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CLEMMONS, NC - It's not always easy to study visually. At a certain point, the words can blur, and retention can become the real challenge. As an active retiree continuing his education, Stephen Sprenger knew this feeling well, and wanted to find a multimedia tool that would enable him to absorb his textbooks and other learning materials more efficiently. Just a few minutes after discovering NextUp's Text to Speech (TTS) program TextAloud, Sprenger had downloaded the program, and was already working with the software to assist him in listening to the materials for his accelerated college course instead of the same tiring visual routine.

"I'd been accessing some web sites which contained really lengthy articles on economics, investing and general news," Sprenger comments. "I literally spent many hours a week sitting at my computer desk, reading." He knew little of Text to Speech software, but one evening, when he had been reading for an extended period of time, his eyes began to blur. "The thought came to me of how nice it would be if I could get my computer to read the articles aloud to me, instead." He soon realized that Text to Speech could provide the alternative he had been seeking.

Sprenger was a Contracting Officer for the Department of Defense for over 31 years of service, so his criteria for the search was an informed and demanding one. Upon discovering TextAloud, he found that the program made listening to an entire textbook as easy as a few simple steps. "The course material was available as a PDF document on the internet," he comments. "I downloaded the entire book, divided it into a separate file for each chapter, and then used TextAloud to convert the written files to audio. Then I loaded the audio files to my Sansa E-series MP3 player and listened to the material while doing my afternoon ten-mile bike ride." Soon Sprenger was also listening to his studies throughout his day while pursing a multitude of everyday activities, from household chores, to cutting the grass! He chose premium voices from AT&T Natural Voices™ for listening, and also burned the audio files to a CD for use in the car, as well.

"Using TextAloud in this manner enabled me to be far more efficient in my use of time," comments Steven. "I literally did all my studying during exercise periods or while doing housework." The result? "Out of six tests, my lowest grade was a 95 -- and three tests were 100s." The program is now an important part of his daily routine, and the way he enjoys everything from his articles, to lectures, e-mails, books, and beyond. "I ended up with the highest grades in my class -- in large part, due to TextAloud."

"TextAloud changed the way I live and work," adds Sprenger. "It has made me far more productive and knowledgeable than ever before."

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, 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.