Australian Entrepreneur Ends Headaches with TextAloud

Clemmons, NC and Newcastle, Australia (PRWEB) February 26, 2008 -- As a successful 42-year-old Australian builder, pilot, and entrepreneur, Alistair Mills has accomplished remarkable things -- in spite of the visual impairment that led to lifelong difficulties in reading. However, with a successful (and correctable) diagnosis of Dual Astigmatism at age 21, and Text to Speech tools like the TextAloud software program from NextUp Technologies (http://www.Nextup.com), Mills quickly found an enjoyable and alternative way to listen to his reading material, and to do so without the eyestrain, eye fatigue and headaches he experienced by reading visually.

"I was dismissed as a poor reader and student until the age of 21," comments Mills, "when a doctor discovered that I suffered from Dual Astigmatism and Dual Misalignment. I was physically unable to read, because my eyes were not able to track words sequentially." Instead, his eyes 'machine-gunned' parts of words, guessing at most of them yet only getting about three letters of any one word at a time. "My condition also meant that, if I tried to read for any length of time, I would suffer excruciating headaches and extreme eye fatigue," he adds. Luckily, TextAloud provided Mills with the perfect solution: Mills could now read for study, entertainment, and more, by listening to text converted into spoken audio (for use on a PC, laptop or other mobile device) and by an easy PC program that installed in minutes.

Mills immediately began using TextAloud for his business studies and courses. "When taking a course, I would take my laptop computer with me, and whenever possible, would get the course syllabus on disk. Using TextAloud, my grades went from barely passing to average 95%!" Soon, Mills was using the program for all his reading. "Professionally, I need to read copious amounts of highly technical text, so for the last five years now, I'll buy two copies of the book I want to read, cut the spine off one, and scan it into my computer. I process it with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software, save it as a PDF, import it into Microsoft Word, then drop it into TextAloud. Working this way allows me to read whole books in just a couple of sessions." On one recent evening, using TextAloud, Mills was able to listen to over sixty (60) pages of highly complex information in a single session, and he has had many sessions where he was routinely able to listen to as many as 240 pages, as well. "My favorite aspects of TextAloud include the user friendliness of its software interface, the program's flexibility, as well as its easy compatibility with other software outputs," he comments. Mills uses the program with Acapela (R) Premium Voices, and especially enjoys any of the voices in 22 kHz.

Since he began using TextAloud, Mills has found "a significant increase not only in comprehension and productivity, but also in the quality of my concentration." He adds, "It's easy to enter what I call 'The Zone' where you are powering easily through work for significant periods of time. I love getting that feeling of higher concentration with no noticeable increase in effort when I'm using TextAloud, and you're in that zone before you even realize it." Mills also likes the fact that, in order to utilize the software efficiently, "you have to address and file your documents accurately, which promotes good 'housekeeping' on your PC." As the head of his own Investment Business, on any given day there are always an unlimited number of reports Mills may need to read, as well as newspaper financial sections, industry articles, and more.

"I never get tired of using TextAloud," says Mills, "and it gives me a blast when I see how much work I've been able to achieve. My reading study is now headache-free. I enjoy reading by listening now. My productivity is high. And my business and my profitability are all increasing, and that's partly due to the increased capacity I've uncovered via TextAloud."

About TextAloud

Highly useful for students, scientists, writers, business people, students and people from all walks of life -- TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced from $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and Vista. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.NextUp.com.

Who doesn’t like being read to?

From
http://amperzen.com/blog/?p=92

I review books. I, therefore, read a lot of books. That means taking time to hold a book in my hands, turning pages, and reading. I prefer reading paper to reading on screen because, well, I don’t care to sit at my desk with my laptop for hours and hours — I do enough of that with writing, email, blogs, etc. And, no one has seen fit yet to let me have a Kindle or other handheld book reader to review … yet … I live for hope.

Anyway, some of the publishers have been asking about sending pdf files rather than the book for review. I certainly understand that need — it saves a trees. Since I live on five wooded acres and garden in my few spots of sunshine, I’m concerned with the environment. But most of the other reviewers on the pubs aren’t keen on reading full books on screen anymore than I am. But, it’s these little challenges that spur Google searches — and Tor is giving away pdfs of books — so a couple of items came together and I found TextAloud.

I downloaded the demo version and got it installed. Downloaded the first Tor book Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. The installation of TextAloud went very smoothly. Then because, after all, why would I read directions, I found that it can’t read a pdf directly, you have to open it with the TextAloud program — minor inconvenience. Then the demo has a voice called Sam. Sam is like being read to by the computer in the film War Games or Stephen Hawkings. So then I downloaded a demo voice from Cepstral called Lawrence. Lawrence is British and reads with a bit more inflection than Sam but he nags you to buy him every few sentences.

However, while I haven’t really run the program through to many paces yet — I’m seriously considering shelling out for the full version of TextAloud. I mean if the book is a file and TextAloud can read it to me — I can knit or spin while listening to a book — multi-tasking is a good thing. Besides, I love being read to and if I can choose accents well that just adds to the pleasure. Check it out yourself, it seems a really decent program.

TextAloud Brings Faith to Life for Listeners

Text to Speech Brings Comfort and Faith from Printed Page to the Ear

View a PDF file for this press release

CLEMMONS, NC - The greatest power of Text to Speech lies in its ability to bring written words into sound - to entertain, educate, or, as is the case with many users, even to reconnect the listener with his or her faith. When a printed word becomes a spoken one, reading is no longer confined to a chair, but opened up to the world. Through Text to Speech and programs like TextAloud from NextUp Technologies (http://www.Nextup.com), the Bible, Scriptures or other religious works can now be enjoyed anywhere, bringing comfort and inspiration wherever the listener goes.

"By using TextAloud for listening for listening on a PC, laptop, or other portable device, people with failing or poor vision can now listen to their favorite Scripture or other religious passages read by lifelike and enjoyable human voices," comments Rick Ellis, President of NextUp Technologies. "Others find themselves too busy to enjoy their works of faith as often as they would like, so TextAloud allows the printed page to become a rich and meaningful listening experience anywhere." A popular and budget-friendly program, TextAloud's prices start at just $29.95.

Users of TextAloud to enjoy Bible or Scriptural passages include:

Anthony: At 74 years of age, I have poor eyesight, and discovered TextAloud as a very useful program," he comments. "I now use TextAloud to help teach children how to read the Bible. I am also using it to learn Hebrew and Greek in Holy Scripture study."

William: "I came to TextAloud to see if it would work for church members who were having a hard time seeing to read, and to also see if it could read publications to them, as well. The program was priced right, and performed well."

Eric: "I got TextAloud to read the NIV Student Bible faster and better, and also to get a better understanding of what I was reading. The program was excellent, and very easy to learn, and the AT&T Voices are very nice!"

Joseph: "I got TextAloud for Bible study and lessons. The program is very good, and affordable, as well."

Steven W.: "As a Pastor, I purchased TextAloud with AT&T Natural Voices and was highly pleased. The program is very good, and I also love the integration with Firefox and Internet Explorer."

Winnie: "In a lot of Bible study, most information is only available in printed text. Listening via TextAloud helps me to learn the answers much faster."

In Fall of 2007, in addition, South African missionary Pieter Schutte began using TextAloud Text to Speech to present the Gospel in sound to those with access to modern technology. These users, and many more, quickly embraced the ability of Text to Speech to bring their faiths to them in new ways. TextAloud brings independence and freedom back to the enjoyment of faith-based written works, and to anyone with access to even a basic computer or laptop.

About TextAloud
TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and VISTA. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via

http://www.nextup.com/purchase.html.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include US English, UK English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, and Arabic.

About NextUp.com
NextUp.com, a division of NextUp Technologies, LLC, provides award-winning Text to Speech software for consumers, business customers, educators, and those with visual or vocal impairment, or learning disabilities.

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NewsAloud™ is a talking personal "news agent" that finds the stories users want, and then reads them aloud or to portable audio files. WeatherAloud™ is a weather application that lets users select and listen to personalized weather forecasts, while StocksAloud™ reads stock updates and related news headlines aloud for specific companies of interest. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that allows people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate with others. Most recently, NextUp introduced a new text reader, AbleReader, available with the AT&T Natural Voices (TM) for use on Mac computers. Information on AbleReader is available at http://www.AbleReader.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include U.S. English, U.K. English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish and Arabic.

Listen to Wikipedia

If you haven't seen Wikipedia it is probably one of the most comprehensive information sources on the planet. I've been thinking lately that it would make a lot of sense to be able to listen to that info, and I may still do something with that. But check out
PediaPhon

The voices aren't good, but neat idea. Of course, the best way to listen to articles of interest and actually get decent voices you can stand to hear would be to grab the text with TextAloud and some of the Premium Voices.

SpeechTech TextAloud mention

Presenting the Bible, in MP3 or .Wav

While conducting missionary work in South Africa, Pieter Schutte encountered a problem common among English-speakers wishing to communicate with those whose primary language is not English: how to effectively get a message across in English, without confusion.

Schutte, who has been a missionary since the 1980s, struggled with getting Biblical passages and lessons across to Africans with poor English-language reading skills. After conducting an Internet search for a text to voice program, Schutte found the Web site for TextAloud, a division of NextUp Technologies, that provides both TTS and STT software. Schutte purchased the software for $29.95 and began using it to convert Biblical passages, Bible studies, and sermons for non-native English speakers into audio formats.

According to Rick Ellis, president of NextUp, the software provides further text comprehension when converted into audio format. "A light bulb will go off (in the user's head) if you’re (reading and listening) simultaneously," he states. "To hear it as they’re looking at it; it unlocks the reading."

Used predominantly as an assistive tool for people with various disabilities and English language learners, Ellis says the company has kept track of unique uses of TextAloud by customers like Schutte. Throughout the company's eight years of operation, Ellis states that the software is being used by a wider array of users since its release; including lawyers, court reporters, firefighters, and police officers.

The program is touted primarily as an educational or consumer product, and has the ability to convert text to speech on a PC or laptop, and supports files in text, HTML, and PDF formats. Schutte adds that he has found himself using the software to complete activities related to his personal life, but that his primary use of TextAloud is still for missionary work. Full Story...

TTS with Online Study Sites

---

Recently had a teacher email me about using TextAloud with her students on StudyIsland. I knew I had hear of the site, but just couldn't place where, until I realized it was the same site my 5th grade daughter uses for some of her school studies. So, with the help of my 10 year old, we check out how TextAloud could make StudyIsland and other online sites like it talk. Turns out, it is really neat.

Many of the new products out there for students are done in HTML as online sites instead of the older traditional method of writing windows programs to provide the functionality. This has a lot of advantages:

1. Works with any type of computer the student may have
2. Allows for quick updates of the content without new downloads
3. Makes management of users and licenses much easier

For a given state and grade level, Study Island is configured with learning modules and sample tests/homework in areas ranging from Math and Reading to Geometry, Data Analysis and Algebra. The really neat thing though, is unlike traditional printed material, this online text can be easily used with text to speech to help those students who aren't yet the best readers, whether they are just slow developer or have some obstacles to overcome like dyslexia.

Because the content can be viewd and answered directly in Internet Explorer, TextAloud's built-in toolbar for IE makes listening to the text a snap. One of TextAloud's IE toolbar options, available with the little arrow just to the right of the speak button, is speak from cursor. With this option selected, a student simply double-clicks the first word in a question, then clicks the play button, and TextAloud will speak the question, highlighting each word as it is spoken. This listening while looking at each word as spoken, combined with TextAloud's ability to speak slower of faster to fit a students needs brings amazing capability to StudyIsland's great content.

Screenshot of this process in action is below:

---

A free trial version of TextAloud is available at
http://www.nextup.com/TextAloud

Site licenses and volume discounts are available to schools.

TextAloud Helps Pilot to Soar in Studies

Pilot Finishes 18 Months of Military Study in Just 9 Months Using Text to Speech

Clemmons, NC and The Woodlands, TX (PRWEB) October 23, 2007 -- As a United States Air Force pilot, Tom Schwarzkopf balances a busy schedule between flying, teaching, and family, a demanding enough task on its own. But until recently, Tom also had to fit learning and memorization time into the mix, during his study of advanced military doctrine at Air Command and Staff College. Luckily, he discovered Text to Speech software TextAloud from NextUp Technologies (http://www.Nextup.com), and the program was such an efficient tool that he directly credits TextAloud as the reason he was able to finish eighteen months of advanced military studies in just nine. Affordably priced at just $29.95, TextAloud is a Text to Speech program that installs in seconds, and converts text into spoken audio files for listening on a PC, Laptop, or MP3 player or other portable device. "The amount of retention I gained, as well as the amount of time I saved overall," Tom comments, "was unbelievable."

Tom first started using TextAloud three years ago when he was enrolled in Air Command and Staff College. "The study material was complex, mind-numbingly boring and incredibly immense, and with literally hundreds, if not thousands, of repeated acronyms to remember. It's easy to let your mind wander when you're reading that kind of thing visually." Instead, Tom looked for a better solution, and found one in TextAloud.

He found the program after doing a search on the Internet for text readers and chose TextAloud because of the program's wide assortment of available Premium voices. "I particularly liked the AT&T Natural Voices (TM) 'Crystal' voice, as it was a soft female voice without the typical computer persona." With TextAloud installed in minutes to his laptop, and Crystal to read to him, Tom dove into his studies, and was delighted to discover an almost immediate increase in his retention and understanding of even the most complex material.

He soon created a learning routine that worked for him, finding that reading his material while listening to it read aloud was the quickest way to comprehension and retention. "I would sit down in front of the computer in a comfortable chair, put on my earphones, open a lesson on the computer, and open the book at the same time. While following along in my book, I would listen to the words as they were being read to me by TextAloud." The speed at which TextAloud reads the text can be easily adjusted to fit the user's comfort zone, an advantage Tom used constantly. "I set the program's reading speed at the fastest level that I could still comfortably comprehend." Working this way vastly increased the efficiency of his study time. "Comprehension markedly improves when the material you study is backed up in your brain by more than one sensory input," he comments. "I was able to visually 'see' and hear the material all at once, learning and retaining more in far less time." He also liked having the ability to integrate the use of TextAloud into other programs such as Office and Explorer, as well.

Soon, Tom was even able to use the program to overcome another of his hurdles in military study -- the huge numbers of repeated acronyms present in the material. "I discovered that TextAloud can be easily configured to read the expanded versions of the acronyms every time," he comments, "so once I did this, I was able to reinforce my understanding of the material even further."

His new study methods also helped Tom to immerse himself in his learning without the constant household distractions of kids, pets, telephone, and more. A family man with three kids, two dogs, and a cat, Tom's exuberant surroundings could occasionally present challenges for someone seeking a little quiet study time. "I could put on my earphones and literally isolate myself from the outside world. Before using TextAloud, I was reading seven pages of material per hour with questionable retention. After introducing TextAloud into my study routine, I was able to complete seventeen pages of material every hour with clearly improved retention. I'm a firm believer in using TextAloud as a tool to improve the retention of facts and the efficiency of time." Using his new study approach, Tom finished eighteen months of advanced military study in just nine months.

"TextAloud allowed me to graduate from school very quickly. These schools were prerequisites to better jobs, promotions and better pay." He now recommends his approaches to others, including his children, and now even has students of his own. "I'm now an educator of sorts myself, an instructor pilot, and recommend my study techniques with TextAloud to others whenever I can. It took away the 'pain' of going to school, and significantly reduced the amount of time I've spent slouched over a book. It can do so for others, as well. TextAloud is an outstanding tool."

About TextAloud

Highly useful for writers, business people, students and people from all walks of life -- TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and Vista. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.NextUp.com

Popular Novelist Finds Romance in Text to Speech

For Writer Carolyn Jewel, NextUp's TextAloud Provides an Essential Finishing Touch to the Novel-Writing Process

View a PDF file for this press release

CLEMMONS, NC and PETALUMA, CA - California native Carolyn Jewel is the successful author of such historical and paranormal romance titles as Shards of Crimson, A Darker Crimson, The Spare, Lord Ruin, and Magellan's Witch (upcoming in 2008 from Grand Central Publishing). She is also a fan of Text to Speech, and chooses the TextAloud program near the end of the writing process as one of her most important proofing tools. Easy, affordable, and a breeze to use, TextAloud is a Text to Speech program from NextUp Technologies (http://www.NextUp.com) that converts text into spoken audio files for listening on a PC (or a wide variety of popular portable devices).

"At various times during the process of writing a novel, I use TextAloud to read my chapters to me," she comments. "This allows me to catch typos my eye has missed, or to find places where I need to tighten or clarify the language and dialogue." As she's listening, Carolyn keeps her chapter open in her word processing program at the same time, so that she can pause TextAloud's read-through in order to make instant edits. It's now become an essential part of her process for finishing each one of her books.

"Lots of writers recommend literally reading one's work aloud because it's a great way to catch clunky phrases and repetitive bits," says Carolyn. "I tried that once, but it's pretty hard on the voice, and it still doesn't solve the issue of your eyes and brain conspiring to 'fix' typos for you." She adds, "What I really wanted was for someone else to do all that reading! So, I tried out three or four text readers, and TextAloud proved to be the easiest to use, not to mention the most stable."

For the highest-quality listening experience, Carolyn purchased Premium voices, choosing as her favorites AT&T Natural Voices™ Mike and Crystal as the perfect solution. "Using the program is pretty simple. I copy and paste a chapter right into TextAloud, keeping my word processing file open to make fixes right away, and then put on my headphones. TextAloud doesn't miss those typos, and I'm able to fix them right away -- same with confusing phrases or other awkwardness."

A busy and successful novelist currently under contract for four more titles, Jewel is now working on her next historical romance, titled Scandal (for Berkley Books, with a tentative release date set for December 2008). "In the next month or so, I'll be at a point where I'll have Scandal read back to me as well," she comments.

Text to Speech can be a surprisingly strong tool for writers like Jewel, and even more so for writers working with unusual words and character names. "Several of my titles included some characters with unusual names (my hero in A Darker Crimson was a vampire named Tiberiu Korzha, for example) so I used the voice editor to tweak the pronunciation of his name as well as some others," comments Carolyn. "That way, the names fit with how I imagined they'd be spoken." She adds, "The most important thing is that TextAloud reads exactly what I wrote, mistakes and all, and that I can pause the reading to insert missing words or to fix typos. Hearing the work read aloud keeps me from supplying meaning that isn't really there."

Carolyn runs TextAloud on her laptop, a Dell Inspiron 8150, and her favorite aspect of the program is how unintimidating and easy to use it is, no matter what the level of expertise. "When I'm on deadline, I don't have time to fuss with figuring out how to do something," she comments. "I just need to be able to do it, preferably without wasting time that I should be spending finishing the book."

Carolyn is already at work on several titles to come, and TextAloud will be a part of that. "Having my work read back to me is a truly valuable tool."

TextAloud Scrabble Press Release

TextAloud Helps Scrabble Champ Spell V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

View a PDF file for this press release

CLEMMONS, NC and OXFORD, ENGLAND - David S. is a retired U.K. computer programmer and successful tournament Scrabble™ player who has recently discovered Text to Speech program TextAloud as one of the secrets to his success. An easy and budget-friendly software program from NextUp Technologies (www.NextUp.com), TextAloud converts text into spoken audio files for listening on a PC or portable device. The program has proven popular with a rich and varied assortment of users worldwide - users like David, who found their own unique value in the program.

David, a United Kingdom user who lives not far from Oxford, likes to prepare for matches by listening to words and Scrabble practices via sound files, while he's out walking or driving in the car. Now, thanks to TextAloud, he can create those sound files more easily than ever, and using his favorite voice (AT&T Natural Voices™ "Audrey," complete with familiar British accent).

The standout aspects of TextAloud for David include the program's quick and easy interface, its ability to import text by cut-and-paste as well as by file, and (most of all) its ability to direct the text's spoken output to a sound file for downloading to an MP3 player. "My favorite aspect by far is the ease and speed with which one can generate MP3 files." He adds, "I also really like the fact that TextAloud's simple interface is supported by a powerful pronunciation editor that lets you 'tune' your chosen voice or voices for greater accuracy." He also appreciates the way the program allows users the option of having the words literally spelled out for them where necessary. "It's an important feature in my case, where the text I want to record for Scrabble purposes tends to include a lot of words that are sometimes very weird, indeed."

Before discovering TextAloud, David had long been in the habit of improvising his own Scrabble practice sound files by recording to cassette and then converting from cassette to MP3 file on the computer. "One day I thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if there was a decent not-too-expensive bit of software that let one create MP3 files very quickly from an imported text file of the kind that I could easily generate from my Scrabble database, such that I could generate an endless variety of supplementary files?'" he commented. "After all, the quality wouldn't have to be perfect as long as the words were clear and reasonably recognizable."

David was pessimistic about his chance for success, but after a quick online search, he discovered TextAloud, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of accuracy available from the program on everyday vocabulary. "This, coupled with the potential for dealing with quite way-out vocabulary with a little effort on the Pronunciation Editor front, quickly made me see the possibilities," adds David. "I took it from there, receiving extremely prompt and helpful support from the team at NextUp when I had a few queries at the start on how to achieve certain effects with Pronunciation Editor."

He's now a faithful user, and continues to do well in tournaments. "TextAloud certainly helps me stay in practice!" he says. "My own usage needs typically involve fairly short single files, however my requirements, though simple, are also very demanding due to the nature of the vocabulary, and I make heavy use of some of the more sophisticated things you can do with Pronunciation Editor."

David uses TextAloud on his desktop PC and then transfers them to his MP3 player, a Nomad Zen. He chose his AT&T Natural Voices™ premium voice "Audrey" after sampling the assortment of voices available for preview at the NextUp website. "I tried quite a few before I thought, 'That's the one'," he adds.

"The way I use TextAloud is somewhat specialized and requires a fair amount of computer literacy, but of course it is the strength of a software package that it can serve many types of requirements and appeal to many different types of users. I wholly recommend the software for those seeking an enjoyable and realistic Text to Speech experience."

About TextAloud
TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and VISTA. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.nextup.com/purchase.html.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include US English, UK English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, and Arabic.

About NextUp.com
NextUp.com, a division of NextUp Technologies, LLC, provides award-winning Text to Speech software for consumers, business customers, educators, and those with visual or vocal impairment, or learning disabilities.

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NewsAloud™ is a talking personal "news agent" that finds the stories users want, and then reads them aloud or to portable audio files. WeatherAloud™ is a weather application that lets users select and listen to personalized weather forecasts, while StocksAloud™ reads stock updates and related news headlines aloud for specific companies of interest. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that allows people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate with others. Most recently, NextUp introduced a new text reader, AbleReader, available with the AT&T Natural Voices (TM) for use on Mac computers. Information on AbleReader is available at http://www.AbleReader.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include U.S. English, U.K. English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish and Arabic.

NovelMaker and TextAloud

Neat article on new startup NovelMaker.com and how they are using TextAloud.

NovelMaker.com - Network for Literary Pursuits

NovelMaker is a social network for the literary set. Unrecognized authors, struggling poets, readers, editors, and critics even are invited to take part in this ‘first truly interactive [lettered] community’. The first thing that catches the eye is the rather desperately in the need of a make over site design. It’s not fresh enough, having the feel of a well worn, musty book. But you can’t judge a book by its cover, now can you? The social features, and the possibility for exposure, structured criticism and interesting reads, makes up for the lack of aesthetic panache. Members of the site may upload their manuscripts, adjusting the settings to private or public. Publicly available works may receive critiques, comments, ratings, and reviews. Manuscripts are kept on site for a year, unless you advise otherwise. If your book or tome happens to be picked up by a publisher you’re contractually bound to give NovelMaker 1% of the gross revenue from the sale of your literary creation. You can also self publish using the site’s tools. Some books have been recorded using TextAloud, so you can listen to them if that’s your thing. To read and upload works, registration is required.

“NovelMaker.com is the world's first truly interactive community for fiction writers, readers, critics, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Authors can upload to NovelMaker.com their completed works, or works-in-progress, and receive editorial suggestions, comments, reviews, and ratings. Those reviews and ratings may take new and unpublished writers into a realm never before accessible to them - a large, interactive community participating with them in the creation, and potential commercial success, of new works of fiction.”

Why it might be a killer

NovelMaker has potential. The social writing site isn’t yet an oversaturated market place; still there’s room for improvements. However, it does give writers a place to publish their work and get feedback from their peers, without charge. Ultimately, it's a good way get a start in the literary world. full Story...

Denver Professional Hears Books, Recipes and More with TextAloud and Bookshare.org

View a PDF file for this press release

CLEMMONS, NC and Denver, CO - Julie M. of Denver, Colorado is an accomplished musician, performer and social worker who loves to read, cook, podcast and surf the Internet - and whose blindness doesn't slow her down for even a moment. Thanks to tools like NextUp's Text to Speech software program TextAloud, and in conjunction with resources like Bookshare.org, Julie can quickly and easily listen to everything from the latest bestsellers to online recipes.

TextAloud is an easy and affordable software program from NextUp Technologies (www.NextUp.com) that converts text into spoken audio files for listening on a PC or portable device. The program has become increasingly popular with users like Julie M., as well as blind and visually disabled users worldwide, thanks to its natural and human-sounding voices, a welcome alternative to the more traditional or robotic-sounding readers.

For individuals like Julie, Bookshare.org is the perfect complement to TextAloud. Bookshare is an online community that dramatically increases access to books for individuals who are visually impaired and otherwise print-disabled, enabling the legitimate and legal sharing of book scans contributed by Bookshare members as well as directly from publishers. TextAloud Text to Speech software works seamlessly with this resource, as it enables Bookshare members to then export those books to audio files that can be played on anything from computers to iPods® and other portables. The text read aloud via TextAloud offers high-quality, realistic and human-sounding voices which are a far cry from the less naturalistic, more 'robotic-sounding' voices of decades past.

"I love to read, and with Bookshare.org, for only $50 a year, I can download all the books I want," Julie comments. "And by using TextAloud to read them aloud to me, I get voices that are better and much more interesting than those for other screen readers." Julie's favorite voices with TextAloud include such premium voice choices as 'Heather' from Acapela®, 'Ray' from AT&T Natural Voices™, and 'Paul' from NeoSpeech®.

"TextAloud also captures the Clipboard," says Julie, "which is handy when doing internet research." TextAloud also easily saves files to MP3 and WMA formats, which is especially useful for Julie's busy schedule not only as a social worker, but as a musician and performer as well. "It's perfect for commuters and others on the go," she adds. Julie is also an avid podcaster, so when she does research for her show, she listens to web and e-mail content via TextAloud, and also uses the program to save the content for later use and review as well.

But TextAloud isn't just for books. As an avid cook, Julie also cleverly uses TextAloud to read her recipes aloud from the Internet or her other favorite resources. She then easily plays back the files while cooking in the kitchen on her MP3 player or via a dub she has made to cassette tape, to remind herself of the ingredients and directions.

Lisa Friendly, Manager of Bookshare.org for Benetech, is delighted to see that Bookshare subscribers like Julie are pioneering the ways in which TextAloud can be used to optimize their reading experience by tailoring it to their individual preferences. "What a great idea to have the recipe read to you while you're cooking, or to be able to continue reading your book while you're folding the laundry. With a naturalistic sounding voice, the experience doesn't diminish from one reading method to the next."

About Bookshare.org
Sponsored by Benetech, Bookshare.org is an initiative that dramatically increases access to books for the community of visually impaired and print disabled individuals. Bookshare takes advantage of a special exemption in the U.S. copyright law that permits the reproduction of publications into specialized formats for the disabled. Bookshare.org also serves organizations such as the state, local and federal educational system, the rehabilitation system, specialized nonprofit agencies and various governmental units that provide accessible materials to people with disabilities. For more information, please visit www.Bookshare.org.

About TextAloud
Highly useful for students wanting to maximize study time or listen on the go -- and perfect for Back to School season -- TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and VISTA. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.nextup.com/purchase.html.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include US English, UK English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, and Arabic.

About NextUp.com
NextUp.com, a division of NextUp Technologies, LLC, provides award-winning Text to Speech software for consumers, business customers, educators, and those with visual or vocal impairment, or learning disabilities.

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NewsAloud™ is a talking personal "news agent" that finds the stories users want, and then reads them aloud or to portable audio files. WeatherAloud™ is a weather application that lets users select and listen to personalized weather forecasts, while StocksAloud™ reads stock updates and related news headlines aloud for specific companies of interest. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that allows people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate with others. Most recently, NextUp introduced a new text reader, AbleReader, available with the AT&T Natural Voices (TM) for use on Mac computers. Information on AbleReader is available at http://www.AbleReader.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R), Acapela (R) and Cepstral (R) for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include U.S. English, U.K. English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, French, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Castilian (European) Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Italian, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish and Arabic.

Latest NextUp.com Newsletter

NextUp.com Newsletter August 2007 Hello from NextUp.com! Congratulations to Mike N., winner of the NextUp.com golf shirt for last month's newsletter prize. This month one lucky winner will receive a SanDisk Sansa 1GB MP3 Player, so be sure to read on for details on how you can enter. Thanks for staying tuned! TextAloud Advanced FAQ As most of you know, we offer fantastic email support, probably the fastest responses on the net. But we've also built up some good documentation to help you get the most out of TextAloud. One of the great resources is the TextAloud manual at http://www.nextup.com/manual.html Also, we long ago learned that most of our users are smarter than us, and for really complex questions, users often come up with better solutions than we do, so we invite you all to drop by our online User Forum at http://nextup.com/phpBB2/index.php One additional resource is our Advanced FAQ, which is part of the forum system where we answer some of the tougher questions we get, and reveal some really advanced features of TextAloud that most users do not know about. The Advanced FAQ is at http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=11 We thought this month we'd highlight some of the more interesting items there that you might find helpful. Common problems with getting HotKeys to work with other Windows Programs http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3461 Forcing upper-case words to be spelled instead of pronounced http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3348 How to backup pronunciation edits http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1507 Older free voices not showing up in TextAloud http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3284 How to suppress numbers in text from being spoken http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3269 Skipping comments or certain text http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3146 Using TextAloud to repeat the same text over and over http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3048 Using TextAloud to read emails in TextAloud or Internet Mail http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2818 Not speaking numbers at the start of lines http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2202 How to transfer TextAloud audio files to Itunes/Ipod http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2009 Common problems when reading PDF Files http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1778 Information on SAPI5 Speech control tags http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1694 Pausing automatically at certain punctuation or carriage returns http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1526 How to embed speed and volume tags within text http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1515 Reading Microsoft Reader .lit files in TextAloud http://nextup.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1514 We hope these and the other online resources we provide help you get more out of Textaloud. As always if you have any questions or suggestions for us, let us know. Special Offer - Sale On Voices It's our 8th year now with TextAloud and providing great voices to our customers, so we decided to celebrate with a sale. This special offer will only last for one week, so don't delay if you want to get a great deal on some outstanding voices. Act now and you can purchase three high quality English voices for TextAloud for only $75. Normally the cost would be between $105 and $135, depending on which three voices you purchased, but for one week only if you buy three of these voices you will get them for only $25 each. Go to the following page for complete details on this special offer and how you can order now http://nextup.com/sale.html This deal is available only to TextAloud users and voices are for use with TextAloud and our other products. If you don't already have TextAloud, you'll be given a chance to buy it on the order page. The $75 price is for download only and a high speed Internet connection is required for that, or you can choose to pay extra charges for CD/shipping if you need that instead. If you want to substitute voices in languages other than English, we can do that but it is done manually and the cost is $85 for 3 voices. Details on all these things are on the above web page. Partner Products from Acoustica We've partnered with Acoustica, a leader in audio related software, to offer 4 unique products that may fit how you use audio you create in TextAloud. Free demo versions are available for download so if any of these sound like they might help you, please check them out at http://www.nextup.com/acoustica.html Acoustica MP3 CD Burner 4.5 - Burn Audio CDs or MP3 CDs with TextAloud audio files or music files. Acoustica Audio Converter Pro - Easy audio file conversion with right-click explorer integration to convert between MP3, WAV, WMA, CDA, or OGG files. Acoustica MP3 Audio Mixer - Mix audio files to add background music to TTS files, or speed up/slow down spoken audio files. Acoustica CD/DVD Label Maker - Make attractive labels for your custom created CDs. Acoustica is a company we trust to treat our customers right, and we invite you to try these products at http://nextup.com/acoustica.html Monthly Drawing - Back To School With TextAloud We have tons of people enjoying the benefits of using TextAloud in combination with a portable audio device like the iPod, a PocketPC, flash memory MP3 players, or CD players. Students especially find TextAloud to be a great study tool that helps them deal with large amounts of reading, prepare for quizzes, and even improve their writing by serving as a proofreading aid. It's back to school time so for this month's contest we're asking you to help us get the word out to students (and parents). The prize this month is a SanDisk Sansa 1GB MP3 Player. This is a neat little player with 1 GB of storage capacity, an FM tuner, voice recording and custom playback options. All you have to do to enter is tell a student or parent you know about TextAloud and direct them to the following page for more details http://www.nextup.com/TextAloud/school.html then for your entry, send us an email to newsletterdrawing@nextup.com We'll draw a winner from entries received by Friday, August 31 to win a SanDisk Sansa 1GB MP3 Player. Thanks and best of luck! If you find our products useful, please share the news with your friends and at your place of business. We offer Volume Pricing with Site Licensing available to schools, organizations and businesses. If you'd like more information on this or have questions about any of our products, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@nextup.com Thank you for your interest in our company & products. The NextUp.com Team NextUp.com The Power of Spoken Audio http://www.NextUp.com A Division of NextUp Technologies, LLC Special Offer It's our 8th year now for TextAloud and providing great voices to our customers, so we decided to celebrate with a sale. This special offer will only last for one week, so don't delay if you want to get a great deal on some outstanding voices. Get the details in our newsletter at left, or just click on the voice sale link below. Quick Links Voice Sale TextAloud NextUp Talker User Forums

More TextAloud and Proofreading

NovelMaker.com Recommends TextAloud for Writers Seeking Valuable Tools to Improve Their Work

From proofreading and catching typos, to listening to flow, dialogue, and more, TextAloud makes a powerful secret weapon for writers

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) August 3, 2007 -- For many writers, their writings often don't truly come to life for them until they can listen to those words spoken aloud. This makes Text to Speech tools like NextUp's TextAloud especially valuable, as they enable the writer to listen to her words and not only catch typographical errors that traditional word processing spell-checkers might miss, but to also get a sense of flow and syntax, and to even get a realistic feel for spoken dialogue exchanges between different characters. Now NovelMaker.com (www.NovelMaker.com), an acclaimed new online community for writers, agents and editors, has honored TextAloud by recommending the program to its participants seeking the best proofreading tools for writers.

TextAloud is an award-winning program that converts text into spoken audio for listening on a PC, and can also save to audio files for the added option of easy playback on-the-go, from iPod (TM), to iPhone (R), to car and beyond. Thanks to an elegant and simple program interface, along with a wide array of superb premium voices in almost any imaginable age, gender, or accent, many writers have already discovered the value of TextAloud to proof or simply listen to their work. Now comes the endorsement of NovelMaker, sure to be a resource for thousands of writers worldwide.

Just launched in July 2007, NovelMaker.com is the world's first truly interactive community for fiction writers, readers, critics, literary agents, editors, and publishers. With NovelMaker, authors upload their manuscripts or works in progress to the site for free, and can upon completion see their completed books in the site's own literary library. Community members (authors, editors, agents and more) as well as readers will then offer suggestions, reviews, ratings and encouragement. The site recommends TextAloud as one of a short list of helpful tools in its Helpful Tools & Links section (http://www.novelmaker.com/links_tools.php?s=).

"TextAloud offers enormous assistance in the writing process by catching errors more conventional tools like spell-checkers may miss," comments Chris Olander, President and CEO of NovelMaker.com. "It also offers a great deal of creative potential, for use in testing dialogue or even characterization. TextAloud ultimately offers a multitude of fascinating uses sure to be helpful to writers who take part in the NovelMaker community."

"We're delighted to have been recommended by NovelMaker," comments NextUp President Rick Ellis. "TextAloud has often been considered a secret weapon by many writers who have contacted us, assisting them in truly listening to their works in a way that was not possible before. We hope that writers and editors in the NovelMaker community can use this recommendation to discover the power of Text to Speech for themselves."

TextAloud enables anyone to easily and affordably export documents, books, magazine articles, web content, even e-mails, into spoken audio. The program smoothly converts text into spoken audio for listening on a PC or laptop, and can also save text to audio files for playback on portables like the iPhone (R), iPod (TM), PocketPC (R), and a wide range of other players and devices. Highly popular with people of a variety of professions and walks of life, TextAloud is affordably priced, and is simple for anyone with a PC, laptop or portable.

About NovelMaker.com

NovelMaker.com is the world's first truly interactive community for fiction writers, readers, critics, literary agents, editors, and publishers. From authors to agents, every participant in NovelMaker has access to a large, interactive community to participate with them in the creation, and potential commercial success, of new works of fiction. For more information, please visit www.NovelMaker.com.

About TextAloud

TextAloud has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more. Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows (R) 98, NT, 2000, XP and Vista. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.NextUp.com