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CLEMMONS, NC - NextUp.com, a leading Text to Speech provider, announces TextAloud 3, the new release of the popular TTS program for PC users that fundamentally improves the way people process text-based information. With a completely new interface including more personalization options than ever before, TextAloud 3 enables anyone to experience their reading by listening in a streamlined, highly effective manner.

"TextAloud 3 is the ultimate tool for listening to your reading, studies or any other text read aloud, as well as for proofreading your writing," comments Rick Ellis, President of NextUp.com. "Feedback from our outstanding customer base helped us to develop TextAloud 3 so that people can be even more productive, with less time spent transferring text."

Priced from just $29.95, TextAloud 3 is state of the art Text to Speech that can turn almost any text file format into spoken audio--from websites, articles and e-mails, to eBooks, word processing documents, PDFs, or even PowerPoint presentations--and TextAloud 3 has now added more document types than ever before. TextAloud 3 can then export that text into most popular audio file formats for playing on an iPod (R), iPhone (R), MP3 player or other portable audio device, and can now do so better than ever.

The software's newest release includes a host of new features, including Enhanced Hotkeys for more control over specific options and default voices, integrated Spell Checking, as well as a dictionary offering the ability to look up and pronounce English words. Additional multiple pronunciation dictionary support also lets users create dictionaries customized for specific kinds of text, allowing them to set up separate dictionaries for pronouncing legal, medical, and technical terminology, for instance--and to enable or disable those dictionaries on an as-needed basis.

"Users will be especially happy with TextAloud 3's new tabbed interface, which allows them to work far more easily with multiple articles or documents at a time," adds Ellis. "In addition, highly customizable clipboard and mouse monitoring plus more new toolbars provide a more seamless experience for users overall."

Additional Improvements and Enhancements:
Meanwhile, TextAloud 3's newly improved word highlighting and smoother scrolling make it easier for users to follow along visually while listening--an especially important aspect for many users who turn to the software to overcome learning or reading disabilities. In addition, TextAloud 3 now makes it possible to create language-specific pronunciation editor entries, with random or "round robin" voice selections based on a default language setting in TextAloud 3.

TextAloud 3 also features improved pronunciation editing and word filtering, extended drag and drop support, and updated plug-ins for Internet Explorer and assorted Microsoft programs, including Word, Outlook Express, and more. TextAloud 3 also offers even more options for tasks such as inserting tags and automatic pauses. Popular tasks such as file splitting and writing to audio files have now been improved and rebuilt thanks to extensive customer feedback, as well.

Improved Options for Proofreading:
Always a popular tool for proofreading, TextAloud 3 offers even more options in its latest release, with two different methods for proofreading now included. Use of the program's original Proofreader window is now referred to as "Vocal Proofreading," while a second proofreading window, called "Step Proofreading," now allows users to proofread text in an article on a step-by-step basis, with pauses after each step. This way, users seeking to proofread by ear can step forward and backward as needed through the text--working by letter, word, line, paragraph, and screen in their document review.

Users can also save proofreading preferences and options into specific "profiles," which save and instantly recall preferred proofreading modes for specific tasks. Use of such proofreading modes allows the user to configure TextAloud 3 to play sound files when certain characters are encountered, or to speak punctuation characters aloud, and more, as desired.

Helping Writers "Hear" their Characters:
TextAloud has always been popular with writers, not only for its proofing abilities, but also for its uses as a way to 'hear' characters and bring them to life. Writers will therefore love the new character options in TextAloud 3, which include a wide range of creative options for handling or listening to individual characters. Users can now configure characters with options for filtering the characters, speaking the characters (or switching to specific voices), playing sound files, or inserting pauses in the text.

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.