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

/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.

Note to Editors:

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 publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.

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