This document and any associated art work, software, product designs or design concepts are copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws this document or designs may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of 2 Way Computing, Inc. Under the law, copying includes translation to another language or format.
2 Way Computing, Inc.
3400 La Jolla Village Drive Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92122.
(619) 452-3888 FAX (619) 452-3077
AppleLink: Leslie2Way or CRAIGTWOWAY
America Online: Leslie2Way
2Way Talker Pricing Information:
Retail Price- $79.95
Introductory Pricing:
One copy- $49.95
Two copies- $89.95
Three copies- $119.95
Five copies- $174.95
Ten copies- $309.95
Twenty copies-$600.00
For Pricings of larger quantities call:
Voice: (619) 452-3888
Fax: (619) 452-3077
Trademarks
"2Way ", "The Hands-free Network Speaker Phone" and "Talker" are trademarks. Patents are pending for inventions used in this system.
Macintosh, Apple, AppleTalk, LocalTalk, EtherTalk, Finder, AppleTalk Remote Access and System 7 are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
MacRecorder is a trademark of Macromedia, Inc.
Credits
Software design and Programming by Arkady Moreynis. Libraries developed by Macsimum, Ltd. Packaging Design and Artwork by W. R. Robertson Advertising. User's Guide by Woody DuBois. Special Thanks to Michael Robertson (AKA Mr. Mac) and all our beta testers.
INTRODUCTION
Talker is software that utilizes the microphone and speaker of your Macintosh computer allowing you to talk to another user with a Macintosh computer connected to your AppleTalk network. Talker will allow you to talk over short distances (LAN), long distances (WAN) or even through the air (Wireless). As long as the other user is connected through AppleTalk, then you can talk. Talker consists of three parts:
* Talk•Out lets you talk through the built-in microphone. You can talk while Talk•Out is running in the background and you are working on another application.
* Talk•In lets you listen to another user through the speaker on your Macintosh.
* Talk•Control lets you control various Talk•In options.
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide explains how to install and use Talker. This section tells you about the software and how to install it. The first chapter tells you about the Talk•Out portion of the program. The second chapter tells you about the Talk•In and Talk•Control portions of the program. The third chapter explains performance and security concepts. Appendix A gives troubleshooting instructions.
ON-SCREEN HELP
System 7 users have access to on-screen help information if you need it. Balloon Help is a feature of System 7 that helps to explain how to use the items you see on the screen. Turn on Balloon Help by pulling down the Help icon on the right end on the menu bar and choosing Show Balloons. Turn off Balloon Help by choosing Hide Balloons.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For information about your Macintosh computer or specific network software like AppleTalk Remote Access please refer to the excellent Apple Computer publications provided with your machine and network tools. If you want more information about networks and networking, Apple Computer provides the following books (published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company and available at better bookstores).
* Understanding Computer Networks explains the basic types of networks, network components, network media, telecommunications and other fundamental information.
* The AppleTalk Network System Overview gives a technical information on the structure and implementation of AppleTalk network protocols.
* Planning and Managing AppleTalk Networks describes in detail how to administer a small-to-medium-sized AppleTalk network.
WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED
To use Talker, your Macintosh computer must be running system 6.0.7, 6.0.8, System 7.0 or later. System 6 users MUST utilize Multifinder. Your computer must be connected to an AppleTalk network. You should not run Talker on the low-end Macintoshes, such as Macintosh 512 or Macintosh plus, because of performance constraints. To use the Talk•Out portion of talker your Macintosh computer must have a built-in microphone jack or a third-party microphone such as Macromedia's MacRecorder™ and its associated device driver. See Compatible Mode for further microphone information.
To install Talker you will need:
* The 800K disk included in the package.
* This manual, the 2Way Talker 2.0 User's Guide
.c.Installing Talker on your computer
Follow the steps carefully in this section to install Talker on your computer.
Note: The following instructions assume your computer has a floppy disk drive. If you don't have a floppy disk drive, you can install the Talker over your network or from a desktop Macintosh. See your Macintosh User's Guide for more information.
1) Insert the Talker disk into your floppy disk drive.
2) Drag the Talk•In application to the system folder.
* Talk•In may be placed in any folder inside the System folder. Talk•In does not have to be
installed to use Talk•Out. Talk•In supports core AppleEvents.
3) Drag the Talk•Control application to the system folder.
* If you are running System 7 on your computer then Talk•Control will automatically be put into the Control Panels folder. Talk•Control is required if you are installing Talk•In. Talk•Control is NOT required to use Talk•Out. Do not try to use Talk•Control until after you restart your computer as the last step in the installation process.
4) Drag the Talk•Out application to any folder you desire or the desktop.
* If you do not have a Macintosh with a microphone, you may not wish to install the Talk•Out application. Talk•Out is not required to listen using Talk•In.
* Note: If you wish to respond to conversations quickly you should keep Talk•Out on the desktop. System 7 users can create an alias of Talk•Out on the desktop or make it an Apple Menu item.
5) Make certain that AppleTalk is active.
*Pull down on the Apple menu on the left side of the menu bar and choose Chooser. Click the "Active" radio button to start AppleTalk if it is not already active.
6) Make certain that you have established a Network Identity.
*Your Network Identity tells other users on the network who you are. This is the name that will appear when another user wants to contact you with talker. Pull down on the Apple menu on the left side of the menu bar and choose Control Panels. Double Click on the Sharing Setup control panel to open it. If you don't have a User Name or Macintosh Name enter them now.
7) Make certain that you have your volume turned up.
*Pull down on the Apple menu on the left side of the menu bar and choose Control Panels. Double Click on the Sharing Setup control panel to open it. The volume should be adjusted to allow you to easily hear incoming conversation.
8) Click Restart on the Special Menu to restart your computer if you installed Talk•In and Talk•Control.
*The talker installation is now complete. The Talk•In icon appears at the bottom of the screen each time you start your computer.
9) Registering your name and company.
*The first time you use Talk•Out you will be asked for your name and company name.
TALKING WITH OTHER USERS USING TALK•OUT
Once you've installed Talk•Out on your Macintosh, you can talk to other users on your network. Talk•Out can be used to initiate a conversation with another user or to respond when someone calls you. This chapter describes how to connect to other users and adjust the Talk•Out application. Talk•Out works by taking the digitized sound from the microphone and sending it over the network to the Talk•In application on the other user's computer.
STARTING A CONVERSATION WITH TALK•OUT
Before you can talk to other users you need to be connected to an AppleTalk network and any user you wish to talk to must have their computer on and the Talk•In application running. The Talk•In application always runs in the background. See chapter 2 to learn about Talk•In and Talk•Control.
1) Double-click the Talk•Out icon to open the program.
*The Talk•Out window will appear and the zones and users where Talk•In is located will appear in the windows.
Note: Talk•Out "remembers" the last person you conversed with. The next time you start Talk•Out it will display this zone and user. if you hold down the shift key while launching Talk•Out, the preferences will be set back to normal.
2) Select the zone where the user you wish to talk to is located.
*A list of all users in the selected zone who have Talk•In active will appear. The Refresh button will show you the current network users. If you have a large network with many zones you may wish to utilize the Address Book to avoid the time required to search the network for user information.
3) Select the user wish to talk to.
*The talk button will become active. If you double-click on the user, then it is the same as pressing the Talk Button.
4) Press the Talk Button.
*The stop talking button will become active.
5) Start Talking
Note: Any problems will be displayed in the message box.
RESPONDING TO A CALL WITH TALK•OUT
Before you can respond to other users you must be able to hear them. You need to be connected to an AppleTalk network and the Talk•In application on your machine must be running. You must also have the volume turned up high enough to hear someone calling you. The Talk•In application always runs in the background. (See chapter 2 to learn about Talk•In and Talk•Control.) The Talk•Out application does NOT have to be running for another user to talk to you.
When you hear another user talking to you, you may listen without responding or:
1) Start the Talk•Out application.
*Start it by double clicking on the Talk•Out application. If the application is already running bring the window to the foreground.
2) Press the Talk Button.
3) Start Talking.
STOPPING TALK•OUT
Press the Stop Talking button to end the current conversation. You are now ready to make another call.
Note: Talk•Out "remembers" the last person you conversed with. The next time you start Talk•Out it will default to this zone and user.
QUITING TALK•OUT
Click the close box in the upper left-hand corner of the Talk•Out window to quit Talk•Out. You may also use the command+Q keyboard combination. If you hold down shift key while quitting Talk•Out the preferences for the last person you talked to won't be saved.
ADJUSTING TALK•OUT
Talk•Out can be adjusted during your conversation to optimize performance and network usage to your particular conditions. Once talker is running it may be operated in the foreground or the background. Adjustments can only be done in the foreground.
Zoom Box:
Click the zoom box in the upper right-hand corner of the Talk•Out window to expand the window to the "expert mode" and reveal the controls. If the controls are visible click the zoom box to shrink the window and hide the controls.
Status Message:
Messages will appear here to let you know the current Talker status. This will include normal messages and error messages. Refer to the troubleshooting section for help in handling error messages.
Sound indicator :
The results of the adjustment can be seen in the record indicator. When the indicator has "ripples" radiating out from it, then sound is being picked-up by the microphone.
*If you are not talking and the indicator is still "rippling" then the microphone is still picking-up background sounds. This means that background sounds are being sent. This may be exactly what you want. For example, if you are playing music in the background and want it to be heard then it might be OK. The best test is silence. If the "ripples" continue when you believe the room is silent this means that the microphone is picking up background noise like the sound of your computer, air conditioner or some other sound. You should move the sensitivity control to the left until the ripples stop.
*If you are talking and the indicator is not "rippling" then the microphone is not picking up your voice. Move the sensitivity control to the right until the ripples start. You may also wish to look at the Compatible Mode section if you have a Third-Party microphone.
Network indicator :
This control indicates when packets of information are being sent across the network. It is synchronized to the Sensitivity indicator. You may notice a slight delay if you are talking over a slower network connection such as AppleTalk Remote Access.
Sensitivity control :
Proper adjustment of sensitivity is critical. This slider controls the sensitivity of the microphone. Sliding the control to the right makes the microphone more sensitive to sound. This may also increase the network traffic since more sound may be picked up by the microphone. Sliding the control to the left makes the microphone less sensitive to sounds. Adjust the sensitivity until sound and network indicators only "ripple" when you are talking.
Volume Control :
The speaker volume can be adjusted using this control. There are eight settings which correspond to the settings in the Sound Control Panel.
Compress Sound Check Box:
Click this check-box to reduce the amount of network traffic you are generating by one-half. This also has the effect of reducing the quality of the sound heard by the other user. Compression should be used to balance network usage and performance when dictated by your local conditions.
Delayed Operation:
The delay buffer is used when operating over a slow network link such as AppleTalk Remote Access with lower speed modems and or server. The delay may be several seconds. System memory may be used when there is plentiful memory available at all times. If you often are low on system memory (many large applications running simultaneoulsly), you should allocate an additional 512KB of memory to your Talk•Out application using the Get Info section on your file menu and use application memory.
System Memory Radio Button:
Click this button to use system memory for the delay buffer.
Application Memory Radio Button:
Click this button to use the application memory for the delay buffer.
Memory Usage Gage:
This indicates how much of the available memory is in use during delay operations. If will fluctuate depending on the network traffic and network capacity.
USING THE TALK•OUT MENU
The Talk•Out menu provides special Talk•Out support services such as an Address Book, third-party microphone usage and network status updating.
USING THE ADDRESS BOOK
The Address book is used for frequently accessed users. A different function key can be assigned to up to 30 users.
Pasting a User into the Address Book:
1) Locate the user you want to put into the Address Book from Talk•Out Zone and User lists. 2) Switch to the Address Book window.
3) Pull Down on the Edit Menu and choose Paste <User Name>. The user will be added to the Address Book. You may also delete a user from the address book by selecting the user name and Delete from the Edit Menu.
Calling a user from the Address Book:
Double click on the user and a connection will be made if that user's Talk•In application is active.
Assigning a User to a Function Key:
Select the user from list. Press the function key you wish to assign to the user. Whenever you press this key if Talk•Out is active and the user's Talk•In application is active, you will be connected. If you hear the system beep then you were not connected.
Activate keys from background:
Check this box if you wish to initiate a call using function keys or stop talking using the command+period key combination while Talk•Out is operating in the background.
3D PARTY MICROPHONE
√ this item on the menu to use a Third-Party microphone that has its own software driver (like MacRecorder™) with Talk•Out. If you have a microphone supplied by Apple or are using the standard built-in microphone jack then do NOT check the 3d Party Microphone item.
AUTOUPDATE USER LIST
√ this item on the menu if you wish to have the zone and user lists on the Talk•Out window refreshed periodically. This will let you see any new users who connect to the network and have the Talk•In application available for connection. This will take place even if Talk•Out is running in the background. This will cause a small increase in overhead because the system will be required to check for new activity.
If you do not √ this menu item, the zone and user lists will not be refreshed unless you press the REFRESH button. This is suggested for networks with a large number of users. The REFRESH button is only active when you are not connected to another user through Talk•Out.
LISTENING TO OTHERS WITH TALK•IN
Once you've installed Talker on your Macintosh, you can listen to other users on your network. Talk•In is used to monitor the network for traffic from anyone who wishes to talk to you. This chapter describes how Talk•In works and how to use the Talk•Control control panel to adjust the Talk•In application.
MONITORING THE NETWORK WITH TALK•IN
Talk•In works by receiving the digitized sound packets generated by Talk•Out on the network and playing it through your speaker. Before you can listen to other users you need to be connected to an AppleTalk network and any user who wishes to talk to you must have their computer on and the Talk•Out application running and connected to you. The Talk•In application always runs in the background. It is automatically started when you start your machine. Talk•In allows other users to see your name in their Talk•In window and to monitors the network for communication from the Talk•Out application.
CONTROLLING TALK•IN WITH TALK•CONTROL
Pull down the Apple menu on the left side of the menu bar and choose Control Panels. Double Click on the Talk•Control control panel to open it.
HANDLING INCOMING MESSAGES
You may handle incoming messages in three ways:
1) Normal Mode: Talk•In will play the sounds coming from a user with Talk•Out without any notification or restriction.
2) Privacy Mode: No sound will be transmitted to you while privacy mode is on. Talk•In will alert you that another user trying to contact you by flashing a notification icon over the Apple Icon. You can then receive calls by switching to the Normal mode.
3) Off Mode: Talk•In will not be operational. Your Network Identification will not appear in any other user's Talk•Out user window. Off mode is established by pressing the QUIT button.
Volume Control:
The speaker volume can be adjusted using this control. There are eight settings which correspond to the settings in the Sound Control Panel.
Delay Buffering:
The delay buffer is used when operating over a slow network link such as AppleTalk Remote Access with lower speed modems and or server. The delay may be as much as several seconds depending on the conditions. System memory may be used when there is plentiful memory available at all times. If you often are low on system memory (many large applications running simultaneoulsly), you should allocate an additional 512KB of memory to your Talk•In application using the Get Info section on your file menu and use application memory.
System Memory Radio Button:
Click this button to use system memory for the delay buffer.
Application Memory Radio Button:
Click this button to use the application memory for the delay buffer.
Memory Usage Gage:
This indicates how much of the buffer is in use during delay operations. It will fluctuate depending on the network traffic and network capacity.
Quit Button:
Press the Quit button to stop Talk•In operation and remove Talk•In from memory. When this has been done Talk•In is no longer operational and will not handle incoming calls. In addition your name will not appear in any other users Talk•Out user list so they will not be able to contact you.
Launch Button:
Press the Launch button to start Talk•In operation. Talk•In will begin monitoring the network for incoming calls. Your name will appear on the other users Talk•Out user list the next time it is refreshed.
ETIQUETTE, EFFICIENCY AND SECURITY
Etiquette:
Talker functions in several different modes depending upon what kind of equipment it is running on. You will need to adapt you style of talking to the situation. Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of your conversation:
Full-Duplex Mode: If you are talking between two machines which allow full duplex communication your conversation will be much like using a telephone. Make sure Talker is adjusted to the optimum settings. Put your sensitivity as far to the left as possible without clipping your words. Even though you can hear both sides of the conversation simultaneously, you should let the other person finish their thought before starting to talk.
Half–Duplex Mode: Some machines can only utilize the microphone or speaker but not both at the same time. This is half-duplex operation. Talker is designed to turn off the speaker whenever you are using the microphone. It is very important that the sensitivity is adjusted properly. Too much sensitivity will make it so you cannot hear anyone talking to you since the microphone will be on all of the time. Let he person speaking finish their thoughts before replying. The person speaking should make certain that they provide sufficient breaks to allow the other user to respond.
Listen Only Mode: Machines without microphones can be used to listen only. This makes it possible for the speaker to give a message, but make it short and clear. You will annoy the listener by asking questions or giving a confusing message.
Low Bandwidth Mode: The network connection may be lower performance if it is going over modems. There will be a delay of up to several seconds in your conversation. You must be patient and make certain the person speaking has finished speaking before you start talking. Keep your messages short and provide time for response.
Greetings: When you use Talk•Out to contact another user on the network, remember that you cannot see what is going on in their area. The user may be away from their machine, talking on the telephone or engrossed in work. It may take a few moments for them to respond. We suggest a polite "Hello, Darth, are you there?" Followed by enough time for them to respond. Don't launch into a speech. You never know who may be on the other end of the line!
EFFICIENCY
Talker relies on the "bandwidth" of the network to send and receive your conversation. If you have a LocalTalk network, you have less bandwidth then with an EtherTalk network. Both LocalTalk and EtherTalk networks may have varying levels of usage which will affect Talker's performance and your impact on the network. You must determine the best balance of performance and network usage.
The items which effect performance are:
• Network Bandwidth
• Modem Speed (Remote Access)
• Network Traffic
• Number of users
• Talker Compression
• Talker Sensitivity Control setting
• System or Application memory setting
SECURITY
Talker has been designed as a tool for conversation between two users who are aware of its existence. Talker should not be used as a bugging device to listen to private conversations. It should not be used to frighten unsuspecting users witless by unknowingly installing Talk•In on their machine and then pretending to be a voice from beyond the grave.
Each copy of Talk•Out is serialized. If Talk•Out sees another copy of Talk•Out operating on the network with the same serial number, it will quit operating. Your copy of Talker is licensed to you. Please help us by not passing your copy on to others. We need the money and you never know where your name or serial number will end-up.
TOUBLESHOOTING
A name is not appearing in the Talk•Out user list
Is the computer connected to the network?
Has the network identity been established in the Sharing Setup control panel?
Is Talk•In installed correctly?
Is Talk•In running?
Has the "Refresh" button been pressed recently?
Can't hear anything when the connection has been made
Is volume turned up in the Talk•Control panel?
Is the microphone plugged in and operating correctly?
Is the sensitivity control set too far to the right?
Are you close enough to the microphone?
Is the microphone too close to a noise source?
Is the compatible mode off with an Apple™ microphone?
Is the compatible mode on with a third-party microphone?
If you are using AppleTalk Remote Access, are you being patient?
"Static" on the line
Is the sensitivity control set too far to the right?
Is the microphone too close to a noise source?
Is the volume turned up too high?
Is compression on?
"Echo" on the line
Is the sensitivity control set too far to the right?
Is the microphone too close to the speaker?
Is the volume turned up too high?
"Feedback" on the line
Is the sensitivity control set too far to the right?
