Overview

The Oska Suite for Touch Screen is a software solution range designed to take advantage of touch technology. Oska has been developed to enhance the use of touch technology and alternative PC input methods. Oska offers an inclusive alternative to the traditional keyboard and mouse method of operating a computer. The inclusive Oska software, paired with the appropriate input hardware, solves accessibility issues associated with conventional techniques and is paving the way for increased use of inclusive touch technology.

Related Datasheets:
» Oska Data Sheet

Features

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• Oska Keyboard
  
• Oska Editor
• Oska Settings Editor
  
• One Switch Mouse
• TenKey Moue
• 3D Mouse Work
• Joystick Mouse
• Head Pointer And Mouse Stick Keyboard
• Scroll Wheel Scanning

Controlling Oska Keyboard

The Oska Keyboard can be used in a variety of ways:

Clicking Mode
Select the on-screen keys to type text or send data to the program that is in use.

Hovering Mode
By moving the mouse or input device to a key and hovering over that key for a predefined period of time the key is automatically selected.

Scanning Mode
Using a scanning system, the Oska Keyboard continually scans the keyboard and highlights areas where keyboard characters can be typed by pressing a hot key or by using a switch input device.

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Features Of Oska Keyboard

Oska provides a wealth of features specifically designed to offer a variety of alternative PC control methods. Below is a list of features which are included in Oska.

Text Entry Into All Standard Windows Applications 
Allows control of the PC as if using a standard computer Keyboard.

Keyboards
Includes a range of keyboards including US, UK 9x9 and Mouth Stick and Head Pointer Keyboard.

Multi Lingual
Oska offers a range of keyboards in different languages. It is also quick and easy to switch between different keyboard languages, offering the ability to write in more than one language.

Fully Customisable
Each keyboard template can be edited for greater productivity. Keyboards can also be designed from scratch, allowing for a greater degree of flexibility.

Control 
Any pointing device or switch system available will work with Oska.

Oska supports full switch/scanning operation
When switch based scanning is used, the cursor ‘scans’ across the keyboard to select the key required. Different scanning solutions can be chosen by selecting the number of switches in use, the basic scanning method (autoscan, userscan, and stepscan) and the scanning pattern (item, quadrant, and row/column). Choosing the right scanning solution will increase the speed and accuracy of use.

Macros 
Oska can be utilized to build and run macros. This allows a variety of actions such as opening a web browser and navigating to a page to be done by just one button. Using macros to create shortcut buttons will enable the keyboard to be used more effectively and considerably increase the speed.

User Definable Keys 
Keyboards can be edited by right clicking on the user definable key. The function of the button can be edited as well as its appearance.

Menu Shortcuts
Any combination of menu shortcuts can be created within the keyboard, making the editing of documents and essays hugely efficient.

Create and Share Keyboards
Keyboards can be designed to any specification these keyboards can be sent to other Oska users.

Word Prediction
Oska offers a word prediction feature which eliminates keystrokes when words are selected from the word list.This feature not only helps to increase speed by reducing the number of keystrokes required to input certain words, but also improves spelling accuracy. Custom prediction lists can be built in order to assist further with writing.

Scroll Wheel Scanning
Scroll Wheel Scanning is a feature of Oska that enables the use of the mouse wheel found on a standard computer mouse for switch/scanning. Scroll Wheel Scanning offers a unique and innovative scanning solution using a standard mouse. By using the scroll wheel found on most standard computer mice, Scroll Wheel Scanning allows for quick and precise control on-screen scanning.

The Oska Keyboard
Can be moved anywhere on-screen, allowing greater flexibility when Oska is used. Multiple keyboards can also be run together.

Input Settings
The input methods can be defined and customised for any Oska Keyboard.

Touch Technology
Oska fully supports touch technology such as touch screen laptops and PCs.

Compatibility 
Oska is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and XP.

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Features of Oska Editor

Using the Oska Editor allows total control of the keyboard:

Keyboard Layout
Select the number of buttons on the keyboard. The number of columns and rows required and the size of the buttons in the Current Grid Setting can also be specified.

Current Grid Settings
Enables the size, the number of columns and rows, and the gaps between the buttons to be edited.

Current Button Settings
The style and appearance of individual buttons can be edited. This is also where labels or descriptions of the button and background images can be added.

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Editing the Oska Keyboard

The following can be edited:

• Back Colour - Change the colour of the button background
• Background Image - Add an image file to the button background
• Background Image Layout - Determines how the image will be laid out on the background
• Double Height - Allows the height of an individual button to be doubled
  
• Double Width - Allows the width of an individual button to be doubled
  
• Font - Allows control of the font options of any text which is displayed on the button
• Fore Colour - Allows the colour of the text of the selected button to be changed
  
• Glow Colour - The colour which the button will glow when the mouse cursor hovers over it
• Image - Add image to the button
• Image Align - Determines how the image is laid out on the button
• Inner Border Colour - Determines the colour of the inner border of the button
• Right to Left - Indicates whether the component show draw right to left for RTL Languages
• Shine Colour - Sets what colour the shine or reflection is of the button
• Text - Enter the text to be displayed on the button
• Text Align - This setting determines how the text is laid out on the button
• Text Image Relation - Used when an image and text are used on one button
• User Editable - Can be set to ‘true’ or ‘false’. When ‘true’ is selected, the keyboard user will have the option to right click the button on the keyboard and edit certain parameters

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Oska Settings Editor

After a keyboard is created in the Oska Editor, the input methods can be defined and customised. In addition, certain keys can be further defined, giving further capability. The Oska Settings Editor is designed to allow the setup of the input methods of keyboards that have been created in the Oska Editor.

There are five input methods to choose from. Depending on the situation these can be set to allow the best control method of the keyboard.

Keyboard Input
The keyboard input option offers the choice of using either the cursor keys and the enter button or the numerical Keypad and keypad enter button to move and select keys on the oska keyboard.

Mouse Input
The mouse input offers two methods of mouse control:

• Point and Click - standard mouse movements control the cursor and the left mouse click to select.

• Point and Hover - standard mouse movements control cursor movement. After hovering over an item for a predetermined amount of time the item is selected (when cursor is stationary). The time it takes to automatically select an item can be edited.

Gamepad Input
The gamepad input offers two methods of control:

• Map to Keyboard - uses the analogue Gamepad joystick to move the selector around the keyboard.  One of the gamepad buttons is then used to select the key.

• Map to grid - grid is designed to be used on square keyboard layouts with sides of 5, 8 or 9 buttons.  This allows for selections based on two gamepad directional inputs.

Scanning Input
Scanning input cycles through the keys using a switch/scanning method. The scanning input can be controlled by clicking the mouse, pressing a joystick button or pressing a key switch to select.

Mouse/Touchpad Grid Input
The mouse/touchpad grid input offers two methods of control:

• Mouse X & Y - highlights an individual key. Very small movements on the touchpad (or by a mouse) will cause the highlight to move in the direction of the keys.

• Mouse Wheel, Mouse X and Mouse Y - works in a similar manner to two switch scanning.  Move the mouse wheel (or finger/mouse horizontally/vertically) and the row/column will be scanned.  Then click either the mouse wheel or one of the “checked” mouse buttons.  Individual keys will now be scanned by moving the mouse.  Click to select a key.

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How Does One Switch Mouse Work

Unlike other mouse alternatives One Switch Mouse only requires the use of one button on a keyboard or switch to have complete control of the operation of the mouse cursor. the switch can be tapped quickly to select the direction that for the mouse to move in. By clicking the switch it will cycle through the four directions:

Once the direction is selected the mouse will begin to move. The speed and acceleration of this can be changed in the settings window.

By holding down the switch button, the mouse pointer will cycle through the following commands:

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How Does TenKey Mouse Work

TenKey Mouse works by splitting the screen up with a grid (see picture below). This grid corresponds to the layout of a standard numeric keypad.

Using the numbers on the numeric keypad, the mouse can be moved by selected the corresponding part of the grid. For instance, to move the mouse to the bottom left would require pressing the ‘1’ key on the numeric keypad.

The mouse is moved to the centre of the area selected and a new 3 x 3 box is laid over this area. This process is repeated until the mouse cursor is positioned exactly where it needs to be. Pressing the ‘0’ (zero) key will perform a left click.

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How To Control TenKey Mouse

TenKey Mouse is controlled by using the buttons found on a numeric keypad.

• Press + (plus) to make the grid appear, filling the whole screen.

• Press - (minus) to make the grid disappear.

• Press any of the numbers 1 to 9 (not 0) to zoom in to a section of the grid. The position of the key matches the section of the grid, so 7 is the top left and 3 is the bottom right. Repeat this until the mouse is exactly where required on the screen.

• When the mouse is in the correct position press the 0 (zero) key to left click.

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How Does 3D Mouse Work

3D mouse controllers were originally designed to navigate 3D spaces in computer programs, such as Google Earth and graphical editing programs. The 3D Mouse application allows the use of this technology as a traditional mouse cursor. 3D mouse controllers come with a controller cap. The controller cap is used for navigation, and can be easily manipulated to control the mouse movement. 3D Mouse allows for a fine degree of control, as well as the speed the mouse cursor moves with precision.

3D Mouse offers two types of control:

Absolute Mouse Mode
In this mode, the cursor moves in relation to the mouse. When the mouse is moved left the cursor will go left. When the mouse is centred then the mouse cursor will also return to the centre.

Relative Mouse Mode
In this mode, centring the mouse does not bring the mouse cursor back to the centre. When the mouse is centred the mouse cursor will stop in its current position.

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Controlling Joystick Mouse

Joystick Mouse can be run in Absolute or Relative modes:

Absolute Joystick Mode
In this mode the cursor moves in relation to the joystick. When the joystick control is moved left the cursor will go left. When the joystick returns to the centre the mouse cursor will return to the centre.

Relative Joystick Mode
In this mode centring the joystick does not bring the mouse cursor back to the centre. Moving the joystick back to the centre will stop the cursor in its current position.

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How Does Head Pointer And Mouth Stick Keyboard Work

The on-screen keyboard is always visible, hovering over the other applications so it can always be used.

Character keys are displayed in white with the number keys shown as grey. The keyboard works as expected, so hitting the 'a' key on the on-screen keyboard makes 'a' appear on the screen just as if the 'a' key on a standard keyboard had been pressed. The keys are arranged around the space bar, which is shown as a blank key near the middle of the keyboard. This is so that all the keys are easy to get to with the minimum of movement.

Function keys work just as normal.

The CAPS key turns on or off caps lock.
To use the modifier keys – SHIFT, CTRL, ALT and the right hand SHIFT – in conjunction with a key, hit the modifier and then the key that is is required. For example, to do Control + C to copy, hit CTRL, check it has changed colour to show that it is depressed, then hit the C key.

The left SHIFT and CAPS keys both change the appearance of the keyboard. This will show what each key will do with the use of SHIFT or CAPS and the corresponding key. The other modifiers do not change the keyboard’s appearance but still operate as expected.

Below is the complete list of special function keys:

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How Does Scroll Wheel Scanning Work

To use Scroll Wheel Scanning it must first activate it in the Oska Settings Editor. Once activated, click the scroll mouse button to begin to scan the keyboard automatically. The scroll wheel can also be to move the cursor forward and backwards manually.

Once the correct column has been selected, clicking the scroll wheel button will select the column. The cursor will then begin to scan down the row. The scroll wheel can also used to scan up and down the row manually.

Once the correct key has been selected, click the scroll wheel button to select the key that required. The cursor then goes back to the beginning so that the next key can be selected.

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Screenshots

Trial

Click here to download 15 day free trial of the Oska Suite.

If you require a free demo on a CD instead, please contact us.

Specification

System Requirements

• Windows Vista, XP, Windows 7
• 400 MHz Pentium processor or equivalent (Minimum)
  1GHz Pentium processor or equivalent (Recommended)
• 256MB MB RAM (Minimum)
  1GB (Recommended)
• 50MB Hard Disk Space Maximum Required
• 800 x 600 256 colours display (Minimum)
  1024 x 768 High Colour 32-bit display (Recommended)
• Microsoft .Net 3.5
• Microsoft DirectX 9