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Thunder screen reader
- 30 Mar 07, 12:30 PM
Many of you will already know about Thunder. Downloads have been increasing steadily since its launch in July 2006 to the current level of around 150 downloads a day. But for those of you don’t, it is an entry-level piece of software to assist the visually impaired use computers, known as a screen reader – and it is free for home use.
It is an interesting business model. Thunder has been developed by Roger and Margeret Wilson-Hinds, a husband and wife team at who are themselves visually impaired. The Thunder software is distributed from two websites, but can be provided by other organisations who pay an annual subscription – have paid £10,000 to do so.
This means that Thunder can be distributed at no cost for home use. And when you consider that other screen readers cost between £150 and £800, then that’s a good deal in anyone’s language. For someone getting their first computer and looking to get started, this could be just the thing to get them up and running.
Is it any good though? It has its limitations. It does not work with OS X, the Mac operating system, and Thunder was designed to work best with a free text based browser rather than mainstream browsers. Despite this, Thunder has been largely well received on the web by the visually impaired blogging community. is typical, saying that Thunder is, “a great product for people who use the computer for word docs and email; I don't think it is the best choice for power users.â€
The professional version of Thunder – which does cost £160 plus VAT - is also available on a memory stick that can be plugged into any old computer. So that means you can drop into an internet café, or a friends house and check your email, catch up on the news and not worry about whether screen reader software is installed or not. That kind of convenience could be very valuable to some.
Perhaps the most significant thing about Thunder is that it contributes to the choice of screen readers that are available. There are now top end screen readers, mid-price screen readers and free ones. Who knows what Thunder might become in the future, but if people continue to download it in droves then perhaps its most significant contribution might be to make the marketplace even more competitive, raise standards and force prices down.
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