About NextUp Talker
NextUp Talker is a Text To Speech application specifically designed for people who have temporarily or permanently lost their voice. With
natural, human sounding voices and convenient shortcuts to quickly enter commonly used sentences and phrases, NextUp Talker allows you to
easily communicate with others despite vocal impairments using a Windows PC.
Whether due to ALS, Cancer, Stroke, aphasia, or any of the other all too common problems causing loss of speech, NextUp Talker can help you
regain an important part of your life by allowing you to "talk" with others.
- Specifically designed for use in conversation
- More pleasant conversations using latest generation, high-quality, Natural sounding voices
- Easy use with either mouse or keyboard
- Smooth conversation flow with less delays due to typing by using predefined, often used phrases and user created abbreviations
- Adapts to your style and speed with options to speak each word as typed, each sentence, each paragraph, or on demand
- Ability to insert actual sound files along with speech. These can help make kids more comfortable talking with an adult using a computer. Children's voices are also available optionally for purchase.
Predefined Phrases
NextUp Talker lets you create an unlimited number of phrases you often use. These are arranged in a multi-level menu system. So, for example, you
might have a menu of phrases you typically use with the telephone. You might have a phrases named "Greeting" that has the text
"Hi. This is John. I'm using a computer to talk with you, so please be patient as I type my responses. If you don't understand the voice or need
me to repeat something, just let me know".
So, when you answer the phone, you could access that phrase quickly and have it spoken without typing it. Phrases can also have parameters within
them, for cases where you need to customize the phrase. For example, you may have a phrase named "How Are You" that has the text
"Hi %name%. How are you today"
When you choose this phrase, NextUp Talker will prompt you for what you want to say for %name% then speak the phrase. So you access the "How Are
You" phrase, NextUp Talker will popup a window asking you for the name, you type in "Betty", then NextUp Talker will speak "Hi Betty, How are you?"
Predefined phrases can be quickly accessed during conversations by
- Double-clicking the phrase on the left side of the program
- Using shortcut key combinations you define
- From a right-click popup menu in the typing area
- From the Insert Menu
- Abbreviations and ShortHand
NextUp Talker includes an Abbreviations and ShortHand editor to let you define short strings to represent longer phrases or sentences. So for
example, if you frequently say something like "Could you bring me something to drink please", you could define an abbreviation of "gdrink" to
be that full string. Then, when typing text into NextUp Talker, if you simply type "gdrink" the program will speak "Could you bring me something
to drink please?". Over time as you get used to using the program, you'll develop your own version of shorthand that will speed up your typing.
Inserting Sound Files
NextUp Talker can also mix in actual sound files into speech. You can insert a link to a sound file using the insert menu. For some users who
have warning before losing their voice, such as is the case often with surgery, you can use your computer to record various sound files saying
things like "I love you", or answering the phone. These recordings can then be intermixed with text to speech. Another neat use is inserting
sound effects. There are a huge number of free sound files on the internet. A common use for these might be to include some funny sound effects
with your speech. This is especially helpful when speaking with children. The funny sounds often help children become more comfortable when
talking with someone who has to use a computer.
Access for those with physical limitations
Especially for those with ALS who have lost their voice, they face the additional challenge of losing muscle control and having difficulty fully
using a mouse and keyboard. We've attempted to design NextUp Talker to work well with either a mouse or keyboard, and hopefully work with "virtual
keyboards". We haven't done a lot of testing in these areas yet, so we would appreciate any and all feedback to help us continue to improve.
Natural Sounding Voices
A computer will never replace the voice you've lost. However, in recent years, computer voices have become more and more human like. Choosing
one or more computer voices that you like and that you feel comfortable with is important. This will become YOUR voice to friends and family. We
sell a variety of optional voices for use with NextUp Talker:
Why wait? Try NextUp Talker now and see how it can help you regain conversational speech!
NextUp Talker works with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 and you can download a free
trial version now. It does not include the premium voices, but is otherwise a fully functional version of NextUp Talker that you can evaluate for 20 days
with no obligation. It costs $99.95 to purchase NextUp Talker bundled
with AT&T Natural Voices™ Mike and Crystal OR Acapela™ Sharon and Ryan voices.
|
