Paraben's Text-to-Voice 2.0 is a text reader for Windows computers. The application makes use of a text-to-voice engine to read out loud the text that you input. The application can load text from text files, but it is limited to .txt files, which seems odd, seeing that even the most basic text editor can open several text formats. There is a real-time mode. When activated, the application can read as you type words or sentences. Whenever you finish a word, it will read it out loud. I found that this one mode seems to be a little too much to handle for the program. The intonation this mode produces is just unrealistic and could confuse listeners. The option to type when the sentence is over makes a lot more sense and if you are a proficient typer, there won't be any major delays as you type. The default reading voice that came with the application was OK but there are tens more just in case you want to try something different. Overall, the application works right. I didn't like the fact that it will only read txt files and that it has no support for drag-and-drop. In other words, you have to go to File - Open every time you want to open a file. The read-as-you-type function could be very useful for reading computer texts to large audiences.
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