[real-eyes] Re: Fw: Like an audible Instapaper, SpokenLayer lets you listen to the Web
- From: Glenn <glennervin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 20:10:46 -0500
This is great, but why don't they partner with NewsLine?
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Reginald George" <adapt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Adaptive technology information and
support." <ati@xxxxxxxxxxx>; <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<nutkc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 11:38 AM
Subject: [real-eyes] Fw: Like an audible Instapaper, SpokenLayer lets you
listen to the Web
This is an FYI I found from the Blind Technologists group on Linked In.
After trying the app myself I can say it’s very accessible and interesting
because these articles are read by humans and it’s free. However, I wish
there was a speed up button.
Like an audible Instapaper, SpokenLayer lets you listen to the Web
By Ki Mae Heussner
Plenty of startups give you new and different ways to read content on the
Web, but NY-based SpokenLayer wants to give you a way to hear it.
Launched Monday as an iPhone app, SpokenLayer takes text articles online and
either gives them to a human to read and record, or it uses text-to-speech
synthesis to meet instant demand in a matter of seconds.
Founder and CEO Will Mayo said he created the app to address his own
difficulties growing up with dyslexia.
“It was a real problem for me,” he said. “I could never learn by reading. I
had to learn by listening.” Access to audible versions of books and
textbooks, he added, helped him get through college and complete a graduate
degree in engineering.
On stage at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York, he announced the
app’s launch, as well as partnerships with publishers including The
Atlantic, National Journal, TechCrunch and Endgadget. Later, he told me that
he’s also been in touch with the International Dyslexia Association and a
major K-12 publisher about applying it in educational contexts.
While about half a dozen other companies provide RSS to speech services, he
said, SpokenLayer is distinguished by the involvement of authors and
professional readers who give it an emotional layer.
Mayo plans to monetize the app with advertising, analyzing the content it’s
serving to appropriately target listeners. It’s raised about $80,000 in seed
funding so far.
Article can be found at
http://gigaom.com/2012/05/21/like-an-audible-instapaper-spokenlayer-lets-you-listen-to-the-web/?utm_source=%23frankguillen&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=FrankGuillen+Buzz&goback=%2Egde_2796139_member_117488269
To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go
to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes
To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to
www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes
Other related posts:
