Tag Archives: update

ClaroRead for Mac V6.2 Released

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We are pleased to announce the release of our latest version of ClaroRead for Mac, V6.2. There are lots of little improvements and bug fixes, but here are the top new features – check out the release notes for a complete list of all changes.

Future macOS Ready

The next version of macOS (after High Sierra) will only support 64-bit applications. ClaroRead V6.2 is now a 64-bit application, so ClaroRead and its Extras are all ready for that change.

Ignore Homophones

There are common words, such as “you” and “I”, which are homophones, but you probably never get them confused with the alternatives (like “ewe” and “eye”). In ClaroRead V6.2 you can now choose to ignore these kinds of homophones, so they don’t get highlighted when using the “Show Homophones” feature.

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Claro ScanPen V1.8 iOS Released

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Version 1.8 of our ScanPen apps for iOS have been released! This latest version introduces the powerful new document detection feature.

Using the new document detection feature allows you to detect and enhance only the documents in your camera feed. It will automatically search, take a photo, crop out any unwanted background space and then straighten the photo to give you the best possible scanning and text selection experience.

For example, these two screenshots compare the photos taken [1] without document detection and [2] with document detection.

[1] Without document detection

The document of interest is slightly skewed and there is a lot of background space that we are not interested in. It scans and reads OK, but it could be better.

[2] With document detection

This is a much better photo. The document is cropped to fit the entire image and it has been straightened up. This results in a much more accurate scanning and text speaking experience.

Along with the new document detection feature, V1.8 also introduces image filters to help you enhance your images. Here is an example of the greyscale filter that we have applied to the above document:

This increases the contrast between the text and the background, enhancing and improving the results of the OCR.

Another major new improvement to V1.8 is the addition of lots more iOS system voices. You can now access Siri voices, enhanced quality voices and male and female voices for many of the supported languages. These voices are all still freely available to use.

For the full release notes of V1.8 of Claro ScanPen, check here: Claro ScanPen V1.8 Release Notes.

View Claro ScanPen and Claro ScanPen Premium on the App Store now!

ClaroPDF V2 Released

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October 2017 saw the release of V2 of our ClaroPDF for iOS app, with some major changes. The most significant feature is the new tabbed structure when viewing multiple PDF documents.

Multiple Documents

In V1 of ClaroPDF, you were limited to viewing 1 document at a time.  In V2, ClaroPDF now allows you to open multiple PDF documents at the same time.  The documents are arranged in a tabbed view, across the top:

Tabbed document view in ClaroPDF V2,

Tabbed document view

This lets you switch quickly to other documents for reading and/or annotating without having to replace the current document you were viewing.  You can tap the X button on any document tab to close it.

Photo to PDF

The Photo to PDF feature has been significantly upgraded in V2.  You were previously limited to adding 1 photo at a time.  Now you can select multiple images when choosing to create a PDF.  Not only that, but you can now also choose to append your chosen photos to your current PDF; they’ll be inserted at the page after the one you are currently viewing.

Delete Pages

Deleting PDF pages is a brand new feature in V2.  From the thumbnail view mode, tapping Edit, you are able to select PDF pages you wish to delete from your current PDF:

Deleting PDF pages in V2

Delete PDF pages

This gives you even greater control over your PDF creations.

Acapela Children’s Voices

There are a new range of high-quality children voices, available as in-app purchases for 8 different language accents, including boy and girl.

Quick-look Settings

In V2, the document settings have been moved from the standard Settings menu and placed down on the main bottom toolbar, accessible by tapping the new document settings button:

Document settings menu in V2

Document settings

This change takes some of the most commonly changed settings and makes them quicker to access, as well as being able to see the changes made to your document as you go. Changing the page background colour, for example: now you can get exactly the right shade you require as the document changes colour in real-time.

New Document Setting: Scroll mode

There is also a new setting on the document settings menu called Scroll mode.  This setting controls how the document is to be scrolled.  There are 2 options to choose from:

  1. Per page – this is the traditional page scrolling, where each page has a defined page break.  Swiping left or right in this mode will scroll to the next page.
  2. Continuous – page scrolling is continuous and there are no page breaks.  Scrolling is like scrolling through one big page; there are no defined page breaks.

Other improvements and bug fixes

Check out the ClaroPDF V2 release notes for full details on other improvements and changes in V2:

http://www.clarosoftware.com/help/claropdf-v2-release-notes/

ClaroRead Anywhere V12 Released

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We have updated our online cross-platform Web App, ClaroRead Anywhere. This release, which is available to all users immediately, focuses on ease-of-use and performance: we are all busy people and we need the tools we use to work smoothly and easily.

A big part of performance is letting you know that the App is doing what you have told it to do. First, when you use Speech Recognition, you will see the text you are dictating appearing as you say it, rather than in one lump at the end:

Second, when you are converting a file (PDF or image) so you can read the contents aloud and work with them, you’ll get more information that ClaroRead Anywhere is processing and working.

We’ve also made ClaroRead Anywhere better at opening Microsoft Word and Google Docs documents. Lists (bullet points) are better-displayed and easier to read and use.

Finally, if you start a new document but you’ve changed the original, you’ll be prompted to save it – simple, familiar, but a little tweak that stops you potentially losing work. We hope these tweaks make ClaroRead Anywhere more enjoyable to use on your device – which of course can be any tablet, desktop, laptop or phone!

Speech Recognition is only supported in the Google Chrome browser on Windows, Chromebook, iOS and Android.

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Claro ScanPen V1.6 Released

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Claro ScanPen V1.6 has been released on the iOS App Store!

This update includes a number of useful features:

  • ScanPen can now automatically copy the selected text to your device’s clipboard ready to paste into another app. This feature is switched off by default, to turn it on simply open ScanPen’s settings and select “Advanced settings” and switch on “Copy selected text to clipboard”.

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  • A share button can be enabled in Advanced Settings. This lets you export your image to other apps, email and other destinations.

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  • ScanPen now includes a range of Acapela kids voices, that are available as in-app purchases (£3.99). Here are some samples:

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    Name Language Gender Audio Sample
    Liam English (Australia) Male
    Olivia English (Australia) Female
    Harry English (UK) Male
    Rosie English (UK) Female
    Jonas German Male
    Lea German Female
    Ella English (USA) Female
    Emilio English (USA) Male
    Josh English (USA) Male
    Scott English (USA) Male
    Valeria English (USA) Female
    Emilio Spanish (USA) Male
    Valeria Spanish (USA) Female

ClaroSpeak V2.6 Released

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The start of May 2017 brought a big update to our ClaroSpeak app.  Read below for more details.

iCloud and Locations integration

You can now open and save files directly from your iCloud Drive and other locations on your device.

This new feature gives you the ability to import or export your files from any app on your device, without ever having to leave the ClaroSpeak app.

Four free voices

The existing voices that came shipped with ClaroSpeak have been removed and you can now download 4 free voices in the language of your choice. This means you can get the exact voices in the languages that you need, to match your requirements.

App containers

ClaroSpeak can now share its documents with different versions, so Free, Standard and Plus versions of the app can all access the same documents.  This is useful if you’ve just upgraded: you no longer have to manually transfer over documents.  It can also act as a backup incase you need to remove a version of ClaroSpeak: if you have another version of the app installed, your files will be remembered.

Settings cleanup

The settings menu has been streamlined and reorganised to make it easier to navigate. There is also a new speech rate slider that is more accurate and lets you select more precise values.

Integrated with the Audio controls on the iOS control centre

ClaroSpeak audio can now be controlled using the iOS controls on the control centre, allowing you quickly stop. play and skip through, without having to enter the app.

Support for Google SignIn

Full support for the new Google Authentication, so you can access Google Drive in the app.

ClaroCom V1.4 Released

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In April 2017, we updated our ClaroCom app with a couple of great new features:

Link & chat to iOS device (Pro only)

This adds the ability to connect your device to any other device that is also using ClaroCom. You can then chat between the devices using the text that you type or words or phrases that you select. You can also use your word and phrase prediction to help you compose messages.

This feature is disabled by default, but you can switch it on in the ClaroCom Settings menu:

Then new button will appear on the top toolbar:

Tap this button to open the chat connection window.  ClaroCom will then automatically search for any other devices in range that are also using ClaroCom.  When you find a device you want to connect to, tap it to ask them to chat:

When you are connected, you can close the chat connection window are start chatting:

When you are finished, you can open the chat connection window and tap Disconnect to close the chat and return ClaroCom back to its normal use.

This feature requires bluetooth or Wi-Fi.  The devices must both be using ClaroCom and be on the same Wi-Fi network or within bluetooth range.

Added support for split screen on iPads

You can now use ClaroCom in multi-tasking mode, allowing you to run it split-screen with other apps:

Updated Icon

We’ve also updated the app icons to a more modern style as well as updating the Speak button to match this.

ClaroRead Cloud OCR March 2017 Update

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In March 2017 we released an updated version of the ClaroRead Cloud OCR service. In this latest version:

    • Administrators can decide which input and outputs (of local, photo, OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox) are available to end users. For example, if you have chosen Google Drive as your preferred cloud storage solution, you can turn off OneDrive and Dropbox so your users are not confused into using the wrong one.
    • You can now save to a particular Google Drive folder instead of simply into the Google Drive root.
    • You now get a nice suggestion for the output filename based on the input document.

ClaroPDF V1.9 Released

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ClaroPDF V1.9 update is now available on the iOS App Store.

What’s new in V1.9?

  • Four free voices – you can now download up to 4 of our high-quality voices for free, inside the Store in ClaroPDF. ClaroPDF no longer comes pre-installed with any installed high-quality voices, so the initial app install time should be significantly reduced. Then you can choose to download your preferred voices in a wide range of languages.
  • Improvements to the “Convert as Text PDF” feature.
  • Export annotations as text.
  • New Animated Speech Highlighting on sentence mode.
  • New background colour chooser.
  • New speech rate slider.
  • Bug fixes.

See the ClaroPDF V1.9 Release Notes page for more detailed information.