Text to speech for more efficient and faster assimilation of content?

Did you know that we are exposed to 10+ times more information than our parents (this is based on some research I came across) be it for work purposes or some thing else.. the real, pressing and ever present need to read and assimilate.

Have you ever wondered about a quicker or more efficient way of assimilating information?

The scene from the movie 'Matrix' comes to my mind..

"Do you know how to fly that chopper?" ans: "Not yet!"

If such a method was available right now!.. I'm sure we would all wish to use such an 'instant learning' gadget.
The text-to-speech method is nowhere close to the above but I believe is much better than the traditional approach of visual reading and assimilation.

Listening takes a fraction of a time compared to reading.

Although you tend to miss or grasp some details based on the speed of reading, the text-to-speech tool is set to, I found it extremely helpful to read and understand content much faster than just reading it visually. Engaging both the audio and visual inputs of our body seem to be much better than just the visual input. Similarly a movie which has both audio and video makes for a much faster conveying of an idea/concept and is much richer that just audio.

This can probably also viewed in terms of levels of the richness of communication.
1.Text
2.Audio
3.Video(with audio)
4.In person: Which includes non verbal communication.

In the aspects of, better communication or attracting and holding a person's attention, pictures seem to be more effective than the text. Here's an example of how attempts are being made to understand and objectively quantify/map this data, towards a better marketing strategy. See the two video clips below.

That's just one way to look at it but text seems to be superior in an another perspective. The imagination is stirred and made use of more when you are reading a book(text) than when compared to watching a movie for example where our imagination seems to be used the least.

Here's one of the free opensource text to speech app. I use Speak Lite 

Very useful tools for not just reading general text on the web, like articles, blogs but I found it very useful to quickly read some emails, books, technical manuals, etc. The speed in my case seem to be about ten times faster than reading it visually alone. This tool can be very useful especially for the IT folk! Hope you find it as useful as it did.