CHEAPER CHIPS
Cheap text-to-speech communication aids

Several relatively cheap devices which speak what you type have recently appeared in the United States.  The designers are obviously taking advantage of the massive reduction in the size and cost of computer memory over the past few years.  We’re not including any prices here, exchange rate fluctuations being what they are, but in October 2008 the devices mentioned are all selling for significantly less than US $1,000.  More information is available at the manufacturers’ websites listed.

The Keyboard Communicator 
(www.affordaspeech.com)

The Keyboard Communicator is a portable miniature keyboard-based speech synthesizer which uses the male and female DECtalk voices familiar from devices such as the Lightwriter.

You can key in messages to be spoken, or you can recall phrases you have stored within the internal memory.  The small keyboard is more suitable for one-finger typing than touch-typing.  A larger keyboard can be substituted after purchase if preferred.

For people looking for wearable voice, the Keyboard Communicator can be hooked up to a wrist keyboard to form an easily-portable text-to-speech system. 

 

 Australian distributor -
 Advanced Digital
(advanced.digital@gmail.com)

Fusion Notetaker
Advanced Keyboard Technologies
(www.writerlearning.com)

The Fusion Keyboard is a portable notetaker which features a large LCD screen with a choice of font sizes, word prediction, keyboarding tuition and optional text-to-speech. It's Windows and Mac compatible.

Activities
The Fusion is a speaking word processer (with optional word prediction).

Speech
The Fusion Text to Speech package provides synthesised (computer-generated) speech output of letters, words, sentences or an entire document.
Speech output is available through an external speaker (can be heard by plugging in either a headset or speaker) or an internal speaker.   Currently only one voice – synthetic female – is available, but a male voice upgrade is promised for Christmas.

Access
The Fusion has a full sized keyboard, similar to a laptop computer.  An optional perspex keyguard is available.
The text is displayed on an LCD screen with optional backlight.  You can choose from five font sizes - the smallest is about 10 pt and the largest about 36 pt.
Word prediction is included in the system - this provides a suggested list of 6 or 9 words as you type.

Output
Text can be transferred to your computer or printer by pointing the Fusion at a USB infrared receiver (included), and pressing send.   The text can be sent into any open text-based application on your computer - such as a word processor or email program.

Australian distributor -
Novitatech
(www.novitatech.org.au)

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