View a PDF file for this press release Created by NextUp Technologies, TextAloud is able to convert text into spoken audio files for listening on a PC or portable device like an iPod™, and from a wide array of sources, bringing anything from e-mail, to websites, articles, eBooks, reports, or Word documents to the listener's ear in minutes. "TextAloud has definitely helped me in my research and writing in the pursuit of my Ph. D., where I have to read, and write, a LOT," Anthony comments. "In order to focus on the multiple articles and documents involved in my Doctoral research, I often have TextAloud read along with me." Anthony finds that this method helps him to stay focused and moving forward with the reading, especially on long or difficult material. "I find that once I get the speed set to approximate my reading speed, it really helps my retention to use TextAloud. Of course, at any time, I can also close my eyes or look away for a minute, yet I don't lose any reading time!" Anthony discovered TextAloud while looking for a way to produce MP3 files with specific verbiage for a business project he had been working on. He began to use it to listen to his reading -- and then expanded into using it to listen to his writing, as well, where it has also proven useful for proofing his work. "Especially when there is a missing word, or when I inadvertently type a different word than the one I'd intended. Hearing my writing read back to me enables me to find all sorts of little problems that a traditional spell check simply can't see." He adds, "Listening to your work read back to you is also a great way to get a feel for the overall impression another reader might get from the text you write -- something that's hard to do when I read my own material to myself." "Ultimately, I use TextAloud both ways -- for reading what I'm reading, and for reading what I write," he comments. "When reading what I write, I simply cut and paste from the section I'm writing directly into TextAloud. When reading what I'm reading, I am usually working from a PDF, so I have the software read the PDF. The ability to read from a PDF is essential since much of the research is delivered from reference libraries in that way." Using TextAloud on his Sony laptop, the most useful features of the software for Anthony include TextAloud's ability to change pitch and speed, "and of course, the ability to download multiple voices -- including from other vendors -- so that I can get exactly what I like." His favorite premium voices include Acapela's "Heather" and Neospeech's "Paul". "The access to high-quality voices is really essential, especially for listening to longer articles or content," he says.
About TextAloud 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 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.
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