In a letter to the editor of The New York Times dated September 15, 2009, Roger Ebert, film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, writes:
I am one of those you write about [“For Speech-Impaired, Insurance Fights Remedy,” September 14, 2009] who uses a computer voice after losing the power of speech as a result of cancer surgery. After trying an $8,000 custom device with little computing power and a small, dim screen, I tried the built-in speech software on my MacBook and found it much more practical.
It will read anything aloud, including what I define on a Web page or in an e-mail message. Several voices are built into the computer, and others are downloadable at moderate prices.
I combine talking and Web surfing — for example, sharing a news headline with my wife. Instead of using the weak built-in speakers, I use nice loud, lightweight speakers powered from a USB port, costing around $50.
Anyone who uses a computer and has lost the power of speech knows that e-mail becomes invaluable. It’s stupid of insurance companies to insist on an inferior device costing 10 times as much.
Source: The New York Times
More info about Apple’s Mac OS X’s VoiceOver feature here.
Ebert’s website – two thumbs up – is: rogerebert.suntimes.com
MacDailyNews Take: Ebert has long been a great backer of Apple Macs and we wish him the best of health.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “WhitIV” for the heads up.]