K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader™ The Personal Reader from Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind User Guide Copyright © 2006-2007: . K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. www.knfbreader.com June 2006 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Further Assistance 3 1.1 Welcome 3 1.2 What the Reader Can Do 3 1.3 What the Reader Cannot Do 4 1.4 Things that Affect Reader Performance 5 1.5 Getting to Know the Reader 5 1.6 Getting Further Assistance 6 2. What’s in the Box 7 3. Basic Tutorial 8 3.1 Preparing the Reader Before First-time Use 8 3.2 Orientation 8 3.2.1. Device Composition 9 3.2.2. PDA Landmarks 9 3.2.3. Camera Landmarks 10 3.3 Learning the Reader Control Buttons 10 3.4 Turning the Reader On 11 3.4.1. First-Time Use 11 3.4.2. Normal Use 11 3.4.3. Turning the Camera On 11 3.5 Typical Reader Operation 12 3.5.1. Changing Modes 13 3.5.2. Using the Field of View Report 13 3.5.3. Using Shooting Mode 15 3.5.4. Recording Voice Notes 15 3.6 Tips for Practicing 15 3.7 Turning the Reader Off 15 4. Routine Maintenance 17 4.1 Changing the S D Card 17 4.2 Correcting a Problem with Assembly or Reassembly of the Reader 17 4.3 Charging the PDA 18 4.4 Replacing the Camera Battery 18 4.4.1. Removing the Camera Battery 19 4.4.2. Charging the Camera Battery 20 4.4.3. Inserting a Fresh Battery into the Camera 20 4.5 Resetting the PDA 21 4.6 Resetting the Camera 21 4.7 Calibrating the PDA 21 4.8 Reinstalling the Software 22 4.9 Upgrading the Reader Software 23 4.10 Using, Realigning, and Replacing the Polarizers on the Camera Lens and Camera Flash ouput 23 5. General Functions 24 5.1 Turning on the Reader 24 5.2 Getting Help 24 5.3 Changing Modes and Saving Files 25 5.4 Working with View Finder and Voice Notes 26 5.5 Canceling Actions and Shutting down the Reader 26 6. Mode-Specific Functions 27 6.1 Shooting Mode 27 6.2 Document Reader 29 6.2.1. Using File Explorer 30 6.3 User Settings 32 6.3.1. Set Date and Time 32 6.3.2. Camera Flash Mode 32 6.3.3. Camera Resolution 33 6.3.4. Reading Mode 33 6.3.5. File Saving Options 33 6.3.6. Auto Shut Down 33 6.4 Documentation Explorer 34 6.4.1. Using Documentation Explorer 34 7. Limited Warranty 36 1. Introduction and Further Assistance 1.1 WELCOME Welcome to the Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader™, the personal, hand-held reader from Ray Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind! The Kurzweil–National Federation of the Blind Reader (hereafter called “the Reader”) enables you to read most ordinary printed documents immediately, just about anywhere you go. 1.2 WHAT THE READER CAN DO The Reader can read a wide variety of document types that you may encounter throughout the day. It is particularly well-suited for reading printed memos, reports, fliers, etc.—the kinds of things typically printed from a personal computer, but it will also read many professionally printed items of various sizes, including the following: • Airline boarding passes • Restaurant menus • Utility bills • Various kinds of postal envelopes • Books • Magazines • Some parcel labels • Product labels • Printed bus schedules • Receipts • Conference handouts • Hotel magnetic-strip room keys • Medicine prescriptions and medical product information sheets • CD-ROM labels • Business cards In addition to reading documents that are processed by the Reader, the Reader allows you to read other Rich Text Format (RTF) documents and plain-text documents that you download to or create on a PC. These kinds of documents can be transferred to the Reader using a Secure Digital card. 1.3 WHAT THE READER CANNOT DO As a kind of artificial intelligence, the Reader technology may be somewhat unpredictable. Some things can be read with very high reliability, while other things are read with lower reliability. In general it is a good idea to give the Reader a try with anything you might like to read. It may surprise you. Performance with reading household product containers (food boxes, tea bags, milk containers, detergent bottles, etc.) is mixed, primarily because these containers typically include a lot of artistic text on the front side and dense, complex text layouts on the back side. Try it! The Reader’s performance reliability is substantially lower with reading certain other kinds of text, including: • Text printed on cylinders, warped or incomplete images (such as soup cans or medicine bottles) • LED and LCD screens (such as digital clocks, ATM machines, microwave ovens, and cell phone screens) • Telephone keys (including cell phone keys) • Vending machine buttons • Vending machine instructions • Street signs • Engraved print (such as serial numbers) on machines • Very large printed text • Posted signs such as bus signs and things in shop windows • Analog clocks Moving text displays are least likely to be recognized. 1.4 THINGS THAT AFFECT READER PERFORMANCE As with human vision, performance varies depending on a number of factors, including: • Surface reflection and glare • Distance from the Reader to the item to be read • Text sizes and text size variability • Text layout • Text curvature (as from the pages of a bound book when open) • Document wrinkles and creases • Background images and background colors • Text boundaries • Background reading surface, color, and texture (as with tables) • Ambient lighting • Shadows • Image occlusion by jackets, shirts or blouses, and neckties The Reader can generally accommodate some normal amount of variability with each of these factors in ordinary documents, except those pesky neckties. 1.5 GETTING TO KNOW THE READER The Reader is designed to be simple to operate, but it does require some training and practice. Many things will affect the Reader’s performance. In our experience, the most common of the negative factors are also the most easily controlled. Getting optimal performance requires keeping some of these factors in mind at all times. That can be confusing if you aren’t sure which of the variables may be keeping you from getting a good shot. When you are first getting to know the Reader, it is best to practice with a simple document in a controlled environment. You may want to use a simple document such as a grocery list, printed with 14-point text on white paper, and put the paper on a dark background. After some practice with aiming and using the Field of View Report, you will be able to get a better sense of whether problems with reading documents are due to your operation of the Reader or due to other factors such as battery life or glare. We believe you will find that a few days of practice and persistence can greatly improve performance. 1.6 GETTING FURTHER ASSISTANCE To obtain technical support in using the Reader, first review and study this User Guide. A Quick Start Instructions, Command Summary, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are also included in the user documentation set. If that doesn’t help with the problem, please call your dealer for technical support. If you need further assistance, contact K-NFB Reading Technology. • Send an email request for technical support to: support at knfbreader dot com • Call K-NFB Reading Technology Reader Tech Support Line toll free at: 1-877-547-1500 • 2. What’s in the Box The Reader distribution kit includes the following items: • Print and Braille “Quick Start Instructions” • Print and Braille “Command Summary” • Print and Braille “User Guide” • Print and audio CD Software Licensing Agreement • Print and Braille “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” • An audio tutorial CD There is also a carrying case that has a handle on the top panel and attached shoulder strap. With the main Velcro flap of the case facing you, you will find the following: • On the left panel of the case, there is a Velcro pocket containing the camera battery charger, a small rectangular box that has retracted prongs along one of the edges. To plug the charger into a power outlet, pull back the prongs first. The charger also holds a spare camera battery on one of its sides. On the right panel, is another Velcro pocket, containing the earphones in a round plastic case. Open the main Velcro flap. Under this flap is the zippered S D card compartment. In the compartment’s left pocket is the Reader software installation S D card in a small plastic case. In the right pocket is an empty S D card case. Its 1 Gigabyte S D card is already in the Reader system serving as memory storage. As you hold the main Velcro flap up, along its base is the main zippered compartment, containing the Reader which consists of a Pocket PC (hereafter referred to as “the PDA”), a digital camera, and a plastic backplane, all held together in a fabric case. • After you take the Reader out, you will find a case divider, Lift up the divider to find another compartment which houses the PDA charger (a small rectangular box with a cable). 3. Basic Tutorial In this section we give a more detailed overview of the Reader functionality. For a more extensive tutorial, please listen to the audio tutorial CD included with the Reader. 3.1 PREPARING THE READER BEFORE FIRST-TIME USE Place the Reader in front of you with the large flat surface (with the visual display screen) facing up toward the ceiling. Have the flat skinny end (called the "power end") toward you and the thicker end (called the "camera battery and card slot end") pointed away from you. We call this the "normal operating position." Plug the Reader into an external power source as soon as you receive it. The charger is a small rectangular box with a cable, stored under a false floor in the carrying bag. Plug the small rectangular box with two flat prongs into the wall outlet. With the Reader in normal operating position, insert the round connecter of the power cord into the small hole on the right edge of the “power end” so when the cord is plugged in it is pointing out to the right. Charge the Reader for at least one hour before using. Keep in mind that it takes approximately two hours to fully charge the Reader. Please note that it is important to charge the Reader overnight and several hours each day whenever you are not using it. 3.2 ORIENTATION While the Reader is in normal operating position, find the set of buttons on the top surface just below the flat screen. This is the Reader control button panel. Place the Reader panel near you, with the screen still facing up toward the ceiling and the “camera battery and card slot end” unit toward the end further away from you. If the batteries are charged, learning to use the Reader in the most basic way can take as little as 10 minutes. However, we strongly recommend that you take more time to get to know the Reader, since a patient approach will help you to learn the Reader’s personality and will result in quicker and much more reliable performance in the long run. Practice and patience really pay off with this product. 3.2.1. Device Composition The Reader is essentially composed of a digital camera and a PDA. The camera and the PDA are connected by a USB cable that is hidden inside a plastic backplane, which is a plastic holder, sandwiched between the two. These three components—camera, PDA, and plastic backplane—are all held together by a durable case that feels a lot like leather. If you lift the Reader, you will notice that there is a Velcro flap on the thicker end of the device. The Velcro flap covers the camera battery compartment and the PDA’s S D card slots. You will find the serial number (in Braille) for your Reader on the inside of this Velcro flap. Generally you will not need to undo the Velcro flap except to work with the S D card or the camera battery. Important Note: You should never need to disassemble the Reader—that is, remove the camera, PDA, or backplane from the case. Disassembly and reassembly are possible but involve some risk of damage, so we strongly discourage it. 3.2.2. PDA Landmarks On the large top surface of the PDA is a screen with the Reader control panel below it. In this User Guide we assume that you will usually hold the Reader with the Reader control panel close to you, but it is alright to hold the Reader with it away from you. Performance is somewhat tolerant of rotation with the plane of the screen parallel to the item being read, so you can turn it either way to obtain the same result. The Reset button is in a finger-sized hole located on the flat “power end” near the left edge of the PDA. The PDA earphone jack is located on the “camera battery and card slot end,” pointing away from you in the “normal operating position” to the left of the slot in which the S D card is inserted. You do not need to undo the Velcro flap in order to plug in earphones. The PDA charger plugs into a small hole on the long right side near the “power end.” You will not need to remove the PDA from its case in order to charge it. 3.2.3. Camera Landmarks Lift the device to locate the camera lens, which faces down toward the table when the Reader is in the “normal operating position.” There is an oval-shaped hole in the fabric case to allow normal operation of the lens. The lens focuses automatically but does not zoom. Flash is also automatic. Generally speaking, you’ll want to keep your fingers away from the camera lens to keep it clean and to avoid interfering with images when shooting them. When the camera is turned off, a tiny mechanical door closes over the lens to protect it, so no lens cap is required. With the camera lens facing the table, there are two buttons on the left side of the camera. The large smooth button is not used, and we will not mention it any further here. The smaller textured button is the on/off button for the camera. 3.3 LEARNING THE READER CONTROL BUTTONS The Reader has only a few buttons that you will need to learn. The configuration of the Reader buttons on the control panel is as follows: • A rectangular box with raised edges and an additional button in the center constitutes the Arrow box. • The Left and Right Arrows are the left and right edges of the box, Up Arrow is the top edge, Down Arrow is the bottom edge, and Enter is the small rectangular button in the center of the box. • Outside the Arrow box, along the top left is the F1 button. • The F2 button is located on the upper right outside the Arrow box. • The F3 button is located on the lower left below F1. • The F4 button is located on the lower right below F2. 3.4 TURNING THE READER ON 3.4.1. First-Time Use Accept the Licensing Agreement by pressing F1 to activate the Reader and F2 to accept the agreement. (This procedure is only required when the Reader is used for the first time, or in the event of a hard reset making it necessary to reload the software again to correct a problem.) Set date and time by pressing F2 to go to User Settings and Down Arrow to go to “Set date and time.” Use Right and Left Arrows to move through date and time selections, and press Up and Down Arrows to set the correct date and time. Press Enter to save selections. This procedure is necessary for the Reader to name saved files using the correct date. Failure to set the correct date and time will result in file names that are not dated correctly. 3.4.2. Normal Use Turn the Reader on by pressing F1 followed by F2, within 3 seconds of each other. Then listen for about 2 seconds. The Reader should respond with “The system is in Shooting mode. Camera is off. I am ready.” If the Reader does not say this or does not speak at all, try the turn-on procedure again by pressing F1, followed by F2, and listen again for “The system is in Shooting mode” response. If the Reader does not respond after your second attempt, press the Reset button. Note that the system will start in the same mode in which it was left (Document Reader, User Setting, or Shooting Mode). Therefore, the initial message you hear may differ depending on the previously accessed mode. 3.4.3. Turning the Camera On Once the PDA is turned on and ready, the next step is to turn on the camera. To do this, put your finger on the left side of the camera and find a smooth large button. This large button, also known as “The Button That Shall Not Be Named,” is not the button you want, but it helps to locate it first. Now move your finger along the side of the camera toward you less than half an inch and you will find a smaller textured button, which is essentially flat to the surrounding surface. This is the button that is used to turn the camera on and off. To turn the camera on, press and hold this small textured button until you hear a chime from the camera, followed by a chime from the PDA. If you do not hear a chime, try pressing and holding the power button again. Then the Reader will say, “Camera is on.” If you do not hear the two chimes and the “Camera is on” message, repeat the procedure, perhaps holding the camera power button a bit longer. If it still doesn’t work, it may be the camera battery. For instructions on installing a freshly charged camera battery see section 4.4, Replacing the Camera Battery. 3.5 TYPICAL READER OPERATION To capture and read a printed document: 1. Put the document on a flat surface in front of you. 2. Aim the Reader at the document. Hold the Reader centered about 16 inches above the document and square with the document edges. Keeping the Reader level over the document is the most important part. 3. (Optional) Get a Field of View Report. The Field of View Report helps with orienting the Reader relative to the page being read. Press Up Arrow to hear the Field of View Report, so you can get some idea of how accurately you are aiming the camera before snapping the picture. For best results it is ideal, but not essential, for the Field of View Report to say, "Portrait Orientation. (or "Landscape Orientation.") All four edges are visible. Seventy percent filled." Move the Reader slightly to correct the aim if needed, and press Up Arrow again to check the results. This procedure may be repeated several times to improve aiming before taking the picture. 4. (Optional) Press F3 to see the View Finder image on the display screen. This provides a visual image of the document, which can help in aiming the Reader before taking the picture. 5. Shoot the picture, and let the Reader process it. Press Down Arrow to shoot the picture and hold the Reader steady for two seconds until the shutter snaps. The Reader can be moved to any other position while processing of the image continues. 6. Listen to the resulting document. 7. Navigate within the resulting document if desired. 8. Save the resulting document to the S D card if desired. 3.5.1. Changing Modes The F2 button is used to change modes (see 3.3 Learning the Reader Control Buttons above). Press F2 to move from one mode to the next. The following is a list of the available modes: • “Document Reader” allows you to find and listen to documents just captured or previously saved. You can also navigate within documents that you have captured or ones that you have copied from a PC using the S D card. It also lets you change the speed and volume settings. • “User Settings” allows you to configure various settings in the Reader. While in User Settings, press the Up or Down Arrow to hear settings, and press Right or Left Arrows to make setting selections. • “Shooting Mode” allows you to capture and listen to documents. Use Up Arrow to get a Field of View Report, or F3 to see the View Finder image, and use Down Arrow to take the picture. Press Enter to pause or resume reading, or Right or Left Arrows to navigate through the text by paragraph, sentence, line, etc. You can change the navigation option in “Document Reader” by pressing Up Arrow. 3.5.2. Using the Field of View Report The Field of View Report tells you in general terms if the Reader can see something meaningful, before attempting to process a picture. Specifically, the Field of View Report tells you how many edges of a document the Reader can see, the amount of the camera image that is filled by the document, and whether any text is visible. To use the Field of View Report, aim the Reader as described above, then press the Up Arrow. The Reader will take a very quick picture without camera flash and then report as described above. Reposition the Reader and try again until it reports “Portrait orientation,” or “Landscape orientation,” and “X percent filled.” The percentage filled information is intended to help you adjust the distance from the target document. For best results, ensure that the document fills more than 50 percent of the image. This assumes that the target document is a typical letter-size or smaller-size (A4) page. A long, narrow document will fill less of the image, but may still be readable. If you cannot seem to get the Reader to see all of the edges of a document, even after adjusting the Reader’s tilt a couple of times, try raising the Reader six inches or so higher over the document. If you still can’t see the edges of the document, just try shooting anyway. NOTE 1: The Field of View Report does not use the camera’s flash, though shooting pictures for text recognition does. In some cases the Field of View Report will say that no text is visible, or that some edges of the document are not visible, when in fact the Reader is aimed correctly and text is plainly present. In these cases, the false Field of View Report is usually due to strong ambient lighting, lack of ambient lighting (it won’t work in the dark), or glare from the document. False reports of unrecognized document edges are sometimes due to having a light-colored document on a light surface. NOTE 2: The Field of View Report includes feedback on how many edges of the document are visible as a general guide for ensuring that part of the document is not clipped due to unintended tilting of the Reader. It is not necessary for any document edges to be visible in order to find and recognize text, and visible document edges do not improve the accuracy of the text recognition processing. You may find that the Field of View Report is useful when learning to use the Reader, but becomes less necessary after practice with aim and positioning of the Reader. Taking two shots and listening to the resulting documents may be just as fast as using the Field of View Report and then listening to the results once. 3.5.3. Using Shooting Mode To take a picture and have the visible text read back to you, be sure that the Reader is in Shooting Mode and press Down Arrow. The picture will be taken in about two seconds. Hold the Reader steady until the picture is taken. The Reader can be moved after you hear the camera snap, and the image will be processed automatically. This should take approximately 30 seconds but may take longer for some documents. Reading begins when processing is complete. Document processing and reading can be cancelled by pressing F4 quickly, and waiting to complete the cancellation. 3.5.4. Recording Voice Notes You can record a Voice Note by long pressing F3 when the Reader is in Shooting Mode or Document Reader. The recording begins when you hear two beeps. A Voice Note ends automatically in 30 seconds, with one beep; or you can press F3 to stop recording before the time is up. Press F4 to cancel a Voice Note. The Voice Notes are saved on the S D card and can be found by date in the Reader Voice Notes folder. 3.6 TIPS FOR PRACTICING • The Reader needs sharp pictures to work properly. Taking sharp pictures requires holding the unit still while shooting. If you have any difficulty holding the Reader still while taking pictures, use both hands or brace your elbows against something. • Distance from the target can greatly affect the text recognition quality. For most documents, holding the Reader around 16 inches away is optimal. For smaller documents, you can hold the Reader closer. 3.7 TURNING THE READER OFF To turn the system off, you should first turn the camera off by pressing the camera power button (the smaller textured one on the left side of the camera). You will hear a chime, followed by a verbal “Camera is off” message. If you do not hear the chime and verbal message on your first attempt, repeat the same procedure or press the Reset button if necessary. Switching the PDA off is the final step. To do this, long press the F4 button until you hear a chime followed by a verbal instruction. Then press F4 again to confirm, and the system will say, “Good-bye.” When you hear “Good-bye,” you will know that the system has been switched off successfully. If you don’t hear this message, try repeating the two-step shutdown procedure. Press the Reset button if the PDA does not respond as expected, and long press F4 to initiate the shutdown procedure again. After you long press F4, you may also hear the message, “An unsaved document exists. Press F2 for 2 seconds to save it or press F4 to confirm shutdown or F3 to restart, or any other button to cancel.” If you long press F2, the last document that was processed will be saved into the S D card. If you do not want to save this document, just press F4 to switch the Reader off. 4. Routine Maintenance 4.1 CHANGING THE S D CARD The S D card can be removed and replaced at any time. The S D card is approximately one-sixteenth of an inch thick and is located on the “camera battery and card slot end” of the Reader just below the visual display screen and above the top edge of the camera battery flap. To remove the S D card, hold the Reader like a sandwich to be sure that the PDA and camera stay tightly together. Turn the “power end” toward you. You will first need to undo the Velcro flap and then remove the S D card. Please note that the S D card slot is a tiny slot of the PDA. On either side of the slot, there is a plastic tab that keeps the PDA in its place. These tabs can help you locate the card slot. Press the S D card with the tip of your thumb to pull it out of the slot. You will find that the S D card becomes spring-loaded; therefore, you will hear a click. The S D card will only be partially removed. To remove the S D card, press in and release the card until it pops out on its own. If necessary, remove completely the S D card from the slot by pulling it out with your fingers. Close the Velcro flag again. The Reader can accommodate a standard S D card. For best results, you should obtain a high-speed card designed for use with digital cameras. Note that the Reader does not support Mini S D cards, which are generally used in cell phones. 4.2 CORRECTING A PROBLEM WITH ASSEMBLY OR REASSEMBLY OF THE READER All components of the Reader have been assembled and tested prior to shipping. The Reader should not be disassembled unless absolutely necessary to correct a problem. Contact your dealer for assistance or call the free technical support line! 4.3 CHARGING THE PDA See 3.1 Preparing the Reader Before First Time Use above for instructions on connecting to an external power source. The PDA should be fully charged and connected to an external power source as much as possible whenever the Reader is not in use. If the PDA battery charge goes below 30 percent, the Reader will give periodic warnings. The battery will lose power in a few days, even if the Reader is not switched on and in use. The Reader can be operated while the PDA is charging, but be sure that the power cord is not in the way of the picture. To confirm that the Reader is recharging the PDA battery properly, first turn the PDA on by pressing the F1 button followed by F2. The Reader will respond: “The system is in Shooting mode. Camera is off. I am ready.” Next, press F1 again. The Reader will respond by saying, “Help is on.” Press F1 again, and the Reader should say, “Battery status. The system is connected to external power. Camera is off.” If the response you receive indicates how full the battery is by a percentage, this is an indication that the power cord is not making the proper connection. Verify that the plug is completely inserted into the small round hole on the right edge of the PDA, that the power cord is completely plugged in, and that the wall outlet or power strip is active. If the power cord is plugged in properly on both ends, press F1 twice again to hear the battery status message. The Reader should say, “Battery status: The system is connected to external power. Camera is off.” 4.4 REPLACING THE CAMERA BATTERY Replacing the camera battery is necessary whenever the camera battery is low. A freshly charged camera battery should last for approximately 100 pictures. A replacement battery is provided with the Reader, along with a recharging unit. Please note that the camera battery cannot be recharged while it is in the camera, but must be removed and placed in the external recharging unit. 4.4.1. Removing the Camera Battery There are five steps to removing the camera battery: 1. Hold the Reader like a sandwich, with the Velcro flap toward you and the camera facing up. Squeeze the camera and the PDA gently together with one hand. 2. Release and open the Velcro battery flap to expose the camera battery door. 3. While squeezing the camera and PDA together with one hand, slide the camera battery door down, toward the PDA, with the other hand. Press on the bumps (there are eight bumps in a close grid) on the door to slide it. The camera battery door slides toward the PDA about a quarter of an inch. Please note that the camera battery door opens with two separate actions. It is very important to perform these actions separately. The first action is to slide the camera battery door down toward the PDA. The second action is to release pressure on the camera battery door so that it is allowed to flip open. 4. After sliding the camera battery door down, it should spring up on its hinge away from the PDA. If this does not happen, the door may not have moved as far as it goes toward the PDA. Do not force the door open. The door will spring open on its own when it has been moved as far as it can slide in its track toward the PDA. Forcing the door open without sliding it out first may break the camera. 5. Unlatch the battery and remove it. Once the camera battery door is safely opened, the camera battery can be removed by pressing on a tiny latch. You can find this latch by running your finger from right to left across the top of the battery now exposed with the door open. The battery should pop up so you can grab and remove it when the latch is released. The battery will pop out about one-quarter inch. You may notice after you remove the camera battery that the connectors (three metal contacts) on the battery are facing away from the PDA. These contacts can be located by feeling the three long ridges. The battery cannot be fully inserted unless the contacts are facing away from the PDA. 4.4.2. Charging the Camera Battery The camera battery charger is a small plastic box (2 inches by 3 inches by 1 inch) with two metal prongs that are folded up into the box when it is not plugged in. To recharge the camera battery: • Pull the metal prongs out to plug the charger in. • Slide the camera battery into the charger so it is fully locked in and does not stick out from the edge of the charger. • Plug the charger into an outlet for approximately 90 minutes. The manufacturer recommends that you do not charge the battery for longer than two hours, since it may adversely affect long-term battery life. 4.4.3. Inserting a Fresh Battery into the Camera To place a fresh battery in the camera: 1. Insert the camera battery with the contacts facing away from the PDA. Slide the battery in as far as it goes and make sure that the latch snaps into place. The battery is correctly inserted when the latch holds it in place so it will not slide out unless the latch is flipped again. 2. Close the camera battery door down over the battery, but do not press the door toward the hinge as you close it down fully. The door must be closed down flat over the battery before you slide it back into place over the battery and away from the PDA. If the door does not close down completely (so that it touches the surface of the camera without stress), you may need to slide the door further toward the PDA until it is flat across the top edge of the camera and will slide easily back into place away from the PDA. Examine all four edges of the battery door to be sure that each edge is flush with the surrounding case when the camera battery door is closed. 3. Close and fasten the Velcro camera battery flap in order to hold the camera snug inside the Reader case. 4.5 RESETTING THE PDA To reset the PDA when the system is switched on, long press F4, then release and press F3. You will then need to wait approximately 20 seconds until you hear the welcome notice for the program. Also, you can reset the PDA at any time, whether it is on or off, by pressing the recessed round button located in a finger-sized hole on the “power end” of the Reader. 4.6 RESETTING THE CAMERA Occasionally after taking a picture or at other times the camera may become unresponsive. This condition is often, but not always, indicated by a “Picture one failed” message. This happens even when the PDA appears to respond normally. Failure of the camera on-off button to activate the camera is another indication of the problem. To overcome this, try removing the camera battery and inserting it again after waiting a few seconds. You may also want to take this opportunity to insert a freshly charged camera battery. Finally, try resetting the PDA if this procedure does not work. 4.7 CALIBRATING THE PDA Recalibrating the PDA is required after a hard reset of the system. In this case, the PDA will not respond or load the Reader software until the recalibration procedure has been performed. Recalibration requires removing the PDA from the case and following the steps indicated on the visual display screen, as well as sighted assistance. Follow the instructions on the screen and then reset the PDA. You will be asked to touch five places on the screen with the stylus, then practice cutting and pasting with the stylus (which involves long taps), then choose a time zone. After completing this mandatory section, you should also set the PDA clock and calendar in order to ensure that accurate file names are created. Also, you should turn off the IRDA beaming feature to save battery power. 4.8 REINSTALLING THE SOFTWARE The software for the Reader is stored on a supplied S D card, kept in a plastic carrying case outside of the unit in normal operation. You can distinguish the Reader S D card from any other S D card by identifying a small label with the shape of a circle that’s on the back of the card. To reinstall the Reader software: 1. Have the S D card ready. 2. On the “camera battery and card slot end” of the Reader, find the Velcro flap and open the flap to locate a tiny slot of the PDA. On either side of the slot, there is a plastic tab that keeps the PDA in its place. These tabs can help you locate the card slot. 3. Insert the S D card into the card slot, ensuring that the corner that is cut out goes into the PDA first with the grooved edge of the S D card facing down. The S D card will only be partially inserted. 4. Press the S D card with the tip of your thumb to insert it completely into the slot. You will find that the S D card becomes spring-loaded when it is correctly pressed into the slot. Therefore, you will need to press the card in completely until it locks into place and does not spring back out when you release it. The PDA recognizes and executes the software when the S D card has been correctly inserted into the slot, and installation proceeds automatically. After the software is installed, the system resets and you may have to re-accept the Software License Agreement. After you confirm it you should remove the S D card and return it to the carrying case. To remove the S D card, press in and release the card until it pops out on its own. 4.9 UPGRADING THE READER SOFTWARE The Reader software is upgraded in a similar way that it is installed—by simply inserting the S D card, which contains the new software. However, in order for the upgrade software package to be recognized and executed automatically by the PDA, the Reader should be first turned on (see 3.4 Turning the Reader on.). Then, installation proceeds automatically, even when the older version of the Reader software is already running. After the upgraded software is installed, the system resets and you may be asked to confirm acceptance of the Software License Agreement. Confirm acceptance by pressing F2. Remove the S D card after the Reader software resets. 4.10 USING, REALIGNING, AND REPLACING THE POLARIZERS ON THE CAMERA LENS AND CAMERA FLASH OUPUT The Reader comes equipped with optional filters called polarizers, which are installed on the camera to improve performance in reading documents with a glossy finish. The polarizers are installed over the camera lens and flash output. The polarizer for the camera flash output may require a replacement after approximately one year of use. The need for a replacement is indicated when the quality of the text recognition appears to be decreasing. Note that the Reader will continue to function normally with the polarizers removed. However, the reading quality may decrease for glossy documents or when the camera is tilted at a slight angle from the text. Misalignment of the polarizers can also degrade text recognition. Contact the supplier who sold you the Reader to obtain help and determine whether the polarizers must be realigned or replaced. 5. General Functions 5.1 TURNING ON THE READER • Long press F1 for about 1 second, then release it and press F2 to turn the Reader on. • 5.2 GETTING HELP To find the function for a Reader control button: • Press F1 and you will hear “Help is on.” Next, press any button to hear a message describing its function, as follows: o Press F1 then F1 again to hear a report of the battery and camera status, as well as the memory card available space and the number of the software version in use. o Press F1 then F2 to hear “Change mode.” o Press F1 then long press F2 to hear “File Saving.” o Press F1 then any Arrow button or the Enter button (the help message for these keys is mode-dependent). o Press F1 then F3 (the help message is mode-dependent). o Press F1 then long press F3 to hear “Record Voice Note.” o Press F1 then F4 to hear “Cancel.” o Press F1 then long press F4 to hear “Shut down or reset.” The Reader automatically exits Help mode after the message. To access the Reader Documentation set: Long press F1 to access the Documentation Explorer. There are five document files in the K-NFB Documentation folder. They are presented here in the order in which you can access them: • Command Summary. • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS). • Licensing Agreement. • Quick Start Instructions. • User Guide. Press Up or Down Arrow to move from one document to the next in the Documentation Explorer. Press Right Arrow to select a document and to have the Reader present the Table of Contents for the document. Press Enter to select a document and press Right or Left Arrows to hear each character of the document name; press Enter again to begin reading the document. Long press Up Arrow to hear a Table of Contents when prompted and press Up or Down Arrow to move through the chapter or section selections; press Enter to begin reading the document. Press F3 when listening to a document to return to Documentation Explorer. Press F3 in Documentation Explorer to exit. 5.3 CHANGING MODES AND SAVING FILES • Press F2 to change mode. The options are “Shooting Mode,” “Document Reader” and “User Settings.” Press F2 to cycle through these options. • Long press F2 to save the active document and associated image and Voice Note files. You will hear “Document saved” if it is an existing document, or “Document has no text” if there is no document to save. • Documents, Images, Voice Notes and Text Files are saved on the S D card in folders named Reader Documents, Reader Images, Reader Voice Notes, and Reader Text Files respectively, and organized into subfolders by date. You may have Documents, Images, Voice Notes, and Text Files saved automatically by choosing the desired save option under User Settings. Note that Reader Text Files (documents that are not marked up with any tag) are only available through a different computer. 5.4 WORKING WITH VIEW FINDER AND VOICE NOTES • Press F3 quickly to turn on View Finder when the Reader is in Shooting Mode and the camera is on. The screen will show a contrast-enhanced image of what the Reader sees before a picture is taken. This is helpful to optimize image fill (the portion of the image that is filled by the document to be read), which may increase processing quality. • Long press F3 when the Reader is in Shooting Mode or Document Reader to record Voice Notes. The Reader will prompt you to record or cancel the Voice Note. Recording begins when you hear two beeps; lasts for 30 seconds; and stops with one beep. To stop recording at any time, press F3, or to cancel, press F4. • 5.5 CANCELING ACTIONS AND SHUTTING DOWN THE READER • Press F4 to cancel or escape at any time. • Long press F4 to initiate shutdown or restart the PDA. o You will hear “Press F4 to confirm shutdown, or F3 to restart, or any other button to cancel.” o Long pressing F4 does not turn off the camera. If you do not turn off the camera before turning off the PDA, the PDA will prompt you to turn off the camera first. 6. Mode-Specific Functions 6.1 SHOOTING MODE Shooting Mode is used to take pictures of documents and have them processed and read immediately. After a document is processed you can save it to read later. To access Shooting Mode: Press F2 until the Reader confirms this selection. In Shooting Mode, you can do the following: o Press Up Arrow to get the Field of View Report. • If the camera is on, press Up Arrow to hear “Field of View Report: followed by a description of the camera’s view.” If all four edges of the page are visible, you will hear, “Portrait orientation” or “Landscape orientation.” If fewer edges are visible, they will be listed. The Field of View Report will also tell the portion of the image that is filled with the page. If the light level is too low, you will hear “The image is too dark.” • If the camera is off, press Up Arrow you will hear “Camera is off. Please turn on your camera now.” o Press Down Arrow to shoot a picture. • If the camera is on, press the Down Arrow to hear “Taking picture,” followed by an audible snap sound and flash from the camera after about two seconds. You will then hear a series of beeps and status messages while the image is processed. The text should then begin to read automatically. • If the camera is off, you will hear “Camera is off. Please turn on your camera now.” • If the camera battery is low, you will hear the message “Warning, the camera battery is low” every time the camera is turned on, and after taking a picture. • If the S D card available space is low (less than 30 MB, which is approximately 20 pictures), after taking a picture you will hear “Warning, the memory card available space is low”. It will also warn you if the memory card is full. (See 5.2 Getting Help above to know how to check the memory card available space). • You are ready to take the next picture once processing is complete, or after speaking is canceled by pressing F4. o Press Left Arrow during reading and you will hear the previous segment of text (word, paragraph, etc.). If there is no current document, you will hear “No text.” o Press Right Arrow during reading and you will hear the next segment of text, starting at the beginning of the segment. o Long press Right Arrow and you will hear the current word spoken and then spelled out. Long press Right Arrow again to hear each letter of the current word repeated phonetically (alpha, bravo, charley, etc.). Numbers are spoken individually. o Press Enter to pause or resume reading. o Long press Enter and you will hear “Beginning of text.” Reading will resume from the beginning. o Press F3 to turn the View Finder on. View Finder will stop after Field of View Report, Voice Note Started, or Picture Taken. • If the camera is off, press F3 and you will hear “Camera is off. Please turn on your camera now.” Turn on the camera and try again. • Press F3 while View Finder is on and the camera will refocus. • Press F4 to turn the View Finder off. o Long press F3 to record a Voice Note. • The Reader will prompt you to record or cancel the Voice Note. Recording begins when you hear two beeps; lasts for 30 seconds; and stops with one beep. Stop recording any time by pressing F3, or cancel recording by pressing F4. • Voice Notes that are not cancelled are saved automatically in a folder called “Reader Voice Notes” and are organized in subfolders by date. Voice Notes may be linked to text and image files saved on the Reader or may stand alone as unrelated to any other file. Follow the prompts when the Voice Note recording stops to select linked or stand-alone Voice Notes. o Press F4 to cancel reading. • Pressing F4 while any text is being read, and you will hear “Speaking cancelled.” • If the camera is off and no text is being read, press F4 and you will hear “Camera is off.” • If the camera is on and no text is being read, press F4 and you will hear “I am ready.” • If you try to cancel while a document is being processed, it may take a few seconds for the PDA to allow you to take further action. 6.2 DOCUMENT READER Document Reader is a mode used to set the reading format you want the Reader to use. To access Document Reader: Press F2 until the Reader confirms this selection. In Document Reader mode, you can do the following: Press Up Arrow repeatedly to scroll through reading settings. Settings are read by: document, page, paragraph, sentence, line, word, or character. This selects the segment size that will be read when you use the Left and Right Arrow keys. Press Down Arrow repeatedly to scroll through options. o The first option is File Explorer. Press Enter to activate. o The second option is Document Paging. Press Right or Left Arrows to select single or multiple paging. Single paging starts a new file for each picture taken and should be used for documents of only one page. Multiple paging appends one picture to the previous one and should be used for documents of more than one page. The selection of multiple paging must be made before pictures are taken if more than one page is to be appended in the case of a multipage document. o The third option sets the speaking Speed. Press Left Arrow to decrease speed or Right Arrow to increase. o The fourth option is the Volume control, press Left Arrow to decrease volume or Right Arrow to increase. • Press Left Arrow or Right Arrow to go backward or forward in the current document using currently selected reading segment size; Read by document, paragraph, sentence, character, etc. Press Left Arrow to go to the previous segment size. Right Arrow goes to the next segment size. Reading will continue and stop at the end of the selected segment size (press Enter to resume reading to the end of the text at that point). If you are at the beginning of the text, press Left Arrow and you will hear “Beginning of text.” If at the end of the text, press Right Arrow and you will hear “End of text.” • Long press Down Arrow to clear text from the Reader and capture a new document beginning with the next picture. This is essential when the Reader is set on Multiple Paging and you do not want the next page to be appended. However, in order to preserve the current text, the file must be saved before long pressing Down Arrow under Document Reader. Press Enter to toggle between Pause or Resume reading. • Long press Enter to read from the beginning of the text. • Press F3 to activate File Explorer to find Reader documents, Reader images, or Reader Voice Notes previously saved. 6.2.1. Using File Explorer The File Explorer allows you to select files to open for review. The File Explorer sub-mode can be reached from the Document Reader mode. To differentiate between files and folders when announcing names, folder names are prefaced with “folder.” The current folder location and place in the list are remembered, so that after leaving File Explorer and later returning, the current folder and place in the list will be the ones you last left when in File Explorer. When a file name is announced, its rank and the total number of files in the directory are also announced. The default folder for File Explorer is called “Reader Documents,” which is the top of the folder hierarchy. • Up and Down Arrows navigate between files within the current directory (folder). o Press Down Arrow and you will hear the name of the next file or folder in the current directory. If the selected file is at the end of the list and the Down Arrow is pressed, you will hear “bottom of list”. o Press Up Arrow to go to the previous file or folder in the current directory. If the selected file is at the beginning of the file list, and the Up Arrow is pressed, you will hear “top of list”. • If the item is a folder, you will hear “Folder .” • If the item is a file, you will hear the name of the file. • Left Arrow goes up a level in the folder hierarchy. • Right Arrow goes into the current folder. If the current item is a file, not a folder, Right Arrow will enter the file. o Press Right Arrow when the current item is a folder and you will hear “folder selected” and then the name of the first file in that folder. • The Enter button selects a file but does not enter it when first pressed. o Press Enter to select the current file or folder. • If a folder is selected by pressing Enter, you will hear “folder selected” and then the name of the first file in that folder. • If Enter is pressed to select a file, you will hear “File name selected.” Press Left and Right Arrows to hear each character of the file name or press Enter to read the file. If the file is an image stored under in a folder under Reader Images, the image will be processed and the text will be read. If the file is a Voice Note stored in a folder under Reader Voice Notes, you will hear the audio recording. • Long press Down Arrow to delete the selected file. • To exit File Explorer and return to Document Reader, press F3. 6.3 USER SETTINGS User Settings mode enables you to set date and time as well as select options for the camera. To access Document Reader: Press F2 until the Reader confirms this selection. Press Up and Down Arrows to cycle through User Settings. The current setting selection will be announced. Press Left and Right Arrows to select and change setting options. 6.3.1. Set Date and Time Press Left and Right Arrows to select the date or time unit, and Up or Down Arrows to change the setting. Press Enter to save the date and time and return to the User Settings menu. 6.3.2. Camera Flash Mode Choices are “Always On, “Off,” or “Auto.” Though camera flash is frequently useful, you may find that turning it off can help when trying to read text in some situations. 6.3.3. Camera Resolution Choices are “High” or “Medium.” We recommend that you leave the camera resolution set to High. Medium resolution saves memory, but may decrease the quality of the image to be processed by the Reader. 6.3.4. Reading Mode Choices are “Bills and Memos” or “Books, Articles, and Labels.” When the Reader is set on Bills and Memos, text will be read across the entire page from the top down. When the Reader is set on “Books, Articles, and Labels,” text will be read from top to bottom by column, if the text is in multicolumn format. This setting also includes curvature correction, which improves reading of documents that do not lay flat on a surface. 6.3.5. File Saving Options Choices are: • Save files only after long press of F2 • Always save documents automatically • Always save documents and images automatically Saved documents and images can be found using File Explorer under Document Reader and are stored on the S D card in Reader Documents or Reader Images folders organized by date. Note that Reader Text Files and Reader Documents have exactly the same content. However, the former are not marked up with special tags that the Reader needs for reading the text files appropriately. Therefore, Reader Text Files folder can only be accessed through a different computer. It cannot be accessed in File Explorer. 6.3.6. Auto Shut Down Press Left or Right to select the idle time for shutting down the system automatically. The options are 1, 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes. You can also choose never to turn down the system automatically. The default idle time is 3 minutes. Note that the camera will itself turn off automatically after the system has been turned off for 5 minutes. This setting cannot be changed since it has been set by the manufacturer. 6.4 DOCUMENTATION EXPLORER Long press F1 to enter “Documentation Explorer.” The Documentation Explorer allows you to select documentation files to review. You can read all of the same documentation furnished with the Reader. Documentation Explorer can be reached from any other mode. Documentation includes: • Quick Start Instructions • Command Summary • User Guide • Licensing Agreement • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 6.4.1. Using Documentation Explorer The default folder for Documentation Explorer is called “Documentation,” which is the top of the folder hierarchy. Press Up or Down Arrows to move from one document to the next in Documentation Explorer. Press Right Arrow to enter documents. Press Enter on a file name to select the document and press Right or Left Arrows to hear each character of the document name; press Enter again to enter the document. Long press Up Arrow to hear a Table of Contents when prompted, and press Up or Down Arrows to move through the chapter or section selections; press Enter to hear the text. Press F3 when listening to a document to return to Documentation Explorer. Press F3 in Documentation Explorer to exit. To differentiate between files and folders when announcing names, folder names are prefaced with “Folder.” 7. Limited Warranty The Kurzweil National Federation of the Blind Reader comes with a one year warranty. To obtain support or warranty service, please call your dealer or contact K-NFB Reading Technology. • Send an email request to: support at knfbreader dot com • Call K-NFB Reading Technology Reader Tech Support Line toll free at: 1-877-547-1500