Evaluating text-to-speech natural language software providers

If you are looking for natural language software solutions for text-to-speech, you have a number of options: some free, some you will pay for. In many cases, you are paying for more natural-sounding computer voices; you will want to listen to the voices (both male and female). Some are satisfactory, while others may not be to your taste. If you want to generate MP3 or other format files for listening away from the computer, make sure the program supports this feature. Some natural language software programs, especially the free ones, anchor you to the computer. You may wish to get a free one at first to explore the possibilities, then buy a better one later.

I recommend: NaturalSoft has a free version, a personal version and a professional version. The site also has samples of "NaturalReader Voices" and "Other Program Voices." NextUp Technologies produces TextAloud, based upon award winning AT&T voice technology. You can get a 15-day free trial, but the software is not free. Additional voices may be purchased separately.

For speech-to-text, your options in natural-language software suppliers are fewer

Look for the Dragon; the top application of it's kind.

I recommend: Nuance Communications has the premiere application in this category: Dragon Naturally Speaking. It is a very powerful program which promises up to 99% accuracy. It seldom spells wrong; if it makes a mistake, it is using an incorrect word. It will often wait until the end of your sentence to make sure it makes the proper choice when a word is a homonym (one of a set of words having the same sound). Its processing requirements are heavy, though: Nuance recommends a 2.4 Ghz Pentium processor or equivalent (1.6 Ghz dual-core processor) and 1 gig of RAM. VoiceCloud also supplies voice-to-text transcription.

If you have Windows Vista, take advantage of its free natural language software program

Windows Vista has a not-well-publicized but capable speech-recognition application.

I recommend: Go to the Microsoft web site for a brief description of its features, then to the Microsoft Windows Help page for instructions on how to set it up and use it. Keep in mind, though, that Vista has its own heavy hardware requirements. It probably wouldn't make much sense to upgrade to Vista just to get this feature; but it might make sense if you were planning to get a new computer with Vista installed anyway.

Finding a simpler or less costly alternative for natural language processing software applications

There are some alternatives, if your needs are not too complex.

I recommend: ViaVoice (Release 10), originally produced by IBM, now distributed by Nuance Communications. It is a well-respected and capable product, but it does not have quite the capability of Naturally Speaking's latest versions. It has not been updated since Nuance Communications acquired the rights to it several years ago. If you cannot or don't want to upgrade your system, though, it may well meet your needs. It runs on everything from Windows 98SE to XP Professional. There are a number of editions available, mostly for Windows, but some even for Macs that run OSX. Also try Copytalk, which is a monthly subscription service.