Hear your Text Files

Read Plus is a text-to-speech conversion software that reads out your documents, e-mail, or Web pages for you. The software supports both British and American English. 

The software works on Win 9x/2000 and NT 4 Workstation (with Service Pack 3) and is easy to install. It has a neat interface and comes with different skins to change the look-n-feel of it. You also have the option to chose between male and female voices and add voice effects. The speed and pitch can also be adjusted while reading. 

It has an automatic message and time announcement facility, useful for reminding you of important meetings. Also, instead of reading the complete document you can select the text you wish to read.

We tested the software with different files and applications containing text, such as RTF, DOC, PDF, e-mail, the Web, and it was able to read text clearly without any problem. On the flip side, you’ll have to copy-paste the text on to the clipboard of

ReadPlus. 

The bottom line: Given its price, it’s useful for those who want their PC to read for them. 

Neelima Vaid at PCQ Labs