FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Brad Davis
800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000
www.FreedomScientific.com
Sales: [email protected]

Freedom Scientific Announces Scanning and Reading Desktop Video Magnifier

Full-Featured OCR Added to High Definition TOPAZ

(St. Petersburg, Florida - June 27, 2012)

Since their release in December, the new High Definition video magnifiers from Freedom Scientific have been getting rave reviews. Now, with the release of GEM™ 4.0 software, Freedom Scientific has added scanning and reading capability to the TOPAZ® XL HD.

With the press of a key, the GEM software sends the High Definition image from the TOPAZ XL HD to Freedom Scientific’s OpenBook® scanning and reading software, which automatically performs optical character recognition and begins reading aloud.

"This is real scanning and reading for real productivity" says Brad Davis, Vice President of Hardware Product Management. "You can zoom out and capture an entire page, scan multiple pages as one document, edit that document, and save it with or without the original images. OpenBook can recognize multiple columns and format them on your screen for easy, continuous reading. You can change the font size and colors and even print out a hard copy with your enhancements."

The GEM software provides the interface between the TOPAZ XL HD and the PC. It lets you work in split screen so you can see your reading material right next to your Word document, spreadsheet, web page, or any other application. You can capture images with a keystroke, flip through them for rapid review, and save them to designated folders. Now, with the 4.0 release, the GEM software seamlessly transfers High Definition images to OpenBook for automatic reading.

This is yet another example of how Freedom Scientific products work together to give you access to information in ways that make you more efficient.

Freedom Scientific will demonstrate the TOPAZ XL HD with GEM 4.0 and OpenBook at the upcoming NFB conference in Dallas July 1st through July 4th, the ACB conference in Louisville July 7th through July 12th, and at Sight Village in Birmingham, England July 17th and 18th. Shipments will begin in mid-July.

For complete specifications, contact Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000.

For further details on GEM 4.0 and the TOPAZ HD XL, contact Freedom Scientific at 800-444-4443 or 727-803-8000 or visit our website.

About Freedom Scientific

Freedom Scientific is a leading worldwide brand of assistive technology products for those with vision impairments. Freedom Scientific is part of Vispero™. Vispero has its headquarters in the USA and the Netherlands, and offices in Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Through Vispero's multi-tier distribution, Freedom Scientific products are available in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Freedom Scientific® and its products are registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.