Along with long hours reviewing industry racing articles, news, and more, Kate Shaw's job, as the editor of a popular Canadian motorsports website, often requires meticulous attention to visual detail. Reading or long hours of staring at a computer screen are no longer possible for her, with impaired vision and an inability to focus in her left eye (the result of sudden dry macular degeneration). She declares: "It really puts a strain on my right eye, and after two hours of computer work that eye too can become woozy and does not focus properly". Her tech-savvy sister, to assist her in meeting deadlines and handling heavy reading loads, recommended that Kate begin to utilize Text to Speech (TTS) software TextAloud instead.

Allowing users to simply and easily export their text from websites, books, or e-mail, and to then listen to their reading aloud via iPod, computer, or other portable audio device, TextAloud, a leader in Text to Speech PC software from NextUp Technologies (http://www.NextUp.com), is priced starting at just $29.95.

Allowing her to comfortably listen to reading material aloud, without the fatigue, headaches and eyestrain she otherwise endured through visual reading, the software's effect on Kate's work and routine was immediate.

Providing daily and ongoing support that Kate found especially helpful in her review of massive amounts of information as a popular news source, the program quickly became a mainstay.

TextAloud, for Kate, is not just a regular source of assistance in writing, editing, or news evaluation, but also on such common aspects of daily computer life as e-mail and web surfing. TextAloud reads to her in the morning while she's making her coffee a Daily Gospel mailing on which she is subscribed.

Kate runs TextAloud easily on a Dell laptop, and has also made extensive use of the NextUp team's support staff as she became familiar with the software. "They are easy to reach and have always solved my problem promptly - without the seemingly obligatory 'GeekSpeak,'" she comments.
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