| What
types of files can I read with RapidReader?
PDF's.* Outlook
e-mail*, MS Word
docs, Web Pages, txt files.
RapidReader automatically places
a RapidReader button on the toolbar
of MS Word and Internet Explorer and
other browsers, To RapidRead other
file types simply "drag and drop"
the file on the RapidReader desktop
icon or copy the text and RapidRead
from the clipboard.
*Requires RapidReader PRO
For RapidReader for Palm, select
the RapidReader application and tap
on your choice of docs, RRd or e-mail
to RapidRead Palm docs, RapidReader
docs or e-mail with attachments respectively.
MS Word, RTF and most text format
documents can be transferred to your
Palm from your PC using the RR to
Palm software that comes with RapidReader
for Palm.
For Symbian Mobile devices, access
to RapidReader is through the "extras"
menu and the transfer of documents
is accomplished through the synch
software that came with your Symbian
device.
(NOTE: For help or specific product
questions please click on the HELP
tab above)
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What
are the differences between RapidReader
Standard and RapidReader PRO?
RapidReader PRO has all of the features
found in RapidReader Standard Edition
such as integration into MS Word and
Internet Explorer and the markup capability.
But RapidReader PRO also supports
accelerated reading for PDF and direct
integration into Outlook e-mail.
In order to accelerate the reading
of PDF files, RapidReader PRO includes
a powerful analysis engine. This component
uses artificial intelligence to examine
the PDF file and extract the text
for you to RapidRead. Further, the
pages numbers of the RapidReader file
and the original PDF are synchronized
to make it easier to move between
the two documents for reference. Because
of the complexities inherent in the
PDF format, RapidReader PRO is the
only product to offer accelerated
reading of PDF files.
In Outlook, when you select a batch
of e-mails and click on the integrated
RapidReader button, RapidReader PRO
analyses the e-mail files you've chosen
and in effect, extracts and "copies"
the key information and the message
body to RapidReader. For instance,
if you selected 50 e-mails from your
inbox, with just one click, the RapidReader
engine would extract the "from","date"
and "subject" field's as
well as the name and type of any attachment.
It would not display redundant cc's
and other unnecessary clutter. The
the entire batch is delivered to you
in sequence in the RapidReader flow.
You select the speed of course. If
you wish to skip from one e-mail to
the next, you simply press "N"
and RapidReader will find the next
e-mail. If there is an attachment
you can open it by pressing "A".
Because PRO includes PDF analysis
you can open PDF and MS Word attachments
right in the sequence. Now opening
and closing e-mails one at a time
is a thing of the past.
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When
I purchase, how many licenses am I
entitled to?
When you purchase RapidReader you
are entitled to 3 licenses per order
ID. This was designed to offer back
up copies in the event of a system
crash. However you can use the extra
licenses if you wish to install RapidReader
on additional machines. For instance
on your laptop and desktop. For information
on how to install on additional machines,
please click here.
Please
Note: It is recommended that
you retain at least one license for
backup.
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What
is the average reading speed?
The answer is, that it varies of
course on what kind of material you're
reading. In general however, the average
for reading on paper is about 180-280
words per minute (about a page of
a paperback book) for a very good
reader. On a computer screen that
speed drops considerably based on
the length of the document. The longer
the document the slower the average
speed. This is because of scrolling
and eyestrain which slows us down
dramatically to about 100-130 wpm.
On small screens where you must "squint
and scroll" the average speed
drops to about 45 words per minute.
Please note, these speeds aren't based
on reading a few lines or only one
screen but on reading for a reasonable
length of time.
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How
about comprehension with RapidReader's
higher speed?
The original research conducted at
John's Hopkins into RSVP (Rapid Serial
Visual Presentation) showed that even
at 1600 wpm comprehension was similar
to reading on paper. In our own study
conducted at the University of Southern
California, using a standardized comprehension
test nearly 90% of the subject group
improved comprehension while reading
at 300 WPM vs reading on paper.
Comprehension is of course a matter
of recognition of the words. Words
are symbols which we readily can identify
much faster than we can move our eyes
and sound out. So the method of display
really has no impact on comprehension
so long as the words can be recognized.
as long as we're One reason is that
moving your eyes slowly across a page
introduces all sorts of "confounding"
elements. Comprehension seems to improve
in fact, the faster you can see the
words. This is probably a matter of
focus and the reduction in distraction.
For more information about the science
behind RapidReader please click
here.
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Will
I retain what I read at higher speeds
Studies have shown that retention
is largely a matter of attention.
Actually, once the words are understood,
retention is a matter of individual
learning style and memory, not the
display of text. In other words if
you see and recognize the word, it
doesn't really matter how it was displayed.
However retention will be better if
there are fewer distractions while
reading. The slower you read, the
more likely you are to be diverted
during the time between words. How
many of us have had to re-read a paragraph
because our minds were wandering.
This is at least in part because our
brains move much faster than our eyes
can travel across a page. This means
our brains are "waiting"
for the next word and that is often
the cause of wandering attention.
The result is a seeming lack of retention.
RapidReader helps retention because
the display is dynamic and the words
are moving at a speed which holds
our attention and focus.
For more information about the science
behind RapidReader please click
here.
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What
if I want to pause for a moment to
think something over
Simply click the mouse once and PAUSE
on the last word you read. (You can
also DOUBLE CLICK or press the SPACEBAR
and the text will stop and be visible
in paragraph form.) When we read anything
of any length, we all actually stop
occasionally to "rehearse" what we've
been reading (e.g. we might repeat
something we just read, or might want
to think it over). When in Pause mode
you will see the TurboView Control
Console with convent access to most
of the core functions.
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What
if I miss a line and want to go back?
RapidReader uses a "video player"
like interface to move around a document.
There are several ways to "rewind"
or "fast forward"a word
at a time, a line at a time, a paragraph
or page at a time. When RapidReading
you can use the left right arrow keys.
In both ParagraphView or TurboView
Pause these navigation buttons are
located on the toolbar or console.
For more information on features
please see Help
files
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Will
I lose words if I blink?
Very probably not. The blink of an
eye takes about the same time as it
takes for a hummingbird to flap it's
wings. At it's fastest, the human
mind can comprehend text at 1600 words
per minute or one word every 1/26
of a second. That's much slower than
an eye blink. The most you would lose
to a blink, even at RapidReader's
fastest display speed, would be about
1/10 of the time a word is on the
screen.
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Can
I scan the text like I would a normal
page?
Yes. When you first click on the
RapidReader button on your browser
or word processor, you will see the
text displayed in ParagraphView which
looks almost identical to a word processor
page. In this text window, you can
scroll and scan as you would normally.
You can also navigate with the "find"
and "go to page" functions
and the navigation arrows. When in
TurboView you can double-click
or press the spacebar
to return to the ParagraphView at
any time.
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What
if I want to skip ahead to read from
another place?
There are several ways you can do
this.
In ParagraphView you can:
- Scroll ahead and double click
on a word to begin reading from
there
- Use the "Fast Forward"
navigation button for line, paragraph
or page
- Use the "go to page"
from the menu bar,
- You can skip through a document
using the markup viewers, for instance
from one note to the next.
In TurboView you can:
- Use the right arrow key
- You can hold down the CTL key
to "double-time" through
a section.
- Single Click to Pause the TurboView
display and use the arrow buttons
on the Console
For more information about functions
please go to the help
files.
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Will
RapidReader help me learn to read
"ink on paper" any faster?
Yes. Speed reading courses spend
a great deal of time having you practice
how to keep you eyes focused on the
center of the page and stop habitually
"sounding out". RapidReader
presents text to you in such a way
that you automatically do these things
to form new habits and better reading
strategies that will increase your
reading speed in any medium almost
without trying. You will learn to
pick out what's important in the text
you're reading. This is an essential
skill for test taking and information
gathering.
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What
about eyestrain?
RapidReader is ergonomically designed
to reduce eyestrain. The "starfield"
background is there specifically to
break up areas of visual contrast and
reduce "after image" or what's
called "retinal burn" ( seeing
a high contrast image when you close
your eyes). If you are like most people,
you should experience a substantial
reduction in eyestrain when reading
in RapidReader versus regular text display.
SoftOlogy has spent years thoroughly
researching the display of fonts and
colors, the nature of illuminated text
and the rate of display of words to
optimize not only comprehension but
visual and ergonomic comfort. However,
the effectiveness of the RapidReader
display is also related to the resolution
quality of the screen of the device
and what's called the "refresh
rate" which is how fast the screen
can change images. Readability will
be affected by lower resolution displays
such as those of certain lower priced
or older hand held devices. On these
devices, the practical limit is about
400 words per minute. ( Still several
times faster than the "squint and
scroll" method)
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What
do I have to do to documents to read
them with RapidReader?
Essentially simply open the supported
formats in RapidReader. There are
a number of ways to do this. You can
"Drag and Drop" PDF*, MS
Word or text files on the RapidReader
Desktop Icon. RapidReader is also
integrated directly into the tool
bar of many applications such as MS
Word, Internet Explorer and Outlook*.
*Requires RapidReader PRO
For opening documents for Palm and
Symbian devices please look at the
HELP FILES
for specific instructions
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Can
I save web pages with RapidReader?
Yes. It's a great way to save Web
Pages for later offline reading either
when you don't have time or as a way
of doing research.
Open the web page in RapidReader
and select SAVE from the menu bar.
With one click, you'll save the entire
text of the web page as a RapidReader
Document (.r2d). You can organize
your r2ds in a folder as you would
any document type. You can reopen
it offline whenever it's convenient,
add notes and highlite text and even
e-mail it as a RapidReader file. It's
great for projects, research or collaboration.
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How
do I add my own notes to documents
and Web Pages in RapidReader?
In RR for Windows or Mac,
you can add Notes and Dog-Ear markers
to a file from either the ParagraphView
or "on the fly" while in
TurboView. In ParagraphView select
the Notes Icon and the notepad will
appear. Click "done" to
attach the note to the word you selected.
While in TurboView you can simply
press ALT+N (Mac Command+N) for a
note or ALT+D (Mac Command+D) for
a Dog-Ear and the markup will be placed
with the word appearing in the TurboView
Window. This markup will appear as
icons in the upper left hand corner
of the TurboView to alert you that
you've placed a Note.
Notes will remain with the document
until you close it or SAVE IT as a
RapidReader document
For information regarding notes and
highliting for PALM please go to the
Palm
help files
For more information on markup features
please see Help
files "Using Notes, Dog-Ears
and Highlites".
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What
is a Dog-Ear Marker?
A Dog-Ear Marker is similar to what
you might do to mark a spot in a magazine
or book. You would turn down the corner
of the page. Dog-Ears are used to
signal a place of interest in a RapidReader
document. For instance if the original
PDF or MS Word doc makes reference
to a graphic, you can place a Dog-Ear
to remind you to look at the original
document. You can place Dog-Ears "on
the fly" in TurboView without
interrupting your reading.
For more information on markup features
please see Help
files "Using Notes, Dog-Ears
and Highlites".
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How
do highlite text in documents and
Web Pages in RapidReader?
You can access the Highlite function
in RapidReader in either the ParagraphView
or the TurboView. Click on the Highliter
icon and you will see the cursor change
shape. You will also notice in the
lower right hand corner that the mode
has changed from "Normal"
to Highlite. Simply click and drag
the cursor across the text, and you
will sea change in color. Release
the mouse and click on the Highlite
Icon again to return to Normal Mode.
The text you highlited will now appear
a bright lime green in the TurboView.
For more information on markup features
please see Help
files "Using Notes, Dog-Ears
and Highlites".
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How
do I save my notes and highlites for
later?
One of the great things about RapidReader
is that you can save documents and
web pages complete with your notes
for later review as a RapidReader
file type (r2d). All you have to do
is select SAVE from the menu bar in
ParagraphView or click on the SAVE
icon when you pause in TurboView.
This will save the document with your
notes, highlites and dog-ear markers.
An added advantage is that a RapidReader
file is usually significantly smaller
than the original. This is particularly
true for PDF or MS Word docs. You
can attach your r2d to e-mail a friend
or colleague with your notes and highlites
intact. It's a great way to collaborate,
study or prepare for a meeting or
presentation with all the information
right at your finger tips.
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How
do I get help or more information?
There are extensive help files and
a "how-to guide" on the
menu bar of all RapidReader products
as well as on the web site. If you
cannot find the answer there please
e-mail us at info@RapidReader.com
or call us at (970) 672
4750
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