Better voices coming for Mac

I suspect these still won't be as good as the premium voices like Cepstral, but Apple will upgrade basic voices much like Vista brought Anna.

Leopard preview: What's new in OS X 10.5

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Accessibility

What it is: Apple's tools for users with physical impairments get a major upgrade in Leopard. A new text-to-speech engine features a voice, Alex, that sounds far more natural than what Apple has offered previously. The VoiceOver screen-reading tool is also upgraded, and also supports Grade 2 contracted Braille devices.

What's changed: The new NumPad Commander lets you transform your keypad into quick access to commonly used VoiceOver commands. VoiceOver also lets you set hot spots over accessible windows and notifies you of any changes in those areas. QuickTime features improved closed-captioning support. And all your accessibility preferences can sync to your other Macs via .Mac.--JASON SNELL