Last weekend (17 September 2005) the New Statesman launched Say It, an initiative that makes it the first UK magazine you can listen to online and download articles from in MP3 format...

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Many people find that reading large quantities of text on screen is difficult or tiring. Say It solves that problem as well as freeing users up to do other things while you listen.

Say It will make the magazine more accessible for people with dyslexia, learning difficulties and impaired vision - as well as for people who just prefer to listen to content.

The New Statesman has teamed up with ReadSpeaker to offer the latest in text-to-speech technology for anyone on the internet. Say It works quickly and easily - you just click the "listen" button next to your chosen article on the New Statesman website. You don't need any special programs, you won't be asked to download anything and the voice is very natural and easy to listen to.

New Statesman Online Manager Kathryn Corrick said of the intitiative: "Say It provides another choice for people wanting to access the New Statesman. Now you don't have to sit and read - you can listen to an article while you're busy doing something else."

"You can even save the piece as an MP3 file onto your computer and listen to it later," she added. "This feature will really enhance the way people interact with the New Statesman and we're delighted to be the first magazine in the UK to offer it."

Experience Say It for yourself at: www.newstatesman.com/nscoverstory


About New Statesman:
The New Statesman is Britain's leading current affairs weekly. Edited by John Kampfner, the New Statesman's contributors include many of the world's foremost opinion-formers, writers, and thinkers. The New Statesman reports from the heart of modern political and cultural life. www.newstatesman.com

About ReadSpeaker:
ReadSpeaker is a server-based product that speech-enables a website for the benefit of people who would like to listen as well as read. With its unique quality of voice and ease of use, ReadSpeaker is the first real solution for making a website talk. Readspeaker can read most file formats including Word, RTF and PDF and works with most content management systems. Two versions of ReadSpeaker are currently available in the UK: ReadSpeaker Navigator supports text-to-speech navigation of a whole website, while ReadSpeaker SayIT is designed for online media, less accessible sites and can speech-enable small text areas. Current UK clients include the Disability Rights Commission, British Dyslexia Association, Mencap and local and central government sites. www.readspeaker.fr/en/index.php