Google Speech Recognition now Available for Text Fields Across the Web

Last week Google added voice search to it search page. This new feature allows Chrome users to speak rather than type their searches. Previously this feature was only available for Google search but recently Google added the service to  other text fields across the web. Currently the feature is only available for Google chrome users. To activate the feature click on the speech button shown above and speak to input text. (requires a microphone) This feature can help poor spellers and people that are unable to use a keyboard.Voice recognition is accurate and works quickly. The feature does not allow you to navigate within a webpage it only allows for text input. Note: This feature may only be available for certain users and in beta builds of Chrome.

Save Text as Audio File Feature in Mac OS X Lion

A new Feature in Mac OS X Lion will allow users to select text and convert it into an audio file. This feature will work with any text that can be highlighted. In order to convert text into an audio file right click on the selected text and click on add to iTunes as a spoken track. Then a window will appear that allows you to select the voice and name of the audio file. The feature is available in Snow Leopard but is not enabled by default. Kurzweil also has a similar feature where you can covert text an audio. There is also a speech feature in Snow Leopard and iOS 5 beta. The speech feature allows selected text to be spoken aloud by a computerized voice. To start the speech feature select the text and right click then click on speech. Mac OS X Lion will be released in July and iOS 5 will be released in the Fall.

How to Use Caliber to Convert Bookshare Books Into ePub

Caliber is a free eBook conversion software that can convert Bookshare books into ePub format. ePub is the format used by most eReader. There are other methods of converting Bookshare books such as Don Johnston's Daisy to ePub software. (Click Here for article about Daisy to ePub)  Caliber is a free program for Mac and PC. Caliber can input and output many different book formats which makes it more versatile than Daisy to ePub. Converting a book using Daisy to ePub is easier then using Caliber.  The benefit of Caliber is that it is free and Daisy to ePub costs $99. When using Caliber you must first convert your Bookshare book into a PDF by copying the text and images of the book into word document and saving the document as a PDF. This step is necessary because PDF is one of the supported Caliber formats. The next step is to add the PDF into your Caliber library and convert it to ePub format. Once the book is in ePub you can put it on your iPad or other eReader. If you put your book onto the iPad you can use VoiceOver to listen to the book. Caliber is not perfect, sometimes the spacing and original formatting is not left intact. Even with its flaws Caliber is still a great tool for converting Bookshare books into ePubs. Watch the video above for step by step instructions.

Tools to Make Typing on iPad Easier

Typing on the iPad's touch screen can be difficult and slow compared to a physical keyboard. While typing on the iPad you must look at the screen because you can not feel the keys. For people that can not see the screen typing on the iPad is slow. There are a couple of tools to solve this problem. The first solution is the iPad keyboard dock. The keyboard dock plugs into the iPad's dock connector and works with the iPad and iPad 2. The keyboard is similar to desktop and laptop key boards but has function keys specialized for the iPad. The keyboard dock costs $69 from Apple. Another option is a Bluetooth keyboard which connects to the iPad wirelessly. There are many Bluetooth keyboards on the market. Bluetooth keyboards can improve your typing experience on the iPad. Yet another solution is Keyguard which is a clear piece of plastic with holes cut  where the virtual keys are. Keyguard fits on the iPad so it does not slide off. Keyguard allows you to feel the location of the virtual keys. Keyguard comes it portrait and landscape views. Each orientation of Keyguard costs $19.95 from Lasered Pics. With these tools you will be able to type faster and more accurately on the iPad. 

Daisy to ePub

Don Johnston, maker of Read:OutLoud and other software, has made Daisy to ePub converter software. The Daisy to ePub software works with Macs and PCs. The software converts accessible books such as NIMAS, DASIY and Bookshare to ePub format which can be read on popular eReaders. The software is very simple and converts books at the touch of a button. The Kindle is not compatible with ePub created with Daisy to ePub. It even coverts images within accessible books to ePub images. Daisy to ePub  works with iOS devices, Nooks and Sony Reader. If you are interested in reading your Daisy, NIMAS or Bookshare books with your eReader; Daisy to ePub is a great tool. Once you have your book on your eReader you can use its built in accessibility features to read the book aloud. (Such as VoiceOver on iOS devices) Daisy to ePub costs $99 for use on one computer.

Ginger Corrects Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

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Ginger is an automatic spelling and grammar tool that corrects mistakes at the touch of a button. Ginger also has other features that Microsoft Word spell check does not. People who have dyslexia, are learning English or need documents with correct spelling and grammar can benefit from Ginger. Ginger corrects mistakes that spell check does not such as homophones. Ginger also makes context based corrections. For example if you write "Their is a big house" Ginger would corrected the sentence to "there is a big house." When editing a document press F2 to get corrections from Ginger. Ginger includes a text-to-speech option that speaks the input and output text aloud. The text-to-speech function can also read documents, web page and emails aloud. For users that wish to improve their grammar and spelling, Ginger offers informative lessons and quizzes. In order to use all of the features of Ginger you must have an Internet connection. The cost rages from $4.90 a month to $89 for a one time payment depending on the features you want. The premium version cost $89 and comes with text-to-speech, lessons to learn from your mistakes and spelling and grammar check. For $29 you get contextual grammar and spelling check. For a monthly payment of $4.90 you also get contextual grammar and spelling check. Ginger is only available for PCs. To test out Ginger type a sentence into the graphic above and press "Ginger It." Visit gingersoftware.com for more information.

Free Kurzweil Webinars

The maker of Kurzweil is holding a set of free webinars this summer. The webinars will inform users about features Kurzweil version 12. Learning about features of Kurzweil can be very helpful to users who don't know about all of the things Kurzweil can do. The webinars will take place between June 21st and August 30th. To sign up for the webinars look after the break for dates and times.

WikiSummarizer is Great For Summarizing Wikipedia

WikiSummerizer is a site that takes the key points of a Wikipedia article and summarizes them into bullet points. WikiSummarizer is great for long Wikipedia articles or getting the key points about a topic. The site uses an automated summary program that does a good job of taking the main points of an article. Instead of reading the whole article you can just read the important parts. WikiSummarizer only takes seconds to summarize an article. WikiSummarizer is perfect for accessing key points of information quickly.

Netflix Adds Closed Captioning to iOS Apps

The giant movie streaming company Netflix recently added closed captioning to its iOS Apps. The feature puts the spoken words of a movie into text that is displayed on the screen. This feature is great for people that are deaf or have poor hearing. To access closed captioning start the movie and press the speech bubble next to the play pause button. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing closed captions are a must for movies. Click this link for Netflix iOS apps.

Google Voice Search for Chrome: First Impressions.

I tried out Google Voice Search and it works great. It is very accurate and works quickly. This feature is great for when you want to search for a word that you can not spell. To use voice search click on the microphone on the right side of the search bar. The feature is only available for Chrome users.