TextAloud Helps Blind Calgary PC User Enjoy His Newspapers

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) March 10, 2011

Some screen readers for the visually disabled can be limited in their voice qualities and features. Text to Speech programs like TextAloud from NextUp.com, however, can offer excellent assistive support to the visually disabled, as well as more flexibility on voice quality and choices. This is why 44-year-old Calgary resident Lee Veitch sought out TextAloud to help him to listen to his documents, as well as to supplement his screen readers. For Lee, who battles a visual disability as well as severe arthritis, the program has now become a mainstay.

"At first, I tried it as a novelty," Lee comments. "Then I used it to provide myself with more realistic speech than can be obtained with a plain screen reader." Lee's experience with the Premium Voices was so positive that he soon purchased more voices. "TextAloud allows me to copy the text from multiple sources," comments Lee, "which I then convert to MP3 format. I can then burn the MP3s to CD to listen to 'on the go' with my portable CD player. The clarity and pronunciation make for a pleasant listening and learning experience."

TextAloud is the easy and affordable PC software that helps users export almost any text into speech files for listening via CD, computer, iPod (R), iPhone (R), and more. TextAloud has proven especially helpful as an assistive technology for Lee against his blindness. "As a blind/visually impaired user, I am very happy with TextAloud, as its speech engines are far superior to my screen reader's voices," Lee comments. "I appreciate the natural-sounding voices, complete with proper inflections -- and (yes, I'll say it) even 'feeling.'"

Lee's system for utilizing TextAloud is simple and effective. He saves the texts from his e-mails, PDFs, and favorite websites, as well as his favorite articles from local newspapers, in a week's worth of content at a time. He then uses TextAloud to output that content to MP3 files for later listening, using separate and specific Premium Voices for each type of content. This way, he can instantly distinguish between e-mails, newspapers, and other website content as he listens to the files via CD as well as computer. "The ability to choose multiple voice engines can also break up the monotony of long articles," he adds, "and different voices for different articles can help to distinguish between work-related and personal documents. I'm able to convert directly to audio file without having to use expensive or multiple programs to get the same result."

Lee utilizes several of TextAloud's useful features to streamline his work, like the shortcut keys that enable users to play, pause or export an article with the single press of a button. "The voices are exceptional," he adds, "and each voice can be personalized or tweaked enough to give the impression of a real person reading aloud."

For more effective use of TextAloud in conjunction with his screen reader, Lee personalizes his programs, turning off text highlighting in TextAloud , while turning off status updates in his screen reader. This ensures that the screen reader won't read the text at the same time that TextAloud is reading its text, or speaking aloud information on such aspects as 'percentage completed' or 'current progress.'

"Ultimately, TextAloud has provided me with the freedom from having to sit in front of my PC for countless hours listening to my stuff," says Lee. "It's great to have the freedom to listen on the go!"

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface including more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business people, students and people from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and 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. System requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud can even be listened to on TV, using TiVo's (R) Home Media Option, and works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players. Best of all, unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind. Become a fan at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a fast, safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

# # #

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Engineer Proofs and Presents Better Content, Using TextAloud

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) March 22, 2011

Project engineer Paul Blanzy divides his time between civilian and military work, a major part of which involves the management and presentation of huge amounts of text content. To help Paul absorb, proof, and even present that content, he turns to TextAloud, the popular Text to Speech program from NextUp.com. TextAloud helps users like Paul export almost any electronic text into spoken audio that can be listened to on a PC, or output to popular MP3 or other audio file formats for listening on iPhones (R) iPods (R), laptops, MP3 players, PDAs and more.

"I like TextAloud because it helps me understand how my writing comes across to people," comments Paul, who listens to his important e-mails, letters and speeches using the Text to Speech software in order to objectively hear inflection, tone of voice, and pacing that differs from his own. "This gives me insight into how my written words may come across to the recipient, and not just how I meant them to be read."

Paul, a resident of St. Charles, Missouri, first discovered the software after searching for a Text to Speech reader for self-study materials that might enable him to share spiritual references, Bible readings or personalized sermons. "I was looking for a way to hear specific content that was not available through 'books on tape,' and which would allow me to choose specific sections I wanted to hear without having to wade through too much that I didn't," he adds.

Paul soon found a multitude of additional uses for TextAloud, using the software for everything from listening to his e-mails and other content while driving, to testing out the text for speeches and presentations using voices such as 'Lauren,' an optional Premium Voice from AT&T Natural Voices (TM), as well as other pleasant and realistic AT&T Natural Voices (TM) like 'Ray' and 'Julia.' "This approach helped me to make sure I was able to be light-hearted, but sincere, without sounding corny or mushy," he adds. He soon discovered other uses for the software, turning to TextAloud to assist him with a customer presentation during a transitional period at work, and using it during his commute. "That was a big help," he adds."I was on 'active duty' and drove to my office for an hour each way every day. I tried podcasts for a while, but it was too hit-and-miss on good ones, and there was little control over the content." Instead, Paul began to make his own Text to Speech collections, putting the MP3 files onto CD for listening in the car.

TextAloud also proved helpful on an aspect of life almost every computer user has experienced -- that of maintaining objectivity while reading or responding to e-mails, even on emotional or stressful issues. By using Text to Speech to listen to those e-mails, Paul was able to listen objectively while removing the emotion too easily read into a discussion or topic. "Letting 'Lauren' read e-mails to me in her more dispassionate voice helps me to pause and see things from the sender's perspective," he comments. "Doing this can really save a lot of grief on both sides of the screen." Paul not only used the approach for listening to his inbox, but for evaluating his own e-mails before sendout, as well.

For others embarking on using Text to Speech, Paul advises that they listen to samples of several choices to really find the voices they'll respond to best. "I have trouble hearing higher frequencies, for instance," he comments, "so a lower voice works best for me on some stuff." He also utilizes different voices for different tasks, listening to female voices for some documents, and male voices on presentations or technical items. Paul's use of Text to Speech now ranges through most of his computing tasks, from e-mails, presentations and documents, to his latest endeavors of blogging and podcasting. He's even using his text to speech files to help him with self-affirmation and self-hypnosis!

"Ultimately, TextAloud gives me great insight into how others will read or hear my words," Paul comments. "I've also achieved deeper understanding overall when listening to content read aloud to me, and I'll even read along sometimes on items for study, for a double-whammy of learning. TextAloud is easy to use, and it really makes my written and spoken words that much more effective."

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface and more personalization options than ever, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business people, and PC users from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more.

TextAloud is priced from $ 29.95, and system requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud can even be listened to on TV, using TiVo's (R) Home Media Option, and it works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players. Best of all, unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud does not require special hardware of any kind. Become a fan at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

Optional Premium Voices:

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

###

Atlanta Writer Overcomes Dyslexia Using TextAloud

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) April 5, 2011

Writing can be a grueling occupation, but Atlanta writer Eddie Snipes has a greater challenge than most: dyslexia. As a successful writer and blogger (http://www.eddiesnipes.com) with readers all over the world, Snipes has overcome his disability using NextUp.com's TextAloud software to catch the errors caused by dyslexia -- before they reach the world.

"I'm a writer. Not just a writer, but a dyslexic writer," Eddie comments. "That's a wonderful combination!" He discovered the PC software years ago when he began to notice embarrassing mistakes creeping into his published work on a regular basis -- mistakes his spell-checker did not catch. "However, since I started using TextAloud, my typing mistakes have become an endangered breed." Before, when proofreading his work visually, Eddie had been unable to catch most of his mistakes. "I discovered that my mind fills in the missing pieces as I read," he adds. "Knowing what I meant to say made it almost impossible to identify my mistakes."

With TextAloud, however, this was no longer an issue. Eddie chose TextAloud after testing out three or four programs, and then began to use it regularly in everyday life, for e-mails and web surfing, and most of all, for writing and proofing. "Hearing the word spoken takes proofreading to a new level," says Eddie. "For articles, I can quickly identify and fix mistakes that I once overlooked. My writing now looks much more professional when I present it." He also found that the program provided invaluable help to his full-length manuscripts as well. "For chapter edits, I listen as I proofread," he comments. "Once my edits are done, I use TextAloud to convert my entire manuscript to audio, and then listen from beginning to end while driving or relaxing. This has helped me to identify inconsistencies in the 'big picture', and to find holes in my story that I would not have discovered without hearing the manuscript in its entirety."

TextAloud also creates audio files for use on most popular mobile devices and MP3 players, including iPods (R) and iPhones (R). Eddie does most of his listening on his Creative Labs Zen MP3 player, while his phone also supports MP3. He has many favorite tools and features when it comes to the software, and he most values the highlighting, or 'text following' feature for the way it allows him to circumvent his tendency to transpose words or use homophones (similar-sounding yet completely different words) in his content by viewing while he listens. "The strange thing about dyslexia is that when more than one sense is engaged, I can catch those errors, and confused words come to light."

For reviewing and proofing his longer works, Eddie simply outputs to audio file then listens as he drives or relaxes. "Editing visually may help you find errors within a chapter or article, but it's hard to get the big picture view," he comments. "When a larger project is near completion, for this reason, I convert the entire manuscript to audio and listen to it from beginning to end. Many times, I have discovered mistakes I would never have identified on my own. Forgotten explanations, plot holes, mix-ups, changes that I missed elsewhere in the manuscript -- these all show up when listening to the entire work on audio."

The writer also enjoys the fact that he can create and work with multiple articles, which is easy to do thanks to TextAloud's intuitive tabbed article menu. TextAloud can then run a batch job to create separate audio files for each article, "Or, if I choose, I can dump them into one file," he adds. "Plus, it supports most major audio formats I use, so it can create the audio file that best suits my needs." Eddie also uses TextAloud to improve his reading comprehension, and uses the program's handy automatic reading option so that TextAloud begins reading as soon as he copies text to his clipboard. "I set TextAloud to read my text only if the text is more than 100 characters," he adds. "This keeps the program from reading when I'm just moving words around or copying small blocks of text."

Eddie also makes constant use of the program's optional Premium Voices, and recommends them to others using the software. "The natural sound of the voice engines is a must for anyone planning to listen to a lot of text. Many of the premium voices make you actually forget it's a computer reading, like the Nuance RealSpeak (TM) 'Tom' voice. In addition, TextAloud's pronunciation editor makes it easy to adjust the words that don't sound natural or are mispronounced," he adds. "When I hear a word that doesn't sound right, I pause the reading, right-click on the word, adjust the way it's read, and continue on. Over time, the speech engine keeps getting sharper and the listening experience even better."

With a large readership worldwide, the presidency of his local Writer's Guild, as well as professional membership in several organizations for writers, Eddie continues to find success as a writer, and his novel I Called Him Dancer will be published on April 12, 2011. He is proud of the fact that people are often surprised by his dyslexia, "and TextAloud is a large part of why," he explains. "It takes what could be a disability, and pushes it out of the reader's sight. TextAloud has made me a better writer."

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface including more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud is the latest update to TextAloud, the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business people, students and people from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and 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. System requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud can even be listened to on TV, using TiVo's (R) Home Media Option, and works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players. Best of all, unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind. Become a fan at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a fast, safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

###

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TextAloud Opens Up a New World of Content for One Visually Disabled New Yorker

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) April 19, 2011

Like many people around the world, Jordan Star enjoys reading and web surfing in his free time, but his legal blindness can make this difficult for the Long Island resident, even when he uses screen readers created especially for the blind. However, Jordan soon discovered a new solution in TextAloud, as the Text to Speech software by NextUp.com provided a handy and easy to use assistive alternative. Soon, he was using TextAloud on a constant basis to support almost all his text listening activities, whether by computer, portable device, iPhone (R), and more.

Jordan's visual disability has progressed over time, so as his eyesight worsened, he began to research his options for assistive technologies. He found it harder and harder to see e-mails, for example, since people did not send e-mails in large text or font sizes even when he asked them to do so. He decided to try listening, instead. "I wanted a text reading program but was not willing to pay the very expensive prices required for the leading programs made specifically for the blind," says Jordan, explaining that both of the top text readers for the blind cost about $ 400, which was well outside his budget. Then he found TextAloud, which enabled him to disregard text size and listen to his correspondence entirely by ear -- and at a fraction of the budget of traditional screen readers.

"I found TextAloud to be a real help almost immediately, as it allowed me to convert e-text and eBooks to audio files very quickly and easily so that my active reading activities could continue," comments Jordan, who listens to his files on a multifunction Sony MP3/CD player. "This meant that I could now listen to books instead of trying to see to read them." Once the PC software became a mainstay for his regular reading, Jordan then discovered how to use TextAloud to listen to his e-mails and websites, which further eased the tension of his visual disability, and saved his eyes from strain and fatigue.

The more Jordan utilized TextAloud, the more uses he seemed to find for it. "TextAloud is affordable, and far easier to use than JAWS or ZoomText, which are Text to Speech programs that are popular with blind people (and which are very expensive)," he adds. Jordan also proofreads his e-mails by listening with TextAloud, with the huge array of optional Premium Voices available for the program another pleasant surprise. "The different voices are definitely another discovery for me," he adds. However, it's really the program's flexibility that he enjoys even more, as files can be converted to a variety of popular audio file formats, and can be played on almost anything, from iPhones (R) and iPods (R), even to televisions. "It's great to be able to listen to the multitude of eBooks available out there to enrich one's life. The quality and clarity of the voices is excellent, and adds variety -- they're not boring like too many other computer-generated voices in readers for the blind."

Jordan has now gone on to recommend TextAloud to his other friends in the blind community. "TextAloud has improved my life by enabling me to communicate more efficiently with friends and family," he comments. "I know that, in time, TextAloud will enhance my life further, and that I couldn't do things I want to do without it. It has opened a whole new world."

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface including more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business people, students and people from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and 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. System requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud can even be listened to on TV, using TiVo's (R) Home Media Option, and works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players. Best of all, unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind. Become a fan at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a fast, safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

# # #

Software Pro Gets a Faster MBA with TextAloud

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) May 18, 2011

NextUp.com's latest case study shines the spotlight on TextAloud user Jason Petty, who found the software in 2009 while trying to meet several specific goals: He wanted to find a solution to help him convert his PDF files to audio to help maximize his time during commutes for work, and also hoped to find a helpful reading tool to assist his son in overcoming ADHD. Then the Payson, Utah senior software engineer discovered TextAloud, from NextUp.com, which did everything he needed -- and even assisted him in getting his MBA!

Petty tests software for a living, as well as writing programs that automate the testing of software itself, so his standards for the program he needed were high. "I was a quarter of the way through my MBA program when I did a search for Windows (R) software that could convert PDF files to audio, and found TextAloud," he comments. The program proved to be simple and affordable while offering potential help for his son's ADHD as well. TextAloud even worked seamlessly with his iPod (R), and the software's ability to convert PDFs to audio files quickly became essential for Petty. The engineer began listening to his books and studies on his 20-minute commutes, on his iPod (R) Classic, as well as on his PC laptop running Windows (R) Vista. "TextAloud allowed me to use that 40 to 60 minutes a day that was not being utilized for anything but driving to work and home," he comments. "This gave me more time at home with my family at night, since I was getting my reading done on my commutes and lunch breaks, instead."

TextAloud also soon proved its worth to Petty in its assistance to his son with ADHD, as it enabled the boy to follow along with text he was listening to on a visual basis, reinforcing what he read. "He concentrates better, and I like how the text is highlighted onscreen in TextAloud as it is read," adds Petty, "as this makes it easier to follow along visually."

As a software industry professional, it's no surprise that Petty discovered a few clever ways to make TextAloud even more productive for his studies. One smart approach he implemented was, when exporting his PDFs for study, to do a search and replace for each and every book title and page number that appeared as a header to each page, including them in the spoken text for his final audio file. This enabled him to always know exactly where the information came from in his reading while listening, for reference or a visual refresher later on. He also found that he could still listen comfortably to reading that was slightly faster than the typical spoken word. "I could get more read by doing that than I could if I read it myself," he comments. "And the AT&T Natural Voices (TM) are a must."

TextAloud eventually played a key role in helping Petty through his MBA and attaining his degree. "Without TextAloud, I would have finished my degree, but not with the efficiency and resulting extra time that gave me to spend with my family," he adds. "I'd started out looking for this to help my son read along with his school work, and ended up using it more than he did, with my school assignments! I would not hesitate to recommend this software to anyone who wants to use their time more efficiently when commuting, or when they have some reading to do."

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface and more personalization options than ever, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business people, and PC users from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and has been featured in The New York Times, PC Magazine, Writer's Digest, on CNN, and more.

TextAloud is priced from $ 29.95, and system requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud can even be listened to on TV, using TiVo's (R) Home Media Option, and it works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players. Best of all, unlike prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud does not require special hardware of any kind. Become a fan at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

Optional Premium Voices:

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

# # #

NextUp.com Launches YouTube Channel Featuring TextAloud Video Tutorials

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) July 07, 2011

PC users who turn to the Text to Speech software TextAloud for listening to text can now get dynamic how-to video tips, as well! Text to Speech leader NextUp.com has announced the launch of its own YouTube Channel, which features a growing assortment of helpful video tutorials on using TextAloud, NextUp.com's most popular software title.

"The launch of our YouTube Channel is an exciting opportunity for NextUp.com in serving the global community of TextAloud users," comments NextUp.com President Rick Ellis. "It enables us to share helpful video tutorials on an ongoing basis, while maintaining the opportunity for feedback and communication with those who use our software firsthand."

Priced from $ 29.95, TextAloud enables users to listen to their reading via PC, or by exporting their reading to spoken audio files for listening on most popular portable devices, from MP3 players to iPods (R), iPhones (R), and beyond. As the first instructional YouTube videos demonstrate, TextAloud is easy and flexible, and seamlessly works to help PC users listen to their reading from most text and document formats, from Microsoft Word (R), to ASCII, web or e-mail text, PDF documents and more. With TextAloud, users can accomplish a wide variety of tasks, from listening to reading for entertainment, to proofing or studying by ear, and more.

NextUp.com's YouTube Video Channel is located at http://www.youtube.com/user/NextUpcom. The first videos to appear on the channel demonstrate how to easily accomplish some of TextAloud's most popular tasks, from "Listening to PDF Documents with TextAloud," to "Listening to Word Documents with TextAloud," or tips on "Using TextAloud's Pronunciation Editor." The Channel also offers an overview of TextAloud's uses for users with visual or learning and reading disabilities, as well.

"The launch of our YouTube channel helps us to continue our mission at NextUp.com to help users 'listen and learn anywhere," adds Ellis, "as well as helping us to bring new, affordable and highly useful Text to Speech technologies and applications to users worldwide."

NextUp.com has several additional videos in the works now, and plans to launch additional videos to the channel on a regular basis in the months to come.

About TextAloud:

With a completely new interface including more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business users, students and people from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and 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. System requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud even works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players, and unlike often prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind. Follow the latest news from TextAloud at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, or try the program today, via a fast, safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Related Windows Xp Win Press Releases

TextAloud Receives da Vinci Award Nomination!

Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) July 20, 2011

As an easy way to listen to almost any computer text, TextAloud, the PC software from NextUp.com, has become a useful resource for those battling learning, reading and visual disabilities. For these powerful assistive technology uses, and more, TextAloud has now been honored with a nomination by the 2011 da Vinci Awards (R) in the "Communication/Educational Aids" award category.

TextAloud is the Text to Speech software that allows anyone to listen to their reading on the PC, or on the go. The software is priced from $ 29.95, and will not only read almost any PC text aloud in natural-sounding computer speech (from e-mails, to websites, PDFs, documents, and more), but will also export that text to audio files that can be listened to via iPods, iPhones, assorted MP3 players, or a wide range of other portable devices.

"NextUp.com has received an overwhelming response from users living with disabilities and their loved ones, on how TextAloud has transformed their lives," comments NextUp.com President Rick Ellis. "We're truly honored at its nomination by the da Vinci (R) Awards."

TextAloud enables those with dyslexia, reading or learning disabilities to do their learning and reading by ear, where many are strongest, allowing them to bypass the visual element that may slow down reading comprehension. With word highlighting as the text is spoken, TextAloud also enables these users to "read along" visually, to strengthen reading and comprehension through visual reinforcement of the listening material. This option also enables dyslexics to proof by ear in order to catch mistakes (and most of all, homophones) that might go uncaught when using a traditional spell-check.

For a broad spectrum of visually disabled users, meanwhile, TextAloud offers an inexpensive alternative to screen readers, which can be highly expensive to purchase. TextAloud also offers access to an array of inexpensive yet far more human-sounding and naturalistic Premium Voices, a definite plus, as screen readers are known for their often robotic voice qualities.

The da Vinci Awards will announce finalists in early December, with the awards ceremony itself to take place on September 22, 2011, at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

About the 2011 da Vinci Awards (R):

In 2001, the Michigan Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society established the da Vinci Awards (R), an annual gala event which has become a prestigious international forum of recognition for the most innovative developments and research in adaptive and assistive technology. It is the only awards program in the world to both celebrate people who triumph over disabilities and to honor those who have developed new technologies and innovations that enhance mobility and enable people to function at their fullest. For more information, visit http://www.davinciawards.org.

About TextAloud:

With more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud is the highly useful PC program for students, scientists, writers, business users, students and people from all walks of life. TextAloud enables anyone to experience their reading by listening, and 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. System requirements include almost any version of Windows (R) (from 98 to Me, NT, 2000, XP or Vista), as well as a minimum of 64 MB of RAM, 10 MB of disk space, and a sound card. TextAloud even works seamlessly with iTunes (R), for easy synchronizing with iPod (R), iPhone (R), or other iTunes (R)-compatible portable audio players, and unlike often prohibitively priced gadgets or eReaders, TextAloud doesn't require special hardware of any kind.

NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional Premium Voices from Nuance RealSpeak (TM), AT&T Natural Voices (TM), 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, Arabic, Basque, Catalan, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, and Turkish.

Follow the latest news at http://www.Facebook.com/TextAloud, discover helpful video tutorials at NextUp.com's YouTube Video Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/NextUpcom), or try the program today, via a fast, safe and secure preview and purchase at http://www.NextUp.com.

About NextUp.com:

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

In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows (R) software designed to save time and deliver vital information. NextUp Talker is an easy and affordable program that enables people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate aloud with others.

Evaluation copies of TextAloud are available for the media upon request. For more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, or for a rich assortment of case studies involving users ranging from firefighters and lawyers, to writers, editors, teachers, actors, students, entrepreneurs, doctors, truck drivers, musicians, and more, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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