November 2005

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[1 - Greetings - Win a Creative Labs 256MB Muvo MP3 Player!]
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Hello from NextUp.com!

Congratulations to Sheri D., last month's contest winner for a NextUp.com duffel bag.  This month one lucky winner will receive a Creative Labs 256MB Muvo MP3 player, so be sure to read on for details on how you can enter the drawing.  Thanks for staying tuned!

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[2 - TextAloud Helps with Reading Disabilities]
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It is estimated that between five and ten percent of the population experiences learning disabilities, and reading disabilities are perhaps the most common among them.  Someone with a reading disability may have no difficulty with comprehension; but until he or she can decode and identify the printed word on the page, it will appear they do not know the word's meaning.  The feedback we get from educators as well as individuals is that our TextAloud software can be life-changing in how listening to text as you are viewing it helps overcome challenges presented by a reading disability.

If you or someone you know is using TextAloud to help with a reading disability, we would love to hear from you.  Feedback helps us continue to improve, and we also sometimes use customer testimonials in our efforts to reach more people with similar needs.  Send any email on this to

pr@nextup.com

TextAloud uses voice synthesis to speak aloud documents, web pages, e-mail and more.  It's available with optional premium voices for the most natural-sounding computer speech available.  Purchase TextAloud for $29.95 at

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

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[3 - OmniPage 15, Best Selling OCR Software]
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We hear from many TextAloud users that listen to documents they first scanned and then converted to electronic text using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software.  OmniPage 15, from Nuance (formerly ScanSoft), is the most precise way to convert paper and PDF files into your favorite PC applications quickly and cost-effectively.  Powerful new OCR technology, advanced layout analysis and intuitive editing tools allow you to quickly turn paper and PDF files into more than 30 different editable electronic file formats that look just like the original – complete with text, tables and graphics.  What's more, improved speed and efficient workflow capabilities combine to make document conversion faster and easier than you could imagine.  Save time and money like never before with the world’s most powerful document conversion application.  You can learn more about OmniPage 15 and purchase it for $149.99 at

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-940752-10403716

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[4 - Sacramento State Chooses TextAloud to Help Students Learn]
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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.  Read our press release on this at

http://www.nextup.com/press/11082005.html

If you or someone you know deal with Assistive Technology or ESL (English as a Second Language) in education, we encourage you to try TextAloud and contact us anytime if you have questions, feedback, or need site license pricing

schools@nextup.com

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[5 - TextAloud Tip of the Month - Improved IE Toolbar]
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As many of you know, TextAloud adds a toolbar to Internet Explorer.  We've recently improved this toolbar.  New functions include word highlighting within the web page, new options on what to read, and buttons to enlarge or shrink text within the browser windows.  To make sure you have the latest version of the toolbar, you should be running TextAloud version 2.061 or later.  Within TextAloud do Help->About and the version number is shown at the top of the window.  If you have a version lower than 2.061, you can download the most recent version from
 
http://www.nextup.com/files/textalouda.exe
 
After installing the new version you will likely need to reboot to allow the plugin to install.  Then you can display the TextAloud toolbar within IE using View->Toolbars and checking the TextAloud item.
 
In addition to the buttons to enlarge and shrink text site (very helpful on sites with small print or if your vision isn't quite what it used to be), you'll find 3 options relating to speaking text.  These are on a dropdown menu just to the right of the speak button.  These options are
-Speak Highlighted Text  (speaks any text you have highlighted in the window)
-Speak From Cursor (speaks starting at a highlighted word and continue to end of page)
-Speak Entire Page
 
Most importantly, as TextAloud speaks the text, each word will be highlighted, making it much easier to follow along.
 
Try out these new features and let us know what you think.  And as always, we'd love your suggestions on how we can continue to improve TextAloud.
 
Also, if you have any suggestions on tips or tricks you've discovered with TextAloud that you think others might find useful, email us and maybe it will be our Tip of the Month soon.

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[6 - AV Voice Changer Software]
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AV Voice Changer provides a variety of audio effects capable of drastically altering the sound of a voice, either live out of TextAloud or within an mp3 file. This program changes voice in real time with high-quality and natural voice output. Compatible with almost any audio video programs, including TextAloud, the Voice Chat Rooms, Instant Messengers, Audio Video Conferencing, PC-to-Phone, Voice Gaming as well as the Media Players, Recorders and DVD, CD, and Karaoke Players.

You can download a free trial now from

http://www.regnow.com/trialware/download/Download_vcsdemo.exe?item=6129-1&affiliate=20052

and it's just $29.95 to purchase from

http://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=6129-1&affiliate=20052

AV Voice Changer gives you virtually an unlimited number of sounds or personalities you can create.

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[7 - Content Site of the Month - HowStuffWorks.com]
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Each month we highlight one site we think is interesting and offers great text for listening, learning, and staying informed.  This months site is
 
http://www.howstuffworks.com
 
HowStuffWorks provides clear, reliable explanations of how thousands of things in our world operate.  The wide variety of topics includes things like:
-How a digital camera works
-How electicity works
-How airplanes fly
-Why we sleep
-All about Homeschooling
-Making Bridges
 
and just about any other random subject you can think of.  These explanations are typically one or two pages and the site has a link for a printable version of each article, making the text easily accessible to TextAloud users.  Listen to a couple of articles each day an imagine how smart you'll be at the end of a year...

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[8 - Enter to Win a Creative Labs 256MB Muvo MP3 Player]
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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.  This can free you up to listen to email, web pages, or any electronic text on the go.  This month's contest prize is a Creative Labs 256MB Muvo MP3 Player.  Play music, listen to FM radio, and even use the built-in microphone for handy voice recordings with the ultra-light (1.1 ounces) player.  Flash memory stores up to eight hours of WMA or four hours of MP3 music. Super-fast USB 2.0 transfers voice and music files in blazing speed to and from your computer.

All you have to do to enter is tell us about any organizations, web sites, newsletters, etc. relating to reading disabilities and how people are coping with them.  Send your email to

newsletterdrawing@nextup.com

We'll pick a winner from entries received by Friday, November 25 to win the Creative Labs 256MB Muvo 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. 


 

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