Text-to-Speech Software program TextAloud was recently chosen by California State University, Sacramento to help students with learning disabilities at its High Tech Center. Thanks to TextAloud, the award-winning software from NextUp.com, students will now listen, learn, and retain that information more easily than ever.
CLEMMONS, NC (PRWEB) November 8, 2005 -- California State University, Sacramento (http://www.csus.edu) recently chose TextAloud to help students with learning disabilities at its High Tech Center to listen and learn more easily. The award-winning Text-to-Speech program from NextUp.com converts text into spoken audio for listening on a PC, and can also save to audio files for easy playback on portables like the iPod®. With its easy-to-use program interface and wide array of premium voices, schools such as Sacramento State are turning to TextAloud to increase information retention and understanding in a learning environment.
Sacramento State purchased the TextAloud program for students with specific print-related impairments or learning disabilities, as studies show a marked benefit in hearing text presented visually in tandem with hearing it spoken aloud. Many of the Sacramento State students in the High Tech Center also use TextAloud to convert their text files to audio files, using the popular AT&T Natural Voicesä.
"Since TextAloud reads words aloud while simultaneously highlighting them on the screen, it can assist students with reading difficulties," comments Melissa Repa, High Tech Center Coordinator/Instructor. "TextAloud's audio conversion utility also assists students who are auditory learners by making their information portable. In addition, the program allows students to customize features such as reading speed, voice, pitch, text size, and background colors, which may help with reading understanding as well. Students with reading difficulties appreciate that there is a low-cost reading option available to them for accessing their electronic texts."
"One of our goals in creating TextAloud has always been for it to serve as a valuable tool to enhance reading, listening, and learning," comments Rick Ellis, President of NextUp.com. "We're delighted that schools like Sacramento State are choosing TextAloud to assist their students facing visual or learning challenges -- and we will continue to champion this kind of use for the software."
About TextAloud
TextAloud is a full-featured Text-to-Speech tool offering direct support for Word, PDF and HTML formats, as well as advanced pronunciation tools, an Internet Explorer Plug-In for easy listening of favorite web pages -- and more.
Hailed by critics and users alike, TextAloud is priced at just $29.95, and is compatible with systems using Windows® 98, NT, 2000 and XP. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.NextUp.com. NextUp.com also offers TextAloud with optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices™, NeoSpeech® and Cepstral® for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include English with U.S., U.K., and Indian accents, as well as Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
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 impairment or learning disabilities. In addition to TextAloud, NextUp.com markets other innovative Windows software including talking personal "news agent" NewsAloud™, WeatherAloud™ (a weather application that lets users select and listen to personalized weather forecasts), and stock updates and related news headlines read aloud thanks to StocksAloud™. Most recently, NextUp released NextUp Talker 1.0, 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.
Evaluation copies of TextAloud are currently available upon request. To receive a review copy, or for more information on NextUp.com or TextAloud, please contact Rick Ellis at rdellis@nextup.com. Meanwhile, for images, logos, box shots, or other information or artwork on TextAloud, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043 or admitchell@nextup.com.
All companies and products referenced in this press release are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Media Contacts:
Rick Ellis
NextUp.com
(336) 998-1882
Angela Mitchell
Paranoid PR
(904) 982-8043
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