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CLEMMONS, NC - Freelance tech writer Dan Heim works from a home office just North of Phoenix, Arizona, writing for a variety of high-tech clients worldwide from the serenity of the rural desert. With degrees in both Physics as well as Environmental Science, Dan was a teacher of science and math for over 30 years. His work now includes writing for trade journals, testing services, and newspapers, as well as the production of educational materials for math and science teachers, so it is critical that what he provides is free of typos or errors. He accomplishes this goal by proofing his documents by ear, using his computer and TextAloud, from NextUp.com (http://www.NextUp.com).

TextAloud is the popular Text to Speech software program that enables PC users to experience their reading by ear, whether for listening in the gym or during a commute, or simply as a useful alternative to visual reading. Priced from just $29.95, TextAloud is state of the art TTS that is simple to use, turning almost any text file format into spoken audio--from websites, articles and e-mails, to eBooks, word processing documents, and PDFs. TextAloud then seamlessly exports that text into most popular audio file formats, which can then be played via MP3 player, iPhone (R), car stereo, or computer, and listened to anywhere you go!

"I initially purchased TextAloud as a potential 'narrator' for some of my educational animations," Dan comments. "I figured that a synthesized voice might be a cool hook." While experimenting with TextAloud's potential as a narrator, however, Dan soon realized that the software offered other benefits--most significantly, that it was a superb resource for proofing his own work.

"When one writes for a living, proofing is a critical process," he explains. "The spell-check modules built into word processing software programs are a huge benefit, but they are not perfect. If I type 'list' instead of 'lists,' for instance, spell-check misses it, and grammar-checkers are often just plain wrong. So when I would finish an article in the days before TextAloud, I'd just let it 'ferment' for a day or two, and then go back and proof it with fresh eyes to try to catch those errors. However, there were still errors that occasionally slipped through."

Dan began to use TextAloud to proof by ear instead, and the experiment was a success. "The ears simply hear what the eye misses," he comments--especially when it comes to typos. For this reason, TextAloud soon became his routine 'grammar check' proofing assistant. Now Dan no longer has to wait a day or two on proofing--before closing his documents, he simply uses TextAloud to ensure that his work is typo-free. "I just copy, paste and listen," he says, "and those typos immediately pop out." To customize TextAloud's narration and readings, Dan uses the program's easy and convenient pronunciation editor, and he relies on premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices (TM) for most of his readings.

"Ultimately, TextAloud has totally changed the way I proof my writing, with huge savings in time and a better quality end-product," adds Dan. "TextAloud provides me with the feedback that would otherwise come from my editor, and without the embarrassment of a correction."

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™, Nuance®, Acapela® and Cepstral® for the most natural-sounding computer speech anywhere. Available languages include U.S. English, U.K. English, Indian Accent English, Scottish Accent English, Arabic, Cantonese Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Belgian Dutch, Faroese, Finnish, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, Russian, Castilian (European) Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

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. 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.

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.