WebLink Turns Text Into Sound

Not so long ago, we heard about an application that turned voice messages into text , and at the time, the idea that it could be used to send messages to the deaf didn't even occur to me. It did occur to WebLink Wireless, however, even though the company's new product does the opposite of what One Voice Technologies' MobileVoice accomplishes. WebLink's new Text 2 Voice service will be available October 9th. Text 2 Voice transforms two-way text messages into computerized voice messages and delivers them to any telephone. The service is being developed by Imbot.com, and works in conjunction with wireless email devices like Glenayre AccessLink II, Motorola Talkabout T900 and Motorola TimePort P935. You can sign up for the service here , where you create a profile on the site, choose a female or male voice to read the message, and set-up a prepaid account. You can also pre-record a greeting in your own voice. The idea is that if you're in a spot where you can't receive text based messages, you can dial up and listen to them. So, I guess for the hearing impaired, the idea is that they can send you voice messages by typing them in. If you're sending a message to someone who has difficulty hearing, you're probably better off sticking with text. Or maybe the stuff about "Deaf Awareness Week" (Sept 24-27th, BTW) in WebLink's release was a bit of a stretch.