Text2Speech for Android

[l1ghtm4n]

I've started a text-to-speech project for Android. Maybe there are
some other developers interested in helping out?

From my site, where source is available (http://www.l1ghtm4n.com/?
q=node/16):

"It's been about a month since I first started this project. I wanted
to get familiar with Google Android by taking some existing Java code
and porting it to the Android platform. I was also hoping to provide
something actually useful in the Android environment. Hopefully this
Text2Speech service is. It is entirely derived from FreeTTS.

Here I provide the code in hopes that some screen apps can make use of
this service on the device. Examples could be an alarm which reads
time, weather, and RSS feeds. Or an email reader.

I worked hard getting it to compile but ran into a bug in the Android
SDK InputStream implementation. That's where it currently stands. If I
have the time I will try to provide updates for it."

[Nanard]

Great !
I'll go to your site when I have time.

Do you plan to 'give' your code. In exchange, we just write your name
in our 'About' dialog box ?

Or is your Speech project : a project for the challenge ?
If so, you'd better keep the code for yourself (even if I **need**
speach for my own project).

[l1ghtm4n]

To be honest, I hadn't quite decided whether or not to enter it in the
challenge. My motivation for posting the unfinished project was to
find interested developers who want to help, then it's possible to
enter the challenge as a team. Most importantly, though, is to have a
useful project rather than letting it grow stale due to my limited
time dedication.

As far as license, the FreeTTS code on which this is based has a very
open license, and I may just adopt that same license. To be
determined. As for now, the code is on my site and a mention in some
credits would be nice.

[amit]

I want to look into your App because I also had an Idea involving TTS
initially. Do you have a HOWTO somewhere or the code runs out of the box.

[Nanard]

I have tried for around 10 hours to copy/paste the source of TTS (and
all required lib.) into my Android project in Eclipse.
Without success.
When I had a compiling error : I put the line in comment :-)

I didn't had enough time to finish, and I've put more & more lines in
comment !
And, anyway FreeTTS is just here for testing, the voice quality is
very bad, compared to what is available on commercial GPS.
Maybe we could contact FreeTTS team/developper and ask them to work
with us in the port to Android & in having a better voice quality
(more human, more choices of 'people'). I don't have time (and
knowledge) to debug FreeTTS.

I belive (in those newsgroup & android pages) Google will release TTS
in next SDK/emulator version.
So, I decided to spend more time on my application, and wait until
Google release TTS with their emulator.

Anyways, with or without you, I (and other in thoses challenge) realy
need TTS.

Good luck !

[l1ghtm4n]

The code is NOT running as is. I've done a lot of the conversion
work, but there are still some issues which will need to be resolved.
The zip file includes a demo application which makes use of the
Text2Speech service. You can use that as an example of how your
application would make use of my project. I'll post again to this
grouop once I've made progress toward a usable service. My guess is
it may be a few weeks.

[Kayhan Yuksel]

To whom it may respond to,

I would like to develop a text2speech app. for the visually impaired
community. (like JAWS which is a screen reader) .. So our project
roadmaps may get crossed. I would be glad to contribute, I know that
such a screen reader will address problems of people. I know a friend
of mine who has to stick with the desktop screenreader, so such an
app. would be great for visually impaired people. Also a package of
speech functions may be used in a ebook reader or spelling dict.
application.

I would be glad to get the required information to contribute,

Best,

Kayhan YUKSEL

[Nanard]

Sorry my project is not a screen reader.
I focus on all other parts of my project. And hope TTS will be
implemented by Google...
Speach is vital to my project, but it is NOT my project.


I don't understand why people allways think only of blind, or people
with bad view could use speach devices.
I'm a bit old, when I was young I watched Star Trek movies, and
remember the UI of the computer ... : speach. A lot of sc-fi movies
have speach UI. We are not very far from having the capability to
create such UI. Let's start !

Most people in the world don't care about computers, mouse keyboard
commands, application, menus... I strongly belive if they could
speach to the computer, phone, car, TV, ... and have a spoken answer :
they would find a lot more easily to use IT products !

[Nanard]

After internet revolution.

Speach user interface could be the Next Revolution...

[Kayhan Yuksel]

The reason behind this motivation is that it solves out a practical
problem, increases quality of life for many people. Genetic researchs
might also be used for increasing the interval of a healty life but it
doesn't mean that it should not be used for the treatment of
diseases.
Anyway, this is the android forum, and I honestly wish you good luck
with your project.