MacMousecalls
We show you how . . .

Using Speak Text in Snow Leopard

2009-09-01 09:36 AM iPhotoFinder | General Mac | Beginner | Intermediate | Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard | Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard
My transition to Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard has not been entirely trouble-free. While I await the release of Bob LeVitus new book, Mac OS X Snow Leopard For Dummies, I am doing a bit of searching to find features that have moved in this new version of the Mac OS.

One feature that I use every time I write an entry for this blog is "Start Speaking Text." This useful command means that my computer will read text that I select to me. When I am editing a new post, I will often read over my mistakes. But when the computer is reading the text to me, I can spot errors in what I have typed and I can hear places where what I have written is awkward or unclear. I also use this command to have text from the Internet and emails read to me.

Getting to this feature was not easy in Mac OS X 10.5, Leopard, but I had learned how to get there:


Start Speaking 1

I needed to highlight the text I wanted to have read. Then I needed to go to the "Safari" menu, pull down to "Services," pull out and down to "Speech" and then over and down to "Start Speaking Text."

Imagine my horror when I tried this command in Snow Leopard:


Start Speaking 2

Not only were most of my "Services" missing, but the Services Preferences… were of little help:


Start Speaking 3

Never daunted, I reached for Bob's Mac OS X Snow Leopard For Dummies, only to remember that it is still on the presses!

So I tried the Finder "Help" menu:


Start Speaking 4

It was of little help, so I had to resort to my "Mac logic mode!"

If I were an Apple developer, where would I hide this useful feature?

Ah-ha! Try selecting the text, then holding down the "Control" key to get to the Contextual Menus!


Start Speaking 5

It worked! There it is!

If you have installed Snow Leopard, you will find lots of small, subtle changes. As I read online troubleshooting forums, I am constantly met with rants from Mac users who are upset that something has moved or changed.

Change is not bad--it's just different. If you are a person who is quick to rant and rail at changes, perhaps you need to wait for the flood of books about Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. But, if you like to "Think Different," if you are excited by change, then go on and make the plunge. There is a lot to like about Apple's newest cat if you can accept the challenge of perhaps being a little on the bleeding edge!

I am spending lots of time learning about the changes in Snow Leopard. If you need a hand, consider booking a tutorial session with us at Dr. Mac, Bob LeVitus Consulting. The cost is $60.00 per hour and we can show you lots of great new features in this new and exciting change to our Macs. You can send us a message at urgentrequest@boblevitus.com or give us a call at 408 627-7577.

--Pat

iCal


© Pat Fauquet - Check the sidebar for additional articles, catalogued by date or topic.