Nyheter i Zoomtext och Fusion 2020

Publicerad: 26/6, 2023

Faster and More Stable

We are happy to announce the release of ZoomText 2020. Our year spent optimizing the software has culminated in speed and performance improvements that make ZoomText 2020 the best release to date.

If you use ZoomText's AppReader with Google Chrome, you will notice that web pages open much more quickly. Also, navigation is greatly improved, with enhancements to focus, cursor, and echo functionality. If you use Gmail or Facebook, you’ll see better cursor tracking.

Previously, when running AppReader with Chrome, it could take from five to 15 seconds to start AppReader on dynamic web pages. With ZoomText 2020, that time has been reduced to under one second. In addition, you'll notice better link, line, word, sentence, and paragraph navigation.

To take advantage of these improvements, we invite you to download and install ZoomText 2020 today.

ZoomText Now Optimized for 64-bit Windows OS

ZoomText 2019 and earlier ran as a 32-bit application on Windows 64-bit computers. ZoomText 2020 now runs as a 64-bit application. This improves both speed and performance.

Enhancements in ZoomText 2020.2012.14 (December 2020)

The following changes are in the latest ZoomText 2020 release. To download, select ZoomText 2020. You must be logged on as an administrator to install this software.

• In the 2020 December Update, we have included a fix to help users of ZoomText and Fusion in the future when they uninstall that version yet continue to use later versions. There was a problem in earlier 2020 versions where it was impacting shared components with other versions such as the most recent release. We encourage anyone who still has the 2020 versions installed, to please update now even if you are not currently using it.
• Resolved an issue related to the one above, that included the Microsoft Synthesizer becoming the new default after installing ZoomText 2021 if ZoomText 2020 was previously installed. Once this up date is in place, future installs of ZoomText 2021 should not impact the 2020 version in this way.

Enhancements in JAWS 2020.2012.9 and Fusion 2020.2012.5 (December 2020)

The following changes are in the latest JAWS 2020 and Fusion 2020 December releases.

• In the 2020 December Update, we have included a fix to help users of ZoomText and Fusion in the future when they uninstall that version yet continue to use later versions. There was a problem in earlier 2020 versions , where it was impacting shared components with other versions such as the most recent release. We encourage anyone who still has the 2020 versions installed, to please update now even if you are not currently using it.
• Fixed a long-standing issue in File Explorer where JAWS would often not announce the correct number of files in the current folder.
• JAWS now properly reads as expected in Skype when moving focus back to the app without the need to first press ALT and ESC.
• When launching the Skype app included in Windows 10, JAWS now loads the correct settings files.
• While in a Zoom meeting, you can now press CTRL+SHIFT+T to find out who is currently talking. Zoom recently added this option with CTRL+2 but we were previously using it for a JAWS feature.
• Removed the announcement of Tutor Messages in Microsoft Office Ribbons as they were very verbose when attempting to navigate.
• Resolved an issue when selecting all text (CTRL+A) in a large Word document. This action would cause JAWS to hang for several seconds.
• Addressed an issue in Word documents where JAWS was not announcing indentation increments when pressing TAB.
• Resolved an issue in Excel where JAWS was not reading the selected item in various combo boxes in the Font dialog box.
• Resolved an issue where JAWS was not reading the Auto Complete options in the Chrome Address bar.
• Addressed an issue where same page links were not always working as expected in Chrome or Edge Chromium.
• Added five new Japanese voices to the Add/Remove Voices utility, which allows you to sample and download Vocalizer Expressive 2 voices for use with JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion.
• Resolved an issue with navigating to the configuration editor in Thunderbird Email when running JAWS or Fusion.
• Addressed reports of JAWS performance issues encountered after accessing the Start menu multiple times.
• Updated braille drivers provided by Papenmeire.

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Enhancements in ZoomText 2020.2008.19 and Fusion 2020.2008.6 (August 2020)

• After updating to the August 2020 update, future English version upgrades will be included in the Check for Updates feature. As a result, when Fusion 2021 and ZoomText 2021 are released later this year, you will be informed automatically of these major software releases. You will also be informed if your license must be updated.
• Added an optional registry key entry at the request of the SSA to block the ZoomText Camera feature from being exposed for their installations.
• Resolved a reported issue in Fusion when pressing WINDOWS Key+PERIOD to open the Windows Emoji window. Fusion was not tracking as expected as you moved through the Emoji window.
• Resolved an issue where several hotkeys were not working as expected in the Czech version of ZoomText.
• Resolved an issue when using Fusion with the latest NVidia GeForce GT 1030 graphics card. A problem occurred after updating the graphics driver to version 27.21.14.5167, dated 7/5/2020. Customers reported that the screen became very dark with red and black and could no longer be seen when running Fusion or ZoomText.
• Fusion now offers an option when using ILM licenses, to remove all ILM licenses that may be installed. This makes it easier to remove both a ZoomText and a Fusion license at the same time from the Fusion menu system. (Fusion only)

Enhancements in JAWS 2020.2008.24 and Fusion 2020.2008.6 (August 2020)

• Once you have installed this August 2020 update, the English language versions will now include notification of official releases of new versions such as the 2021 release coming out later this year. When you check for updates using the English versions of JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion, major updates will now also appear in the list once they are released. If your license is authorized to run the new version, the update can be installed. Otherwise, the update is shown along with a message stating that a license renewal is required for use of this new version to work in other than 40 minute mode.
• Resolved an issue reading Tables in Microsoft Word 365 where JAWS was reporting "table" at the beginning of each row as you navigated by line.
• Resolved an issue with navigating tables in Chrome reported by Google where cells containing the ColSpan (column span) attribute were causing issues when navigating by cell.
• Resolved an issue in Microsoft Word where text that was previously hidden and then unhidden, was not being read using speech.
• In Chrome and Edge, resolved an issue where selecting text from Right to Left was very sluggish in edit controls.
• Resolved an issue where HTML controls that started with punctuation were not reading as expected.
• Resolved an issue in Internet Explorer reported by SSA where JAWS was not honoring the language tags in ARIA live regions.
• Updated the Help Topic for Microsoft Edge to reflect support based on the latest Edge Chromium browser.
• Resolved an issue where JAWS was overly verbose when tabbing to a Video Player on web pages in Chrome and Firefox.
• Resolved a reported issue where Mouse Echo in Excel was too verbose, especially when moving the mouse across empty cells. These improvements make mouse navigation with Fusion much better.
• When using Google Docs with Chrome, resolved an issue reported by Google where pressing the ALT key to access the Docs menu would sometimes unexpectedly open the Chrome menu instead.
• Posted a TSN on the support pages for JAWS and Fusion customers using the latest version of Skype from Microsoft. A problem has been introduced with this update which causes our software to stop reading correctly. The work around is to activate the menu with the ALT key, and then press ESC to leave the menu and return to Skype. The issue has been reported to Microsoft and we anticipate it will be resolved in the near future.
• Resolved reported issues in Google Sheets where accurate column or row headings were not always being reported as expected while navigating.
• Resolved a reported issue in Libre Office where JAWS and Fusion would fail to read every other line after opening a document that was previously edited and saved.
• Resolved issues reading prior messages in Zoom meetings and webinars using the JAWS commands, CTRL+1 through 0.
• Updated scripts and Help files provided by Corel Corp with changes to improve support for WordPerfect.
• Resolved problems where JAWS Personalized Web settings, accessed in Quick Settings (INSERT+V), were not saving and loading correctly. Personalized Web Settings allow you to customize JAWS settings for a particular website. For example, if you have a particular page where you do not want JAWS to Automatically read, you can make that change apply only for the specific domain rather than global.
• Added updated Braille display drivers tested and provided by Humanware to support new Braille devices shipping as of August 2020.
• Resolved an issue where JAWS was not reading the ALT Text for Graphics in both Chrome and Edge. Previously, JAWS was reading the Title.
• In Chrome and Edge, JAWS now relies on the "layout-guess" attribute to determine when a table is a layout or data table. Previously, JAWS could make mistakes when the browser's zoom level was very high, such as 200%.
• Resolved a reported issue in Outlook where pressing CTRL+E to access the Search option on the ribbon, would not work as expected when the JAWS Virtual Ribbons were enabled.
• Resolved an issue in Word 365 where JAWS would announce "misspelled" on each character instead of when you first encounter the misspelling when JAWS is configured to detect spelling errors as you navigate.
• Resolved an issue where navigating to www.kmiz.com using Chrome was causing a hang in JAWS as it was attempting to process this site.
• Resolved an issue with the new Braille Viewer where "Computer Braille" was being announced under certain circumstances when navigating in Outlook.
• Added a Topic to the Help System to include all Layered Keystrokes. Previously, only the Table Layer commands were included.
• Added 8 Dot Braille Translation Table for Dutch.

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Enhancements in ZoomText 2020.2006.12 and Fusion 2020.2006.2 (June 2020)

The following changes are in the latest ZoomText 2020 and Fusion 2020 June releases.

• Two new options to remove ILM authorization from your computer are available in this release. The first is "Remove Current Authorization," which removes the ZoomText activation key. The second is "Remove All Product Authorization." It removes any activation keys for JAWS, ZoomText, Fusion, or MAGic installed on your computer. These options are found under ZoomText > Manage License Menu.
• Resolved an issue where Cursor Enhancements would appear next to web page links when pressing TAB to navigate a web page. This occurred when using Firefox.
• Resolved an issue where ZoomText speech was not reading while navigating the Thunderbird Email Message List. (ZoomText only)
• Addressed stability issues provided via the Collect Error Report feature.

Enhancements in JAWS 2020.2006.12 and Fusion 2020.2006.2 (June 2020)

Updated Braille and Text Viewers

For many years, the JAWS Braille Viewer has been a very helpful tool for visually displaying on screen, the textual representation of exactly what JAWS is outputting on a refreshable braille display. This is very useful for sighted instructors, script writers, and testers who do not read braille or have limited or no access to an actual braille device. The Braille Viewer represents the number of cells on the currently connected braille display. For example, if a Focus 80 or Focus 14 is connected, you will see 80 or 14 cells on the screen. If a physical display is not in use, the Braille Viewer will represent a 40 cell display including status cells.

In JAWS and Fusion 2020, we have made several much needed updates including improved support for displaying contracted braille, the ability to show braille text as well as the actual braille dot patterns, and a visual connection so a sighted person can see which dot patterns are used to represent characters and words. We have also added Layered keystrokes to simulate display panning which will really benefit sighted script writers.

To activate the Braille Viewer, navigate to the Utilities menu in the JAWS main window, open the Braille and Text Viewer submenu, and select Enable Braille Viewer. You can also now press the new layered command INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by V, and then B to toggle the Braille Viewer on or off. The following braille navigation commands are also available after pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR, V:

• Pan left: LEFT ARROW
• Pan right: RIGHT ARROW
• Prior line: UP ARROW
• Next line: DOWN ARROW

The popular Text Viewer utility has also been brought over to JAWS and Fusion. This will be a welcome addition especially for those who previously used MAGic.

The Text Viewer displays a continuous line of text across the top or bottom of your screen. It provides clarity and ease of reading by allowing you to work in a live application while referencing normalized text in the Text Viewer window. You control the text formatting (font styles and colors) that displays in the window so that it is easier for you to read documents, e-mails, Web pages, and more. This is very useful when you encounter text that is difficult to read because of its formatting, varying sized text, and contrasting colors used in the application.

The text shown in the Text Viewer window follows your navigation within Windows. For example, if the cursor is moved, the text at the cursor position displays in the Text Viewer window. Likewise, if you navigate with the mouse, the text that comes in contact with the mouse displays in the Text Viewer window. When used in Fusion, Text Viewer eliminates the need to adjust the magnification level of the screen when trying to follow along with what Fusion is reading. This is especially helpful when reading with Say All (INSERT+DOWN ARROW).

To activate the Text Viewer, go to the Utilities menu in the JAWS main window, open the Braille and Text Viewer submenu, and select Enable Text Viewer. You can also press the new layered command INSERT+SPACEBAR, followed by V, and then T to toggle the Text Viewer on or off. The Text Viewer also provides easy right and left line panning keystrokes. After pressing INSERT+SPACEBAR, V to enter the Braille and Text Viewer layer, press CTRL+RIGHT ARROW or CTRL+LEFT ARROW.

The Braille Viewer/Text Viewer is a visual only option and the PC focus does not move to this window. Once activated, it will automatically start whenever JAWS or Fusion is restarted. The Braille and Text Viewer window resizes your application windows to avoid covering anything someone may need to work with, and when closed, the windows go back to full screen. You can place the windows on the top or bottom of the screen as well as customize the font, point size, and the background and foreground colors for displayed text. The Braille and Text Viewer even works in a multiple monitor setup. To configure these options, go to the Utilities menu in the JAWS main window, open the Braille and Text Viewer submenu, and select Settings.

Note: Fusion must be running in Full Window Mode in order to use the Braille and Text Viewer. If a user switches to Lens or Split View while the Braille or Text viewer is active, it will be suspended until you return to Full Window magnification.

New Option to Keep Wireless Speakers and Sound Cards from Clipping Speech When JAWS or Fusion Begins Speaking

Many modern Bluetooth headphones and speakers as well as some onboard sound cards shut down when no audio is received in order to conserve battery. JAWS now includes a new option, which when enabled, keeps these devices awake by constantly playing silence. You will not hear anything, but your device will remain active, resulting in more consistent speech. To enable this feature, open Settings Center (INSERT+6) on the number row, press CTRL+SHIFT+D to load the default settings, and search for "Avoid speech cut off when using Bluetooth headphones or some sound cards."

Note: The battery of your headphones/speakers could drain faster if you choose to turn on this feature. This option is also not available if the Audio Ducking feature is enabled which lowers the audio volume of programs while JAWS speaks.

Other Changes

• When connecting to a remote computer using remote access software (Remote Desktop, Citrix, VMware Horizon, or Amazon WorkSpaces), JAWS and Fusion can now get its remote authorization from a license installed locally on the remote computer if it is running a work station operating system like Windows 10 Professional. For example, you have a JAWS Professional license with remote access authorization on a Windows 10 computer at your office which you sometimes connect to from home using Remote Desktop, but you only have a Home Annual license with no remote authorization on your personal computer. When you establish a remote connection between your home and work computers, as long as you are running the June 2020 release or later of your Freedom Scientific software, JAWS will use the license on your work computer to enable the remote access flag.
  If connecting to a remote computer running a server operating system like Windows Server 2019 which supports multiple user connection, JAWS and Fusion will continue to only use the license on the client or a Freedom Scientific network license server for authorization.
• To address reported issues with removing ILM timed licenses, new options have been added to the License sub menu located in the JAWS Help menu. Select Remove current activation to remove the currently active ILM license or select Remove all products activation to remove all ILM licenses for JAWS, Fusion, and ZoomText from the system. If you perform a full install of the June 2020 update or later, a new Remove all products ILM activation shortcut is also added to the Utilities folder.
• Beginning with the June 2020 release, if you perform a clean install, the option to send anonymous usage data as you use JAWS and Fusion is now enabled by default. If you install as an update, you will be asked if you want to turn this feature on if it is not already enabled. Having this feature on is necesary to use certain features such as Picture Smart. See our Anonymous Data Collection Polocy for more information about what we collect.
• When installing JAWS, ZoomText, or Fusion, there is now a link to view the End User License Agreement on the Freedom Scientific website.
• In Excel, resolved a customer reported issue where JAWS was not reading as expected in the Sort By combo box.
• Removed the Stock Quotes Research It lookup source as this information could no longer be retrieved due to significant changes to the NASDAQ website.
• Pressing ENTER no longer turns off Forms Mode in edit fields. Forms Mode now only deactivates when focus moves away from an edit field when using Auto or Semi-Auto or when you press ESC or the PC Cursor command (NUM PAD PLUS or CAPS LOCK+SEMICOLON).
• The option to have JAWS and Fusion announce nesting levels for list items in web-based editors like Google Docs is now enabled by default to be consistent with Microsoft Word. If you do not want to hear this information when reading bulleted or numbered lists, open Quick Settings (INSERT+V) and turn off List Nesting Level Announcement.
• Improved JAWS indication of ARIA group names for check boxes and list items.
• Resolved an issue using JAWS with the about:config page in Firefox which allows you to configure advanced preferences or experimental features.
• Addressed an issue where button labels were being announced twice when using INSERT+B to read the contents of some dialog boxes.
• Addressed a reported issue where JAWS was not announcing indentation in the Visual Studio Code application.
• Added a new JAWS dictionary entry for TPGi.

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Enhancements in ZoomText 2020.2004.35 and Fusion 2020.2004.13 (April 2020)

• Resolved issues reported by the IRS related to an internal application running with ZoomText on Windows 10.
• Fixed font smoothing corruption that could happen when scrolling through Office 365 apps.
• Resolved an issue where dialog boxes were not being read correctly in Word 2016. (ZoomText only)
• Resolved an issue where the AppView and TextView features were not working in Word 2010. (ZoomText only)
• Resolved an issue where AppReader and Finder were not working with some apps on Windows 7 computers. (ZoomText only)
• Resolved an issue where Focus Enhancements, Cursor Enhancements, and mouse echo were not working with some apps on Windows 7 computers.
• Resolved an issue with ZoomText where mouse echo would return to and start reading from the top of a Word document while you are navigating by line through the document.
• Resolved an issue where ZoomText or Fusion would unexpectedly close. The problem appeared after installing recent Windows 10 updates.
• Resolved an issue where ZoomText would close after switching among apps (using ALT+TAB) and then changing magnification levels.
• Improved stability when running ZoomText with PowerPoint Office 365.
• Improved stability when running ZoomText with KDiff3 software.
• Addressed minor formatting issues in localized versions of the ZoomText 2020 user interface.

Enhancements in JAWS 2020.2004.66 and Fusion 2020.2004.13 (April 2020)

Announce Group Changes in Outlook 365 Message Lists

JAWS can now indicate group changes, such as dates or conversations, as you navigate through message lists. For example, if your Outlook view settings are set to show messages by date and you are navigating a folder containing messages covering multiple days, when you move to the first message in the new date group, you will hear announcements such as "today," "yesterday," "last week," or "two weeks ago." To turn on this feature, open Quick Settings (INSERT+V) while in Outlook and select the Announce Group Change in Lists check box.

New Focus Braille Display Commands for Adjusting Speech Rate

You can now use the following controls on the Focus braille display to adjust the speech rate.

• Temporarily increase speech rate: LEFT or RIGHT SHIFT+RIGHT SELECT CHORD
• Temporarily decrease speech rate: LEFT or RIGHT SHIFT+LEFT SELECT CHORD
• Permanently increase speech rate: RIGHT SELECT CHORD
• Permanently decrease speech rate: LEFT SELECT CHORD

New Dialog Box for Troubleshooting Remote Access

JAWS and Fusion now includes a new Remote Desktop dialog box to help troubleshoot remote access connection issues. It can be accessed from the Options menu in JAWS or the Support submenu in the Fusion main menu. From this dialog box, you can:

• See whether or not your Freedom Scientific software is authorized for remote access.
• Check the status for each supported remote channel (Remote Desktop, Citrix, or VMWare Horizon).
• Repair any channel that is reported to not be working.
• Test the connection between the client and server/remote computers.

Other Changes

• If Mouse Echo is enabled and you move over text with the mouse, JAWS or Fusion now only reads the current line as expected instead of reading everything on the screen.
• Book nine of the JAWS Basic Training, Surf's Up, Surfing the Internet with JAWS, an Introduction, has been updated to include links to go directly to the Surf's Up web pages. To get the latest book, select Training from the JAWS Help menu to open the Training Table of Contents in FSReader, select the link to open book nine, and then press ENTER when prompted to install the updated book.
• Added a new Quick Settings (INSERT+V) option called List Nesting Level Announcement which is off by default and available in Chrome and Edge Chromiun. Use this option to enable the announcement of nesting levels for list items in edit fields on web pages like Google Docs.
• Resolved an issue where JAWS would sometimes exit Forms Mode when pressing ENTER in some multiline edit fields.
• In response to customer feedback, disabled the announcement of inserted and deleted text on web pages.
• In Microsoft Teams, when you press CTRL+PERIOD to display Teams hot keys, the Virtual Cursor is now active so you can review the keystrokes as if you were on a web page.
• Addressed a reported issue in the retail version of Excel 2016 where JAWS would become sluggish after using Paste Special.
• Added updated braille drivers from Humanware containing performance improvements when using their line of displays with JAWS and Fusion.

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Enhancements for ZoomText 2020.2003.12 (March 2020)

• Resolved an issue introduced in the February Update where speech was enabled for Magnification only licenses. This update restores the speech option honoring the license indication and will remain greyed out.
• Resolved reported issues related to mouse speech when navigating text in documents. This included reports of all text being spoken as you reached the last line with the mouse pointer.
• Removed the System Tray icon present when ZoomText or Fusion was running, which when clicked, disabled the magnification without warning causing problems for someone who needs magnification.
• Worked with the IRS to address stability issues with some internal applications running under Windows 10.

Enhancements for Fusion 2020.2003.5 and JAWS 2020.2003.13 (March 2020)

• In Office 365 and 2019, JAWS and Fusion now properly announce column and row titles for tables in Word documents when navigating using JAWS table reading keystrokes (ALT+CTRL+ARROW keys). For users who prefer to turn off reading of titles while navigating tables for the current document or for all documents, these options can be configured through JAWS Quick Settings (INSERT+V) by searching for "table" or "title."
• If the view in Outlook 365 or 2019 is set to show messages by date, JAWS and Fusion will now indicate using both speech and Braille the date change when you move from one day to the next in messages lists. For example, as you navigate a list of messages covering multiple days, when you move to the first message in the new date group, you will hear announcements such as "today," "yesterday," "last week," or "two weeks ago."
• In Microsoft Teams, addressed an issue where JAWS was not always reading as expected when navigating between messages in a conversation thread.
• Resolved an issue where Microsoft Teams would stop responding for several seconds when CTRL+BACKSPACE was pressed to delete a word in a chat edit field.
• Added a new Language Processing group, located under Text Processing in Settings Center. This group now contains the options for configuring language detection which allows JAWS and Fusion to automatically switch to the appropriate synthesizer language when encountering text in documents and web pages in different languages.
• In response to customer feedback, the keystroke to display the text of the current control in the JAWS Virtual Viewer so it can be selected and copied has been changed to INSERT+SHIFT+V. In Microsoft Teams, this command will also virtualize the currently selected item in a list of messages in a conversation.
• The PC Cursor is now active by default in the Weather, News, and Windows Store applications. Since this cursor now works much better in these apps, it is no longer necessary to use the Touch Cursor.
• JAWS now indicates when text on a web page is marked as deleted or inserted.
• Addressed issues with JAWS and Fusion not always reporting the correct information when navigating tables in Chrome and Edge Chromium.
• When using the ARROW keys or Navigation Quick Keys to move between controls on web pages like check boxes, resolved an issue where the visual highlight was not properly tracking the location of the Virtual Cursor.
• Addressed an issue where pressing Navigation Quick Key G to move to graphics on web pages was not working as expected in both the Chrome and Edge Chromium browsers.
• Addressed a customer reported issue with JAWS not identifying edit fields on certain websites in Chrome.
• If Contracted Braille input is enabled and you select all text in a document using CTRL+A, resolved an issue where using the Braille command LEFT SHIFT+D (DOTS 1-4-5) was not deleting the selected text as expected.
• Removed extra blank lines that were appearing in the JAWS Virtual Viewer when using WINDOWS Key+SEMICOLON to display comments in Word documents.
• Resolved a customer reported issue where attempting to use voice aliases to indicate attributes such as bolded text were not working when using Vocalizer Expressive.
• Resolved an issue where the emoji for a red heart was being incorrectly spoken as a black heart.
• When using the Wikipedia Research It lookup source, only the link to the article is now displayed. Due to changes with the Wikipedia website, JAWS is no longer able to retrieve the synopsis.
• You can now press INSERT+SHIFT+B in either desktop or laptop keyboard layout to obtain battery status and charging information as well as network connection status. You can also still use CAPS LOCK+SHIFT+B in the laptop keyboard layout to read this info.
• Added a new dictionary entry for "endnote" that is specific to the Eloquence synthesizer to improve this announcement for Fusion users. Other synthesizers like SAPI5 and Vocalizer Expressive already speak this correctly.
• Resolved a long-standing issue where configuring individual punctuation settings for a voice profile using the Voice Adjustment dialog box was not working properly. For instance, if you set the punctuation level to None for the PC Cursor voice, but leave it set to Most for the JAWS Cursor, Keyboard, and Tutor and Message voices, JAWS should now use the correct punctuation setting depending on the active voice.
• Updated the JAWS Hot Key Help (INSERT+H) for Skype to remove references to the Back button that existed in prior Skype versions and is now no longer available.

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Enhancements for ZoomText 2020.2001.58 (February 2020)

The following items were resolved in this release.

• Resolved several issues reported by customers running ZoomText or Fusion with the newly released IBM Notes 9 Social Edition.
• Made tracking improvements to both Cursor Enhancements and the magnified Viewport while using Firefox.
• Resolved an issue where Neo Speech Voices were not reading while using App Reader in ZoomText.
• When performing a SayAll, Cursor Enhancements are now disabled until the SayAll stops.

Enhancements for Fusion 2020.2001.31 and JAWS 2020.2001.70 (February 2020)

• Added a new JAWS Settings Center option called "Skip Blank Lines While Navigating" which is on by default when reading web pages and PDF documents. This feature helps make reading more efficient as JAWS and Fusion ignores blank lines as you navigate using UP and DOWN ARROW. For those who prefer to hear blank lines while navigating, open Settings Center (INSERT+6) and clear this check box. You can find this new option in the Web / HTML / PDF group under Reading.
• Changed the Highlight Tracking used in JAWS when navigating web pages or PDF documents with the Virtual Cursor from a Green Block to a Red Box to match ZoomText and Fusion. To further customize the settings used for visually highlighting text as you navigate, open Settings Center and expand the Visual Tracking group.
• Addressed issues using JAWS and Fusion with the new Microsoft Edge Chromium Browser released in January 2020. Notable fixes include reviewing text in Edit Controls and the Address Bar as well as a possible loss of speech and braille output.
• When reading comments in Word documents, JAWS now also reads any reply comments. For instance, if you are focused on a comment that contains a reply, pressing ALT+SHIFT+APOSTROPHE now reads both the original comment followed by the reply.
• When using Say All (INSERT+DOWN ARROW) to read a book in the Kindle for PC application, resolved a customer reported issue where JAWS or Fusion would repeat the last line after reaching the end.
• Added a new Quick Settings option called "Blank Cell Announcement" for JAWS and Fusion that is available when using Excel. By default, when you encounter empty cells as you navigate spreadsheets, you hear "blank" followed by the cell coordinates. Turn off this option if you only want to hear the coordinates of empty cells, making speech less verbose as you navigate.
• Removed the "Microsoft Edge Browser Support" option from JAWS Settings Center as it is no longer needed. This control was required in order to use the original Edge browser that is being removed from Windows 10 by Microsoft and replaced by the new Chromium version of Edge released in January 2020.
• Added the ability for JAWS and Fusion to properly recognize and report both Column Span and Row Span info in HTML tables where information might span over two or more cells.
• For JAWS installations licensed using one of the new portal licenses that is tied to an email address, the status line of the JAWS window now only displays the expiration date for the license. The About dialog box will display additional license information including the users email Address, expiration date, and the serial number.
• Addressed an issue where typing contracted braille very quickly using a braille keyboard would sometimes cause text to appear in gibberish. This was observed primarily when typing in Office applications and when exporting text from the Scratchpad on Focus braille displays into an open Office document.
• Resolved a long standing issue where attempting to select and delete multiple words in a row using a braille keyboard was not working as expected in Word and Outlook.
• When typing in a Word document using contracted braille, resolved an issue where immediately backspacing over a word and typing a replacement word would result in duplicate text on the current line.
• Added support for three African Languages (Sotho, Xhosa, and Zulu) when using Convenient OCR in JAWS and Fusion.
• Resolved a reported issue with tree views in Eclipse not reading as expected using speech. Braille support for these controls will be addressed in a future update.
• All JAWS Flexible Web Rules created for one Chromium-based browser will now apply to other browsers that also uses Chromium. For example, if you create a Flexible Web Rule in Chrome, it will also apply for the new Microsoft Edge Chromium browser.
• Resolved an issue where FSReader would become unresponsive when opening a very large DAISY book.
• Added a function for web application scripts that helps JAWS ignore the role="application" attribute when a web author has used it incorrectly. This was reported by ONCE in Spain and was related to SAP web-based applications.
• Resolved a reported issue from ONCE in Spain where opening very large messages in Outlook 365 with lots of nested levels was causing JAWS and Outlook to stop responding.
• Added Color Settings options to the View menu in the Script Manager to help users who have issues viewing certain colors, for instance, red/green color blindness.

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Enhancements for ZoomText 2020.1912.8 (December 2019)

The following items were resolved in this release.

• Resolved an issue where Word 2010 would stop responding after clicking in a document while ZoomText was running
• Non-English versions of ZoomText now pronounce character punctuation correctly when Keyboard Echo is set to characters.
• Resolved an issue where older NeoSpeech voices Kate and Paul were not working in ZoomText.
• The names of the SAPI 5 speech synthesizers now display correctly in the Synthesizer list in Voice Settings.
• Resolved several issues related to Focus and Cursor Enhancements not tracking properly in the current versions of Chrome and Firefox.
• Resolved an issue in Chrome and Firefox where ZoomText was not reading all text in a reading zone.
• Resolved an issue where focus would jump to the top left corner of the window when entering an edit control in the current Edge beta release.

Enhancement in both ZoomText 2020.1912.8 and Fusion 2020.1912.3 (December 2019)

Functionality has been added to Fusion, or when running ZoomText and JAWS together, that was previously only available in MAGic. When performing a Say All (INSERT+DOWN ARROW), JAWS begins reading from the current location of the Virtual Cursor or mouse pointer, whichever was last moved. For instance, if you are moving around a web page or PDF document using the mouse pointer, you can point the mouse at the location where you want to start reading and press INSERT+DOWN ARROW to start the Say All. This works in Chrome, Internet Explorer, the new Microsoft Edge browser, Acrobat Reader DC, as well as the JAWS Results Viewer and the JAWS and ZoomText help systems. It currently does not work in Firefox as you must first click at the location where you want to begin reading before starting the Say All.

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Enhancements for ZoomText 2020.1910.96 (November 2019)

The following items were resolved in release 2020.1910.96.

• Resolved several issues reported by customers where Microsoft Office apps were not responding while running with ZoomText.
• Resolved an issue where ZoomText would stop responding, or hang, at the ZoomText startup screen or the Windows logon screen. This problem usually occurred when ZoomText was set to automatically start when Windows starts.
• Resolved an issue that would occur when dragging a window in a magnified area of the screen. It was reported that the screen was not scrolling as expected. It was noticed more often at higher magnification levels.