ُLots of Excitement Following The Release of Talks 3.51

A few hours after uploading Arabic Talks files on Nattiq's website, observations and positive feedback was flying through the wave lines in the Middle East. Support of additional handsets as well as browsing the Net with Talks was the most exciting development for the majority of Arab blind users. The following is the release notes as announced by Nuance:

TALKS&ZOOMS Version 3.51
Release Notification
1. Introduction
We proudly announce the release of the Nuance Accessibility Suite – Nuance TALKS and Nuance ZOOMS – Version 3.51 for Series 60 3rd Edition for December 28th, 2007.
This release is mainly addressing the new Nokia web browser used on handsets running Series 60 3rd Edition. It does increase the useability of Wayfinder Access, in particular of the registration process. And we now start to offer a brand new text-to-speech engine, called Vocalizer for Mobile, that has been developed by Nuance, an.
It is also a maintenance release for version 3.50, that fixes compatibility to some new handsets and firmware versions (see below).
2. The new handsets
2.1. List of Supported Phone Models
The following new handsets are supported by this release of TALKS&ZOOMS:
• Nokia 6120 Classic [already compatible with 3.20, but not officially listed]
• Nokia 6121 Classic [already compatible with 3.20, but not officially listed]
• Nokia E51
• Nokia E90 [new screen format is now fully supported], with limited browser support for the moment
• Nokia N81 and N81 8GB
• Nokia N82
• Nokia N95 with new firmware version 20.x
• Nokia N95 8GB
Please note that we have not yet tested TALKS&ZOOMS on the Nokia N76, N77, and N93/N93i, so we do not list these handsets as supported for this release. One thing we know is that the N93/N93i do not work with ZOOMS, probably due to video acceleration drivers.
3. What’s New?
3.1. Support for New Nokia Web Browser [3rd Ed. only]
TALKS now supports the new Nokia web browser on handsets with S60 3rd Edition. Similar to PC screen readers, it allows browsing web pages as a virtual buffer. Users can read them line by line, and quick keys allow to find certain web elements easily, or to search for any text on the page.
With this exciting improvement, using a mobile phone to browse the web has become a real alternative to using a PC, especially on pages that are not too complex, or pages that offer content optimized for mobile phones or PDAs. And it can be done at home or while on the go.
Important Note: TALKS does not yet offer full support for the browser on the Nokia E90. In particular, it is not possible to enter text into edit fields. We plan to provide a fix for this by end of January, 2008.
3.2. New TTS: Vocalizer for Mobile [3rd Ed. only]
TALKS can from now on be used with a selection of new voices using a completely new TTS technology, called Nuance Vocalizer for Mobile. We have started with offering some female Vocalizer for Mobile voices, and will continue to add other voices as they become available. Vocalizer for Mobile voices have a low memory footprint, similar to ETI Eloquence, while at the same time utilizing the more human sounding voices like RealSpeak Mobile. All users who have licensed RealSpeak Mobile voices can now also install and use Vocalizer for Mobile voices free of charge
3.3. Automatic Use of Nokia TTS during a Call [3rd Ed. only]
Currently, it is not possible to use any TTS during a call, except for the Nokia TTS, on phones using S60 3rd Edition. Until we solve this problem in the next release of TALKS&ZOOMS, we have implemented a work-around by automatically switching to the Nokia TTS while on a voice call. This allow to use the menus, enter text, etc. while on a call, after TALKS has been unmuted. Please note that this does not work for VoIP calls with the built-in SIP client.
3.4. Subscribing to SMS Newsletter from TALKS
TALKS&ZOOMS users can now subscribe to our free SMS News service. They will be prompted about a subscription automatically, and they can also subscribe or unsubscribe from within the TALKS&ZOOMS settings application. Alternatively, users can send a text message with the word “Subscribe” or “Unsubscribe” to the following number:
+44-7781-482160.
Please note that this feature depends on the SIM card in the user’s phone, and does not work with some service providers and in some countries.
3.5. Other Changes
• Improved support for browser-like screens in Wayfinder (e.g. registration) – they are now spoken in a similar way as the old Nokia WAP browser.
• TALKS is now included in a backup using the memory card application on S60 3rd Edition, and can be restored together with the phone memory. Settings, serial number and add-on TTS engines are not yet preserved.
• Added back special support for Latin American Spanish, Latin American Portuguese and Canadian French to 3rd Edition version (so phones in these languages no longer show the English translation of TALKS)
• Reading of long text is now stopped on every keypress, not just on [long Talks]
• Fixed crashes in some S60 3rd Edition applications with TALKS (e.g. Y-Browser, F-Secure, some screens of Nokia Catalogs)
• Fixed crash when opening Talks Settings while keyboard is locked
• Fixed problems in some applications (e.g. Notes) with reading cursor going back to the top when application loses focus
• Renamed "Guillemot" character to "Double Angle Bracket" (English)
4. FAQ
Q: Your software does not install on my E-Series handset or branded device, and reports a Certificate Error! Why?
A: While TALKS&ZOOMS for S60 3rd Edition itself is certified, and thus can be installed on any supported S60 3rd Edition handset, the installers for the TTS engines (Eloquence or RealSpeak Mobile) are not signed. E-Series handsets and some branded devices do only accept the installation of signed software, unless you turn of the corresponding option inside the Application Manager:
• Open the phone menu.
• Open the App. Manager inside the Tools folder
• Press “Options”, then select “Settings”.
• Set “Software Installation” from “Signed only” to “All”.
• Press “Back” to close the Settings dialogue, then “Exit” to close the App. Manager.
• Now, you can install the TTS engine.
Another reason could be that the date on your phone is not set correctly – as 3rd Edition software is digitally signed, SIS files can only be installed if the phone is set to a valid date.

Q: Why do I get an “Upgrade error” when installing the S60 3rd Edition version?
A: The most likely reasons are that you have used a beta release, or already have the Nokia TTS driver available that was installed as a separate file with version 3.10. Please remove any beta version, and the Nokia TTS driver first before upgrading to TALKS 3.50