For Release Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Contact: rdellis@nextup.com

New NextUp Talker Software Provides Affordable Speech for People Silenced by Medical Conditions

Natural-Sounding Computer Speech Allows Sufferers of Voice Loss to Once Again Communicate Effectively and Lead More Normal Lives

CLEMMONS, NC — For those who have lost their ability to speak, the gift of an easy, natural-sounding vocal alternative may prove to be a truly life-changing experience. It's a gift that's now possible, thanks to NextUp Talker 1.0, a brand-new computer program from NextUp Technologies. The latest program from one of the industry's leaders in the field of text to speech technology, NextUp Talker 1.0 allows people who have lost their voices to use the latest in high-quality computer voices to communicate with others.

NextUp Talker is a Text-to-Speech application specifically designed for people who have temporarily or permanently lost their voices. With natural, human-sounding voices, as well as a host of quick and convenient shortcuts for conversational, commonly-used sentences and phrases, NextUp Talker allows users to easily communicate with others despite vocal impairments, using Windows-based Desktop, Laptop or Tablet PCs.

"Millions lose their voices every year due to causes such as ALS, cancer, stroke, aphasia, or any of the other all-too-common and often heartbreaking conditions which contribute to a loss of speech," comments Rick Ellis, President of NextUp.com. "Those who experience this speech loss may often feel lonely, isolated or powerless, unable to contribute or to take part in the conversations around them. After hearing from so many people in this situation, we developed NextUp Talker to offer them a high-quality but affordable speech solution to meet their needs."

The use of traditional written communications may leave the newly voiceless with a feeling of disconnection, as it's still exceedingly difficult to write as quickly as others speak. NextUp Talker 1.0 was created to help them regain an important part of their lives so they can once more "talk" with others. Unlike previous technology products that were too often prohibitively expensive for many, NextUp Talker offers an affordable solution - and with a free 30-day trial that anyone can download and evaluate immediately! If they decide to purchase NextUp Talker 1.0, natural-sounding voices are available in a wide range of genders, ages, accents, and approaches for a truly "conversational" text-to-speech solution.

NextUp Talker Benefits at a Glance:

 • Specifically designed for use in conversation
 • Achieves a more pleasant, "conversational" result thanks to latest generation, high-quality, natural-sounding voices
 • Works easily with either mouse or keyboard
 • Easy-to-use shortcuts offer quick access to frequent, commonly-used phrases and expressions. This creates a smooth conversation flow with less delays for a more natural flow. Users can even enter their own individual phrases and special abbreviations as well.
 • Adapts to the user's own style and speed, with options to speak each word, each sentence, or each paragraph as typed (or on demand)
 • Offers the ability to insert actual sound files along with speech! These can help to make kids more comfortable talking with an adult using a computer.
 • Affordable, fast and easy to install

NextUp Talker 1.0 is priced at just $99.95, and is compatible with Windows® 98, NT, 2000 and XP, or Tablet PCs. The program is available for fast, safe and secure purchase via http://www.talkforme.com/.

NextUp.com also offers NextUp Talker with more optional premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices™, NeoSpeech and Cepstral® - for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere.

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 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 MP3 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.

Evaluation copies of NextUp Talker 1.0 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.

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