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Braillesense Polaris V3.4 firmware upgrade notes

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The biggest highlights in this release are the addition of Exchange e-mail, the Macro Manager, and the ability to open files directly from Google drive, and save them back, directly from programs on the Polaris. One of the biggest advantages of this last feature is for education. As you may know, All Google Classroom files are stored in directories on Google drive, so now, the whole retrieval and creation process can be done directly on Polaris.
Right now, Exchange E-mail is a separate application. This is so, because our original e-mail uses the Polaris Office engine, and the Exchange e-mail uses a different software package. It will operate separately for the first public release, however, they will try to integrate the two programs. The interface is mostly the same.
Here’s the entire changes list. It does include what was fixed in the patch, in case users did not install the minor upgrade.

  1. General
  1. Fixed pauses in TTS when reading documents or books.
  2. Improved SD card recognition.
  3. When items are deleted from the Polaris Task Manager, they should now also be closed on the Android side.
  4. Upgraded the Liblouis version to 3.9.0. *Is important for some foreign language tables.
  5. Added Croatian and Turkish Braille tables, and updated the Irish Braille table.
  6. Fixed the problem of unnecessary dots 5-6 appearing before end quote and after exclamation.
  7. Fixed the problem of announcing the number 4 incorrectly when writing passwords in UEB.
  8. Fixed the move by Sentence command.
  9. Fixed the problem of the braille keys not working in the 3rd party apps when connected to a USB keyboard.
  10. Removed numeric indexing in the help system to reduce confusion about dot numbers.
  11. Fixed the problem of not opening notification items from the notification list.
  12. Fixed problems crashing when trying to open the App Manager.
  13. Change the typing mode key to enter-backspace-space-m due to key conflict.
  14. Fixed the problem of not correctly back translating “BayCon.”
  1. Mobile Screen Reader/Android aps
  1. Added ability to control Android media apps when media keys are set to app mode.
    1. To activate the “previous” function, long press the previous media key.
    2. To play or pause, long press the Play media key.
  • To activate the Next function, use a long press of the Next media key.
  1. Fixed the problem activating edit boxes for Facebook and Skype login, and WatsApp verification.
    1. Fixed the problem of not activating the Sign In button for Apple Music.
    2. Fixed the problem of edit box labels not appearing in the account section of the Sero app.
    3. Fixed problems where the edit boxes for signing in to Google drive will not activate.
    4. Fixed the problem adding e-mail addresses in areas like Play store or Account settings  if address length exceeds 31 characters.
    5. If user presses space-z in 3rd party apps, the apps now terminate.
  1. File manager
    1. Inserted the “Android Program” Item in the “Send To” function. This allows you to send files to Android apps like Dropbox, one Drive, KNFB reader, etc. We will more clearly try to define this according to file extension in future, but it does attempt to offer apps that match the file type you are sending.
    2. Inserted the “Exchange E-mail” option in the “Send To” function for attachment to an e-mail using the exchange app, same as can already be done for the original e-mail app.
  2. Google Drive
    1. Now Supports the ability to open a file from the Word processor, Notepad, E-mail, Exchange e-mail, Excel Viewer or Media Player. Google drive will appear in the Open/Attach File dialog under the drive list, and you will be able to navigate and select as you would from local drives on the unit.
    2. Also will now launch the above programs when pressing Enter on an associated file in the file manager. *Note: files not supported by the apps mentioned above cannot be opened and will result in an “Unsupported file type” error.
    3. Now supports the Send To function.
    4. Some Conditions
  1. Only supports selecting files or folders for the purposes of opening or saving.
  2. The login function is not supported from these programs. Please login to Google drive from the  file manager before trying to use these functions.
  • Streaming media files is not supported. We download the file in a temporary folder in the flashdisk before playing.
  1. In general, it should be noted, due to transferring to and from Google Drive, opening and saving files is a bit slower than when accessing local files and folders.
  1. Word processor & Notepad
  1. We inserted the ability to spellcheck the current word with Backspace-K.
    1. Fixed the problem of not displaying the last word when executing auto scroll.
  1. Changed the control movement key from space-dot-1 and space-dot-4 to tab and shift-tab for consistency in dialogs like the Find/replace dialog in both Notepad and Word Processor.
  2. Fixed the read Sentence Command in notepad and e-mail.
  3. Fixed the problem of removing the punctuation when a word is changed where punctuation is connected.
  4. Fixed the problem of the spell checker not working when placed on the last word of a document.
  1. Word processor
    1. Changed the word wrap default value to off. Only applies to new files. It must still be set manually in existing files.
    2. Inserted the function to “set current as default” in the font dialog.
    3. As two values are changed in the document settings, the office engine sees it as a modification. So the word processor will display the save prompt when exiting the document.
  1. Fixed the problem of fractions being incorrectly grouped/bracketed if spaces are not used.
  2. Fixed the problem of the Custom Dictionary not working in the spellchecker.
  3. Added the ability to open password protected files.
    1. Refers to documents that are password protected for reasons of privacy such as those in the health professions.
    2. *Note: these files can only be opened in and from the Word Processor. You cannot open them in the Notepad.
  4. Fixed the problem of not editing content inside a table. (Jasmine’s document sent to us by Jim)
  5. Fixed the problem of crashing when pressing the first cursor router.
  6. Fixed the problem of locking up when executing selection and copy.
  7. Fixed the problem of not displaying the negative sign in Nemath mode on the visual screen.
  8. Fixed the problem of not printing a document using a USB printer.
  9. Fixed the problem of removing the entire paragraph if the misspelled word is in the last position.
  10. Fixed the problem of displaying an empty display when deleting a line break in mathematical text.
  11. Fixed some instances of jumbled text problems. *This is an ongoing and specific task, so please send us examples if you still experience this.
  12. Fixed the problem of removing the negative sign in numerical text.
  13. Fixed the problem with editing forms as sent to us by user.
  14. Fixed the problems maintaining correct cursor position when spell checking the current word.
  15. Fixed the problem of displaying Korean on the monitor when opening special power point files,.
  16. Fixed the problem of reporting an incorrect word count in the Word Processor due to counting empty lines as words.
  17. Fixed the problem of not correctly pasting multiple items from the Calculation history.
  18. Inserted the “insert page break” and “insert tab” items in the “insert” menu.
  19. Changed the hot-key for “Left justify”: to enter-backspace-space-j due to key conflict.
  20. Fixed the problem of not reading the  current line in the Word Processor after closing the Android notification list.
  21. Fixed several issues with Nemeth Braille translation.
  1. Notepad
    1. Fixed the problem of locking up when editing the document and changing “Set characters per line” on the Polaris MINI.
    2. Fixed the problem of the Braille grade not being honored in the Find dialog in braille documents.
    3. Fixed the problem of menu names being displayed incorrectly when turning off the control Information.
    4. Added the “From Cursor to End” replacement option to the Find and Replace dialog.
  1. Fixed the Braille translation issue when pasting to a Braille document in the notepad.
  2. Fixed the problem of displaying the enter sign when continues reading.
  3. Fixed the problem of displaying duplicate text when moving by paragraph.
  4. Fixed the problem of locking up when moving by paragraph in a braille file.
  5. Fixed the problem of crashing when reading continuously in a braille file.
  6. Fixed the problem of crashing when scrolling backward in a Braille file.
  7. Fixed the problem of the control characters not working in the find dialog in a braille file.
  8. Fixed the problem of speaking the entire paragraph after you press Enter when  keyboard echo is off.
  9. Fixed the problem of not opening some epub files.
  10. Fixed the problem of not deleting a block when pressing backspace.
  1. E-mail:
  1. We inserted the first name and last name field when using Enter-I to  save an address from an e-mail. * This fixes the problem of all contacts having both last name and first name in the Last Name field.
    1. Inserted the “Modify” option when a contact already exists. You can change the email address.
    2. Inserted the empty trash function for IMAP.
  1. Now allows searching for contacts by first name, last name, or e-mail address when using the Enter-L function.
  2. Inserted the ability to find an e-mail address by typing all or part of the first or last name as can be done on the U2 products.
  3. there is now a Header Display setting in the Options dialog, so that you can define how and what is displayed in the message list.
  4. Fixed the problem of inserting text twice when pasted from the clipboard.
  5. Fixed the problem of not reading the message body when using 3rd party TTS.
  6. Fixed the problem of returning to the top of the message after spell checking the current word.
  7. Fixed the problem opening web link such as those to dropbox files.
  8. Fixed the problem accessing Microsoft accounts.
  9. Fixed the problem of not announcing the completion message when sending a blank message.
  1. Exchange E-mail
    1. New program to support the Exchange E-mail function, appears below original E-mail program in Main Menu.
    2. Mostly functions like the original E-mail program.
    3. Accounts manager.
  1. Only supports the entry of Account name, server address, username and password, as this is all that is required.
  2. The only advanced option is the signature option.
  1. Save Offline to Polaris Mail.
    1. Inserted the “Save Offline to Polaris Mail.” for saving messages offline. They are saved to the original e-mail program. When you activate this function, you are given a choice as to what account you want to save it to.
    1. Set Options
  1. Inserted the “Message list Type” for selecting the mail header types to display. This is related to the speed at which e-mail messages are recieved. If you choose to display less header information, e-mail is received faster.
  2. detailed:
    1. Attachment count, title, sender name, sender email, date.
  • Simple
    1. Includes Attachment , title, sender name, date.
    1. Spam Settings
  1. if user selects the “Detailed” option, user can add the subject, address or host to the spam filter.
  2. If user selects the “Simple” option, user can add only the subject to the spam filter.
    1. Mailbox
  1. If a mailbox has a sub mailbox, you can use enter and backspace to navigate in and out, similar to navigating folders/files in the File Manager. This means though that you must always use F3 and Shift F3 to enter and exit main mailboxes.
  1. Media
    1. Media Player
  1. Now supports the function to browse files using the media keys as was the case in the U2.
    1. Daisy Player
  1. Now supports the function to browse files using the media keys as was the case in the U2.
  2. Auto Scrolling with the Braille display now works correctly.
  • Fixed the auto scroll speed hot keys so that they are consistent with those on the rest of the unit. They were previously backwards.
  1. Fixed the problem of unnatural speech pauses when reading the book.
  2. Fixed the skipping of phrases in BookShare books.
  1. Organizer
    1. Address Manager
  1. Fixed problems sorting records correctly, including those remaining after the patch release.
    1. Schedule Manager
  1. Added “Refresh” function for immediate syncing with calendars in the Cloud. *Last item in menu or press Backspace-R.
  2. Added “Calendar Type” setting to the calendar settings dialog. Options are Solar, lunar, or both.
  1. Web Tools
    1. Web Browser
      1. Fixed the problem of not opening www.websudoku.com.
      2. Fixed the problem of the Previous Page command not working.
  • Fixed entering text in to the edit boxes on the ACB email lists page.
  1. Fixed a problem where some HTML pages couldn’t be saved from the Browser.
  2. You can now delete all items from the history by selecting all and choosing Delete.
  3. Inserted the Clear all button in the history dialog box. You can either select all and delete, or use this button to clear all. Space-D still deletes the current item.
  • Fixed the problem of suddenly returning to the top of the page after reaching a certain position. This is really common on Wikipedia pages, but others as well.
  • Fixed the problem of not displaying control symbols when navigating with space-dot 1 or Space-4.
  1. The open function is now available when trying to execute an mp3 file link.
  2. Fixed the problem of not seeing the input area for the PIN in the kahoot school site.
  1. Extras
    1. Sense Dictionary
  1. Removes the punctuation at the end of a word received from another program, as in when you look up a word from the Word Processor or Notepad.
  1. Utilities
    1. Polaris Math
  1. Changed the Braille grade option from a combo box to a toggle similar to the Calculator.
  1. Calculator, fixed the following errors:
    1. Fixed the problem of incorrectly displaying the multiplication sign in the history list if the braille code is set to UEB.
    2. Fixed the problem of not being able to input Nemeth devision.
  • For percent, you can’t use a Nemeth percent. Also, you must end with a % sign and can’t use it in the middle of a problem.
  1. Can’t do parentheses right after another set of parentheses
  2. Can’t do parentheses after a number
  3. Can’t use the multiplication dot in many instances
  • Can’t use a multiplication cross between two parentheses
  • Can’t do a multiplication cross after a parentheses
  1. Dividing a fraction by a fraction gives the wrong answer
  2. Dividing a whole number by a fraction gives the wrong answer
  3. Mixed number times a simple fraction using a multiplication cross gives the wrong answer
  • Can’t do a number immediately followed by Pi or use the multiplication dot between them 2 pi.
  • When doing 3 squared plus 4 squared, it speaks quotation mark, but does calculate it correctly
  • It doesn’t allow for scientific notation
  1. To do index roots you can’t use correct Nemeth code.
  • You can’t put an operation in an exponent because it doesn’t allow you to use the dot 5 to end the exponent. Instead, it automatically fills in a dot 5 when you hit the minus sign
  1. Display Time and Date
    1. Fixed the problem of skipping seconds.
    1. Fixed the problem of the countdown timer throwing errors if the braille code is set to UK.
    1. Wake Up Alarm
  1. Added ability to set multiple alarms.
  2. Main window now consists of alarms list and buttons.
  • Add Alarm: Enter-A.
  1. Modify Alarm: Enter-M.
  2. Delete Alarm: Space-D.
  1. Terminal For Screen Reader
    1. Fixed the problem of not sending translated braille when using the terminal clipboard.
  2. Macro Manager
    1. New app located below Sleep Timer.
    2. As a reminder, the actual Macro Manager is located in the Utilities menu. But, you can’t do anything with it until you have Macros saved there.
  • To begin and end recording a Macro, type F2-R.
  1. To insert delay time for instances where execution is too fast, press F2-D.
  2. To execute the most recently used macro, press F2-E.
  3. To open the Macro Manager from anywhere, press F2-L.
  • Added export and import the macro list. This allows you to create macros for others, such as teachers or students, or in situations where you want to make a complicated task easier to perform for someone else. We export and import  the macro list to and from the flashdisk\database\macro folder.
  1. Settings
    1. Setup Internet
  1. Changed some code to hopefully improve the problem of losing the wireless password. Please test and let us know.
  2. Fixed the error when entering nothing in the “bypass proxy for” field in the internet Setup dialog.
  • We hopefully improved on the situation where Wi-fi profiles seem to disappear.
  1. Fixed the problem connecting to iPhone hotspots.
    1. Bluetooth Manager
  1. Fixed the problem of not reconnecting the Bluetooth Keyboard when restarting Polaris.
  1. Backup Restore Polaris Settings
    1. Fixed the problem of not restoring web browser settings. Please make a fresh backup after doing the upgrade for this to work.
  2. Voice Options
    1. Added Turkish And Croation to the voice Options
    2. Inserted English India Sangeeta, veena and rishi
  • Inserted UK Malcolm, Scottish Fiona and Australian Lee.
  1. Global Options:
    1. We inserted the language option in the global options. This changes the system language of the unit according to the Android System settings. This allows users to easily change supported open firmware localizations.
    2. Please note that, because this is connected specifically to an Android setting, all Android languages appear in this list. If you choose a language for which we do not have a localization, Polaris prompts and menus will appear in English, though you may operate in the chosen language on the android side.
  • Note: currently Braille and TTS need to be changed separately via their respective options. We will discuss further automation of the whole process. But for now, possibly a perfect use of the Macro function.
  1. Please note that any open applications need to be closed and re-opened before they will appear in the changed language.
  1. Exam and Function Lock
    1. Fixed the problem that Exam mode wouldn’t exit properly with the password.
    2. If Function Lock is enabled, the password will now be required to initialize options.
  2. Upgrade
    1. Added display of the program count during the “Initialization” phase, so that you can see progress. This count shows all installed packages, including stock Android packages and apps, polaris apps and packages, as well as any installed apps. The count will easily exceed 150, even if you have nothing additional installed.
    2. Will now not allow an upgrade to proceed if the battery level is below 40%, even if the AC adapter is connected. This is to protect against instability during the upgrade process.

 

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