Thursday, August 5, 2010

Stream Newswire - Spanish Version 3.2 Released

Dear Victor Reader Stream Customer:
HumanWare is pleased to announce the release of Stream software version 3.2 in Spanish.
The free software download is available at:
www.humanware.com/stream_software
On that page you will find the software download link under the Spanish heading along
with the Release Notes in Spanish. The Release Notes describe the features of 3.2
and also the SoftPak features. After installing the software, you will also find
the Release Notes on your Stream in the Text Files bookshelf.
After installing the version 3.2, you have the option to purchase the Stream SoftPak.
The SoftPak includes 5 additional features:
- Ability to play unprotected EPUB books
- Ability to play MS Word 2007 DOCX documents
- Support for Audible.com Enhanced Audio books
- Ability to play unprotected MP4 audio files including iTunes music files
- Ability to record voice notes in MP3 or wav formats.
More information about the SoftPak is available at:
www.humanware.com/softpak
We are also pleased to offer a version 3.2 that includes Stream English menus and
messages along with the Spanish Monica and English Samantha text-to-speech voices.
This version is on the same page but under the English heading.
Both versions include Monica and Samantha text-to-speech but the difference is that
the version under the Spanish heading also has Spanish menus and messages.
Thank you,
The HumanWare Team

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Victor Reader Stream List Changing Ownership

As I write this post, it is hard to comprehend that it has been almost three years since I took on the role as owner and moderator of the Victor Reader Stream list. I have made many mistakes as a list moderator and learned much in the process. I am proud to say that the culture of this list today is one of goodwill and cooperation among the membership. At over 600 members, that is quite an accomplishment.
It has become increasingly apparent to me over the past several months that it is time for me to pass the torch to someone else. My duties as producer and host of ACB Radio’s Main Menu program, my work responsibilities as a music therapist working in a state school, a music appreciation instructor at a community college, a board member and Sunday school teacher at my church, and a keyboard player in a couple bands not to mention spending time with my wife and two cats keeps me quite busy. To put it plainly, something has to give.
The person who has accepted the post of owner and moderator of the list has been a long-time list member who has posted many helpful instructions over the years and visited with me privately about many matters list-related and otherwise. He was an encouragement to me when I was about ready to chuck the whole thing. I’m glad I didn’t do that, because I can now place this most excellent list into the capable hands of Brian Lingard.
I am certain Brian will have a different moderating style than I did, but I trust you will all work with him as respectfully as you have with me. I will stick around as a list member like the rest of you, and I will be excited to watch Brian take the list and Web site to a whole new level.
If you wish to post comments to me privately, please send them to the following address
jamiepauls@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Jamie Pauls

Friday, January 1, 2010

Tutorials now free on AccessWatch

Several years ago I decided to dabble in the area of producing tutorials for sale. It was a learning experience and my hat is off to anyone who does it on a regular basis. Out of that project came two tutorials. The first was a tutorial on using the now popular Rhapsody music subscription service. I knew I wouldn't sell a ton of those tutorials and I was right, but many people benefited from the lessons I provided on getting up and running with the service. While many things have changed about the service over the years, it is in many ways more accessible than it was. The most significant change is the ability to purchase tracks in unprotected MP3 format, thereby allowing the purchaser to burn songs to CD using their CD burning program of choice. The second tutorial was on using Nero 8. While newer versions of Nero are available today, this tutorial is still quite relevant. I stopped receiving sales for either tutorial quite some time back, so I decided to offer both for free. Visit AccessWatch and move to the "tutorials" heading to find both downloads.