Echo II (expansion card)

Echo2Card

Echo II was an expansion card designed for use with the Apple II series of personal computers. Developed and released in the early 1980s, the Echo II card was primarily focused on providing speech synthesis capabilities, allowing the Apple II to generate spoken words and phrases. This was a significant advancement in computer technology at the time, as it opened up new avenues for software applications, including educational programs, games, and accessibility tools for users with visual impairments.

Overview

The Echo II expansion card connected to the Apple II via one of its expansion slots. Once installed, it worked in conjunction with software that was either specifically designed to utilize its features or could be programmed to do so. The card included a speech synthesizer chip, which was responsible for converting text data into audible speech. This technology was not only innovative for its time but also provided a glimpse into the future potential of human-computer interaction.

Features

The Echo II card offered several notable features:

• Speech Synthesis: The ability to convert text to speech was the card's primary function. It allowed developers to create applications that could "speak" to the user, making computer interaction more dynamic and accessible.
• Programmability: Developers could program the Echo II card to produce specific sounds or speech patterns, enabling a wide range of applications from educational software to games that could talk to the player.
• Accessibility: One of the significant impacts of the Echo II was its use in accessibility software. It provided a way for visually impaired users to interact with computers, as the spoken output could relay information that was otherwise displayed on the screen.

Impact and Legacy

The Echo II card was among the early attempts to integrate speech synthesis into personal computing, marking a significant step forward in making computers more interactive and accessible. While the technology behind the Echo II might seem rudimentary by today's standards, it laid the groundwork for the sophisticated voice synthesis and recognition technologies we see in modern devices. The concept of making computers able to communicate through spoken language has evolved significantly, leading to the development of virtual assistants and other voice-activated technologies that are now commonplace.

See Also

• Apple II series
• Speech synthesis
• Computer accessibility