Magazine
SNAP&READ
6/27/2012 By: Carol S. Holzberg
www.donjohnston.com Retail Price: $79.99 per computer; $399/site; for 5 or more computers, contact Don Johnston
Don Johnston’s new Snap&Read delivers text-to-speech in a
simple package that installs as a two-button toolbar floating
over any open desktop or laptop application.
Quality and Effectiveness: Snap&Read is simple, elegant,
and compact. When reading text aloud, Snap&Read uses one of
two high-quality Acapella voices (one male, the other female) it
installs at setup.
Ease of Use: Once launched, the Snap&Read toolbar never gets buried.
It floats over the active window, always visible, always within clickable
reach. To have it read
text aloud, simply click
the toolbar’s photo lens
button icon, then drag
across the desired text so
that it appears within the
orange guide lines.
Creative Use of
Technology: This audio
text-to-speech mode
helps make text available
to English language learners, developing readers, and individuals with
vision problems. Writers who need editing help can also use it as a
proofreading tool.
Suitability for Use in a School Environment: Schools looking for a
simple and affordable way to read screen text aloud will appreciate the
user-friendly, customizable, and economically-priced Snap&Read. The
program works with all manner of text, including words found in K12
Inc.’s virtual school curriculum, or text that displays on Accelerated Reader,
NWEA MAP tests, Study Island, and Discovery Education Web pages.
Overall Rating: Snap&Read scores high points for reading
inaccessible text, such as words on Flash Web pages or words
embedded in images.
TOP FEATURES
• Two-button floating toolbar will read
aloud text embedded in a Flash website,
Microsoft Word document, PDF file,
picture, or dialog box.
• Comes with two high-quality Acapella
speech synthesis voices.
• Preference settings allow users to
personalize the program for individual use.