News Flash: Introducing MegaDots 2.3

July 14, 2007

MegaDots 2.3 has a Windows install program. It installs all 
the icons, and shortcuts for you. No more installation 
headaches.  
The question "Does MegaDots works in Windows?" is obsolete. 
Now MegaDots requires Windows in order to be installed!  
The install program asks for your serial number and a 
password. No more floppy disks needed during installation.  
The install program also works as a demo if a valid serial 
number/password is not given.  
Beginner Braille and MegaMath are included at no additional 
charge! These two add-on features used to cost an 
additional $400. MegaMath includes support for chemistry 
symbols.  
MegaDots now includes and makes use of Embossit 2.0. This 
unique Duxbury Systems product allows MegaDots to emboss to 
any Embosser that DBT 10.6 can emboss to. If you happen to 
own DBT 10.6, you will notice that Embossit 2.0 has the 
same list of configured embossers as DBT 10.6. This means 
you can emboss to USB devices, to network embossers, or to 
embossers requiring exotic Windows drivers, such as the 
ViewPlus Tiger series.  
MegaDots 2.3 contains MegaPRN, a program that lets MegaDots 
2.3 print to any Windows printer on your system. You can 
produce inkprint output to your network printers.  
MegaDots 2.3 supports the changes to the British rules, 
including changes to the translation to a significant 
number of words.  
MegaDots 2.3 eliminates the crashes that occurred on 
Windows XP Pro with some file importations and exporting.  
Dozens of other improvements.  
Product Overview  
New version MegaDots 2.3 is shipped on CD-ROM for easy 
installation. All the documentation is available from a 
simple menu on your browser.  
MegaDots 2.3 runs under Windows versions: 98, ME, 2000, NT, 
XP, and Vista. MegaDots 2.3 automatically installs your 
Windows icons.  
MegaDots 2.3 includes improved script files for JAWS for 
Windows  
MegaDots 2.3 includes improved ability to import publisher 
(SGML) files  
Since MegaDots recognizes many file formats, you can bring 
in virtually any document and set it up for braille. 
MegaDots supports all commercial braille embossers and all 
modern inkprint printers (except for a small group of 
inkprint printers that are Windows-only).  
Whenever you want to see how the braille looks, press the 
Translate key. Suddenly you're looking at the same words, 
but in braille! You can jump around, edit or enter more 
braille. Braille entry can be done using a six-key 
technique, or as "Inkprint in braille", where the words you 
type become braille as you type them. When you are done in 
braille, press the Translate key once more and you return 
to print.  
Users of voice and refreshable braille displays will 
appreciate interacting with software tailored for blind 
access. Screens are simple and free of clutter, and you 
don't have to fuss around to know where you are in the 
software. When you move into a new area, the name of the 
screen is spoken, such as "Editor", "Main menu" or "Save 
file help".  
For large print users, MegaDots supports popular screen 
enlargement programs, as well as a built-in large text 
mode. You'll never have to scroll around looking for text 
or information that's off the screen. All you need to see 
is right there in front of you.  
For sighted users, MegaDots has a familiar look and feel. 
Pull-down menus, point and click mouse interaction and 
colorful screens make working fun. The braille itself can 
be viewed in a variety of forms, depending on what is most 
readable for you.  
MegaDots gives you the features you expect from a modern 
word processor, such as macros, bookmarks, and find and 
replace.  
 
Features in MegaDots 2.3 
File Importer works hard so you won't have to.  
 
The File Importer is smarter than ever: it identifies what 
kind of document you're importing (i.e., a letter, poetry, 
etc.) and automatically applies the appropriate styles to 
the imported document. This important and intuitive step 
minimizes the time and effort it used to take to make great 
braille.  
MegaDots imports Windows Help Screens, which are otherwise 
very difficult to access with speech or refreshable 
braille.  
For users who want total control, automatic features of the 
importer can be temporarily and selectively disabled.  
Optically scanned documents are automatically recognized 
and cleaned up - before you even edit your document!  
MegaDots knows that optical scanners make visual mistakes 
and has a system for changing nonsense back into the right 
words. And now, optically scanned documents are 
automatically recognized and cleaned up - before you even 
edit your document! Just import your optically scanned 
document, and obviously misspelled text is corrected, i.e., 
"farnily" is changed to "family". Other common format 
errors are also fixed, such as split paragraphs and 
misnumbered list items.  
Here's how it works. First, the scanned document's format 
is cleaned up. For example, optical scanners often break up 
paragraphs inappropriately or misnumber lists of items. 
MegaDots correctly formats these areas. It can even remove 
the garble that results from scanning pictures or graphics 
within the text. The text itself is then cleaned up, one 
word at a time. MegaDots will find and correct any 
obviously misspelled words before you even view your 
imported document. Running headers, footers and page 
numbers that occur on each page are removed and used for 
print page indicators in the document.  
Improved Spell Checker  
We've added over 20,000 words to the dictionary. The Spell 
Checker now recognizes over 110,000 words.  
Large Print Features!  
Create beautiful large print up to five times as tall and 
wide as standard fonts (up to 64 point).  
MegaDots supports your printer's scalable fonts for the 
most attractive possible large print.  
With new large print page indicators, you'll be able to 
follow page numbers from the original text.  
Advanced Inkprint Printing Capabilities  
We're proud to present these useful features designed 
specifically to make learning and proofreading braille 
easier. And while we were at it, we threw in quite a bit 
for users who need high quality, customizable inkprint, 
too.  
MegaDots now supports all modern inkprint printers, except 
for a small group that are Windows-only).  
Choose from ten different kinds of inkprint braille.  
Make inkprint braille and text on the same page in three 
different formats: side by side, word by word, and line by 
line.  
Side by Side displays the braille page next to the print 
page on one sheet.  
Word by Word puts the print word directly over each braille 
word.  
Line by Line mode puts the print line above each braille 
line.  
Adjustable vertical and horizontal spacing makes inkprint 
layout to your most exacting specifications.  
Get a detailed document overview with the Interpret Format 
feature.  
New Interpret Format screen shows you what's in your 
document: how many and which styles it uses; whether there 
are tabs, running headers, or print page indicators; and 
other useful information. This overview helps you check the 
"big picture" of your document.  
Make global changes to your document. For example, change 
all Poetry paragraphs to Body text.  
Within the overview, you can ask for greater detail. For 
example, you can view just the poetry in your document, or 
all of the print page indicators.  
Within one of these views, you can jump straight to that 
place in the text. Or, stay within the view, and make 
changes there.  
Use Interpret Format to adjust the importation of a 
document. When used right after import, you can adjust 
MegaDots' document cleanup, how MegaDots selects styles and 
what import features or styles to use while importing.  
Easy Table Formatting!  
We have worked with the pickiest braille transcribers to 
revamp our table formatting.  
MegaDots follows all of the new BANA and British table 
rules.  
MegaDots will automatically squeeze the table to fit on the 
braille page.  
If you braille table is too wide for the braille page, 
MegaDots can put it on two facing pages.  
Column Blocking lets you cut and paste entire columns.  
Format your word list in columns with Make Clipboard 
Columns. This feature now lets you choose the number of 
columns you want to generate.  
MegaDots now handles diacritics.  
MegaDots now supports all of the diacritical marks shown in 
the textbook format codebook. This speeds up another 
laborious aspect of making braille.