txtspeech

Computer technology has come a long way in only a few years. Even in its early years computer speech got developed, and is now a default feature of any operating system. In this regard, txtspeech comes with an intuitive workspace in which to paste large paragraphs to have them read to you.

It only takes a little while to get the application installed on your computer so you get the chance to check out the set of features before you realize. Although modern Windows iterations come with it as a default feature, it’s best to check whether or not .NET Framework is on the target PC, because it can’t work without it.

The main window shows up in a compact space. Most of it represents the edit area where all source text goes. Unfortunately, the application doesn’t support any kind of files so you either need to manually write down bits of text, or paste from a web page or existing document. The view space is limited to the window size, and if content is larger navigation is only done through caret.

Hitting the “speak” button starts from the top, and not stopping until the entire text is done. Sadly, there’s no possibility to stop, or at least pause, and pressing the button again starts over, meaning the only way to stop playback is to close the application.

Moreover, the application only comes with one built-in voice type, even though modern Windows iterations have several more. There are no configuration options related to speed or pitch, so you need to pay attention to every word, especially because of the lack of any controls. Text is not highlighted in the session to help show progress.

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that txtspeech is a straightforward application with the sole purpose of reading any text you paste inside the target area. Sadly, there are no playback controls except for starting the session, no highlighting during reading, or speed options for reading.