Surfing the Internet with Text to Speech Software

These days, having a computer without internet capabilities is like having a couch without cushions. Sure, it gets the job done in most cases, but to really utilize the device to its full potential, you need that absent component. If your screen reader software isn’t fully compatible with most internet browsers, you’re really missing out on the software’s full functionality. When you’re shopping for the best text to speech software, you should look for a few key features to make web browsing easier.

Even the most basic screen reading application should have the ability to read all of the text on a webpage. Some applications will automatically start reading text on a page when it loads. Others will start reading when you type a keyboard command, or when you click the cursor at a specific point in the text. Look for a reading style that matches your visual capabilities and needs.

More-advanced applications offer special features that make web browsing easier if you are visually impaired. One such feature reads text as you mouse over it with the cursor. This helps orient users who can’t see, making it easier to click links and navigate text fields, like those found in online forms and login screens. While most screen reading applications offer a text echo feature, which reads characters or words out loud to you as you type them, the echo feature doesn’t always work in internet browsers. Make sure that the application you choose offers this feature for web browsing to make online interaction, such as blogging or social media updates, easier.

Another phenomenal feature helps protect your security by masking passwords when you type them. If you are using the text echo function, your password is vulnerable to detection by anyone within earshot. The best screen reader software will automatically substitute the characters of your password with a beep or other audio as you type, much like the way a computer automatically replaces on-screen characters with stars or circles to prevent someone from reading over your shoulder when you're typing a password.

You should also look for text to speech software that is compatible with a variety of web browsers. Many are only compatible with one web application, like Internet Explorer. This means that users of Safari, Opera, Google Chrome, Firefox and other browsers will be forced to use an application that they don’t prefer. This may seem like a minor inconvenience, but if you’re the type of person who becomes fiercely dedicated to your preferred browser, you probably won’t appreciate the incompatibility.

The very best screen reading applications come with their own built-in solution to web browser compatibility by including their own dedicated browser application within the software package. This solves a lot of other issues that other superior applications may encounter when surfing the net. For example, images often present issues for even high-quality text to speech applications. The dedicated web browsers that come with screen reader software automatically eliminate images and graphics, instead converting all webpages to an easy-to-read, text-only pages.

With the right combination of features, surfing the internet with screen reader software should be as easy as using word processing software or any other offline application on your computer.