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what tablet pc to buy
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Posted October 23, 2012 at 11:57PM
Hello all,my name is Chris and i am 50 years old and since 2010 have not been able to speak due to mouth cancer and then larynx(voice box)so it was removed,my way of communication was by pen and paper.With the help of my speech therapist i have been able to borrow an i-pad with the PREDICTABLE app downloaded.I is good with a easy to use layout and has helped me considerably,however the voices they supply are American mostly the British one is ok but cant pronounce the English words properly they use the American version With apple they are not very compatable with other firms and you cant download you own choice of voice (as far as i know)plus the app cost £114. I have done a lot of research into finding companies that supply voices,some good some bad.The best one i found was CeroProc (southern England voice)loquendo,cepstral,acapela,ivona also do there own voices. So what i am looking for is firstly a tablet pc 16GB ,wifi and 3G that has speech to text apps or something similar where i can download my chosen voice or get a speech reader e.g (natural reader) where on some readers its possible to choose a voice to use. I have been trying to look at SAMSUNG tab or note to see if they are contender ,but because im not a computer buff (i used to repair ships) its hard for me to get my head around it all.I dont mind what make of tablet is used as names mean nothing to me,its what they can do that does.I will need wifi and 3g as the tablet will be my best friend so will have to use where no wifi is available. Im hope you understand my jargon and will give me a pointer in the right direction remembering perhaps it will give you brains a workout.Many thanks Chris
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Posted October 26, 2012 at 10:50AM
hi Chris. I saw your thread the other day and noticed no-one has yet replied. I don't have experience of tablet PCs, but can suggest a few things to look into.
What first came to mind is that many tablets use Android operating system, not Microsoft Windows. E.g Natural Reader is available for Windows or Mac, but Android isn't mentioned. As you may use the voice reader application a lot it would probably be best to research that first and see what would be best to use - features, ease of use etc. Then see what operating system it requires and go from there.
If you need to use MS Windows then Windows 8 is just being released and it is geared towards tablet PCs so there may be a new range of tablets coming out soon.
Also when you come to buy a tablet communicate your needs in writing to the retailer regarding what voice software it needs to run so that you are sold one that is 'fit for purpose'.
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Posted October 26, 2012 at 11:57AM
Thanks Marg for your reply and the ideas,now windows 8 is out will look into that to see what they offer.Have tried natural reader and is a good system also have contacted Samsung but have had no reply as yet.Thanks again, Chris
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Posted October 28, 2012 at 10:31AM
I had a look at the sytem requirements for Natural Reader
Operating system: windows XP/Vista/Win7 Processor: 800Mhz Memory: 256 MB (512 recommended) Free Disk Space: 50MB
or for Mac Operating system: Mac OS X 10.6 & 10.7 Memory: 256 MB (512 recommended) Free Disk Space: 30MB
So it looks like not yet for windows 8 (though there may be a compatibility mode to run older programs) Also some tablets use a specialised version of the operating system (such as windows 8 RT) so installing standard software may be an issue. You will need to be careful when buying as retailers won't take back a used computer unless you have specified exactly what you need it for and it then does not fulfill those requirements.
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Posted October 29, 2012 at 7:02PM
I think that you'd be best to wait until M$ bring out their New Windows 8 Tablet in the New Year. The Microsoft Surface RT Tablet, like all of the Android Tablets, is not a PC compatible machine.
With luck the Microsoft Surface Pro will work with a program such as Dagon and allow you to use it as a Keyboard to Speaker Unit.
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Posted November 5, 2012 at 6:27PM
Hi Chris, there are several programs that you could use. You don't have to restrict yourself to Windows. I don't know why OS compatibility is a requirement for the use you intend. I mean, what you would do is type a phase and then press speak? Be aware that Windows 8 Applications on a PC will not necessarily be usable on a Windows 8 tablet. Just google "Type and Speak" or something similar.
Ian
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