PointerWare was mentioned in a recent Money Magazine article, 4 Tips For Caring For Mom and Dad. 

You can read the entire article online at CNN.com.

- Posted by Karen

Hey everyone, the engineering team just wanted you to know that we’ve released a a bug-fix update that also includes some new features! Please note that a much larger, feature-packed update will be coming out in the next month or two.

Included in our August update is:

1. Printing in the Web Browser! We know many people have been waiting for this for quite some time, and we’ve upgraded our code to the latest Firefox release and gained the ability to add this feature. Just check the box ‘Enable printing in Email, Photos and Internet’ in the Misc section of the PointerWare Configuration tool and you  will see a Print button appear in the browser when a website has loaded. Note that printing automatically prints to the default printer. Make sure you have the printer you’d like to print to set as default (you can do this from the Start Menu in Windows, select Printers, right-click on the printer you want to use and select ‘Set as Default Printer’.
2. Reply-To-All in Email! Now when an email comes in that has been sent to multiple people, when the user touches ‘Reply’ they will be asked whether they would like to Reply to Everyone or just the sender! In this way PointerWare users can participate in group mailings just like a conventional email user.
3. Improved Email Printing! We have tweaked the email printing to fit more text on each page, a combination of smaller font, smaller margins and the header now takes up less space.
4. Language Selection in PointerWare Config! You can now change the language setting in the PointerWare config program.

Notable bug fixes included incoming calls from Skype preventing PointerWare from running full screen and fixes for PointerWare watcher crashing.  Until next time!

- Posted by Steve

There is nothing we love more than hearing how PointerWare is making a difference in people’s lives.  Here’s a story we heard recently from Patricia Woods, an Assistive Technology Specialist at the Neil Squire Society in Burnaby, B.C.  The Neil Squire Society is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that uses technology to empower Canadians living with physical disabilities.  Their goal is to use technology to give adults with physical disabilities improved access to information and activities within society.

 Woods was already on the lookout for a simplified email system for clients with physical and some cognitive disabilities when she read an article about PointerWare in the Vancouver Sun.  “I decided to try it with some people I thought would be suitable candidates,” says Woods.  One was a young man in his twenties with cerebral palsy.  “We set him up with a head-mouse and a receiver on the computer.  Now he’s sending email on his own.”

This is just one example of how PointerWare can be combined with other assistive technologies to become an effective connectivity and communication tool for people with disabilities. 

Woods will be discussing PointerWare and other, compatible technology solutions when she presents at the upcoming Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) in Chicago on October 27-30.  Her presentation, entitled I Can Email Too, will focus on how people can combine inexpensive and free technology solutions for assist people with disabilities.

Woods is excited about the possibilities technology holds for individuals living with disabilities.  “It provides equal access to communication and the social networks that are out there.”

-         Posted by Raul

One of our PointerWare supporters recently asked:   Occasionally I’d like to send my grandma a PointerPoint document (ppt, pptx) or Microsoft Word document (.doc, docx) or sometimes even an Adobe PDF document. Can PointerWare handle these files?

In addition to being able to view photos (.jpg, .gif), sound files (.mp3) and movie attachments (.wmv, .avi, .mov, .mp4), PointerWare can view certain file types if the correct viewer is installed on the computer. Here you will find which file types are supported and how to download and install the viewers.

Microsoft PointerPoint (filename .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx)

This link:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=powerpo…

Will bring up search results. Click the first link in the results to download and install the Microsoft PointerPoint 2007 or 2010 Viewer

Adobe PDF (filename: .pdf)

This link:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=pdf+viewer

Will bring up search results. Click the first link in the results to download and install the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader (other readers will work as well.)

Microsoft Word (filename: .doc, .docx)

This link:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=word+vi…

Will bring up search results. Click the first link in the results to download and install the Microsoft Word Viewer 2007 or 2010.

- Posted by Stephen

Now that our voice and video calling feature is fully implemented, it is time to direct our software engineers to improving the email experience in PointerWare. We’ve listened to your suggestions on our UserVoice as well as solicited the feedback of many of our customers. If you have any input don’t hesitate to email us with suggestions. Tentatively, this update, scheduled for an early fall release, may include:

• Sent mail viewing and listening
• Speed improvements for large mailboxes
• An interface for saving important messages for later

We hope you’re as excited about these updates as we are! You can rest assured that the additional capabilities we add to PointerWare will not diminish the extreme simplicity and straight-forward operation that our software is known for.

One last thing while on the topic of new features. There will be another substantial new feature included in this update, but we’ll keep it secret for now. Lets just say it has been highly requested over the past few years.

Don’t forget to email us your email interface thoughts!

Recognizing that allseniors can benefit from connecting online with family and friends, we continue to grow the list of languages that PointerWare supports.  We currently support English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin and Cantonese as well as preliminary Hebrew.

- Posted by Karen

One of our customers, Clay Center Presbyterian Manor, was noticed recently for the way they’ve integrated computers and online connectivity into programming for their residents.  Here’s the story from the Clay Center Dispatch.

The Internet provides another way to communicate with far-flung family members, but the technology can be a challenge for seniors. Some have trouble reading the small type on the screen while others may have a difficult time accurately maneuvering the mouse, among other obstacles.

Clay Center Presbyterian Manor has found a solution that allows its residents to connect independently with children and grandchildren.

PointerWare is an easy-to-use computer system that allows individuals to effortlessly send and receive e-mails and photos as well as browse the World Wide Web and play games.
Large fonts, on-screen buttons, touch-screen and voice capabilities address the challenges faced by seniors.

Local Manor leaders became aware of the software from their sister community in Sterling whose residents have been using the system for about a year.

Clay Center Manor provides the system to its residents at no charge.

“This new amenity for our residents was an idea we had come up with prior to our renovation and remodel, and now we are able to provide it,” said Executive Director Mike Derousseau. “We strive for residents to be as independent as possible, and learning new computer applications certainly helps keep ones mind sharp while maintaining relationships with loved ones.”

“We thought that our residents would successfully use PointerWare independently. We are holding learning sessions every other week and can set up a time for one-on-one instruction at other times if needed.” said Senior Living Counselor Heather Germann. “We have five users and believe more will step into the cyberworld as they see how easy it is.”

Resident Fay Wirt, 92, was the Manor’s first user. Her loved ones are very good at communicating with e-mail and had sent her messages through an employee’s e-mail account since she moved into the Manor in 2001.

Now Wirt is able to e-mail her family from her own account as well as send them voice messages over the computer much like leaving a voice mail on a phone.

“I was really scared at first that it would be hard to learn but it isn’t,” said Wirt. “I’ve worked hard all my life and hadn’t taken the time very often to actually play games; now I am learning new things and playing games, too.”

©Clay Center Dispatch 2010

PointeWare co-founder, Raul Rupsingh, will be meeting with long term care executives next week at the Long Term Care LINK Conference scheduled for July 18 – 20 in Chicago.

The article, “Is Technology Firing Blanks In The War Against Loneliness“, penned by PointerWare blogger, Karen Hamilton, has been posted on ZoomerMedia’s website, 50Plus.com. 

50Plus.com is the leading Canadian Internet portal for Zoomers — the 14.5 million Canadians who are 45+.  It’s a great destintaion for PointerWare supporters!

We’re often asked what is a good webcam.  There are several great choices on the market like the Logitech WebCam Pro9000.

And for more information on hardware options, visit our Hardware Recommendations page.

- Posted by Stephen