texttospeech
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The latest Chrome OS update improves accessibility on Chromebooks
There are more cursor colors and Google improved the text-to-speech features.
Baidu’s text-to-speech system mimics a variety of accents ‘perfectly'
Chinese tech giant Baidu's text-to-speech system, Deep Voice, is making a lot of progress toward sounding more human. The latest news about the tech are audio samples showcasing its ability to accurately portray differences in regional accents. The company says that the new version, aptly named Deep Voice 2, has been able to "learn from hundreds of unique voices from less than a half an hour of data per speaker, while achieving high audio quality." That's compared to the 20 hours hours of training it took to get similar results from the previous iteration, for a single voice, further pushing its efficiency past Google's WaveNet in a few months time.
Google Text-to-Speech hits the Play Store, brings charming British accent with it
Google is continuing its trend of pushing Android's built-in apps directly to the Play Store with Text-to-Voice. The application isn't very flashy on its own, but when coupled with Google Books it can read you a bedtime story or even integrate with Google Translate for aural pronunciation examples. Mountain View also added Korean language support, which could be useful if you ever want to ask a question while touring Samsung HQ. However, to use the app you have to be running Ice Cream Sandwich at the minimum -- you're still out there, right?
New iOS app Winston is your Siri personal assistant for news
Winston is a new and ambitious product from Colorado-based startup, Reactor Labs. It's a take on the Siri personal assistant idea that focuses on news instead of sending messages. At the heart of the app is Winston, a personable British butler that compiles a daily brief from your selected news sources and social network feeds. When you launch Winston for the first time, you are prompted to connect to Twitter and Facebook as well as setup channels for your news. The app includes a handful of news sources that cover technology, headline news, sports, fashion and more. Once you have configured your channels, you are ready for your first briefing. Each briefing compiles content from your various channels and presents them in a slideshow that you can watch on your iPhone or stream to your Apple TV via AirPlay. The AirPlay option is perfect for visual news feeds like fashion and sports. You can watch the slideshow of images as Winston reads the news to you in his choppy, but charming British accent. You can swipe to jump forward or scroll back through the briefing. If you don't want all your news, you can also select an individual channel for your brief. Winston, though, isn't just a long-winded regurgitation of your news feed. The personal assistant has some intelligence and gives you a brief synopsis of your news and status updates. Winston pulls out the important information and discards most of the fluff. I used Winston primarily to prepare briefs for me when I was driving. It was wonderful to be able to launch Winston after a day of skiing and get a quick update of what I missed while I was on the slopes. An offline caching feature made sure I received my entire news brief while driving my rural route home. Winston launched publicly today and it's still a bit rough around the edges. There's only one voice option (British Male), and the news sources are limited to what's available in the app. Winston also sometimes struggles with status updates when it tries to summarize and misinterprets the person's post. Nonetheless, I'm impressed by what I have seen in my time with Winston, and I look forward to the improvements the developers have planned for the future. If you enjoy following up-and-coming technology, then you should definitely add Winston to your must-watch list. You can download Winston for free from the iOS App Store and watch the promo video below. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.
OLPC delivers big OS update with text-to-speech, DisplayLink and WebKit
While most of its energy is focused on the XO-4 Touch, the One Laptop Per Child project is swinging into full gear for software, too. The project team has just posted an OS 12.1.0 update that sweetens the Sugar for at least present-day XO units. As of this latest revamp, text-to-speech is woven into the interface and vocalizes any selectable text -- a big help for students that are more comfortable speaking their language than reading it. USB video output has been given its own lift through support for more ubiquitous DisplayLink adapters. If you're looking for the majority of changes, however, they're under-the-hood tweaks to bring the OLPC architecture up to snuff. Upgrades to GTK3+ and GNOME 3.4 help, but we're primarily noticing a shift from Mozilla's web engine to WebKit for browsing: although the OLPC crew may have been forced to swap code because of Mozilla's policies on third-party apps, it's promising a much faster and more Sugar-tinged web experience as part of the switch. While they're not the same as getting an XO-3 tablet, the upgrades found at the source link are big enough that classrooms (and the occasional individual) will be glad they held on to that early XO model.
Samsung announces Drive Link, a car-friendly app with MirrorLink integration
Until self-driving cars become mainstream, it's best to keep eyes on roads and hands off phones. With this in mind, Samsung's debuting Drive Link, an app that balances in-car essentials with driver safety, complete with approval from the no-nonsense Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association. It's all about the bare essentials -- navigation, hands-free calling and audiotainment from your phone-based files or TuneIn. Destinations can be pulled from S Calendar appointments or texts without trouble, and the text-to-speech feature means you won't miss a message, email or social media update. The best bit is that via MirrorLink, all these goodies can be fed through compatible dash screens and speaker systems. Drive Link is available now through Sammy's app store for Europeans sporting an international Galaxy S III, and will be coming to other ICS handsets "in the near future."
Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel
Although they're called hearing aids, they can sometimes be as much of a hindrance as a help. Catch an unfamiliar accent and the attention might be on just parsing the words, let alone moving the conversation forward. Apple is applying for a patent on a technique that would take the guesswork out of listening by smoothing out all the quirks. The proposed idea would convert speech to text and back, using the switch to remove any unusual pronunciation or too-quick talking before it reaches the listener's ear. Not surprisingly for a company that makes phones and tablets, the hearing aid wouldn't always have to do the heavy lifting, either: iOS devices could handle some of the on-the-fly conversion, and pre-recorded speech could receive advance treatment to speed up the process. We don't know if Apple plans to use its learning in any kind of shipping product, although it's undoubtedly been interested in the category before -- and its ambitions of having iPhone-optimized hearing aids could well get a lift from technology that promises real understanding, not just a boost in volume.
Arduino-based SocialChatter reads your Twitter feeds so you don't have to (video)
If you prefer reading your RSS feeds without the backlight, there's hardware for that, and if you'd prefer not reading your Twitter feeds at all, there's now hardware for that as well. Mix an Arduino Ethernet board, an Emic 2 Text-To-Speech Module and the knowhow to put them together, and you've got SocialChatter -- a neat little build that'll read your feeds aloud. The coding's already been done for you, and it's based on Adafruit's own Internet of Things printer sketch with a little bit of tinkering so nothing's lost in translation. If your eyes need a Twitter break and you've got the skills and kit to make it happen, head over to the source link for a how-to guide. Don't fill the requirements? Then jump past the break to hear SocialChatter's soothing voice without all the effort.
iSpeech intros voice recognition platform for connected homes, enables vocal control of TVs and appliances
We've been seeing the growing trend of peculiar services like Cupertino's Siri, Samsung's S Voice and Google Now on mobile devices, but up until now, we have yet to spot something similar in the world of connected homes. Having previous experience in the text-to-speech department, iSpeech is hoping to be able to do just that with the world debut of its voice recognition platform for smart households. With iSpeech Home, the company's aiming to give OEMs and manufacturers a canvas where they can implement voice recognition software into TVs, home entertainment systems, lighting, refrigerators and even washers and dryers -- which would, according to iSpeech, open the doors to natural language commands such as "Watch ESPN" or "Turn off the lights in the living room." As exciting as it all sounds, the company's COO Yaron Oren did tell us there aren't any official partners on board at the moment, but that he does expect to have iSpeech Home-powered products within the next 6-12 months.
Perkins Smart Brailler helps the blind learn to type, closes the digital divide
Most digital Braille devices are built on the assumption that the legally blind already know how to write in the format -- if they don't, they're often forced back to the analog world to learn. PDT and Perkins hope to address that longstanding technology gap with the Perkins Smart Brailler. Going digital lets Perkins build in lessons for newcomers as well as provide immediate audio feedback (visual for writers with borderline vision) and text-to-speech conversion to give even an old hand a boost. Logically, the leap into the modern world also allows transferring documents over USB along with traditional Braille printouts. Smart Braillers will cost a weighty $1,995 each when they first ship in September, but it's hard to put a price tag on mastering communication and fully joining the digital generation.
TUAW and MacTech interview: iSpeech
iSpeech makes text to speech tech available for free to iOS developers (with support for other platforms as well), and it's the tech used in DriveSafe.ly. TechCrunch has a nice writeup of iSpeech here. In this video, Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) interviews Yaron Oren of iSpeech at WWDC 2012. Yaron was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.
EyeRing finger-mounted connected cam captures signs and dollar bills, identifies them with OCR (hands-on)
Ready to swap that diamond for a finger-mounted camera with a built-in trigger and Bluetooth connectivity? If it could help identify otherwise indistinguishable objects, you might just consider it. The MIT Media Lab's EyeRing project was designed with an assistive focus in mind, helping visually disabled persons read signs or identify currency, for example, while also serving to assist children during the tedious process of learning to read. Instead of hunting for a grownup to translate text into speech, a young student could direct EyeRing at words on a page, hit the shutter release, and receive a verbal response from a Bluetooth-connected device, such as a smartphone or tablet. EyeRing could be useful for other individuals as well, serving as an ever-ready imaging device that enables you to capture pictures or documents with ease, transmitting them automatically to a smartphone, then on to a media sharing site or a server. We peeked at EyeRing during our visit to the MIT Media Lab this week, and while the device is buggy at best in its current state, we can definitely see how it could fit into the lives of people unable to read posted signs, text on a page or the monetary value of a currency note. We had an opportunity to see several iterations of the device, which has come quite a long way in recent months, as you'll notice in the gallery below. The demo, which like many at the Lab includes a Samsung Epic 4G, transmits images from the ring to the smartphone, where text is highlighted and read aloud using a custom app. Snapping the text "ring," it took a dozen or so attempts before the rig correctly read the word aloud, but considering that we've seen much more accurate OCR implementations, it's reasonable to expect a more advanced version of the software to make its way out once the hardware is a bit more polished -- at this stage, EyeRing is more about the device itself, which had some issues of its own maintaining a link to the phone. You can get a feel for how the whole package works in the video after the break, which required quite a few takes before we were able to capture an accurate reading.
Changes to Nuance developer program will result in a flood of voice enabled apps
The company behind the Dragon speech recognition applications for computers and iOS devices has announced a new developer program that will allow software to access Dragon Voice technology at no charge. It could result in a tidal wave of apps that harness the power of the Nuance speech recognition and text to speech technologies. Many of our readers have no doubt used Nuance tech in apps like Siri, and Dragon Go. I talked with Kenneth Harper, Senior Product Manager for Nuance, who says opening up the technology is a way to help Nuance become an even bigger standard in voice technology, as well as introduce developers to the company. Harper says that the free developer service, called NDEV Silver, will apply to about 90% of the app developers for iOS. Developers will also have free access to Nuance's connected text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities in over 30 languages, bringing natural sounding text-to-speech in the cloud. Further, NDEV Silver members get access to Bluetooth hands-free voice applications. For larger corporate customers, Nuance will offer higher levels of services at what they call the Gold and Emerald level, but even these services will cost much less than the previous developer programs Nuance has offered. Harper wouldn't comment on how all this will tie in with rumored voice technology built into iOS 5 and new hardware that Apple is expected to announce soon, but since Apple now owns Siri, and has used Nuance technology in the past, it is likely there will be synergies. Many developers will leap at the chance to add very sophisticated speech features to their apps, and iPhones are likely to get even much more useful. The new developer program will also support Android and Windows Phone 7.
Leak: future iOS update to introduce Siri-based voice control
When Apple snatched up Siri back in April, we had to wonder exactly what Cupertino was planning for the voice controlled virtual assistant. The answer, according to a new leak, is unsurprisingly obvious: iOS integration. A screenshot leaked to 9to5Mac flaunts an "Assistant" feature presumably built into a firmware update. To back up the screenshot, the aforesaid site dove into the iOS SDK and uncovered code describing Siri-like use of the iPhone's location, contact list, and song metadata. The code also outlined a "speaker" feature, opening a door for further Nuance integration in Apple products. Sound awesome? Sure it does, but keep it salty: 9to5's source says the assistant feature only just went into testing, and may not be ready in time for Apple's next big handset upgrade. Hit the source link to see the code and conjecture for yourself.
Nuance buys SVOX ahead of iOS 5 release
There's a whole trail of rumors hinting at an upcoming deal between speech recognition company Nuance and Apple. For quite a while now (ever since Apple picked up personal assistant software maker Siri), the scuttlebuzz has claimed that the folks in Cupertino would make a deal with Nuance for some kind of speech recognition, most likely an iOS-level integration that would allow you to ask your iOS device for whatever you want, and get it quickly and easily. But even if that deal is on, that hasn't stopped Nuance from slowing down. The company has acquired another speech recognition firm, SVOX, the creators of high-end speech recognition and text-to-speech services. That's a natural fit for Nuance, of course, and the release says that the new deal "will advance the proliferation of voice in the automotive market, and accelerate the development of new voice capabilities that enable natural, conversational interactions between consumers and their connected cars, mobile phones, and other consumer devices." Sounds exciting to us. We didn't actually get to see either Siri or an updated voice control service show up during the iOS 5 announcement at WWDC, but that doesn't mean it's completely out of the cards yet. Maybe a deal like this is just what Nuance needs to set up the partnership that Apple's reportedly been seeking for a while.
Nuance voices found in OS X Lion, patent application suggests new iPhone speech / text capabilities
Apple's certainly no stranger to speech recognition, but it looks like it may have enlisted a bit of outside help for the next version of OS X, otherwise known as Lion. As Netputing reports, some of the text-to-speech voice options available in the developer preview of Lion just so happen to match the voices available from Nuance -- which would seem to suggest a partnership or licensing agreement of some sort, as the voices themselves cost $45 apiece directly from Nuance. In somewhat related news, Apple has also recently filed a patent application that would bring some fairly extensive new speech recognition options to the iPhone -- if it ever actually moves beyond a patent application, that is. In short, it would let you either instantly have a phone call converted to text, or send some text and have it converted to voice on the other end -- which the application notes could come in handy both in noisy environments or in situations where you simply aren't able to talk. It would even apparently incorporate a noise meter that could automatically trigger various options when the ambient noise hits a certain level. Hit up the source link below for a closer look at how it would work. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple patent reveals a text-to-speech and speech-to-text system for the iPhone
Apple recently filed a patent application for a text-to-speech and a speech-to-text converter designed to work in noisy environments. The patent describes a system that uses a converter included on the logic board of the phone. This hardware-based conversion would have a distinct advantage over current text-to-speech systems, which use an internet-based service from a company like Nuance to translate conversions. Unlike Android's text-to-speech system, which is used for searching and navigation, Apple's patent describes a system used for sending and receiving phone calls. In one embodiment, a microphone on the iPhone would detect the ambient noise level and prompt the user to answer a call using text-to-speech in a noisy environment when talking on the phone may be difficult. The person answering the call would type in their messages, and the phone would convert it to speech heard by the caller. In another example, the user could choose to talk via a two-way texting system that uses both text-to-speech and a speech-to-text within the conversation. Basically, your caller's words would be converted to text that you could read, and you could input a text response that is converted to speech for the caller on the other end. It's an elegant system that would be useful for making phone calls at a loud sporting event or a crowded bar. Apple is rumored to be in talks with Nuance that could bring an advanced speech recognition system to iOS. This above patent may describe a small part of what is to come for iPhone owners in the future.
Snail concept rolls out Braille-to-speech translation
A new concept that fits nicely in the things-you-never-knew-you-wanted category is determined to make speed readers out of the visually impaired. Snail -- deceptive name aside -- uses a pressure-sensitive touch pad to read patterns in a Braille passage, then translates them to speech, speeding up the reading process and allowing users to record audio passages for later playback. The user places his / her thumb, in the obvious opening and glides the device over a line of Braille. The translated audio is then played back either through a built-in speaker or over a connected Bluetooth headset. Snail was made with the blind in mind, but considering we've always been curious about what resides in those bumpy white lines, we wouldn't mind rolling with one of these things ourselves. As is the case with so many concepts, however, there's no telling when or if this Snail will slither on to the market.
MyVoice app for iOS and Android enables the mute to talk (video)
Talking is something most of us take for granted, but a new app called MyVoice -- currently available for iOS and coming soon to Android -- is attempting to give the ability back to those who aren't as fortunate. Developed by a group of University of Toronto students after being approached by a man who had a stroke, the location-based app allows users to "speak" pre-programmed text macros using text-to-speech. You can't add new phrases from within the app just yet, though for now there's an online portal that also allows relatives to configure strings and organize them into "places" for the ultimate user. We checked out the app and it seems to work as advertised -- there's a pretty extensive word pack that comes with it. You can score the free download at the more coverage link below, and we've got a video demo after the break.
Voice Brief for iPhone is a great text-to-speech app with lots of potential
Want an assistant to help you keep up with your world and the world at large? Voice Brief might be just the thing. This US$1.99 app will read your Facebook updates, Twitter feed, email (with limitations), weather, schedule, stock prices that you follow, and even the latest news from RSS feeds of your choice. The voices are computerized, but very clear. There are four voices to choose from: an American male and female, and a British-accented male and female. You set up the app by giving it your location (for weather) and stocks you'd like to follow, pointing it to your iPhone calendar, and selecting some news feeds (I selected CNN and TUAW). Voice Brief also allows you to add custom sentences, like a personal greeting when the app starts reading, or something for when it finishes going through your feeds. You can add multiple custom sentences for transitions between feeds, but you don't have to use any at all. There are some limitations to Voice Brief's ability to read email. Apple doesn't allow third parties direct access to the iOS Mail app, but you can configure the app to read your Gmail inbox feed. At this version, Voice Brief reads the first line of the email, but the developer tells me he is going to add full text reading in a future update. %Gallery-119776%
