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Clemmons, NC (PRWEB) May 30, 2006 -- The loss of one's voice can be
devastating. Instead of the natural ease of speech, communication becomes a
newly awkward, often time-consuming process, with signs or hand signals, or a
painstaking scribble of words, replacing the easy ebb and flow of spoken
conversation. The loss of speech by itself can, in fact, be every bit as
devastating as dealing with the medical condition that caused it. The Text to
Speech specialists at NextUp.com, however, recently launched a new program,
NextUp Talker, to provide an affordable, easy and natural-sounding voice
alternative to computer users. The company's most recent customer survey shows
that the program is a resounding success.
NextUp Talker is a software application specifically designed to "speak aloud"
by computer (using Text to Speech technology) for people who have temporarily or
permanently lost their voices, using Windows-based Desktop, Laptop, or Tablet
PCs. The program's surprisingly natural, human-sounding voices offer a vast
improvement on the cliche of the robotic-sounding "computer voice" of ages past,
and the program even offers convenient (and easily personalized) shortcuts for
quicker response using conversational, commonly-used sentences and phrases, as
well.
Praise for Talker from Survey Respondents:
B. Hughes, Retired Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor: "Most people don't realize
how frustrating it is when you have lost your voice and can't get your point
across. My voice has gone due to ALS, and I use the NextUp Talker program to
communicate my wants and needs at home. Since I have a variety of caregivers, I
can now type up instructions on my word processor and then paste them into
NextUp Talker. More importantly, I can talk with my granddaughter again! I can
tell my wife I love her. It's simple to use, and the voices are incredible. I
would recommend NextUp Talker to anyone who has lost their voice."
Howard P., Retired Engineer, Southern California: "My elder sister had a stroke,
leaving her partially paralyzed and unable to speak. I got the NextUp Talker
program to help her communicate, using an old IBM laptop on a tray with
speakers, which is set on her bed or wheelchair. She cannot type with her left
hand as yet, so we pre-typed commonly used phrases for her to use more easily,
and arranged them into categories. Before NextUp Talker, my sister was only able
to say "yes" or "no" -- now she can communicate much more easily. The program is
easy to use, has awed her listeners, and returned many more smiles to my
sister's life."
Krista D., Drama Teacher: "NextUp Talker helped me so much -- it allowed me to
teach my classes while I was on vocal rest. I could not have coped without its
help, and the fact that so many of my students passed their qualifications while
I was incapacitated just proves that the product can make up for an awful lot."
"Research indicates that in the United States alone, over one million people
suffer from diseases or afflictions that can cause loss of voice, with over
85,000 more cases diagnosed annually each year," comments Rick Ellis, President
of NextUp.com. "As an established Text to Speech technology provider, we've
heard from countless users seeking a program like NextUp Talker over the years,
and our development of the software was in direct response to these requests.
We're therefore really delighted that NextUp Talker is meeting the needs of such
customers, and enabling them to regain the ability to communicate through
voice."
Unlike other technology products that are too often prohibitively expensive for
many users, NextUp Talker offers an affordable solution to the voiceless -- and
with a free 30-day trial that anyone can download and evaluate immediately. If
users then decide to purchase NextUp Talker, 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 was specifically
designed for use in conversation, is pleasant and "conversational" in sound,
works easily with either mouse or keyboard, offers easy-to-use shortcuts for
common words or phrases, and adapts to the user's own style and speech. The
program can even insert actual sound files along with speech, helping to make
kids more comfortable in talking with an adult using a computer to speak.
NextUp Talker is priced at just $99.95, and is compatible with Windows (R) 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 (TM), NeoSpeech (R), Nuance (R)
and Cepstral (R) -- 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 or vocal impairment, or learning disabilities.
In addition to NextUp Talker and its popular TextAloud program, NextUp.com
markets other innovative Windows software designed to save time and deliver
vital information. NewsAloud (TM) is a talking personal "news agent" that finds
the stories users want, and then reads them aloud or to portable MP3 files.
WeatherAloud (TM) is a weather application that lets users select and listen to
personalized weather forecasts, while StocksAloud (TM) reads stock updates and
related news headlines aloud for specific companies of interest.
Note to Editors:
Evaluation copies of NextUp Talker are currently available upon request, along
with background materials, images, and a host of highly positive and informative
user testimonials. To receive a review copy, or for more information on
NextUp.com or NextUp Talker, please contact Rick Ellis via Nextup.com.
Meanwhile, for images, logos, box shots, or other information or artwork on
NextUp Talker, please contact publicist Angela Mitchell at (904) 982-8043.
All companies and products referenced in this press release, including NextUp
Talker (TM), Windows (R), and more are the trademarks of their respective
owners.
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