Windows 8 Text to speech WITHOUT narrator?!?!

[1j1]

Hello,

I bought a windows tablet to use as an ereader.

I'd like to use text to speech for when my eyes get tired.

Is there any way to use text to speech without narrator? When I turn it on it's incredibly annoying and slows down navigation.

I just want to be able to select text and/or pages and have them read, but ONLY text that I'm selecting. I don't want every single thing I click on to be read off to me.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ussnorway]

I use textaloud "http://www.nextup.com/TextAloud/"... the Windows only has very basic tools.

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

I use Textaloud all the time, both to read things and to generate the voice for my videos.
Textaloud comes closer to sounding like a real person speaking then any other software that I've used.

Here's a sample of the Lucy voice.



It will read anything that you paste into, online, in Word or many other programs.

Mike

 

[Ron Binmore]

Hi Mike,

Every time I start my computer the Narrator starts talking, it sounds ok but it's not what I want, I get enough talking from another nearby source if you see what I mean. I keep turning her, sorry him off but he still keeps coming back. Is there some setting that makes him do that and if so, please! tell me where it is so I can get some peace and q
RonBin71 (Now 83

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

Probably a dumb question, but have you tried turning narrator off?

You do it in Ease of Access Center just set the slider to "Off".

Mike

 

[Ron Binmore]

Well Mike, that's a damned good question. This 83 year business is not all funny. Hind sight I have discovered is a marvelous thing, all us oldies have lots of it. Yep, I remembered how to turn it off and did so two days ago. Now sitting in a dark corner waiting for the wine bottle to be opened.

Cheers,

Ron

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

I'm 77, but my friend Paul is almost 82 and he's still gaming.
We played Elder Scrolls Online together today.

We are both looking forward to the new Tomb Raider game that's coming out next week.
We've both played all of the Tomb Raider games from the very first one in the 90s, nearly 20 years ago.

We've played many MMOs together, from Ultima Online (the first MMO) to ESO and I guess we'll be at it until one of us bites the dust.

We talk on Skype while we are doing it, so we can play and chat at the same time.
Even non online games we can sometimes play together by describing what we are each doing.

Paul only live a few miles from here so we see each other for real too!

Mike

 

[Ron Binmore]

Hi Mike, you are a lucky man, the only time I see my pals is when we get on the golf course and right now, it's waterlogged and we haven't played for over six weeks. The other guys don't have Skype and don't do gaming but I am quite happy where I am. . I have been trying to get on to Skye, I have an account with a Skype name of Ron Binmore3 but I am stuck on a blue square and cannot find how I get to contacts or make a call with video, just this confounded blue square! I have uploaded a screen shot. Can you tell me please, how the hell do I get to the next step like making a call and adding contacts??

Cheers for now,

Ron

 

[Ron Binmore]

Make, back again. I got a little bit further but still cannot see how I get to the innards so I can get my contacts and have a Skype chat. There is nothing on the screen shot that indicates what or where you have to go to make a contact. Perhaps you have to be phsycic??

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

You can log into Skype using your Microsoft account Email and password, or your Skype account ID.

I guess you could try and click on the "Try Skype for Web Beta, and see of that makes it move ahead, that's not a screen I get as a regular user.

They are waiting for you to complete your profile but I don't see what you are supposed to do to go ahead?

Once you log in you should see a screen like this.

Any links you have created should show up here.

I essentially use Skype as my phone, and never make calls from home other then on my computer.

It only costs $30 a year to be able to call any number in the US or Canada and talk as long as you want for free.

Skype to Skype (like Paul and I use) is always free, you don't have to pay anything.

My wife shares the account and sometimes talks to her cousin in Arizona for several hours for free.

I just got a Kindle Fire HDX and I have Skype installed on that too.

Mike