Looking for EReader with TTS

[NeilF]

I have been using Kindles since Kindle 2. However I am looking a an ereader with a good TTS.

I am aware of the newer Inkpad4 but wanted to know if there is anything out there better?

I'm at the age now where my eyes get a little tired reading and wouldn't find occasionally switching to TTS.

[Desertway]

My understanding is that you aren't going to do better than the Pocketbook line for a dedicated eInk device with integrated and easy to use TTS. It's a complete pain on Kindle, and Kobo (as far as I know) doesn't have it.

The other option would be to buy an Android eInk device and use the Pocketbook app or the Google Play app, both of which have easy to use TTS. But Android eInk isn't for everyone.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Desertway

My understanding is that you aren't going to do better than the Pocketbook line for a dedicated eInk device with integrated and easy to use TTS. It's a complete pain on Kindle, and Kobo (as far as I know) doesn't have it.

The other option would be to buy an Android eInk device and use the Pocketbook app or the Google Play app, both of which have easy to use TTS. But Android eInk isn't for everyone.

I can't get TTS in Google PlayBooks or Pocketbook to work on my Android eink. Works fine on my Alcatel, Oppo and Huawei phones. Works well on my Lenovo tablet or the new more paper-like TCL NxtPaper 11 tablet.

The later Kindles don't have TTS for regular use, they have an entire voice mode user interface for blind & partially sighted. You can't just simply run TTS while you read and use the regular GUI like on the old Kindle DXG and K3, or on Android with Pocketbook or Playbooks. Pocketbook android ereader app is one of the best anyway. The only value in Google Playbooks is unliberated Google content (as per Kindle App needed for KU).

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I can't get TTS in Google PlayBooks or Pocketbook to work on my Android eink. Works fine on my Alcatel, Oppo and Huawei phones. Works well on my Lenovo tablet or the new more paper-like TCL NxtPaper 11 tablet.

The later Kindles don't have TTS for regular use, they have an entire voice mode user interface for blind & partially sighted. You can't just simply run TTS while you read and use the regular GUI like on the old Kindle DXG and K3, or on Android with Pocketbook or Playbooks. Pocketbook android ereader app is one of the best anyway. The only value in Google Playbooks is unliberated Google content (as per Kindle App needed for KU).

TTS works fine on my Likebook using Play Books and Pocketbook, with Google Speech Recognition installed. The nice thing about Play Books TTS is that you can select More Natural Reading Voice in settings and the quality is quite good, though you have to have Wi-Fi on to use it.

But if OP is taking short eye rest breaks while reading, it seems that a dedicated Pocketbook device is the simplest solution.

[Tarana]

You can use TTS on an echo but you can only use Amazon purchases that way. Also, the fire has an app that does TTS for any book converted to azw3 or mobi. Yep, additional devices, but it's workable.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Desertway

TTS works fine on my Likebook using Play Books and Pocketbook, with Google Speech Recognition installed. The nice thing about Play Books TTS is that you can select More Natural Reading Voice in settings and the quality is quite good, though you have to have Wi-Fi on to use it.

1) My Likebook is a Mars T80D with Android 8.1. I installed the Google stuff. No speech.

2) None of my other Android gear needs WiFi on. You download the speech pack(s) for the language(s). Certainly even one phone with less than Android 8.

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by Quoth

1) My Likebook is a Mars T80D with Android 8.1. I installed the Google stuff. No speech.

2) None of my other Android gear needs WiFi on. You download the speech pack(s) for the language(s). Certainly even one phone with less than Android 8.

My Likebook is the weird Lemon Read, also Android 8.1.

The "wi-fi" on is only necessary for the "More Natural Reading Voice" option in Play Books. It uses Google's cloud / neural TTS rather than the downloaded voices.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Desertway

My Likebook is the weird Lemon Read, also Android 8.1.

The "wi-fi" on is only necessary for the "More Natural Reading Voice" option in Play Books. It uses Google's cloud / neural TTS rather than the downloaded voices.

Thanks. I'd not use the cloud service for various reasons.

I assumed since it works for you some setting must be wrong on mine. Speech recognition was disabled. Oddly this disables speech synthesis. I also switched to "private" on it. Now working same as other Androids.
Also added GBoard and turned off the slurping. The handwriting mode isn't great due to either touch or eink.


Edit:
Need to turn off Animation and a few other things on Pocketbook. Otherwise seems OK and TTS working now.

[Desertway]

Good. I'm glad you got it working. I would not have known how to troubleshoot it.

Pocketbook reader works well on mine also (animation turned off). I just had to add a custom font because I needed more weight than any of the existing fonts.

[jonathan2022]

if you go the android route . for me personally i like the cool reader app . you can also download edge browser and convert books to pdf and read them.(this requires internet though (edge) but voices are less robotic. cool reader supports more formats . i do have a modern kindle with voiceview. but it really slows down everything and so i have to turn off when im not using it.

[Michal Jancik]

Originally Posted by NeilF

I have been using Kindles since Kindle 2. However I am looking a an ereader with a good TTS.

I am aware of the newer Inkpad4 but wanted to know if there is anything out there better?

I'm at the age now where my eyes get a little tired reading and wouldn't find occasionally switching to TTS.

In the case of E-INK readers with Android, for TTS I use the excellent program (free) :
Evie - The eVoice book reader : GooglePlay_Link_HERE

I would just like to add that I use it on IOS : Voice Reader https://www.voicedream.com/.
For Android : https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...er&hl=en&gl=US
"Voice Reader" was renamed to "Leager Rereader" for Android some time ago.

TTS voice source

- Acapela TTS Voices : Google_Play_Link_HERE
- TTS VOCALISER: GooglePlay_Link_HERE
- CereProc TTS : GooglePlay_Link_HERE

Pocketbook does not have the worst TTS engine (Ivona), the voice also has correct intonation and is not robotic.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Michal Jancik

Pocketbook does not have the worst TTS engine (Ivona), the voice also has correct intonation and is not robotic.

Pocketbook uses whatever is installed. Usually the Google Accessibility suite engine. A Huawei phone I had (Android 6 or 7?) had also a Huawei supplied engine and it was far better.

However the Google one is far better than Amazon's for the Paperwhite3 Voice View (€6 generic USB adaptor). The Amazon K3 and DXG is comparable to 1986 free programs for DOS, but better than the old SP0025 IC (may have part wrong).

Most of the TTS on Playstore are just using the Google Accessibility engine and are pointless compared to the Pocketbook App.

[DaySleeper]

Originally Posted by Tarana

You can use TTS on an echo but you can only use Amazon purchases that way. Also, the fire has an app that does TTS for any book converted to azw3 or mobi. Yep, additional devices, but it's workable.

What is the Fire app that does this? I have a Fire and might find this useful.
Thanks!

[Desertway]

Originally Posted by DaySleeper

What is the Fire app that does this? I have a Fire and might find this useful.
Thanks!

The Kindle app on the Fire does this. Pocketbook app should also work, though you might have to get it from the Google Play store, the same with Google Play books.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Desertway

The Kindle app on the Fire does this. Pocketbook app should also work, though you might have to get it from the Google Play store, the same with Google Play books.

I found that the Kindle App on Android stops at the end of last paragraph on a page and needs restarted (which might be top of next page). The PocketBook and Google Playbooks Apps work fine.
The Fire is really an Android Tablet with Amazon store replacing Playstore, which is why it's possible to get Playstore Apps or apks running on it. The Kindle App on the Fire is obviously preinstalled and slightly different (buying ebooks was disabled on the Playstore version, but might come back after 1st March in EU).