Jabbla Allora User manual

Manual
- allora -

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Introduction 3
Allora’s on/off switch 4
Charging Allora’s batteries 6
The keyboard 7
Writing and pronouncing a message 12
Word prediction 15
The display 17
Messages and abbreviations 18
Date and time 19
Settings 21
Use Allora with 1 switch: scanning 23
Environmental control 28
Allora Tools 30

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Introduction
Allora is a very easy to use text input based communication aid. Any
message written on Allora’s keyboard will be pronounced with a high quality
natural sounding voice. Intelligent and context based word prediction and the
use of abbreviation expansion will increase the communication speed
significantly. You can also store more than 100 frequently used messages
and sounds, even music.
Allora can optionally be equipped with an infrared remote control module
(Gewa) that can learn IR commands to control for instance a television.
Allora has a splash proof keyboard with normal sized keys and soft key
travel. Acceptance and delay times can be defined to avoid unwanted
selections.
The LCD display with backlight has 2 rows of 40 characters. The first row
displays the message while the second row shows the word prediction list.

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Allora’s on/off switch
The on/off switch of Allora is located at the bottom side of the device, near to
the mini-jack connector for the switch input.
Press the on/off switch shortly until the backlight of the display turns on.
At the same time the on/off indicator will start blinking green once per
second, to inform you that Allora is starting up. This will take about 20
seconds.
After a short while the name - allora - will appear on the display and a few
moments later a cursor will appear at the beginning of the first line of the
display. Now you can start typing a message.
You do not have to turn off Allora when you are not using it for a while. Allora
automatically goes into a power down mode after a (definable) specific time
in order to minimize power consumption. You can also initiate the power
down mode by pressing the touch key Moon.
on/off switch
On/off indicator

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In power down mode the back light of the display is turned off and the on/off
indicator blinks every 3 seconds.
To 'wake up' Allora from power down mode simply press the Fn key or one of
the 6 touch keys.
To switch off Allora press and hold the on/off switch for about 1 second. The
back light of Allora's display and the on/off indicator will turn off. In case
Allora was in power down mode the on/off indicator will stop blinking.
For a complete reset press and hold the on/off switch for about 5 seconds.
When Allora is not used for a longer period of time it will first go into power
down mode and after a definable number of hours the unit will automatically
turn off completely. This is to avoid discharge of the batteries when one
should have forgotten to switch off the device. The default value is 6 hours.

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Charging Allora's internal batteries
Allora has an internal battery that allows you to use the device for a whole
day. Of course the autonomy of the battery depends on the frequency of
usage.
Allora has a battery indicator to show the status of the battery. As long as the
indicator is green no battery charge is needed. A red battery indicator light
means that the battery should be charged as soon as possible. A red blinking
battery indicator tells you that Allora will turn off itself in a few moments. This
is to avoid a deep discharge of the battery.
To charge the battery of Allora use the adapter delivered with the device. Do
not use another adapter. The battery indicator will blink green during battery
charge. Allora's batteries are fully charged when the battery indicator lights
up continuously. Charging empty batteries will take about 5 hours. The
adapter can stay connected even when batteries are fully charged.
Best battery performance and autonomy can be achieved when a fully
charged - fully discharged cycle is used. This is not always possible in
practice but try to achieve this in the first period of use.
Battery indicator
charge connector

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The keyboard
Allora has a waterproof keyboard with normal sized keys. Acceptance and
delay times are definable. This allows avoiding unwanted key strokes due to
uncontrolled actions.
The keyboard supports the complete alphabet, figures 0...9, frequently used
special characters, the function Fn key, the Shift key and the Enter key.
Fn
The Fn key is used to select special characters, printed in blue on the
keyboard, and to change the volume. You do not have to hold the Fn key to
select a special character. First press the Fn key and then select the
character you want to type or the blue arrow up to increase the volume or
blue arrow down to decrease it. If you want to type a second special
character press the Fn key again and select the character. You can also hold
the Fn key to select special characters or to change volume.
Following key combinations are used to form other commonly characters:
Fn + a = @ Fn + c = %
Fn + p = £ Fn + n = &
Fn + o = ø Fn + m = ;
Fn + d = $
Shift
Use the Shift key to form capital characters or to select the characters printed
above the figures. To do this, you do not have to hold the Shift key. First
press the Shift key and then the character you want to type in capital. Repeat
this for a second capital and so on. You can of course hold the Shift key for
consecutive capitals.
Enter
Use the Enter key to have the written message pronounced.
Figures
The figures are used to select a prediction. To type a figure hold the key of
the figure a bit longer. The duration is a definable parameter.

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Pressing a figure key shortly selects the corresponding word in the prediction
list that is displayed on the second line of the display.
Touch Keys
In addition Allora has 6 touch keys, 3 on the left side and 3 on the right side
of the display:
Square
The Square key is used to play stored sounds or music. First press the
Square key followed by a character or a figure key. Allora will now play the
sound or piece of music linked to that specific character or figure key. This
also works for the combination Square + Fn key + character or figure and for
the combination Square + Shift key + character or figure. Use the Allora
Tools to store sounds and music in Allora's memory (see chapter Allora
Tools).
Press the Square key twice to hear time and/or date.
Moon
The Moon key puts Allora in standby mode. The backlight will turn off and the
on/off indicator starts blinking every 3 seconds.
In standby mode Allora uses minimal current which extends the autonomy of
the battery. When Allora is in standby mode, press the key Moon or one of
the other touch keys or the Fn key to wake up Allora.
Stand by mode will also automatically be initiated when Allora is not used -
no keys are pressed - for a specific (adjustable) period of time.
Square
Moon
Message
Attention
Triangle
CLR

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Message
The Message key is used to recall a stored message. First press the
Message key followed by a character key or a figure key. Allora will now
recall and display the stored message linked to that specific character or
figure. This also works for the combination Message + Fn key and/or Shift
key + character or figure.
Once the message is displayed you can add something or you can press the
Enter key to hear the message. You can decide to have Allora speaking out
loud the message immediately after the recall. This can be done by changing
the parameter Read mem-message directly in the menu Settings...
It is easy to store and link a message with a specific key or key combination.
First type the message. Then press the Message key twice followed by the
character key or figure key you want the message to be linked with. To finish,
confirm by pressing the Message key again. You can also link a message
with the key combination Fn and/or Shift + character or figure.
You can also use the Allora Tools to store and link messages.
Attention
To draw attention you can press the Attention key. Allora will play a sound.
The attention sound can be changed and personalized with the Allora Tools.
Triangle
The Triangle key is used to send infrared commands to control for instance a
television. First press the Triangle switch followed by a character key or
figure key. Allora now will send the infrared command linked with that specific
character or figure. Read more about the use of this feature in the chapter
Environmental control.
CLR
The CLR key clears the message and the display.

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Keyboard settings
Some characteristics of the keyboard can be changed in order to adapt and
optimize the keyboard to the specific needs of the users. The following
overview explains the different keyboard parameters. To change the settings
you have to enter the menu of Allora:
Press the Message key once and then press the Space bar. You now enter
the top menu of Allora.
Choose the next item by pressing the Space bar. The following items appear
on the display:
Speech - Date/Time - Display - Keyboard
Now press the Enter key to go into the sub-menu.
In the sub-menu you can choose:
Type - Sound - Holdtime for numbers - Post selection delay - Acceptance
time
Choose the parameter you want to change using the Space bar.
Change the parameter setting with the Enter key.
Press the Message key to leave the menu.
Press the CLR key to go back to the top menu.
Type: Azerty, Qwerty, Qwertzu
This parameter defines the keyboard layout.
Sound: on, off
Activate the parameter Sound if you want to hear a short 'click' when
pressing any key of the keyboard. This will not add sound clicks to the 6
touch keys.
Holdtime for numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4
The figure keys of the keyboard are used to make a selection of the words in
the prediction list. If you want to select a figure instead of a prediction you
have to hold the figure key a bit longer. With this parameter you can set the

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holdtime for selecting a figure. Press the Enter key to choose between 1 =
short... 4 = longer.
Post selection delay: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
When this parameter is 0 there is no delay time after a keystroke. This
means that keystrokes can follow each other very quickly. When the Post
selection delay is set to 1 or more, Allora will not accept keystrokes
immediately following a previous one. Allora will wait until the delay time has
expired (1 = short ... 5 = longer) to accept a new keystroke.
Changing this parameter will allow you to avoid unwanted keystrokes due to
tremor.
Acceptance time: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
The Acceptance time defines how long a key must be hold before Allora will
accept it as a selection: 0 = immediately ... 5 = after a longer time. Changing
the Acceptance time will allow you to avoid accidental keystrokes due to
uncontrolled movements.

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Writing and pronouncing a message
Use the keyboard to write the message you want Allora to speak out loud.
The message will be displayed on the first line of the display. On the second
line of the display a list of word predictions will appear. If you want to use one
of these words simply press on the figure key corresponding with the figure in
front of the prediction. As soon as you select a prediction Allora suggests a
new list of word predictions. This allows you to create your message quicker
and with a lot less keystrokes.
If you want to select a figure press the figure key a bit longer. Just hold it until
the figure appears on the display. The time you need to hold the figure key to
select a figure is adjustable (see chapter The Keyboard).
Use the Fn key to select one of the special characters, printed in blue on the
upper part of some of the keys. You do not have to hold the Fn key, first
press the Fn key, release it and then press the key with the special character
you want to select.
Press the Enter key 
 
 to let Allora speak out loud the message you have
written.
To increase the volume press the Fn key, release it and then press the key
with the blue arrow up ↑. You will hear a beep to indicate the new volume.
Repeat this until the volume is high enough. You can of course hold the Fn
key while you press the arrow up ↑key.
To decrease the volume press the Fn key, release it and then press the key
with the blue arrow down ↓. You will hear a beep to indicate the new volume.
Repeat this until the volume is low enough. You can of course hold the Fn
key while you press the arrow up ↑key.
Speech and voice settings
Some of the speech parameters like voice, speed and volume can be
changed.
To change the settings you have to enter the menu of Allora:
Press the Message key once and then press the Space bar. You now enter
the top menu of Allora.

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Choose the next item by pressing the Space bar. The first item appearing on
the display is Speech
Press the Enter key to go into the sub menu.
In the sub menu you can choose:
Language - Voice - Speed - Volume - Wordecho - Add pronunciation - Delete
pronunciation
Choose the parameter you want to change using the Space bar.
Change the parameter setting with the Enter key.
Press the Message key to leave the menu.
Press the CLR key to go back to the top menu.
Language
Allora can be programmed with different languages. The Language
parameter indicates the activated language. Press the Enter key to change
the language if more languages are available.
Voice
Within one language different voices can be available. The Voice parameter
indicates the activated voice. Press the Enter key to change the voice if more
voices are available.
Speed
The parameter Speed indicates the speed of the voice: 1 = slowly... 10 = very
fast. Press the Enter switch to change the speed.
Volume
The parameter Volume defines the volume of the voice: 1 = quite... 9= loud.
Press the Enter switch to change the volume. You can also change the
voume using the keyboard. To increase the volume press the Fn key, release
it and then press the key with the blue arrow up ↑. To decrease the volume
press the Fn key, release it and then press the key with the blue arrow down
↓. You can of course hold the Fn key while you press the arrow up ↑key or
arrow down ↓key.

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Word echo: on - off
When Word echo is on, Allora will repeat every word as soon as the Space
bar is pressed. Press the Enter key repeat the complete message.
Add pronunciation
Allora uses a high performance text-to-speech engine to transform written
messages into speech. It is possible that the pronunciationof a word is not
correct or could be improved. This can occur with names for instance. With
the feature Add pronunciation you can change the pronunciation of a specific
word.
When you select in the menu Add pronunciation you will be asked to type the
word that you want to change its pronunciation and press enter. Then you
can type the replacement (sounds as) and confirm with enter.
You can continue with the next word or press the message key to leave the
menu.
Delete pronunciation
Type the word that you want to delete and press enter.

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