Leopard offers new features destined to make it the most accessible Mac OS yet. New voice technology in VoiceOver, plus Braille support, positional audio cues, and extended keyboard capability give users with visual disabilities more control over their Macs than ever.
A new voice
The new synthesized English voice in Leopard, Alex, uses advanced, patented Apple technologies that deliver natural intonation, even at very fast speaking rates. And Alex works with any application that supports Apple’s speech synthesis.
Built for Braille
VoiceOver in Leopard also adds new support for a variety of refreshable Braille displays and note-takers. Leopard dynamically translates VoiceOver output into standard, Grade 2 contracted Braille, so you can attach any supported device and start using it right away.
Location, location, location
VoiceOver features spoken audio and sound effects that communicate what’s happening onscreen. In Leopard, positional cues help you more easily locate and remember the location of items on the screen. All you need is a pair of stereo headphones or standard stereo speakers.
Custom fit
With Leopard, VoiceOver introduces more customization options for audio output. So if you’re just learning VoiceOver, you can set your preferences to provide greater detail in descriptions, then reduce the amount of audio information as you become more familiar with VoiceOver. You can also rearrange the order in which VoiceOver describes objects and events, so you hear the information you want most, first.
Get around
Thanks to object navigation in VoiceOver for Leopard, you can find what you’re looking for more quickly. Navigate sequentially through an application or document, or skip through a document by object. For example, you could jump to the next or previous header, button, link, field, graphic, or text attribute such as font or style. Improved navigation in Leopard makes it faster and easier for those with reduced motor skills or visual disabilities to move around the Mac.
Closed captioning
QuickTime currently supports closed captioning by including a text track alongside audio and video content. But improved QuickTime support will automatically display the CEA-608 closed captioning text standard in analog broadcasts in the U.S.
All features referenced in the Mac OS X Leopard Sneak Peek are subject to change.
