a new online encyclopedia search and retrieval capability, broadened support for Web repositories, more accurate scanning, enhanced DAISY and portable device support, and better navigation through document linking.    

 

"Kurzweil 1000 was a tremendous help to me as a college student and continues to be very helpful to me now as a working adult," said Vince Tomassetti, assistive technology coordinator for Assistive Technology - British Columbia [Canada ]. "Kurzweil 1000 not only reads books and documents aloud, but with the extensive online search and retrieval capabilities, I can also research information for whatever my purpose.  And the best part of all is, I can transfer text and MP3 files to portable devices, like Book Port , and take my reading with me wherever I go."

 

Kurzweil 1000 Version 9 new features give users:

 

• Expanded Online Search and Retrieval - Support for online encyclopedias, such as Columbia Encyclopedia and Wikipedia from Wikimedia Foundation as well as access to additional Web repositories, including American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB) AccessWorld and Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom, complement the online book and magazine search capabilities and the already notable list of accessible Web repositories.
• More Accurate Scanning - A new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engine, ScanSoft OCR, and an update of the ABBYY FineReaderTM OCR engine.
• Additional Study Tools - Notes and Document Link options expand the set of study tools. The Notes feature provides an additional way to annotate documents. The new Document Link feature allows users to explore existing links to navigate within the same document, another document or Web site to access needed information.
• Increased Portability - Support for Book PortTM extends the list of portable devices to which Kurzweil 1000 can transfer text and MP3 files.
• Talking Business Calculator - A new full-function talking business calculator performs, for example, financial functions for loans, mortgages, leases, savings, annuities and more.

 

Version 9's new features expand upon the extensive list of existing features in Kurzweil 1000, including synthetic speech options, color scanning, flexible writing and editing tools, the ability to send files to e-mail, Braille embosser compatibility, and photocopier, fax and calculator applications.

 

Kurzweil 1000 Version 9 is scheduled to ship to customers later this summer and can be previewed at the 2004 National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Convention, June 29-July 5 in Atlanta, Georgia; the 2004 American Council of the Blind (ACB) National Convention, July 3-10 in Birmingham, Alabama; and the 2004 Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) International Conference, July 13-18 in Orlando, Florida.

 

A single license of Kurzweil 1000 retails for $995. Volume pricing is also available. Through October 29, 2004, Kurzweil Educational Systems is also offering customers:

 

• A discount of $100 off the retail price of any new, full-product purchase of a Kurzweil 1000 license.
• The opportunity to participate in the new Refer a Friend Program in which registered Kurzweil 1000 users who refer a new customer who buys a Kurzweil 1000 license receive a $50 American Express gift certificate.

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