Archive for the ‘Latest news’ Category
Latest news
Please note that all external links on this page open in a new browser window.
NVDA Screen Reader version 2009.1 released
Google announces automatic captioning
DAISY Creation and Reading Tools
Amazon Kindle 2 with Speech
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2
Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 10
Accessibility Panel for Firefox
The power of scripting
(21 January 2010)
The following is intended to create enthusiasm for creating, or at least considering the potential of, scripts. We begin with a discussion of one of our favourite tools, . AutoHoekey. By way of example, potential of scripting to add facilities to screen readers is then discussed.
AutoHotkey is a free scripting language for the MS-Windows operating system. The file necessary for running AutoHotkey scripts can be downloaded from the AutoHotkey website and includes comprehensive documentation. Just some of the things that can be achieved include:
- Remapping of the keyboard and mouse buttons;
- Abbreviation expansion;
- Automation of just about any task; and
- Location of specific graphics and colours on the screen.
Learning to write AutoHotkey scripts is easier than may be imagined. Those with any background in programming will find it second nature. even novices may be surprised at what can be achieved relatively easily by working through examples included with the documentation. Of course, as ambitions grow, tasks will become more complex and some perseverance will be necessary.
Here are two examples of useful scripts. A colleague uses a compact keyboard which lacks a Windows key. It was a simple task to remap the ` key so that it became the Windows key. The script was embellished a little, allowing the key’s status to be switched back and forth between its original and new status.
A student needed to control the mouse pointer from the keyboard. While Mousekeys are provided in Windows, an AutoHotkey script was able to provide a resource more in keeping with her needs, including automatic mouse pointer travel.
Now to screen readers. the JAWS screen reader has always relied on proprietary scripting to improve access to applications. With the release of Window-Eyes version 7, GW-Micro introduced non-proprietary scripting. This has allowed both GW-Micro staff and anyone else with relevant knowledge to enhance the screen reader’s performance via scripts. An example is the just-released Wordnav script. In addition to the already powerful facilities for working with MS-Word files, the script provides a navigation mode. This allows rapid location of such elements as headings, tables, form fields, bookmarks, footnotes and endnotes, comments, document sections and more. Scripting at this level of sophistication is well beyond the current capacity of this scribe. Importantly, it illustrates how a great deal of functionality can be added to a product without requiring the user to undertake a great deal of new learning.
BrailleNote Apex launched
(2 December 2009)
The latest in Humanware’s line of BrailleNotes was launched recently. The highly intuitive, menu-driven software is, from the user’s perspective, little changed from previous models. It now sits on the Windows CE version 6 operating system and the company states that this will allow for important future improvements. The major development is with the hardware.
While not compromising ergonomics, the Apex is substantially smaller and lighter than previous BrailleNotes. It weighs in at 812 grams and is very slim at 2cm. The battery is now removable. This allows the option of carrying a spare battery and for easy replacement at the end of a battery’s life.
The Apex bristles with connectivity options:
- Three USB ports plus a client port to allow the Braille display to provide output from a screen reader
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi (wireless network capability)
- Ethernet port
- VGA port to provide access for sighted teachers or colleagues
- A slot for SD and high capacity SD cards
As with previous BrailleNote models, either a QWERTY or Braille keyboard can be chosen. At present, all units have the 32 Braille cell display. It is expected that an 18 cell option, together with the VoiceNote (no Braille display) will be available in the future.
Further information is available from Humanware on (02) 9686-2600.
NVDA 2009.1 Released
(1 December 2009)
NVDA (Non Visual Desktop Access) is a free screen reader for Windows. Version 2009.1 was released on 24 November. This version adds a raft of new features to an already impressive product. The fact that it is free and compares favourably in many areas with screen readers costing up to $2,000 is remarkable.
What’s new?
As well as many minor revisions and “bug fixes”, the following major improvements have been made:
- support for 64 bit editions of Windows
- Greatly improved support for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Reader documents
- Support for Windows 7
- Reading of the Windows logon, control+alt+delete and User Account
Control (UAC) screens - Ability to interact with Adobe Flash and Sun Java
content on web pages
General
Unlike other screen readers, NVDA does not employ any video intercepts. This means it can be run on any computer, regardless of whether the user has administration rights. Its portability is further enhanced by having its default synthesizer included in the software.
The synthesizer supplied with NVDA is eSpeak. The sound is very mechanical, but having adjusted to that, pronunciation is quite accurate. Remarkably, 20 languages are included. It is also possible to choose from any SAPI 4 or SAPI 5 voices installed on the host computer. A wide variety of speech speed and quality adjustments is available, including a dictionary for words that are mispronounced.
Microsoft Word support includes ability to report font size and attributes, spelling errors and style changes. Excel support, while not quite state-of-the-art, is quite good. If a cell has a formula, this is announced and the formula can be read. Email messsages in Outlook can be read, provided font information is turned off. In this version, access to correctly structured PDF files is very good. Internet access with either Firefox or Internet Explorer is generally good. One shortcoming is inability to read column and/or row headings in conjunction with individual cells. This criticism also applies to tables in Word and PDF files.
NVDA is an open source project, written in the Python programming language and those with requisite skills are free to download the source code. For those of us lacking those skills, two download options are available. One allows installation onto the host computer and includes Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts. The other extracts files into a chosen folder. The files can then be copied to a thumb drive or CD-ROM, allowing the program to be run on any computer. With the software on a thumb drive or CD-ROM with an autorun.inf file, NVDA can be launched automatically.
For further information about this very impressive software or to download a copy, see the nvda website.
How accessible is Adobe Connect?
(30 November 2009)
Adobe Connect is a conference tool. It allows participants, each with access to a computer connected to the internet and optionally equipped with a microphone, to collaborate. The collaboration can include file sharing, access to the desktop of other participants’ computer desktops, video and voice communication.
In January 2009 CLI staff tested Connect to determine whether it could be used with screen readers. For all practical purposes, it could not. It was not even possible to turn the microphone on and off without sighted assistance.
Adobe subsequently provided a file which catelogued a raft of accessibility improvements. While providing facilities for keyboard users and those who are deaf or hearing impaired, it was acknowledged that screen reader access had not improved.
With the recent release of Connect Version 7.5, it was decided to test again. On this occasion, turning the microphone on and off and activating menus could be done independently by a screen reader user familiar with the relevant keyboard commands. In all other respects, however, Adobe Connect is essentially inaccessible to screen reader users.
This type of collaborative tool, relying as it does on visual content, will necessarily present challenges to people who have visual reading difficulties. For screen reader users within NSW DET, the freely available BridgIt software, while not as sophisticated, currently represents a substantially more accessible option than Connect. All buttons are fully accessible and it is therefore possible to verify independently microphone status. Configuration is also straight forward. Another benefit of Bridgit is that establishing a conference for any two or more people with access to the DET network is achieved quickly and easily.
Google announces automatic captioning for YouTube
(20 November 2009)
Google has just announced a facility whereby people uploading videos to YouTube can have audio automatically captioned. While the technology is not perfect, they claim that it works quite well. Presumably the quality of the original audio would impact on success rate.
For more details, see the Google blog page.
Intel Reader – access to printed material
(13 November 2009)
Intel announced this product on 10 November. Rather than using a conventional scanner to provide access to paper-based print, it joins the trend towards reliance on A digital camera. Having photographed a page, the text is processed and presented via synthetic speech and an LCD screen.
The Reader weighs about 500g. An optional docking station is also available, both providing extra storage and a mounting point for the camera. Interestingly, it can capture text at distances ranging from about 10cm to a metre.
The Intel Reader is intended for use by people who have difficulty reading print for any reason. It will be available in Australia next year through Humanware. For details, phone (02) 9686-2600. More details are also available from the CNET website.
WordWeb version 6 released
(11 November 2009)
WordWeb is a software-based dictionary and thesaurus for Windows which we have found to be very useful over several years. Version 6 has just been released. Availability of both free and Pro options continues. While the free version is valuable, the $25 spent on the Pro version represents great value for those who can afford it. The wildcard searching facility alone is a great feature. The raft of improvements to the Pro version include:
- Revised database, including more definitions
- Expanded audible pronunciation assistance
- Options to import and export custom dictionaries in almost any language
- Over 20,000 new example sentences
- Optional additional dictionaries, including the Australian Oxford
While navigation is largely mouse oriented, keyboard users should be able to access most features. Similarly, screen reader users will require some familiarisation to get the most out of the product, including labelling of some graphics.
Full details of both the free and Pro versions are available from the WordWeb website. For those looking for a highly portable resource, there is also a version for the iPhone and iTouch.
iPhone Gets Screen Reader
(12 June 2009)
The latest version of Apple”s iPhone, the 3GS, was released this week. The phone joins all Macintosh computers in having the built-in VoiceOver screen reader. Unlike the Mac, the iPhone does not have a “real” keyboard. To operate VoiceOver, the user applies “gestures” to the touch screen. These consist of movements such as twisting two fingers or flicking a finger. We eagily await the opportunity to experience this new approach to commanding a device.
As well as offering synthetic speech in 21 languages, the iPhone can accept spoken instructions to select music or make a call. Again, it recognises 21 languages.
The new iPhone should be available in Australia by about the end of June. For much more detail about its accessibility features, see the Apple Accessibility page.
PictureBraille Version 1.2.1 Released
(30 April 2009)
Pentronics released this update last month. This version incorporates some enhancements to the graphing and plotting functions as well as the addition of triangle and trapezoid creation tools that allow accurate determination of side lengths and angles.
PictureBraille can now be purchased directly from the Pentronics website using secure credit card payment. This version builds on V1.2.0, released in the second half of 2008. A full review was written in February 2007.
Victor Reader Stream Version 3 Released
(16 April 2009)
In late March, Humanware released Version 3 of the Stream software. This versatile product was reviewed in October 2007. At that time, we criticised the lack of a text search facility and inability to check spelling of words in DAISY books. The spell checking issue was addressed in an intervening upgrade. This release includes a text search feature, cleverly implemented by using the number keys for entering text in the same fashion as on a mobile phone keypad.
There is a raft of other minor improvements and “bug fixes”. One new feature is that two voices of the chosen language are installed. The Vocaliser synthesizer’s speech is reasonably clear, but not especially pleasant. Switching between voices at least offers some variation in the sound.
The free Companion software has also been revised. The one program now supports both the Stream and Classmate, reviewed in June 2008. It can be used to transfer material between a computer and the Stream, but more confident users can also use Windows Explorer to achieve this. One important provision in the Companion software is the ability to convert audio material recorded on the Stream from the unusual 3gp format into wav files.
Free DAISY Creation and Reading Tools
(31 March 2009)
The following is only a very brief summary of some exciting developments. More detailed reviews of these options will be provided as soon as possible.
DAISY Plugin for Microsoft Word
Version 2 of this plugin was released last week. It can be used with Word XP, Word 2003 and Word 2007.
Once installed, the plugin will convert a correctly structured Microsoft Word document into either an XML file for further refinement or a complete DAISY book. The default speech on the host computer will be used to produce the audio. This release markedly reduces the complexity of producing DAISY material compared to the DAISY Pipeline, which requires considerable knowledge on the part of the user.
The plugin can be downloaded from http://www.daisy.org/projects/save-as-daisy-microsoft/
Obi 1.0
On 27 March, the DAISY Consortium announced this Obi release. It is a free audio recording tool for creating material complying with the DAISY 3 standard. Unlike the Microsoft Plugin discussed above, Obi provides for human recorded audio. We have not assessed the software as yet, but very much look forward to doing so.
Obi can be downloaded from the Obi website, together with documentation.
AMIS
AMIS (Adaptive Multimedia
Information System) is a free DAISY player. It provides access to several DAISY book versions, including text-only. One of the major efforts with the development of AMIS has been to make it available in a wide variety of languages (we can only attest to the effectiveness of the English implementation). Its self-voicing and flexible visual display caters for people who have print disabilities, while screen reader users can turn off the speech if desired.
AMIS can be downloaded from http://daisy.org/projects/amis/
Buttercup
This software, developed by Microsoft, is in the early stages of development. It uses Microsoft’s Silverlight in conjunction with Internet Explorer or other web browsers to read DAISY Version 3 material. It is currently necessary to compress the DAISY files using Zip -compatible software before Buttercup can read them.
Bearing in mind that Buttercup is still being developed, it shows much promise. Speech was occasionally “fluttery” on the test machine, but it may well become a valuable resource.
To try the Buttercup demo, go to http://www.buttercupreader.net. Be sure to read instructions carefully to have Buttercup self-voice. A link is also available to install Silverlight.
DDReader
DDReader is a Firefox extension developed by Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil. It is available in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Any speech on the host computer that matches the selected language can be used.
Currently only DAISY V3 books can be read. Comprehensive help and a tutorial are provided. This is an innovative approach to providing access to DAISY material for both people who have a print disability and those who have limited or no vision. Facilities are extensive and, with limited experience, DDReader is easy to use.
DDReader is available for download from the Dorina Nowill Foundation website.
Amazon Kindle 2 Offers Speech Output
(12 February 2009)
Background
Kindle is an electronic book reading device sold by Amazon. Unlike current computers and mobile phones, that use LCD (liquid crystal display) screens, it uses an E-Ink® display. Whereas usual screens can be updated (or refreshed) dynamically, the screen on the Kindle and similar products is passive. This approach is highly suitable for displaying material a page at a time. A major benefit is that it closely mimics the appearance of a hardcopy book, without the glare and other drawbacks of reading from a screen.
In the USA, Kindle is supported by a 3G wireless network. Once books are paid for, users can freely download them to their Kindles via this network. Our limited investigations indicate that Kindles are not available in Australia at this time and Amazon’s wireless network certainly is not. Even without the network, material can be transferred to the Kindle from a computer via USB port.
Kindle 2
Amazon has just announced that Kindle 2 will be released on 24 February. It includes the ability to augment the visual display with synthetic speech output. Text size can also be adjusted. This is potentially a major development for people who have reading difficulties for any of a variety of reasons.
Full details are available at the Amazon Kindle page.
A worrying sequel to the above positive news is the report from Lioncourt that the Author’s Guild sees speech output on the Kindle as raising copyright issues. The article suggests that access to material by people with vision impairment is threatened.
The Author’s Guild has responded by claiming that the Kindle is not intended for use by blind people. Leaving aside the fact that this seems to be a mainstream product with relevance to people with vision impairment, they make no mention of the possible impact of their approach to this technology on people who have reading difficulties for reasons other than vision loss.
MacSpeech Dictate Update
(6 February 2009 by Kevin O’Gorman)
MacSpeech Dictate is speech recognition software for the Macintosh. It was reviewed in August 2008. In September of that year, a major update was released.
Version 1.2 provides a “move” command for easier verbal editing of a document, a spelling mode for letter-by-letter dictation of unusual words and phrase training capabilities that help the user increase accuracy on the fly. As well as these new features, some existing commands have been replaced with easier to use expressions. For example, “Do select” has been replaced with “Select the word”. Speech capture accuracy has also been enhanced with this release. A welcome addition has been the “Purge memory” command, which solves an issue with Dictate getting out of sync with the text when the mouse or keyboard is used. However, once invoked it is no longer possible to edit existing text.
The 1.2 release was not without problems. After installing the update I lost access to Global commands for controlling other applications on the computer. Applying the suggested fixes from the MacSpeech support team failed to solve the problem. After a considerable length of time I discovered through the MacSpeech support forums that the international settings on my Macintosh computer were affecting how the program works. My computer is normally set up with the international settings for Australia. However, being English born I use a British profile in MacSpeech. Using the Australian settings did not affect dictation but prevented my readily accessing other applications using voice commands. Changing the international settings to the default US or to UK settings fixed the issue, but left me with the problem of having to change these settings back to original locality each time – A tedious inconvenience.
MacSpeech recently released a 1.2 .1 update that has addressed this issue. It is now possible to access all global application commands while retaining preferred localisation settings.
Having resolved the above issues, the new features and the perceptible improvement in speech recognition accuracy makes MacSpeech Dictate a more powerful piece of software.
Total Recorder Version 7.1
Total Recorder is audio recording software for Windows. Version 7 was reviewed in September 2008. Version 7.1, which is a free upgrade for existing customers, was released shortly afterwards. Features described below are available on the Professional Edition.
A number of minor improvements have been made, including availability of a Favourites menu. For people who use large amounts of audio material, the inclusion of a variable playback speed option is a potentially valuable facility. Speed can be set between 0.35 and 3 times normal for audio files. With the optional Video add-on, speed can range between 0.01 and 300 times normal. The default setting is for normal pitch of audio material to be preserved.
Several speed settings are provided. The user can edit these and add new values. By default, if a speed other than normal is selected, playback reverts to normal each time the Stop button is pressed. If the feature is to be used regularly, it would be more convenient to adjust playback settings so that repeated presses of the Play button toggles between normal and the selected alternate speed.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2 Released
(12 December 2008)
After what must be the longest gestation period in history, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has released Version 2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Version 1 of the Guidelines was released in 1999 and has long since been overtaken by technological developments. There is an important shift in focus between the two versions. Whereas Version 1 concentrated on HTML code, Version 2 aims to be technology neutral. While this makes the documentation vastly more bulky and initially more confusing, the Guidelines are relevant to the wide variety of approaches employed on today’s websites.
The documentation is divided into several segments, assisting people with particular interests or concerns to locate relevant information:
- For practical, technical information see Techniques for WCAG 2.0 which cover 260 techniques including
- 140 general techniques;
- 57 Html and xhtml techniques;
- 22 CSS techniques;
- 44 Scripting techniques;
- 20 SMIL techniques;
- ARIA (accessible rich internet applications) techniques
these are designed to be “agnostic”, incorporating techniques for any possible future formats including webpages, mobile devices etc.
- Understanding WCAG 2.0 will be a helpful starting point for many people
- How to Meet WCAG 2.0 provides many of the practical tips for WCAG2 and it may provide sufficient information for most developers
A helpful resource for those wanting to test a specific site is How to Meet WCAG 2.0, which offers a customisable quick reference to WCAG2.0 requirements (success criteria) and techniques.
DeafBlind Communicator Released
(5 December 2008)
The Canadian headquarters of Humanware announced this week the release of the DBC (DeafBlind Communicator). Hardware consists of a BrailleNote with either QWERTY or Braille keyboard and a mobile phone. The BrailleNote has software that allows it to serve as a TTY when connected to a standard telephone line. Face to face communication is facilitated via a bluetooth connection between the BrailleNote and phone. That is, text written on the BrailleNote appears on the display of the phone and vice versa.
There is also potential for the phone to serve as a connection to the internet. Contents of web pages would then appear on the BrailleNote’s electronic Braille display.
Importantly, the DBC is not yet available in Australia. Current estimates suggest that it may be here by late 2009.
iPod Nano with Optional Talking Menus
(16 September 2008)
The fourth generation iPod Nano was released last week. One significant feature is the option of having menus, song titles and artist names spoken via synthetic speech. To have the information spoken, it is necessary to have the Nano (it must be a fourth generation example) synchronised with iTunes 8. The iTunes software must be on an Apple Macintosh with OS X v10.4.11 or later or a Window-based computer with XP SP3 or Vista. When the Nano is connected to iTunes, an option to enable spoken menus is offered.
Characteristics of speech will depend on what is available on the host computer. On the Macintosh, any of the supplied voices can be used, including the very well-spoken Alex. Alternatively, third party voices can be purchased and installed. On Windows-based computers, the quite unimpressive Microsoft voices can be used. Alternatively, high-quality voices can be purchased for relatively low cost.
Another useful offering with the fourth generation Nano is the optional Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic. A small pod on the earphone cable provides controls for volume and song selection. But the important feature is the facility for recording oral notes.
Dragon Naturally Speaking Version 10 Released
(14 August 2008)
Nuance announced the release of Version 10 of Dragon 10 last week. There are the usual claims of dramatically increased speed and accuracy (50% and 20% respectively). They also describe a new feature called Dragon Voice Shortcuts that allow multi-step processes to be done with a simple voice command. Our understanding is that this involves the program now accepting several ways of issuing a command.
Local suppliers anticipate having stocks by early September. Special upgrade pricing is available. Due to the software being available with a wide variety of microphones, it is difficult to arrive at an exact price.
NetCentric Tools for Making PDF Files Accessible
(22 July 2008)
The Canadian company, NetCentric, offers a software product for improving accessibility of PDF files for use by people using screen readers and portable devices such as mobile phones. CommonLook is a plugin for Acrobat 6 or later running on Windows 2000, XP or Vista. For those many PDF files that have not been constructed correctly, CommonLook markedly reduces the time taken to correct errors. Being aimed heavily at the American market, there is heavy emphasis on Section 508 compliance and having material that complies with that requirement in Australia is not a bad thing.
NetCentric will shortly release a new product, PDF Accessibility Wizard, for beta testing. This is a plugin for Microsoft Office products (initially just Word). While producing PDF files from Microsoft Office currently results in generally well structured documents, it will be interesting to see what embellishments PAW offers. One claimed benefit is that the operator will be automatically prompted to include alt text for images.
Cost of CommonLook depends on factors such as the number of licences, but is in the order of $1,000. It is anticipated that PAW will be in the order of $100. For more details, see the NetCentric website at http://www.net-centric.com.
Premier CD Creater – Very Accessible
(1 July 2008)
This software is not new, but we have only just had the opportunity to review it and it thoroughly deserves a mention. It consists of a suite of utilities:
- Audio Grabber (copies tracks from an audio CD)
- Make An Audio CD
- Make A Data CD
- Make A Data DVD
The software is produced by the Canadian company, Premier Assistive. They claim that this is the world’s most accessible CD burning software. In particular, they assert that there is no need to tailor screen readers to get the most from the software. We can verify that claim. The purpose of most features and settings is immediately obvious and helpful backup information is available in the documentation. While screen reader access is a strong point, this software is very easy for any user to operate. One observer commented that all software should be this clean.
Many of Premier Assistive’s products are intended for people who have reading or literacy-based disabilities. This may account for a few “rough edges” in the form of completely forgivable typographical errors in the software. The help file is in Microsoft Word format, when a well structured HTML file or formal help file format could offer somewhat improved information retrieval. Discovering how to purchase via the website is also a little tedious – it was much easier to download a demonstration version. On the other hand, the purchase process is punctuated by helpful and friendly emails.
The Audio Grabber component is a little disappointing. It attempts to retrieve information about the CD such as artist, track titles etc from an internet site. More often than not, the information it presents is incorrect.
At approximately $60US, this software is much less expensive than mainstream competitors. For anyone who wants simple and effective CD burning software, it therefore represents very good value.
knfbReader Mobile- OCR on a Mobile Phone
(5 March 2008)
(Subsequent to this entry, a full review was written in April 2008)
The knfbReader Mobile is based on the Nokia N82 mobile phone. The name is derived from K for Kurzweil and NFB for National Federation of the Blind. The Reader is a result of collaboration between Ray Kurzweil, the inventor of the first optical character recognition device for use by blind people, and the NFB.
The knfbReader uses the phone’s camera to capture an image of a page, business card, food package etc. Software converts the image into text that can be read by a speech synthesizer and displayed on the screen. Text size can be set to meet individual needs and the word being spoken can be highlighted. A screen reader that provides access to the phone’s usual facilities is included.
The Australian supplier is Pacific Vision. Phone (03) 9482-9359 or visit their website. Cost of the knfbReader Mobile is $3,195.
Accessibility Panel for Firefox
(26 October 2007)
After extensive beta testing, EdNA (Education Network Australia), Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and Vision Australia announced release of the Accessibility Panel on 11 October. This is a valuable tool for assessing web pages for accessibility according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The Panel is especially helpful for people who have limited knowledge of web page coding, as points where problems occur are clearly specified. Suggestions for correcting problems are also usually very helpful.
When installed, the Panel is added to the Firefox Tools menu. It can be selected from the menu or from a shortcut key (control-shift-a by default).
The Accessibility Panel can be downloaded from http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1593.
ClassMate Reader for Students with Reading Disabilities
(25 October 2007)
The Canadian branch of Humanware has just announced the ClassMate. The student can read material on the LCD screen and simultaneously listen to the audio output. The ClassMate supports text files and a wide range of audio formats. Importantly, it supports the DAISY standard. It also has a dictionary which includes audible output.
The student can make text or vocal notes and use bookmarks to assist with study. Material can be transferred between the ClassMate and a computer via a USB connection.
The press release gives the ClassMate’s size as similar to a portable gaming system. It states that it will be available in the USA in “late autumn 2007″ and in other countries in early 2008. Price in the USA is $439.
