Accoona and Acapela Group launch the first "Talking Search Bar" to voice empower web content

Accoona Corp., the artificial intelligence-based online search engine and Acapela Group, the First European Speech Group today launched revolutionary speech empowered technology that will enable online users to simply listen to Internet content. “Accoona Talking Search Bar” is the first such application tied directly to an Internet search engine. Horoscopes, weather bulletins, latest news or full articles, e-mails, meeting notes or work documents... Accoona Talking Search Bar will read any written information out loud for you with Acapela intelligent and natural sounding voice.

Text to speech literally converts any written text into speech using an extremely high quality text to speech technology, capable of transforming any type of information in real-time as flexibly as the human voice would do.

“The Talking Search Bar is the next step in the fast-accelerating evolution of Accoona as one of the Web's premier search engines,” said Accoona CEO Stuart Kauder. “With each step in Accoona's development, which started with the introduction of our artificial intelligence-based search technology, we're striving to enhance the Web experience for Accoona's users. Now, Internet browsers worldwide will be able to ‘listen' any English written information through the Accoona Talking Search Bar. The utility of the technology is virtually limitless – for everyone from users who want to simply hear the content to toddlers and school-age children in the U.S. just learning to read or aging and disabled people, looking for an easiest way to access information, to web users who want to read, learn or improve their English anywhere in the world.”

Accoona Talking Search Bar is installed in a wink. In a few clicks it will sit in the Accoona toolbar, waiting to assist you whenever you need it. Select the piece of text you're interested in and press play and you can sit back and listen!

Experience for free the “Accoona Talking Search Bar” speech enabled by Acapela to:

> Relax : sit back and listen and give your over-worked eyes a rest.
> Save time: by doing something else while you listen to a work document.
> Learn a new language : from 8 to 80, you can make progress in a foreign language by listening to the correct pronunciation.
> Learn to read and write: A fun interactive way to encourage children to listen and learn.
> Ease access to information: for people suffering from vision problems.

Accoona also designed the feature for global Internet users who want to learn and pronounce English or enhance their English-language skills as a second language. The application also can used by U.S. and U.K. pre-schoolers, elementary-school students and others first learning to read English, such as English as a second language or adult literacy students.

The China Daily Information Company, the largest English-language web and media destination in China, today separately launched the technology for Chinese Internet users through its exclusive partnership with Accoona.

The benefits of the technology include extending English-language learning skills to a global audience, providing hands-free information from favorite Web sites and enabling “proofreading” of personally created Web pages. Kauder also noted the Talking Search Bar's simplicity as there is no need to copy and paste text into a separate window.

Kauder said the Talking Search Bar eventually will enable users to read and listen to their emails. Accoona also expects to extend the reading functionality to multiple languages this year as part of Accoona's technology roll-out.

The “Accoona Talking Search Bar” is available starting today and can be installed by accessing www.accoona.com. (60 days trial period – Price 24,95 USD)