Simply. Riveting.

Full video on Bernie 2016 YT channel only has a few thousand views so far - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeqkK1lIk4o

I set up an imgur a while ago but it's too annoying not to just post pix in reddit I really don't get it, so you'll have to take my word about the donation. But, I challenge anyone to listen to that speech and not be compelled to donate. Go Bernie!

Inspired by the recent Sincast

I am here to share the evidence I have gathered of Speechify appearing to flood Trustpilot with fake 5 star reviews from what appears to be their own development team.

As of yesterday Speechify had a rating of 2.1 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot with 24 reviews. This has increased to 2.7 stars out of 5 with 33 reviews due to a slew of 5 star reviews over a 2 hour window today.

Source: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/speechify.com

The (apparently) Fake Reviews

1. Jan Kostadinov, 5 Star Review - 21st February 2021

“Literally EXACTLY what I needed to read my scientific journals to me when my eyes are exhausted at the end of the day. Everyone who spends a lot of time on their computer reading NEEDS this!”

Who is Jan Kostadiniov?The Partnership Lead at Speechify.Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jankostadinov

2. Levan Mamulashvili, 5 Star Review - 8th October 2021

“Great application”

Speechy responded to this review with: “Thank you!” on the 10th October 2021.Who is Levan Mamulashvili?The Lead iOS Developer at… Speechify.

Source: https://ge.linkedin.com/in/levan-mamulashvili

3. Tung Fam, 5 Star Review - 22nd October 2021

“Really good app that helps me go through the articles faster.Also, they have mobile apps which are also helpful on the go.”

Who is Tung Fam?iOS Developer at… (you guessed it!) Speechify!Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tungfam8

Bonus Fun Fact! Did you know that Tung Fam’s core values according to their Linkedin profile include: “honesty, transparency, proactiveness...”

We’re not stopping yet though! I’m just getting started!

4. Anton Shepetuha, 5 Star Review - 22nd October 2021

*“*Speechify is awesome

Speechify is a lifesaver for me. I started to listen to soooo many books that were on my shelf under the dust for a long time.”

Who is Anton Shepetuha?iOS Developer at… *Drumroll* ...Speechify!Source: https://ua.linkedin.com/in/anton-shepetuha-609552128

5. Tedo Chubinidze, 5 Star Review - 22nd October 2021

*“*Really nice experienceI had some problems while purchasing the product, after refunding I bought it on discount and I’m using it since. Listening while reading really boosts my productivity, keep it up Speechify!”

Who is Tedo Chubinidze

For studying alot of material with alot of reading

So I just tried speechify and I like it but holy shit balls is it expensive. I'd be okay with using the free version but I don't like any of their free voices and I'm not paying $130/year just for a nice Australian male voice(the one premium voice I like)

So in short I was wondering if you guys know of any free text to speech with either a large selection of voices or at least some good ones. I'm unrealistically picky when it comes to voices tho -_- and I would just deal but I get so distracted by an unpleasant voice.

PS. I don't have Siri

I'm in a book club that wants to read the classics. We started with Les Miz. I have to read it by tomorrow and I was finding it a little tough. So I cut the spine off and put it all in my scanner and fed it through Speechify. I've now read it all - with 130% efficiency and the flab taken off. I think John Va-Zhon lived in France and there were some amazing quotes about freedom which Speechify highlighted for me. They made me think about the freedom to read what I like, when I like, in no time at all - which Speechify made possible for me. Anyway... ask me about Speechify

Preferably multiplatform (iOS, Android, PC), but 'Android-only' or 'Android+iOS' or 'Android+PC' are cool, too.

For those not familiar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speechify_Text_To_Speech

AlternativeTo suggests... an app called 'elocance'?

https://alternativeto.net/software/speechify/

(honestly, I really thought there'd be more good options listed here; I've had real good luck with them in the past)

SodaPDF recommends:

• Speech Central

• Voice Dream Reader

• Motoread

• Voice Aloud Reader

https://www.sodapdf.com/blog/4-best-text-to-speech-apps/

I have also found, just by searching the Google Play Store:

VIIO, NaturalReader, ReadEra, Snap Reader, Text Fairy, Text Reader, Evie, Speechnotes, and eReader Prestigio.

Basically, I signed up for a graduate class this semester that requires a *lot* of reading, and I was hoping to 'feed' all of my readings (mostly academic articles and book chapters, and almost always in PDF) to the app so I can also listen while driving (kind of like a podcast).

Can you easily copy text from your desktop and paste it into speechify and have it read that text back to you? Does the highlighting of the text still work?

Ever since looking more heavily in to ADHD I've been getting tons of ads from Speechify claiming "People with ADHD save 10 hours studying with this chrome extension" and it creeps me out.

Firstly I can't find any source to back their claim up. If they must make this a big part of their advertising campaign they should present the evidence just as prominently on their site.

Secondly advertisers targeting people based on mental disorders just seems scummy as fuck. If it's genuinely that helpful I can see why you'd target people who need it most but IMO This information should be protected. Are F2P games, gambling ads etc using this data to target people with disorders which decrease impulse control? Are junk food companies targeting people with eating disorders?

Third it seems unnecessary to call people with ADHD out that directly. They could have just as easily worded it to do with focus or multi-tasking. Not everyone is open about ADHD and wouldn't want use of the app to make people instantly assume they have ADHD.

This really doesn't sit right with me. Is it just me?