ClaroSpeak Web User Guide

ClaroSpeak Web lets you read text, use word prediction, and scan PDF and image files (Plus only).

From left to right: Dropbox/Google Drive, Clear, Settings, Play, Stop and Save.

Getting text to read and edit

ClaroSpeak Web opens text files (TXT), PDF files, and Google Docs documents.

You can get text into ClaroSpeak Web:

• By pasting it.

• By opening a text, HTML or PDF file from Dropbox or Google Drive. Tap the Dropbox or Google Drive button, log in, and select the file.

  • On Internet Explorer and Edge, you may have to enable “Access data sources across domains” in Options > Internet Options > Advanced tab.

• (Plus only) By taking a photograph or selecting an image file. Tap the Picture/Open button, and take a picture with your phone or select a PDF or image file to open. This will be sent to the Claro Cloud OCR service, text will be extracted from it, and the text will appear in ClaroSpeak Web. You need to be online.

Speaking text

Tap where you want to start speaking, then tap the Play button. Tap Stop to stop speech.

You can select a different voice by tapping the Settings button and selecting the language and voice you want from the drop-down.

You can make the voice speak faster or slower by moving the slider. A faster voice may help you get through documents faster. A slower voice may help you absorb the document better.

Reading text

Tap the Settings button and select the best colour combination of text and background from the Text and Colour section. Some people find particular combinations, or coloured backgrounds, much easier to read.

Select the font name and size you find best to read from the same Text and Colour section. Not all fonts will be available on all devices.

Writing text

Tap the Clear button to remove all the text to let you start a new document.

Tap in the text area and use your onscreen or physical keyboard to type.

You can turn on Word Prediction in Settings. Suggestions will be shown as you type. You can hover your mouse over a suggestion to hear it read aloud. Tap or click to enter the suggestion in your text. (Swedish or English only). You will not see predictions if you have prediction turned on for your on-screen keyboard.

You can have each letter or word or sentence you type be echoed back as you type it. Tap on Settings and check the boxes under the voice selection. You can have the letter sounds rather than the names (e.g. “buh” instead of “bee” for B) read out (Swedish only). This is good for proofing.

Tap in a word and tap the Dictionary button to hear a pop-up dictionary definition. Tap the pop-up’s Play button to repeat. Tap Close in the pop-up to close the dictionary.

Saving text

Tap the Save button to save your text file to Dropbox. Provide a filename and it will be saved for future use.

Voices

The range of voices and languages available to you depends on your device/computer and web browser.

Some voices are streamed from the web and are available only when you are online, and some voices are built-in and available offline. Again, this depends on the device/computer and web browser.

We provide a range of streamed voices with ClaroSpeak Web. In addition you can access other voices:

• Chrome and Safari on macOS and iOS provide a wide range of built-in high-quality voices. You can add more free voices in macOS or iOS Settings.

• Chrome on Windows provides a wide range of streamed voices from Google. You can also access the built-in system default voice by selecting “native” from the voice selection in ClaroSpeak Web. More built-in voices are available through Windows Control Panel, Speech.

• Edge on Windows 10 lets you access built-in Windows Mobile voices. You can add more in Windows Settings.

• Firefox on Windows lets you access built-in SAPI5 voices. You can add more in Windows Control Panel, Speech.

• Chrome on Chromebook provides a wide range of built-in voices.

• Chrome on Android provides a wide range of installed voices free. You can add more in Android settings, Accessibility.

Languages supported include English (UK and USA), Dutch, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Swedish.