Overview

Version 5.1 released! ClaroRead for PC V5.1 was released on 15th September 2009.

ClaroRead is a highly effective multi-sensory software solution for supporting individuals who struggle with reading and writing. Designed with maximum simplicity, adaptability and flexibility, users of any age and level of ability will have a world of information unlocked through ClaroRead.

ClaroRead is closely integrated with Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, so practically any text can be spoken aloud by this powerful software. ClaroRead helps in delivering high quality, accurate documents through use of the proofreading tool.

Users benefit from the addition of visual tools that color, highlight and focus on difficult to read text as it is spoken by the computer. Words can also be spoken back as they are typed, ensuring the accuracy of written papers, tests, and study notes.

ClaroRead V5 Premium versions come with the NEW Exporter function for easy transferring of your settings from computer to computer - great for people who are always on the go!

The range of add-on voices in over 20 different languages is also helpful for language students.

Related Datasheets:
» ClaroRead V5 DataSheet
» ClaroRead V5 Comparison Chart

Features

ClaroRead V5 features and benefits

Text to Speech Features, Word Integration, Color, Font & Spacing, Homophones, Dictionary, Word Prediction, Scan Paper & PDF, ScreenRuler, Claroview, ClaroCapture, USB version and Exporter.

What's New in ClaroRead V5?

New For V5.1 - Support for Open Office 2.4 and 3.0

ClaroRead V5.1 now supports speech in Open Office 2.4 and 3.0. Features supported include: highlighting by word, word trail, sentence or paragraph: background while highlighting. Features not supported: focus sentence, homophone and spell checker.

New For V5.1 - Updated Voice List

Claro has always aimed to offer the highest quality voices for inclusion with ClaroRead. All versions of ClaroRead For PC now include ten high quality text to speech voices that read anything from your PC clearly and accurately.

New - Visual highlighting

The new focus sentence feature greys or dims out sentences in MS Word not being spoken by the ClaroRead voice. This is helpful for focusing the eye on the text, and also tracking the position in a document. The word trail feature makes words color progressively as it is spoken by ClaroRead. This mode allows effective word by word highlighting, with minimal visual disruption. Any color can be chosen to highlight the text.

New - Readable font

The Tiresias family of fonts have been designed for optimum accessibility and usability. Tiresias PC font is now installed by ClaroRead for use in all your Windows applications. Tiresias was developed by Dr John Gill currently at RNIB Scientific Research Unit in the UK.

New - Research and capture information

The new ClaroCapture program included with ClaroRead V5 lets you collect text from any document and web page, grouping it as a project file. The research file can be sent to Word or PowerPoint. It can also extract highlighted text from Microsoft Word documents. A great study skills tool.

New - Scanning paper and converting PDF files

ClaroRead Plus V5 now uses the updated Omnipage 16 engine, which gives you faster and more accurate scanning, including a rich new Preview function. The Preview function lets you add, delete and re-order scanned areas, alter page orientation and other settings. The highest quality Optical Character Recognition is included in ClaroRead Premium, making it ideal for scanning or converting books, articles and other content to become accessible, readable and editable.

New - Word checking

Word Check now gives extra definitions, context for the current spelling, and a Google search link within the improved Word Check window. Any corrections you make in the ClaroRead spellcheck window are remembered, and you can review your own spelling corrections later. You can use this information to build your personal correction list and add your corrections directly to Word’s Autocorrect in bulk from the ClaroRead Advanced Settings Editor.

New - New voices

Claro has always aimed to offer the highest quality voices for inclusion with ClaroRead. Two new excellent voices have been introduced for ClaroRead V5, a UK English male and a US English Female.

Voices

ClaroRead Premium V5 includes 10 RealSpeak voices. Three American English voices are included (Jill, Samantha and Tom) as well as two French Canadian voices (Felix and Julie). Also included is Daniel (British English), Virginie (French), Moira (Irish), and two Mexican Spanish Voices (Javier and Paulina).

Click on the following links to hear audio samples of the voice.

• Tom (American English)
• Jill (American English)
• Samantha (American English)
• Daniel (British English)
• Moira (Irish English)
• Felix (French Canadian)
• Julie (French Canadian)
• Virginie (French)
• Javier (Mexican Spanish)
• Paulina (Mexican Spanish)

It is possible to add on any of the other RealSpeak Voices for an additional license fee - please contact us for a quote for the voice and language combination you prefer.

To listen to all the various RealSpeak voices try the interactive demonstrator at the Nuance Web Site

ClaroRead can be supplied with most RealSpeak voices, so please contact us to check.

Make your PC Speak with a human sounding voice

ClaroRead speaks back text as it is typed, allowing a student to check and proof-read their work quickly and easily. Text can be spoken at any point by highlighting individual sections of text and pressing Play - great for proofreading.

Close integration with Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer means you can click and play at any point in a document or web page.

Speak This Word allows the user to hear a single word spoken back in their desired voice, simply by holding the CTRL button ClaroRead V5 will speak the word under the mouse pointer.

Spoken words can be tracked using a custom color selection. Any accessible text under the mouse can be spoken if needed.

A strong feature of ClaroRead V5 allows it to echo back words and phrases dictated into any text processor or email application using Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Make audio and video files from text documents for listening to on your PC or a portable audio player. Simply Select and Save - great for revision or listening on the move. Audio quality has been further improved for V5.

A Text to Speech Pronunciation Dictionary is available to modify the way words are pronounced if needed.

Integration with Microsoft Word 2003 & 2007

ClaroRead V5 provides a single tool bar for use in Microsoft Word that combines a homophone and dictionary, font and spacing commands, a thesaurus, spell checker button and a save to audio function. All have clear graphic icons for ease of recognition.

Font and color changing

When working with Microsoft Word, ClaroRead’s Font Button allows you to easily modify the font size, type, and color of the whole document. ClaroRead V5 now includes the Tiresias family of fonts which have been designed for optimum accessibility and usability. Tiresias PC font is now installed by ClaroRead for use in all your Windows applications.

With the Font button you can:

• Increase or decrease the font size.
• Change the font to one of 3 popular fonts with one click. The fonts can be chosen in the new ClaroRead Advanced Settings Editor.
• Change the color of the text of a whole document and change the background color of your PC easily.

Spacing

Text character, line and paragraph spacing using Microsoft Word menus requires detailed knowledge. ClaroRead makes it simple to space out text, both in Word and on web pages using Internet Explorer 6 or 7. Pressing the Spacing Button when working in Word or Internet Explorer will help you:

• Expand spacing
• Change line spacing
• Changes the number of points (spaces) after the end of each paragraph.

Homophones and difficult words

Homophones are words that are pronounced alike even if they differ in spelling or meaning, such as "pair" and "pear".

ClaroRead Homophone features will:

• Mark in color all the homophones and difficult words in a document. Using the new Advanced Settings Editor, you can also add difficult and confusing words.
  
• The Check Feature will list alternative words that sound the same, along with the meaning of each word.
• Mark homophones in color as you type.
• Word with Pictures: Over a thousand pictures are included in ClaroRead, helping users to select the correct homophone or choice of wording. Pictures can be turned on or off.

Check word - a single button press

ClaroRead provides a single Check Button for use in Microsoft Word that combines a homophone dictionary, thesaurus, reference dictionary and spellchecker, making the checking of your text and documents easier and more comprehensive.

If a word is a homophone the Homophone Check Box will appear, along with the definition. If the word has alternative words with the same or similar meaning, the Meaning Check Box will appear. You can then view more to see the dictionary definition. You can SpellCheck individual words or the whole of your document at any time.

The Check Boxes are fully speech enabled, so hovering the mouse over the words will make them speak. We also have over 2000 picture icons to help with word definitions.

Scan paper & convert PDF files onto Word

With ClaroRead V5, the powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology means that any paper document or PDF file becomes accessible. Through the integration of Omnipage 16 OCR engine, textbooks, photocopies and handouts are easily converted into Word documents. The text can then be spoken out by ClaroRead or edited. PDF files can also be unlocked and edited, opening a wealth of material for accessibility to every student, regardless of the format.

This feature works using all scanners with TWAIN or WIA compatible scanners.

Word Prediction

ClaroRead V5 contains a word prediction feature, which is be useful for certain computer users. ClaroRead uses a base prediction dictionary consisting of the most frequently used words in the English language. The dictionary learns as you type, and rejects words that don't pass the automatic spellcheck.

The Prediction List will automatically appear by your cursor during typing. Alternatively, you can set the Prediction windows anywhere on the screen to use it as a reference.

The ClaroRead Advanced Settings Editor now allows the creation of multiple Prediction Dictionaries, by importing words from existing documents. Ideal for creating subject and curriculum specific dictionaries, it puts the tool into the hands of the teacher.

ClaroRead Extras

For ClaroRead V5 we have added more applications and utilities (ClaroRead Extras) to enrich the toolkit available to you. Existing and future ClaroRead users can visit the ClaroRead Extras website from ClaroRead to obtain product updates, free downloads, add on products and support information.

ClaroRead Extras neatly groups together a range of accessibility utilities such as; ClaroView screen color filter, ScreenRuler reading ruler, Speaking Calculator and Accessible PDF.

Save to video

Building on the popularity of our Save to Audio feature in all versions of ClaroRead, we have now enhanced this to produce Save to Video. It is now possible to convert any text into a video with a high quality "voice over," synchronized with the text. You can change the text color settings to your preferences and the video can be produced to suit a wide range of popular mobile devices with video screens - iPhones, iPod Touch and Nano, Nokia, Walkman phones, and of course Media Player software. It is quick and easy to do, allowing you to take your documents and webpages with you while on the move.

Accessible PDF

ClaroRead has always allowed PDF files to be spoken aloud, and also converted on to Microsoft Word format. Accessible PDF reader is a standalone product, which is available as a free download to anyone. The Claro Accessible PDF Reader will convert accessible PDF Files in to a web page style retaining the original format and layout or a simple text only view. You can then change any of the color, font and spacing using the built in controls, and ClaroRead will speak back the text aloud.

ClaroCapture

The new ClaroCapture program included with ClaroRead V5 lets you collect text from any document and web page, grouping it as a project file. The research file can be sent to Word or PowerPoint. It can also extract highlighted text from Microsoft Word documents. A great study skills tool.

This tool is also available to purchase as a download only. Please click here to be taken to the online download store to purchase ClaroCapture.

Exporter

Exporter is designed to allow you to synchronize settings for Claro products between your computer and USB stick. This is a great feature for people who move about between shared computers and do not want to have to set up their settings every time.

ScreenRuler Suite 

ClaroRead V5 includes the separate program ScreenRuler. ScreenRuler is a separate application that works as a reading bar and strip magnifier. This allows part of the PC screen to be highlighted and magnified in a horizontal band.

This will assist anyone with viewing and concentrating on text or objects. It provides a 'strip' or 'ruler' across the screen, which can magnify, change contrast, and 'grey' or 'dim' a background.

It is available separately for $79.00.

ClaroView 

Our new tinting product ClaroView is now included on the ClaroRead Plus CD. ClaroView act as a colored overlay for the PC.

Upgrades

Upgrades are available for existing users of ClaroRead. These can be provided by special download link on request. Upgrades may be chargeable, depending on your version of ClaroRead. Contact usasales@clarosoftware.com for more information about upgrading.

Extensive Online Help Section

For information and help on using ClaroRead, please click here to be taken to the extensive online help.

Screenshots

Trial

Free 15 day trial of ClaroRead Plus V5 USA Edition with Realspeak US Tom voice.

If you require a free demo on a CD instead, please contact us.

» Free Trial

Specification

System Requirements

• Windows Vista, XP, Windows 7
• Sound Card
• 512 MB RAM or more is recommended
• 250MB Hard Disk Space Maximum Required
• Scanner Supporting TWAIN or WIA Drivers required for Scan2Text scan from paper. Click here for a list of compatible scanners (select Omnipage 16)
• Microsoft Word 2000, XP, 2003 or 2007 recommended