Text to Speech, on the iPad
By Leiber, Nick; Business Week Online,Publication Date: August 11, 2011
Article features a free text to speech application for the Apple iPad. Developed for a user with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the app, called Verbally, is based on a fact gleaned by consulting speech therapists and computational linguists: that about 200 words in the English language make up about 80 percent of daily conversations. The app displays text buttons on the top half of the iPad screen and a keyboard on the bottom. One tab shows approximately 50 of the most common words in the English language; another, a list of common phrases. Users can choose one of the text buttons or type using the keyboard. The app employs predictive text technology to recommend complete words and phrases based on the first few letters typed. Verbally reportedly has been downloaded 30 thousand times since its release. A premium version with more voice options and the ability to store personalized lists of words and phrases is available from the maker, Intuary, for 100 dollars.
Published by: McGraw-Hill Companies (Website:http://www.mcgraw-hill.com)
Link to text: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/text-to-speech-on-the-ipad-08112011.html
