'Lost Voice Guy' uses iPad as part of comedy routine
updated 07:40 pm EST, Fri February 17, 2012
Comedian Lee Ridley uses iPad to deliver routine
Lee Ridley, who lost his voice as child due complication at birth, has found his voice on stage as a comedian, thanks to the iPad. Using the Speak it! app ($2, iTunes), Ridley has fashioned a stand-up routine that is self-mocking, but highlights how he has been able to overcome his physical challenges using technology. The Speak it! app enables text to speech in what approaches a very natural sound, belying its electronic origins, as the video of Ridley in action embedded below shows.
Users of Speak it! can enter their own text into the app and have it converted to speech, as Ridley has done with his routine. It will also allow users to copy and paste in text from documents, web pages, PDFs and other text sources allowing users to even save the spoken version for sharing. In-app purchases can be used to supplement the four standard voices (American male, American female, British male, British female) that are preinstalled on purchase. The app’s developers, Future Apps, also acknowledge that it has achieved a growing user base among disabled users.
Ridley’s set, meanwhile, is more than just a show piece for the app - it also highlights his genuine comic talent and his unique perspective on the world. [via Electric Pig]
