About SwitchXS

SwitchXS provides virtually complete access to Mac OS X and all standard Mac applications for people who can only use one or more switches. It offers full mouse and keyboard emulation by means of a so-called scanning mode. With each click on the switch the user selects an action, such as "move the cursor up" or "type B", from a "scanning" menu. SwitchXS is typically used by people who are, for example, quadriplegic due to an accident, or living with neuromotor diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) with very limited limb movement.

SwitchXS provides a number of predefined scanning panels that the user can choose to move the cursor, click, and type into all standard Mac applications. It also allows the user advanced control over features such as audio-cueing, speech-cueing, key repeat, scanning speed and cycling, mouse speed and movement, and SmartTransparency™, which makes the scanning panel partially or fully transparent when no scan is taking place to enjoy optimum use of screen real-estate. SwitchXS works with any HID compliant USB gamepad, joystick, keyboard, and with any HID compliant USB mouse or trackball. SwitchXS also works with USB switch interfaces emulating any of the above devices.

SwitchXS includes LayoutKitchen^®, an editor that allows users to make their own scan panels. For word prediction, in languages using the Roman alphabet as well as many other languages, SwitchXS can be combined with KeyStrokes^®.

SwitchXS key-features

• Full mouse and keyboard emulation.
  
  
• Works seamlessly with all standard Mac OS X and Classic applications and even with multiple monitor setups.
  
  
• Supports multiple switches with user configurable scanning methods, including inverse and step scanning.
  
  
• Provides auto-stepping and auto-selecting single switch scanning methods.
  
  
• Provides automatic menu scanning.
  
  
• Includes SmartTransparency™ technology, which makes the scan window become transparent when not used and makes it automatically reappear when the switch is pressed.
  
  
• Handles command-key combinations, dead-keys, and modifier key - click combinations.
  
  
• Provides audio-cueing and speech-cueing.
  
  
• Works with US and international keyboard layouts.
  
  
• Offers multiple interactively resizable scan panels.
  
  
• Offers customizable scan speed and cycling, menu scan speed, mouse speed, and reduced mouse speed to tune to each users preference.
  
  
• Works with a wide range of input devices.
  
  
• Includes LayoutKitchen^® 2, which allows users to design their own custom scan panels with many advanced features, including colored buttons and text as well as images.
  
  
• SwitchXS also gives access to word prediction when combined with KeyStrokes 3.6 and later. This can dramatically speed up typing while reducing efforts.
  
  
• SwitchXS speaks Japanese when the user has the Japanese DTalker application installed on their machine. This way, SwitchXS can provide voice cueing during scanning in Japanese. What is more, when combined with the PCS for LayoutKitchen communication symbol collection SwitchXS can now be turned into a complete switch accessible communication solution for Japanese Mac users who cannot speak. For English, French, German, Spanish and other languages SwitchXS can be combined with our Proloquo software or with Infovox iVox for the same purposes.

Switch users' experiences migrating from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X

Are still using Discover:Kenx or Discover:Switch on Mac OS 9 and considering SwitchXS to move to Mac OS X? You may want to download this document, prepared by three long-time Discover users who were able to migrate to Mac OS X thanks to SwitchXS. It discusses their personal experiences and compares features of the products.

Requirements for SwitchXS

SwitchXS 2.5 requires Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or later. SwitchXS 2.2 is still available for earlier versions of Mac OS X.

Requires a minimal screen resolutions of 800 x 600 pixels.

Compatible devices

SwitchXS works with any HID compliant USB gamepad, joystick and keyboard and also with any HID compliant USB mouse or trackball. SwitchXS also works with USB switch interfaces emulating any of the above devices. It does not require drivers for any of these devices. SwitchXS has been succesfully tested with the following switch interfaces: Swifty, Crick USB Switch Interface, USB JoyBox, miniJoyBox, JoyCable, QuizWorks USB Switch Interface, Don Johnston USB Switch Interface Pro 5, Mini-SwitchPort, Switcheroo, SAM trackball, IntelliSwitch, Ke:nx to SwitchXS, Nezumikun-no-click2. SwitchXS has also been successfully tested with Logitech Wingman Precision and Extreme gamepads and with a Logitech Wingman Attack 2 joystick.

Reviews of SwitchXS

On version 1.2.1

stars

Philippe Gruchet in SVM Mac, June 2004: "Tested with Word, Photoshop and even games, SwitchXS is very easy to use, while providing access to all functions of the software one is using." (read the full review; French-only)