Text2Go Blog

I have recently started a campaign to find out a bit about my Text2Go users and how they are making use of Text2Go. One of the aims is to allow me to better shape future versions of Text2Go. However, as this first story proves, it’s a very refreshing change to hear about someone else’s experiences. 

I put the following questions to Simon a few days after he purchased Text2Go. He immediately responded with the following story.

Mark: Could you provide some background information on who you are and what you do?

Simon: My name is Simon and I am an analyst programmer currently working for a tool hire company in the UK.

Mark: What sort of uses do you put Text2Go to?

Simon:

1. For my use, I have ebooks converted to my iPod. Client specifications, etc converted to listen to on route to different jobs and as my family send emails to me in the form of essays of no less than 4 pages, listen to them while doing other things.

2. My wife is partially blind so I convert ebooks for her to listen to while I am working.  I have also wired the house up to my home network so as certain sensors are triggered, vocal announcements are made to assist her.  I once a week go online and download the local paper and make the stories into audio files for her to listen to.  We have pets who come and go and took her some time to get use to so as they near her, the pet sensor is located within her radius and they are announced.

Mark: What sort of information do you typically convert to speech?

Simon:

1. Ebooks
2. Email
3. Client Specifications
4. Short audio soundbites
5. News stories
6. Audio Calendar events for wife

Mark: When do you listen to the information you’ve converted?

Simon:

1. My wife listens all day long…

2. Me, while driving, commuting, cooking and general housework.

Mark: Are there any other comments you may have?

Simon:

1. Would love similar controls for outlook like you built into internet explorer.
2. The software has aided in making my wife’s life a lot better… she now can keep up with current affairs and enjoy books again and now she wants me to convert more books that she and her friends who are also blind can listen to when they meet up every week at our house.

Mark:

Thank you so much for sharing your story Simon. I had never thought that Text2Go would be useful for the visually impaired as I believed you would need to be able to see the screen in order to perform the text to speech conversion in the first place. Doing the conversion for your wife (and her friends) is a great solution. It’s really nice to hear how much effort you’ve put in to make your home a safe and comfortable environment for your wife. I bet she really appreciates it.

Finally, adding a toolbar to Outlook is a great idea. I’m nearing completion of the next version of Text2Go and am starting to gather ideas for the following release, so I’ll certainly add your vote for an Outlook toolbar.

For more stories from Text2Go users, check back in the next couple of days. If you would like to share your experience, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.