Read 4 Me is a new software application that performs a very specific task - it reads aloud on-screen texts from various sources, such as your e-mail inbox (it is designed to work with unread e-mails in Microsoft Outlook) or your clipboard. It also reads Microsoft Word documents and even text that you type yourself.
The program is very modest and easy to use. It opens up a clear window where you can paste or type the text you want to be read out to you. Besides, you will find a control slider that you can move right or left to set the voice speed, as well as a set of buttons that allow you to start, stop, pause, and resume the reading of the current text; change the sound configuration and the volume level; start to read your first unread Outlook e-mail, and then move on to the next one. There is also a "Read With Me" button, which clears all the text in the box and starts displaying it fully synchronized with the audio output.
On the top of the window there is a menu bar that allows you to access additional features and configuration options. From here you can open a text file or a Microsoft Word file, and Read 4 Me will paste its contents into its reading box automatically. Then you can clear it, start reading only the selected portion of the text, and save the resulting audio as a WAV file. There is also the "Read from Clipboard" command, which can be toggled on or off. When on, all the text you copy to your clipboard from any application is automatically pasted into the box and read out loud. The text on the box is always highlighted in full synchronization with the audio output. The quality of the voice (or voices) used will depend on the text-to-speech engines installed in your system.
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