Connect Outloud is a screen reader designed, primarily, for access to the Internet for blind users needing a speech or Braille solution for output. It's description makes it sound like a stripped-down version of JFW, the JAWS for Windows screen reader, but since the suggested list price is only $249, I was quite intrigued and decided to download a demo and give it a test spin. I found, that it is, in fact, a stripped-down JFW, but that doesn't make it a bad program. In fact, I like it.

The program is only about nine megabytes, making it easy to download from www.freedom scientific.com in not much time, even with a 56K dial-up modem. The installation program is quite similar to the JFW installer; the Eloquence engine comes up talking and prompts you through either an automatic or custom install. I chose the custom installation option so that I could see, or hear, what the program was going to do to my system. It actually did no damage and the installation was trauma-free, allowing me to choose the names of folders and program groups to store the software.

Because I've been using JFW since version 1.0 was released in 1995, the learning curve wasn't steep. The reading commands are the same, although there is no JAWS cursor or PC cursor to activate.

This program is a bit more than just an Internet access package. You are allowed to access and read the desktop, the start menu, applications in the control panel, My Computer, Windows Explorer, many applications in the Accessories folder (including Dial-up Networking, Outlook Express, RealPlayer and Windows Media Player). If you try to enter a program other than the ones it's set to work with, the program gives a warning and you get no speech.

If you do use a program which Connect Outloud is permitted to work with, you'll get similar access as you get with JAWS. Insert T reads the title bar, although there are no verbosity controls. There are also no script, frame, dictionary or configuration managers available. Connect Outloud reads and navigates Web sites just like JFW. The lack of verbosity controls can be a problem on some Web sites. Connect Outloud is set to ignore all graphical links which do not include text labels. This means that any Web site which uses links with no text labels won't be very usable with this program, whereas JFW users have the option to hear such links. The insert F7 key exists in this program to put the links in a list box, and you can use forms mode to enter information, such as when you need to perform searches or enter credit card information. Since Connect Outloud works with Outlook Express you can also have access to e-mail and news-groups. FS Editor (formerly HJPad) is included, which allows users of Connect Outloud to perform word processing and spellchecking.

JFW users really have no need to purchase this program and it would be a waste if they did, considering that JFW does everything this program does. The one feature I do like in Connect Outloud is its tutor, which gives information about shortcut keys as you navigate through menus. For example, if you're pointing to an option which says "file" the tutor would say something like "press enter to open the menu." You can even set the tutor to announce the corresponding shortcut key for that item. One of my few complaints is that Henter-Joyce does not offer purchasers of Connect Outloud a discount if they want to later upgrade to JFW. Overall, I like the program a lot and I think it is a nice alternative for folks who just need basic access to Windows and who mainly want to just read e-mail and Web surf.®