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FlipsTips July 2010

I am finally reviewing the new CoWriter 6 from Don Johnston Inc. The developers made a new design and a more structure to the application. Now it supports Windows 7 and older versions of Windows and also Mac OS X 10.6. I’m not sure about the new version with Snow Leopard. If teachers and students are familiar with previous versions of CoWriter like CoWriter Solo Edition, then users have to relearn the application. CoWriter 6 works with many programs on the user’s PC including, Microsoft Office 2003/2007 and now with 2012, Mozilla FireFox and many more.

The application has new and improved features for users. I like the User Profile. Teachers can create a user for him/her and activate the user and CoWriter automatically creates a shortcut and teachers or students can put the shortcut on the desktop for them. That is going to make it easier for students because they can just click his/her shortcut and CoWriter will bring up the profile for the user automatically. If users use the sentence window, there are two buttons on the right side for options.

If users want to import their writer files from the previous version to CoWriter 6 to have their words, users cannot import the writer files because the developers decided users didn’t use that feature to store their own words. That will be frustrating for students because they will have to start over with their own collection of words. The developers developed two files the user’s words are stored in. It has an export function but it only allows the user to make it into a text file with the user’s words. The keyboard shortcuts are kind of different then CoWriter Solo Edition. They are kind of weird for an experienced user. I recommend that users read the help documentation to learn the new shortcuts.

The new version has no window when it sleeps like the Solo Edition. Users have to just open a program and type and CoWriter 6 will pop up. The downfall is if users want to switch between applications, they have to minimize CoWriter and then open that particular program to write again. CoWriter 6 has much improved their speech engine with the natural voices and they sound more human-like. CoWriter 6 is different and tricky for getting to know the program itself. But I’m giving it my four stars. Good Job Don Johnston!

Here’s the link to buy: Cowriter 6

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