Acapela, Spreading The Good Word Through Mac OS X With New Languages And Voices

Published 26th March 2007

The speaking interface allows those with sight difficulties and dyslexia to obtain complete accessibility to information...

Mons, Belgium, 7th March, 2007 - Acapela Group announces today the launch of Infovox iVox 1.1, the new version of its voice synthesis system developed in partnership with AssistiveWare. This innovative software enables users of Mac OS X who suffer from visual impairment and dyslexia to vocally access written information.

Infovox iVox 1.1 provides a pleasant and natural sounding voice allowing the user to communicate in complete comfort and independence with a computer. This innovative technology pushes visual boundaries and permits Mac users with sight difficulties and dyslexia to use Acapela’s voice synthesis in all their applications (including TextEdit, Preview, Acrobat Reader, Proloquo, TextParrot and Appleworks), via Apple’s Speech Manager. Infovox iVox is compatible with VoiceOver, the integrated screen reader of Mac OS X.

Golden Tones

The voice synthesis of Infovox iVox reads aloud any written text with a voice that it is easy to understand and that imitates the natural intonations and rhythms of human speech.

When used with the screen reader VoiceOver, users with sight difficulties can have written texts read aloud to them. Users can also control the speed at which a text is read to them in real time, helping the user to surf the web for example, with complete ease.

In the same manner, it allows users with reading and writing difficulties to use the high quality InfoVox voices thanks to applications such as TextEdit, Preview, Proloquo and TextParrot. It also enables people to listen to PDF documents, Word documents or their own texts using applications issued from the educational world. Several languages are now available and allow Mac users to take full advantage of their computer’s capabilities in their native language, in complete comfort and freedom.

New languages, new voices

The user can choose from several male and female voices to cater to their tastes and match their profiles. Choosing voice synthesis at this high quality level becomes a very personal and subjective choice.


The 1.1 version of Infovox iVox can be used on Macintosh PowerPC’s or Intel computers and now offers a selection of new voices such as American Spanish and Canadian French in addition to the other languages available : American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian and Swedish.


The 1.1 version offers the following improvements among others:

- New high quality Dutch male voice: Max.

- New high quality American Spanish female voice: Rosa.

- New high quality French Canadian female voice: Louise.

- Improved support functions for Speech Manager.

- Improved handling of complex phrases in French.

- Improved handling of compound words in Swedish.

- Improved support functions for Speech Manager.


For further information or to listen to a voice demonstration, please visit the following website:

http://www.assistiveware.com/infovox_ivox.php


To view an example of how the Infovox iVox 1.1 can assist the visually impaired, please visit the following website:

http://www.assistivewear.com/videos.php?video=Anne_Robertson&format=mov


With the new and improved version of Infovox Ivox, Acapela leaves its mark in the accessibility solutions sector and its place at the heart of vocal technology for Mac OS X.

The high quality voice synthesis of Acapela contributes daily to the improvement of accessibility for all concerned. Be it through the company’s technology aimed at the general public or the development of solutions using Acapela’s software, users have come to rely on speech synthesis as an integrated part of their daily lives.