TGSpeechBox vs Hear the Light

TGSpeechBox is a high-quality speech synthesizer that works as a system voice with VoiceOver and as a standalone text-to-speech app. Features: • 26 languages with natural-sounding speech • Full VoiceOver integration — use as your primary system voice • 7 voice presets plus YAML-defined voice profiles • Deep engine tuning: pitch mode, voice tone, formant sharpness, inflection, tremor, breathiness, and more • Phoneme editor: fine-tune individual speech sounds with live preview • Pronunciation dictionary: add custom word pronunciations with IPA override support • Stress, compound, and character dictionaries for advanced control • Export and share your customizations • Adjustable sample rate (11025–44100 Hz) • Rate override and rate boost for VoiceOver • Language lock: keep your preferred language regardless of system setting • Runs entirely on-device — no internet required, no data leaves your phone TGSpeechBox uses a Klatt-style formant synthesis engine with eSpeak-ng for phoneme generation. It is open source under the MIT license. Built by a blind developer, designed for accessibility from day one.

Hear the Light turns light into sound, so you can "hear" where brightness is around you. It was designed from the ground up for people with vision loss. Point your device's back camera in any direction and listen to a tone that rises as the light gets stronger. This makes it easy to find a window, check whether a lamp is on, or tell if a device has an indicator light lit. What makes it stand out: It detects even very small device lights — such as the LED on a router, a TV on standby, or a charger. Of all the apps of this kind we have tested, it is the only one that reliably picks them up. For very faint lights, the room should be dark so they stand out from any other lighting. Extremely fast response: the tone changes instantly as you move the device, noticeably faster than other similar apps. Features: Vibration feedback with variable intensity, independent of sound: use sound, vibration, or both together. Ideal if you have trouble hearing. (Vibration requires an iPhone.) Colour recognition: hear the basic colour of a small light, for example red, green or blue. It is a helpful guide, with best results in a dark room, close to the light. Two sound modes: continuous tone or pulses. Three sensitivity levels, affecting both the sound and the vibration. Light intensity shown in lux (estimate), spoken aloud with a single tap. Built-in user guide. Fully accessible with VoiceOver. Two languages, Greek and English, adapting automatically to your device's language. Privacy first: It does not collect any personal data. No internet connection required. No advertising, no tracking. The camera is used only to measure light — it does not take or store photos. Note: the lux reading and the colour recognition are estimates based on the device's camera and may not always be exact.