Release Notes

ZoomText 10 Release Notes
ZoomText Mac Release Notes
ZoomText 9.0-9.19 Release Notes
ZoomText 8.13 Release Notes
ZoomText 8.0 Release Notes
ZoomText 7.0 - 7.11 Release Notes

ZoomText Express Release Notes

New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix

ZoomText 10 Release Notes

This document contains the latest information on ZoomText 10 (at the time of release). For updated information, go to our support page or contact technical support at tel: (802) 362-3612 or .

This document is divided into the following sections:

• Changes in each release since version 10.0


• System Requirements


• Network Discovery


• Compatibility with Other Accessibility Programs


• Known and Potential Problems

Version 10.0.7

Released February, 2013 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Improved reading support for Internet Explorer 8
ZoomText's "WebSupport" engine for Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) can now be enabled in Internet Explorer 8 (IE8); providing faster startup, accuracy and reliability in ZoomText's reading tools (AppReader, DocReader and SpeakIt Tool).

To enable the WebSupport engine in IE8

1. In ZoomText's Help menu, choose Tech Support...


2. In the Fix-It Command edit box, type: WebSupport Add IE8


3. Click the OK button.

To disable the WebSupport engine in IE8

1. In ZoomText's Help menu, choose Tech Support...


2. In the Fix-It Command edit box, type: WebSupport Remove IE8


3. Click the OK button.

Improved support for OpenOffice
ZoomText now provides improved support for OpenOffice applications. These improvements include the following:

• ZoomText's tracking, echo and focus enhancements now work in OpenOffice application menus


• ZoomText's cursor echo now works in OpenOffice applications


• ZoomText now provides basic AppReader support in the OpenOffice Writer application (start, stop and arrow key navigation)

Important! ZoomText's support for OpenOffice requires that the Java Access Bridge (JAB) is installed and enabled on your system. Information and instructions for installing and enabling the Java Access Bridge can be found in an Ai Squared knowledge base article.

Fix for running Java applications
When ZoomText was running, attempts to launch 32-bit Java applications that utilize the Java Access Bridge would fail (the Java application would open momentarily and then close). This problem has been fixed.

Version 10.0.6

Released January, 2013 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Improvements to IE9 support
ZoomText now provides greatly improved support for email and other web sites when running in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9). Improvements cover many of ZoomText's features including: typing and program echo, cursor echo and tracking, cursor enhancements, reading with AppReader and DocReader, and use of Reading Zones.

64-bit version of IE9 is now supported
ZoomText can now be used with the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

Improved support for Yahoo email
ZoomText now provides specifically improved support for Yahoo email running in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9). Improvements cover typing and program echo, cursor echo and tracking, cursor enhancements, and use of ZoomText's document reading tools.

PDF documents now open quickly in Adobe Reader
When ZoomText was running, PDF documents would open very slowly in Adobe Reader. This problem has been fixed.

Caps Lock state now correctly announced
In various applications, including Microsoft Office and Firefox; ZoomText would incorrectly announce the state of the Caps Lock. This problem has been fixed.

WebFinder now works with Firefox 15
ZoomText's WebFinder can now be used in Firefox 15 to find text in webpages.

ZoomText now reads in ABBYY FineReader
ZoomText's AppReader and DocReader can now be used to read text captured from images in ABBYY FineReader.

Support for QQ
ZoomText now supports QQ, a Chinese social media application.

Fix for DocReader error ID#13 in various applications
In various applications, including Microsoft Office, WordPad, Notepad and Adobe Acrobat 9; DocReader would fail to start and present error ID#13. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for IE9 crash when attempting to compose Gmail "In New Window"
When using Gmail in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and attempting to compose a new email "In New Window", ZoomText would cause IE9 to crash. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for crash when starting ZoomText after JAWS 13
When the 64-bit version of JAWS 13 was already running, attempting to start ZoomText would cause a crash. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for crash when opening Support and Help in Windows 7 64-bit OS
In 64 bit versions of Windows 7, attempting to access Support and Help from the Windows Start menu would cause a crash. This problem has been fixed.

Version 10.0.5

Released September, 2012 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Fix for using Reading tools in Gmail running in Internet Explorer
When using Gmail in Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) or Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), ZoomText's reading features and tools would fail to work. These problems have been fixed.

Fix for using AppReader in Comcast Mail
In the Comcast email client, ZoomText's AppReader would fail to read the body of an email message. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for starting Java applications
When ZoomText was running, attempts to start some Java applications would fail. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for AppReader starting slowly in IE8
ZoomText's AppReader tool would start slowly in Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). This problem has been fixed.

Fix for Mouse Echo not reading lines in Office Communicator 2005
When using Microsoft Office Communicator 2005, ZoomText's Mouse Echo feature would only echo the word under the mouse pointer when it was configured to "Echo all words in the line or object". This problem has been fixed.

Fix for crash when clicking the "In new window" button in Gmail
When using Gmail in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and composing a new email, if you clicked the "In new window" button IE9 would crash. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for crash when running with Thunderbird 14
When attempting to run ZoomText with Thunderbird 14 a variety of crash behaviors could occur. These problems have been fixed.

Version 10.0.3.2

Released June, 2012 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

IMPORTANT! This 10.0.3.2 update only applies to ZoomText 10 installations that were previously updated to 10.0.3 via ZoomText's update wizard. Installations of 10.0.3 via CD or trial download do not contain the problems addressed in this 10.0.3.2 update.

Fix for reading problems in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9)
The 10.0.3 update introduced support for IE9. In the 10.0.3 online update (obtained through ZoomText's update wizard) an incorrect component was included that caused problems with ZoomText's reading support in IE9, including slow startup of AppReader and DocReader, and incorrect display of the word highlight (for spoken words). This problem has been fixed.

Fix for cursor and reading support in the Thunderbird email client
In the 10.0.3 online update (obtained through ZoomText's update wizard) a required component for ZoomText's cursor and reading support in the Thunderbird email client was missing. This problem has been fixed.

Version 10.0.3

Released June, 2012 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Improved magnification and reading in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9)
ZoomText now provides smooth text magnification (xFont) and reading of web pages in IE9. Reading support includes ZoomText's AppReader, DocReader, SpeakIt tool and echo features (including echo of the IE9 browser cursor).

Support for ARIA and HTML5 in Internet Explorer 9 (IE9)
When using Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), ZoomText now supports: ARIA landmarks and HTML5 tags for navigating page sections when using Web Finder, ARIA roles and attributes for announcing clearer descriptions of web page controls and other elements, and ARIA live regions to track and announce pop up bars and alerts (enabled by the Alert check boxes in ZoomText's Program Echo and Navigation > Tracking dialog boxes).

Support for text cursor and reading in Thunderbird email client
ZoomText now provides support for the text cursor in the Thunderbird email client, including cursor tracking, cursor enhancements and typing echo. In addition, ZoomText's reading tools can now read email that is open in its own window (as opposed to the preview pane).

Support for Portuguese languages
Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese localizations have been added in this release of ZoomText 10.

Reading and executing links works properly in Adobe Reader
AppReader and DocReader will now read and execute links in Adobe Reader.

Note: When executing links a security warning dialog may appear according to Adobe Reader's Manage Internet Access settings. To view and change these settings:

1. In the Adobe Reader menu bar, choose Edit > Preferences. The Preferences dialog will appear.


2. In the Categories list, choose Trust Manager. The Trust Manager settings will appear in the right pane of the dialog.


3. Under "Internet Files from PDF Files", click the Change Settings... button. The Manage Internet Access dialog will appear.


4. Select the desired Internet access settings.


5. Click the Ok button.

Improved support for running ZoomText with JAWS
Starting with ZoomText version 10.0.3 and JAWS version 13.0.900, ZoomText and JAWS can now be started and exited in any order (32-bit only).

Note: Prior to these versions, you had to start ZoomText before JAWS and exit JAWS before ZoomText. Starting and exiting in the wrong order could cause the system to crash.

Brightness and Contrast adjustments for ZoomText Camera now spoken correctly
When using the ZoomText Camera feature, adjustments to the brightness or contrast settings are now announced as "increase brightness" or "decrease brightness", and "increase contrast" or "decrease contrast".

Fix to keep ZoomText USB from backing up onto itself
With previous versions, the ZoomText USB backup utility would allow backing up onto itself, corrupting the USB device. The ZoomText USB backup utility no longer allows backing up onto itself.

Fix for NeoSpeech/ZoomText crash when speaking certain number patterns
NeoSpeech and ZoomText would crash when reading number sequences containing a string of numbers with decimal points between. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for occasional crash with Optelec USB CCTVs
When using ZoomText with Optelec USB CCTVs, repeated enabling and disabling of the CCTV would cause occasional crashes. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for occasional loss of xFont
When ZoomText had been running for longer periods of time, xFont magnification would occasionally stop working. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for jumpy tracking when using Web Finder
When using Web Finder and navigating through web page menus, ZoomText's magnified view would sometimes jump or bounce. This problem has been fixed.

Version 10.0.2

Released March, 2012 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Additional Support for International Languages
The following languages have been added in the localized versions of ZoomText 10: Chinese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic and Turkish.

Additional Performance Enhancements to ZoomText Camera
The ZoomText Camera feature has been optimized to provide faster video performance when the camera image is rotated to 90, 180 or 270 degree orientations.

Version 10.0.1

Released February, 2012 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

Support for European Languages
ZoomText 10 is now available in the following European languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Slovak, Spanish and Swedish.

Enhanced ZoomText Camera Performance
The ZoomText Camera feature has been optimized to provide faster video performance on systems equipped with a multi-core processor. Controls have also been added in the ZoomText Camera dialog providing manual selection of the camera video frame rate, allowing you to balance overall camera and system performance. In addition, ZoomText now disables the screen when the ZoomText Camera is active. This allows use of the ZoomText Camera without the screen shutting off (because of inactivity of the computer keyboard and mouse). Note: The system’s monitor sleep mode may still cause the monitor to sleep due to inactivity.

Enhanced support for iTunes
Performance and stability have been greatly improved when running ZoomText in iTunes.

Support for Java Access Bridge (version 2.02)
ZoomText now supports Java Access Bridge v2.02 allowing ZoomText to magnify, track and read Java applications.

Fix for random activation errors
On some systems, errors would occur when attempting to activate ZoomText. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for phantom Web Finder highlight
After exiting ZoomText's Web Finder the green toolbar highlight would sometimes remain on the screen. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for failed AppReader startup when launched from Web Finder
When starting AppReader from the Web Finder, AppReader would sometimes fail to start and display an error. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for input focus issues when using ZoomText logon support
When ZoomText's logon support was active in the Windows logon screen, the ZoomText logon toolbar would steal the keyboard focus. Although a blinking text cursor would appear in the logon controls (user name or password field), text would not be entered when typing. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for ZoomText Update Wizard failures
Under certain conditions, downloads initiated by the ZoomText Update Wizard would stop before the download was complete. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for ZoomText closing when using Windows task switcher
On some systems, ZoomText would close unexpectedly when invoking the Windows task switcher (i.e. when pressing ALT + TAB). This problem has been fixed.

Fix for AppReader issues in Adobe Reader 10
In Adobe Reader 10, ZoomText's AppReader would sometimes skip portions of the document and prematurely exit. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for incorrect program echo when using Windows high contrast schemes
When using Windows high contrast schemes, ZoomText would announce the state checkboxes as "checked" even when they were not checked. This problem has been fixed.

Fix for removal of files when uninstalling ZoomText
When uninstalling ZoomText, the ZoomText Setup program would fail to remove the ZoomText program folder. This problem has been fixed.

Version 10.0

Released November, 2011 for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows XP

New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix

Support for US English
The initial release of ZoomText 10 (version 10.0) is available in US English only. Localized versions will be introduced in a follow up version 10.0x update release.

Enhanced Web Finder
The newly redesigned Web Finder has been expanded to allow you to swiftly search, skim, navigate and read web pages. You can now search for words or phrases throughout an entire webpage to find topics of interest. When you've found a topic of interest you can have Web Finder start reading from that location (ZoomText Magnifier/Reader only). Web Finder can also find and execute links and controls allowing you to seamlessly navigate between web pages.

New ZoomText Camera
The new ZoomText Camera feature allows you to use any high-definition (HD) webcam to magnify printed items and other objects right on your computer screen—including bills, magazines, photographs, medicine labels, craft items and more.

New Background Reader
The new Background Reader allows you to listen to documents, webpages, email or any text while you simultaneously perform other tasks. You simply copy or select the text you want to listen to and start Background Reader. While the text is being read aloud, you are free to type notes, browse the web or do any other work on your computer.

New ZoomText Recorder
The new ZoomText Recorder allows you to turn text from documents, webpages, email or other sources into audio recordings that you can listen to on your computer or transfer to your mobile device for listening to on the go. Create recordings in your choice of ZoomText voices or any other voices available on your system.

New Read from Pointer
The new “Read from Pointer” command lets you instantly start AppReader at the word under the mouse pointer, making use of AppReader fast and seamless in documents, web pages and email.

Improved support for iTunes
Performance and stability have been greatly improved when using ZoomText in iTunes.

New Text Finder Highlight
You can now configure unique highlight settings for the ZoomText Text Finder.

System Requirements

The following hardware and software is required to run ZoomText 10:

• Windows 7, Vista, or XP (SP2)


• 1.5 GHz for Windows 7 and Windows Vista
  1 GHz Pentium® 4 or equivalent for Windows XP


• 1 GB RAM for Windows 7 and Vista (2GB recommended)
  512 MB RAM for Windows XP (1 GB recommended)


• 50 MB free hard disk space (additional 60 MB required for each NeoSpeech synthesizer)


• USB 2.0 (for webcam support if using ZoomText Camera feature)


• Sound card (for Magnifier/Reader version only)

Compatibility with Other Accessibility Programs

Most accessibility programs install a chaining display driver that is always active, whether or not the accessibility program is currently running. When two or more accessibility products are installed on the same machine, there is the potential for compatibility problems with the accessibility programs. It is also possible that installing multiple accessibility programs may cause a crash when the system boots.

Some accessibility programs, including ZoomText 10, utilize DCM (Driver Chain Manager) to improve compatibility with other DCM compliant accessibility programs. ZoomText 10 utilizes DCM on Windows XP systems and Windows Vista systems that are equipped with older video hardware. If you are running other accessibility programs on your system, check with the manufactures of each program for compatibility information and upgrades recommended for improved compatibility with other accessibility programs.

Known and Potential Problems

In Firefox (web browser) you need to run the browser zoom level at 100%. Otherwise ZoomText's SpeakIt tool and Reading Zones will not read correctly, and AppReader, DocReader and Web Finder highlighting will not line up with the current spoken word.

ZoomText will co-exist and run alongside JAWS screen reader, however, crashes and errors are known to occur when exiting JAWS. To work around this problem you need to start JAWS before ZoomText and then exit ZoomText before JAWS.

ZoomText Mac Release Notes

This document contains the latest information on ZoomText Mac (at the time of release). For updated information, go to our support page or contact technical support at tel: (802) 362-3612 option #3 or .

ZoomText Mac 1.02

Released May, 2013 for Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion)


Low FPS Warnings Freeze System
Some users experienced a system freeze when processor intensive applications were running. This has been corrected.

Application Freeze When Switching From Full Screen to Lens Mode
Some users experienced a freeze when switching view modes. This has been corrected.

ZoomText Mac 1.01

Released May, 2013 for Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion)

Support for European Languages
ZoomText Mac now includes localizations for Spanish, French and Portuguese. Users can switch languages via the “Languages & Text” settings in System Preferences. Note, you may need to restart ZoomText in order to load the new language.

New Color Warmth/Coolness Slider
ZoomText Mac now includes a simple slider that allows user to apply a warming or cooling filter to any selected color scheme. This filter allows the user to fine tune their color preferences.

Tracking in Mail.App
ZoomText Mac now correctly tracks the cursor when composing a new email or replying to an existing email.

Tracking in the Finder
ZoomText Mac now correctly tracks more Finder actions including Spotlight searches launched via the keyboard.

Performance Improvements
ZoomText Mac contains changes that substantially boost performance on all compatible hardware.