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Open Office is very similar to Microsoft Office. It features Open Office Calc (similar to Microsoft Excel), Open Office Impress (similar to Microsoft PowerPoint) and Open Office Writer (similar to Microsoft Word). The Open Office suite also includes Open Office Base, which is a database manager, and Open Office Math, which specializes in mathematical formulas. Open Office files can be saved in all kinds of formats (DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, and more).

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With PDF Equalizer, the user can modify PDF files to add in or to retrieve useful information. This software can summarize the content of a PDF file by selecting only what it judges to be important. PDF Equalizer can read the text out loud using a Text-to-Speech engine. It can also export the text in WAV or MP3 format.

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PDF2TXT is software that converts PDF files to plain text files (TXT). This software does not keep the original layout of the text.

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QuickRes allows the user to change the screen resolution from an icon in the system tray.

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This simple utility allows users to quickly and easily change the background and font colours of their systems without having to go through the Screen Properties dialogs.

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The SmartPen Echo is a pen that has a built-in microphone. When recording a lecture and taking notes at the same time with its special paper, the written notes are linked to what was recorded at that time. The user can then listen to what was recorded by simply pressing the SmartPen against any written text. Recordings can be transferred to the computer through a USB connection. The SmartPen comes with its own software – Echo Desktop – that creates a digital version of the special paper the user writes own. The digital copies work just like the actual pages in that the user can listen to what was recorded by simply clicking on any written text.

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ssOverlay is software that allows the user to apply a color “overlay” on the screen. The color and opacity are customizable.

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Sitckies is a virtual Post-It Note © for the computer desktop. This is a simple way for users to eliminate the clutter caused by paper Post-It notes. The sticky notes’ font, colour and size can be customized. Notes can be transferred between computers over a local network or via e-mail. Stickies runs in the system tray for easy user access.

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T-Bar is software that allows the user to mask part of the screen with a colored rectangle. The size, color, and opacity of this rectangle are customizable.

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Vischeck is a free plug-in for the ImageJ (Image Processing and Analysis in Java) image processing program from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). It allows users to test images for accessibility for users who are colourblind. It is similar to downloading a Photoshop plugin. Vischeck simulates how images will appear to individuals who are colour-blind. Also available from vischeck.com is Daltonize, an online web tool that will alter images by taking colours that are hidden to colourblind people and moving them to a range of the color spectrum where they are visible again.

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