Text To Speach on the clie

[M@C]

The new GPS car cradle has the functionality of reading you your email, apointments, memos(?) as well as doing the other stuff.

The only function I'm realy interested in is the text-to-speach capability.
Am I correct in thinking this is all done in software on the clie? Can your clie read you your mail to you when out of the cradle? If not is this a hardware issue or just a software lock by Sony to make you use their hardware?

What software handles the TTS and has anyone played around with it?


M@C

[djpm05]

That's a great question. I would use a text-to-speech program if I could. Any info on this guys?

[spidey]

can someone with the Car Cradle tell me if you can use the software at all without the Clie being in the cradle?

[djpm05]

really, we just need someone to post the software on an ftp, or something. if someone wants, i'll post it if you e-mail me Djpm05@austin.rr.com

-David

[Unregistered]

ive had my clie for a while, and i may be wrong i was looking for a car cradle to, but on the sony website it doesnt say that the nx is compatible

[gvegaa]

That would be great!, any news on this?

[djpm05]

the NX60 and NX70 aren't compatable with the car cradle because apparently the recessed CF slot is necessary in order for the clie to fit into the cradle. we would really just like the software for the car cradle so we could get the text-to-speech option.

[djpm05]

i'm getting an update from sony for the nx73 and the car cradle and putting it on my nx70v, so i'll report back soon!

[djpm05]

sony has made it impossible to use even the update. i guess we'll have to wait for someone to make a program that does this without sony's help. :(

[kpu]

Quick Question: Who actually owns one of those $299 GPS units from Sony???

I think that's why so few people can actually answer your question.

[tenderidol]

Well.... soulreaver99 has this installed in his car. you can see his posts and find a link to his review at this thread:

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25611

at least we can expect to hear from him about the software... why dont you guys e-mail or PM him :)

 

[SpydeR_AR]

it would be nice to have a text-to-speech program while in transit :)

[helmutk]

I have the GPS Car Cradle for my NX80V CLIE. I bought it new for $268 shipped from an online vendor.
The Text-To-Speech function is a combination of hardware and software. It is true that the software resides on the CLIE but it only launches the apps when you plug the CLIE into the cradle.
The only software that you can access when the CLIE is not plugged into the cradle is the StreetFinder app and any downloaded maps.
The Text-To-Speech works pretty good when reading your calendar and mail. You can vary the pitch and speed of the voice. It will try to literally read all characters as words except for some of the symbols so some of the read back sounds funny.
The T-T-S function, and the talking driving directions, use a speaker built into the cradle and not the CLIE speaker. This has a separate volume control on the cradle and can also be adjusted with the remote.

[spidey]

helmutk,
can you measure resistance (ohms) across pins 12 & 13 of the cradle with no power supplied?

I believe putting the correct resistance across those pins will tell the software that the clie IS in it's car cradle and allow you to run the software. Also, I'd love to know if the older GPS software (like the original black and white StreetFinder app) will run with this new GPS. THAT will tell us if the GPS in the Car Cradle is a serial GPS and if so, the car cradle software will work with a standard NEMA serial GPS like the Rand McNally Laptop mouse or other serial GPS (with the correct resistor across pins 12 & 13).

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Unregistered
ive had my clie for a while, and i may be wrong i was looking for a car cradle to, but on the sony website it doesnt say that the nx is compatible

The NX60/70 Clies are NOT compatible, but the NX 73/80 are.

Sony screwed up the connector wiring on the NX60/70 Clies, that's why.

[helmutk]

Originally posted by spidey
helmutk,
can you measure resistance (ohms) across pins 12 & 13 of the cradle with no power supplied?

I believe putting the correct resistance across those pins will tell the software that the clie IS in it's car cradle and allow you to run the software. Also, I'd love to know if the older GPS software (like the original black and white StreetFinder app) will run with this new GPS. THAT will tell us if the GPS in the Car Cradle is a serial GPS and if so, the car cradle software will work with a standard NEMA serial GPS like the Rand McNally Laptop mouse or other serial GPS (with the correct resistor across pins 12 & 13).
Is pin 1 on the left or right of the connecter looking at it from the front of the CLIE, or the front of the cradle?

[spidey]

Originally posted by helmutk

Is pin 1 on the left or right of the connecter looking at it from the front of the CLIE, or the front of the cradle?

sorry, it's pins 17 & 18 on the cradle (I was thinking of the N760C)
pin 1 one would be on the right, looking at the cradle from the front.

1 = Gnd
2 = USB Data +
3 = USB Data -
4 = USB Gnd
5 = USB Pwr +
6 = NC
7 = DC+B
8 = Charge + 5.2V in
9 = NC
10=Un reg pwr out
11= Hotsync
12=DTR
13=Rx
14=Tx
15=CTS
16=RTS
17=Cradle/cable detection
18=Gnd

Resistance between 17 & 18:
22K ohm = Serial cable
220K = USB
47K = Modem
?? ohm = Car Cradle

[helmutk]

OK spidey;
The resistance, with the power off, between pins 18 & 17 of the Sony GPS car cradle (1st and 2nd pins from left per your pinout list) was measured at 4.1K Ohm.

[aphoebic]

Please continue posting updates about this experience, I'm so interested in using regular GPS with my clié !!!!!

T-T-S would be a great bonus too :D

[spidey]

helmutk,

Thanks for confirming that for me.

If I had this software on my NX80, I'd try putting a 4.1K ohm resistor across pins 17 & 18 of the NX80 and see if it can be tricked into car cradle mode.

Then step 2 is to see if I can get the software to work with a plain vanilla serial NEMA GPS...

Knowing Sony, they must have stuck a monkey wrench in there somewhere...

Thanks again.

at yahoo.com

[gvegaa]

Originally posted by spidey
helmutk,

Thanks for confirming that for me.

If I had this software on my NX80, I'd try putting a 4.1K ohm resistor across pins 17 & 18 of the NX80 and see if it can be tricked into car cradle mode.

Then step 2 is to see if I can get the software to work with a plain vanilla serial NEMA GPS...

Knowing Sony, they must have stuck a monkey wrench in there somewhere...

Thanks again.

r5_06384 at yahoo.com

That sounds excellent!!!, please post your results.

[spidey]

I can't post any results cause I don't have the software!

[helmutk]

Originally posted by spidey
helmutk,

Thanks for confirming that for me.

If I had this software on my NX80, I'd try putting a 4.1K ohm resistor across pins 17 & 18 of the NX80 and see if it can be tricked into car cradle mode.

Then step 2 is to see if I can get the software to work with a plain vanilla serial NEMA GPS...

Knowing Sony, they must have stuck a monkey wrench in there somewhere...

Thanks again.

r5_06384 at yahoo.com
hehehehe...subtle hints spidey? ;)
Next time I'm near Radio Shack I'll see if I can pick up a 4.1K Ohm resistor and then try this out.
I'll post back with the results.

[aithir]

If you hear the kind of voice the NX+CarCradle produce, i dont think that you are goning to be interested anymore...

[helmutk]

As Text-To-Voice applications go the Sony Car Cradle voice is not that bad.
It is not playing pre-recorded wav files so it has to "read" the text, then try to find the vocabulary for that word, or try to guess at the pronounciation it if it does not recognize the word, or read the individual characters.
Then all this has to fit in a small application that is on the CLIE with minimal amounts of memory.
You need a very powerful system to do Text-To-Voice that closely resembles human voice.
Most all Text-To-Speech programs have that "Stephen Hawkins" sound to them.
;)

[helmutk]

As Text-To-Voice applications go the Sony Car Cradle voice is not that bad.
It is not playing pre-recorded wav files so it has to "read" the text, then try to find the vocabulary for that word, or try to guess at the pronounciation it if it does not recognize the word, or read the individual characters.
Then all this has to fit in a small application that is on the CLIE with minimal amounts of memory.
You need a very powerful system to do Text-To-Voice that closely resembles human voice.
Most all Text-To-Speech programs have that "Stephen Hawkins" sound to them.
;)

[aithir]

OK, technicaly is as you described it:-), but still I dont like it a bit.:-(

[M@C]

> hehehehe...subtle hints spidey?
> Next time I'm near Radio Shack I'll see if I can pick up a 4.1K Ohm resistor and > then try this out.
> I'll post back with the results.

Any luck with this?


M@