Lynn I have to agree with you about NVDA. It has come on leaps and
bounds despite it being free and open source. The next major release is
going to make it even easier to install and make portable copies for you
to carry around. So stay tuned! I am beta testing this as I write. Be it
free and open source the public can beta test this but like any other
beta it is suggested not to use this on production machines unless you
expect the program to break, big or small. This is just a claim and
hasn't physically happened in my experience of testing beta software.
They just do that so they can't be made liable if their software damages
one's computer. I only bought Window-Eyes because of its nice interface
in my view along with the new Remote Assistance. But as ever NVDA beats
Window-Eyes by a mile. But Gw Connect I have a completely opposite
opinion than Window-Eyes. I love it compared to the official Skype client!
On 15/05/2012 02:38, Mrs. Lynnette Annabel Smith wrote:
Hello Chris
On 14 May 2012, at 22:33, chris hallsworth<[email protected]>
wrote:
• Just to let you know I am evaluating some voices as part of Infovox 3. They
are Lucy and Rachel, two British female voices. Like Ivona they are human
sounding and very clear, as well as quite responsive. But what I have noticed
is that the voices are somewhat louder than Ivona. What I also like is the fact
I can evaluate them as much as I like. You can download a free, 60 minute per
Windows session, export as MP3 feature in Speech Creator disabled version, from
http://www.acapela-group.com/infovox3-37-3-speech-solutions-tts.html
Gordon uses the Rachel voice on his Mac and PC all the time. The responsiveness
on both platforms is good; although Window-Eyes itself is very very sluggish in
comparison to NVDA. In fact, it's so darn slow that I can actually see the
characters drawing themselves on the screen sometimes whilst the voices are
stuttering and stammering. That doesn't happen with NVDA which is very very
fast by comparison all round. So Gordon is leaning towards switching to using
NVDA all the time.
He has an "InKey" version which comes on a USB thumb drive and gives you a
three-license pack. So he can use the voices installed locally on 3 machines at once, or
just plug the thumb drive in without any installation and it just works like a portable
version of NVDA works. It comes bundled with NVDA and Thunder, another free screen-reader
for Windows.
GW Micro really is not doing itself any favours with the recent releases of
Window-Eyes. That was Gordon's first comment when he finally got to sit down
and play with the new Samsung notebook he has. Neither of us can tolerate that
abysmal Dectalk32 synthesiser, Eloquance is just as bad and the Nuance voices
aren't much better. One thing that really bugs Gordon is the inability, so it
seems, to change the voice that Window-Eyes uses at the log-in screen. Why they
elected to make that hard wired is something of a mystery. But they did, and
they wouldn't answer questions when I contacted them about that. They just told
me it can't be changed, so live with it.
Whatever comes next though, unless it's a huge major astronomical improvement
in terms of quality, we will never be purchasing any further upgrades, (and I
use that word very reluctantly in this particular scenario, from GW Micro or
their dealership network. Window-Eyes is now a bloated utility just like
Windows itself. They've been papering over the cracks for years it seems, and
now some of the plaster is definitely coming off the wall. We both think it
needs a total rewrite from the ground up. They're still using libraries which
were in use in Windows 3.0 so we are told. That tells you something, I think.
Lynne
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