AssistiveWare’s (http://www.assistiveware.com) Wrise 1.0 for Mac OS X is a text-to-speech-powered word processor designed to make reading and writing accessible for everyone. Offering word highlighting, zoom and EasyReading mode, texts become more comprehensible and easier on the eyes. With Speak as you Type, Word Prediction and speech tags, writing effort is reduced.
Wrise is fully customizable and can be used to read selected text aloud in any Mac application. Users can personalize their reading experience by selecting their preferred voice, adjusting its speech rate and even fine-tuning the pronunciation of words. What’s more, it allows import of a variety of document types including PDF, Word (doc/docx), plain texts and RTF and with the intuitive formatting features texts are easily edited and styled.
Designed to support reading comprehension and facilitate text composition, it can also be beneficial for individuals with dyslexia. Wrise offers several key features such as Text to Speech, word and sentence highlighting, zoom and EasyReading mode, through which texts become more comprehensible and eyestrain is reduced. Additional functionality such as Speak as you Type, word prediction and speech tags, can significantly reduce writing efforts.
Speech tags are available to further define reading speed, voice, language and volume and users can even create so-called custom tags to their own needs. Complemented by automatic language detection, tags enable users to effortlessly read multilingual texts.
Wrise is based on the recently updated GhostReader application distributed under AssistiveWare’s ConvenienceWare brand. Whereas GhostReader can be used for a wide range of activities such as podcast creation, proofreading and screenplay writing, Wrise specifically focuses on making reading and writing accessible for everyone through its reading and writing support features.
Wrise 1.0 can be used with Text to Speech voices in many different languages, but the user interface is currently only available in English. The application requires Mac OS X 10.9 or higher and is exclusively available through the Mac App Store at an introductory price of US29.99. After Feb. 15 the price will be $59.99.
