Loquendo TTS Powers PredictAble, a Communication Aid for the iPad

Loquendo and tbox apps have teamed up to provide PredictAble, a new assistive technology application for the iPad, aimed at anyone who has difficulty using his own voice to express himself. It comes with nine male and female Loquendo voices in U.S., U.K., and Australian English.

PredictAble helps people communicate with those around them by means of Loquendo’s text-to-speech. Users key in their messages and press ‘Speak’. The app uses a sophisticated word prediction engine, which speeds message writing by suggesting commonly used words and word sequences, while the Phrase Bank enables frequently used messages to be stored and retrieved, including the option to save them onto another computer.

All nine available voices can be adjusted for speed and pitch according to the user’s needs, and can be made to read out messages by means of several access methods to suit people’s physical abilities: multiple keyboard layouts, touch-anywhere screens, or switch access. Email can also be sent directly from within the app.

“We wanted the best quality voices in the widest range of accents and languages, and we found Loquendo delivered that,” says Swapnil Gadgil of tbox apps. “Coupled with the ability to customise Loquendo voices, I feel confident Predictable users have the best voice output solution available on the market.”

“Loquendo is very pleased to be associated with such a pioneering AAC application," said Claudio Genova, Loquendo sales manager for embedded technologies. “PredictAble will help people to interact more effectively with those around them as well as stay connected online via email and Facebook.

PredictAble is compatible with iOS 4.2 or later.