From: Hoffman Allen W <Allen.W.Hoffman@xxxxxxx> To: "'dtb-talk@xxxxxxxxxx'" <dtb-talk@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [Dtb-talk] Via-voice Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 12:35:53 -0500
Message 02/16/04
IBM brings text-to-speech to the Linux desktop
By Patricia Daukantas
GCN Staff
IBM Corp. researchers are bringing text-to-speech capabilities to the Linux desktop.
Previously, production versions of IBM's text-to-speech engine had been available only for the Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh platforms, said Rich
Schwerdtfeger, an IBM software group accessibility strategist and chairman of IBM's Accessibility Architecture Review Board.
A few years ago, the company had made a beta Linux version of the speech engine available for downloading, but took it offline when it stopped working with
later versions of the Linux kernel.
The speech engine, together with a screen reader, converts text on a computer screen to sound but does not enable users to issue voice commands to the computer,
Schwerdtfeger said.
Wizzard Software Corp. of Pittsburgh is distributing the IBM-developed ViaVoice speech engine as a standalone product and a component in its Interactive
Voice Assistant line of products.
List pricing for the standalone ViaVoice text-to-speech engine is $5 per individual user license with a minimum order of 200 licenses. Volume discounts
are available.
(Posted Feb. 16. Corrected Feb. 17)
Braille is the solution to the digital divide.
Lloyd Rasmussen, Senior Staff Engineer
National Library Service f/t Blind and Physically Handicapped
Library of Congress (202) 707-0535 <http://www.loc.gov/nls/>
HOME: <http://lras.home.sprynet.com>
The opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of NLS.
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