Need one that reads outloud!

flying_babyb · 10-13-2012, 10:49 PM

I need a e reader or tablet that is under $100 plays games and reads outloud. This is for a dislexic (sp) child, aged 12. I am also looking for a second one that reads to you and has changable font. Its for my 78 year old grandma who is Not techinal savy. Also I am looking for a tablet that plays games,reads, and does word (or somthing simlar). this is for a college student writing a novel. ALl 3 must be under $100 each!

Cdesja5 · 10-13-2012, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flying_babyb

I need a e reader or tablet that is under $100 plays games and reads outloud. This is for a dislexic (sp) child, aged 12. I am also looking for a second one that reads to you and has changable font. Its for my 78 year old grandma who is Not techinal savy. Also I am looking for a tablet that plays games,reads, and does word (or somthing simlar). this is for a college student writing a novel. ALl 3 must be under $100 each!

I don't think you're going to find anything in the tablet world to do all that for under $100. Closest I can think of, in a good tablet is the Nexus 7 at $199.
All eReaders will allow font changes either for size or type of font. They are more simple to use as well. The Kobo readers have a font available that is called "open dyslexic" which apparently is quite effective in aiding dylexics to read more easily. This font may be available on other brands of readers as well.
Kobo has 2 models in your price range, the Touch at $99 and the Mini at $79. They will not do text to speech however, you need at tablet for that as far as I know. Games as well would be very limited on a reader.
So really a tablet is your best bet for the children anyway, but I don't think it's realistic to think you can get one for anything near "under $100".

flying_babyb · 10-13-2012, 11:18 PM

were looking at:
Velocity Cruz e-Reader with WiFi
or
7.0 Zeepad(TM) Android 4.0 tablet PC 4GB Hard Drive built in WIFI
or
Pandigital R70B200 Star Android Multi Media 7-inch Tablet Computer -

all on amazon. Which one (or ones) would be best? do any of these do txt to speech?

meeera · 10-13-2012, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

Kobo has 2 models in your price range, the Touch at $99 and the Mini at $79. They will not do text to speech however, you need at tablet for that as far as I know.

Nope, a Kindle Keyboard will do TTS, and in the price range as well. I don't know what "changeable font" means - you can change the size of course, but typeface options are extremely limited.

Cdesja5 · 10-13-2012, 11:34 PM

Anything under 8 gb in a tablet will be useless which means the 4 gb Velocity Cruz, the 4 gb ZeePad and the 2 gb Pandigital won't allow you to add any apps to them because they have no storage space!
As well the processors on these will be s_l_o_w. You're better off waiting until you have more money to spend...
Meeera says the Kindle Keyboard will do Text to Speech so I think that is your best bet. Any tablet at that price will be junk.

CWatkinsNash · 10-13-2012, 11:39 PM

Android tablets rely on reader apps, and those apps have varying functionality. Some have text to speech. Mantano is one that does, but there are others. The tablets under $100 often do not have access to Google play, they usually have a proprietary app store and may not be able to use newer versions of android or install apps from other sources.

On top of this, some publishers have text-to-speech functionality locked on their books. You would have to break drm on them to use that functionality. I believe some bookstores state in the book details if this is the case. I know amazon and books on board both say whether text-to-speech is enabled for a given book.

I would make sure that the tablet has the Google play store, is running a recent version of android, and has good customer reviews.

flying_babyb · 10-14-2012, 12:31 AM

so what would my best under $100 be if I just went for a e reader that plays games? this one wouldnt need to read aloud.

For the one for grandma: the text size needs to able to be made bigger.

Cdesja5 · 10-14-2012, 09:41 AM

Where are you located? Availability may depend on where you are... Kobo Touch is $99 and is wireless (allows Internet browsing) and has a couple of games in the "extras" like chess, sudoko. You will not be able to play "games" in the sense that kids want to, on an eReader. For your grandmother however, the Touch will allow font adjustments to make the text pretty much as big as you need to.
Perhaps you should shop around for a second-hand or refurbished Kobo Vox's 7" tablet which is 8 gb, expandable with a micro SD card, runs on Android "Gingerbread", has access to the Google Play Store and can have lots of apps added to it. I've heard of persons picking them up new for under $150. It's now a discontinued model about to be replaced by a new Kobo tablet (the Arc) so chances are it's price will drop before Christmas if you can wait.

Shopaholic · 10-14-2012, 09:38 PM

If you go to Toys R Us they do make books that read out loud to kids nowhere near $100. You're not going to find a reader that does it and it's not worth spending the money on a kid that's going to break it in all likelihood anyways. Buy a book that reads out loud. Look into the Leap Pad. It plays games and reads books and teaches kids all kinds of things. A reader is in appropriate for your needs based on your OP.

Get a reader for the Grandmother. She'll appreciate it and know how to take care of it.

An eink ereader is completely in appropriate for a kid that wants games.

NickyWithNook · 10-14-2012, 11:24 PM

Those leap pad readers are expensive too, and the books for them are very expensive. I'd comparison shop before opting for that.

NickyWithNook · 10-15-2012, 12:00 PM

It also occurs to me that the books that a LeapPad would read aloud (for $25 a piece) would not be of interest to a 12-year-old.

Teknikal · 10-15-2012, 12:32 PM

The reading outloud thing is very overrated I tried the option with Mantano Reader on android and found it very hard to follow the computerised voice. But I also think an android tablet and the Mantano Reader App might be the cheapest way to go but still well over your budget.

Piper_ · 10-15-2012, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teknikal

The reading outloud thing is very overrated I tried the option with Mantano Reader on android and found it very hard to follow the computerised voice. But I also think an android tablet and the Mantano Reader App might be the cheapest way to go but still well over your budget.

I *love* TTS (Text To Speech, aka Read Aloud), on both my kindle and my Android.

The built-in Kindle 3 TTS sounds great to me as is.

To get a good experience with it on Android, you need to download other voices, as the built-in one does indeed sound very computerized.

My favorite is Ivona's Amy or Kendra. (Free, still, in app store) I tried the SVOX voices, but wasn't impressed.

copyrite · 10-15-2012, 09:08 PM

The SVOX US female voice isn't bad, but the male voice is horrible! On my KK I like the male voice. I've not tried Ivona. Might have to look into that.

I've gotten used to the TTS voices. When I listen to a real audio recording the inflection sounds strange to me. LOL

I use it on my commute to and from work with my Kindle Keyboard. The Paperwhite stays home - and it's all I've been using at home.

Teknikal · 10-16-2012, 12:36 AM

I am using a better TTS than standard Loquendo TTS Susan it does sound much better than the default but I just couldn't follow books at all. Brilliant for things like GPS but the Fake voice just doesn't work for me at all in books.

That being said I've never been a fan of audio books either I generally find them to be read much too slow and get bored so the problem may be with me.

10-13-2012, 10:49 PM	#1
flying_babyb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 470130 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: still deciding!	Need one that reads outloud! I need a e reader or tablet that is under $100 plays games and reads outloud. This is for a dislexic (sp) child, aged 12. I am also looking for a second one that reads to you and has changable font. Its for my 78 year old grandma who is Not techinal savy. Also I am looking for a tablet that plays games,reads, and does word (or somthing simlar). this is for a college student writing a novel. ALl 3 must be under $100 each!

10-13-2012, 11:34 PM	#5
Cdesja5 Wizard Posts: 1,117 Karma: 2094306 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...	Anything under 8 gb in a tablet will be useless which means the 4 gb Velocity Cruz, the 4 gb ZeePad and the 2 gb Pandigital won't allow you to add any apps to them because they have no storage space! As well the processors on these will be s_l_o_w. You're better off waiting until you have more money to spend... Meeera says the Kindle Keyboard will do Text to Speech so I think that is your best bet. Any tablet at that price will be junk. Last edited by Cdesja5; 10-13-2012 at 11:37 PM.

10-14-2012, 12:31 AM	#7
flying_babyb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 470130 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: still deciding!	so what would my best under $100 be if I just went for a e reader that plays games? this one wouldnt need to read aloud. For the one for grandma: the text size needs to able to be made bigger. Last edited by flying_babyb; 10-14-2012 at 12:43 AM. Reason: added infro

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10-13-2012, 11:18 PM	#3
flying_babyb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 470130 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: still deciding!	were looking at: Velocity Cruz e-Reader with WiFi or 7.0 Zeepad(TM) Android 4.0 tablet PC 4GB Hard Drive built in WIFI or Pandigital R70B200 Star Android Multi Media 7-inch Tablet Computer - all on amazon. Which one (or ones) would be best? do any of these do txt to speech?

10-13-2012, 11:39 PM	#6
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	Android tablets rely on reader apps, and those apps have varying functionality. Some have text to speech. Mantano is one that does, but there are others. The tablets under $100 often do not have access to Google play, they usually have a proprietary app store and may not be able to use newer versions of android or install apps from other sources. On top of this, some publishers have text-to-speech functionality locked on their books. You would have to break drm on them to use that functionality. I believe some bookstores state in the book details if this is the case. I know amazon and books on board both say whether text-to-speech is enabled for a given book. I would make sure that the tablet has the Google play store, is running a recent version of android, and has good customer reviews.

10-14-2012, 09:41 AM	#8
Cdesja5 Wizard Posts: 1,117 Karma: 2094306 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Montreal, Canada Device: Lots and lots of electronic gadgets...	Where are you located? Availability may depend on where you are... Kobo Touch is $99 and is wireless (allows Internet browsing) and has a couple of games in the "extras" like chess, sudoko. You will not be able to play "games" in the sense that kids want to, on an eReader. For your grandmother however, the Touch will allow font adjustments to make the text pretty much as big as you need to. Perhaps you should shop around for a second-hand or refurbished Kobo Vox's 7" tablet which is 8 gb, expandable with a micro SD card, runs on Android "Gingerbread", has access to the Google Play Store and can have lots of apps added to it. I've heard of persons picking them up new for under $150. It's now a discontinued model about to be replaced by a new Kobo tablet (the Arc) so chances are it's price will drop before Christmas if you can wait.

10-14-2012, 09:38 PM	#9
Shopaholic Cockatoo Mom! Posts: 1,509 Karma: 1841741 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: PW4, Kobo: A1, Clara, Libra 2, iPad Pro 11, iPad Mini	If you go to Toys R Us they do make books that read out loud to kids nowhere near $100. You're not going to find a reader that does it and it's not worth spending the money on a kid that's going to break it in all likelihood anyways. Buy a book that reads out loud. Look into the Leap Pad. It plays games and reads books and teaches kids all kinds of things. A reader is in appropriate for your needs based on your OP. Get a reader for the Grandmother. She'll appreciate it and know how to take care of it. An eink ereader is completely in appropriate for a kid that wants games.

10-14-2012, 11:24 PM	#10
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	Those leap pad readers are expensive too, and the books for them are very expensive. I'd comparison shop before opting for that.

10-15-2012, 12:00 PM	#11
NickyWithNook Guru Posts: 750 Karma: 3942770 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: American living in Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, Kindle Fire, Kindle Pwhite (Don't use Nook anymore)	It also occurs to me that the books that a LeapPad would read aloud (for $25 a piece) would not be of interest to a 12-year-old.

10-15-2012, 12:32 PM	#12
Teknikal Fanatic Posts: 574 Karma: 5264318 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Belfast Device: Sony T1, Note Pro 12.2, Honor 10	The reading outloud thing is very overrated I tried the option with Mantano Reader on android and found it very hard to follow the computerised voice. But I also think an android tablet and the Mantano Reader App might be the cheapest way to go but still well over your budget.

10-15-2012, 09:08 PM	#14
copyrite Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 4985051 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Maryland Device: Kindle	The SVOX US female voice isn't bad, but the male voice is horrible! On my KK I like the male voice. I've not tried Ivona. Might have to look into that. I've gotten used to the TTS voices. When I listen to a real audio recording the inflection sounds strange to me. LOL I use it on my commute to and from work with my Kindle Keyboard. The Paperwhite stays home - and it's all I've been using at home.

10-16-2012, 12:36 AM	#15
Teknikal Fanatic Posts: 574 Karma: 5264318 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Belfast Device: Sony T1, Note Pro 12.2, Honor 10	I am using a better TTS than standard Loquendo TTS Susan it does sound much better than the default but I just couldn't follow books at all. Brilliant for things like GPS but the Fake voice just doesn't work for me at all in books. That being said I've never been a fan of audio books either I generally find them to be read much too slow and get bored so the problem may be with me.