Hi.
I have both with Kurzweil.
First, I would not buy the Dectalk Access 32 from Kurzweil, not
because I don't think them a good company, I do and like their product very
much, but because GWMicro
http://www.gwmicro.com
is selling the same product for $75.
Secondly, I always use Dectalk, but think this is a matter for
personal preference. I think it's noticeably superior to Flextalk and worth
the $75 (I don't even know, now, if Kurzweil comes with Flextalk any more, I
know it comes with Neospeech, which is a very human sounding voice, as well
as IBM's Viavoice, which sounds very much like the Eloquence Jaws uses),
but, again, what I think is neither here nor there. It's what you think that
counts and I would, if at all possible, try to get a listen to both synths.
As for why you would use a second kind of speech, I do so because I
like one for prolonged and sustained reading and another for my screen
reader. I've never gotten used to Eloquence reading text for very long
periods, and don't like dectalk reading the screen. Again, this is a matter
of your preference. You don't need to use another kind of speech if you
don't want to, Kurzweil will work fine with the engines that come with it.
Aman
-----Original Message-----
From: VICUG-L: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Peter Seymour
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 1:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] Flextalk or DEC Talk for Kurzweil 1000 Version 9
Are there any strong opinions out there about this?
Is the DEC Talk noticeably superior to the Flextalk, and worth paying an
extra $200 for it?
Keep in mind that I am asking this question as a person who is preparing to
purchase the Kurzweil 1000 as part of an updated computer system that will
be running Jaws 6.0 for the first time ever. I don't know how I might even
use a second type of speech, or why.
Please, send me your responses only if you have something especially
poignant. Not that I've had problems in the past, but I do want to read
something sharp, knowledgeable and to-the-point.
Thanks,
Peter Seymour
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