Elsevier announces availability of iSpeech Audio Reader application

Jul 25 2011

Elsevier, a world leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the availability of an audio reader application from iSpeech, provider of cloud-based speech technology and mobile apps, on SciVerse Applications beta. The iSpeech Audio Reader is the latest in a growing list of applications enhancing the use of SciVerse ScienceDirect content to improve researchers' workflows.  

The iSpeech Audio Reader text-to-speech application instantly converts any full-text article within SciVerse ScienceDirect, the world's largest source of peer-reviewed scientific content containing more than 10 million articles, into a natural sounding voice file. It enables researchers to easily convert articles into MP3 audio files and listen to them on any MP3-friendly device.  

"Through our continued collaboration with Elsevier, we've expanded our text-to-speech solutions into the realm of scientific research, which is an ideal extension of our strategy to provide convenient, easy-to-use approaches to learning and interacting with information," said Heath Ahrens, Chief Executive Officer at iSpeech.

"The iSpeech Audio Reader is an ideal application for researchers that are auditory learners or that are visually impaired," said Rafael Sidi, Vice President, Applications and Developer Network at Elsevier."It's an excellent example of our vision to work directly with the communities we serve to provide customized search and discovery applications that solve specific challenges users face within their research workflows."

The iSpeech Audio Reader application stems from a collaborative relationship between iSpeech and Elsevier developed following a 24-hour hackathon hosted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Elsevier. Jesse Campbell, a graduate student at NJIT and software developer at iSpeech, and fellow NJIT graduate student Metin Yorulmaz won first place for the SV Social application which allows users to mark a favorite article, share articles on social networks and convert text to speech.

SciVerse Applications and the Developer Network provide opportunities for researchers and librarians to collaborate with developers in creating and promoting new applications that improve research workflows. The Developer Network features a growing community of application developers that gain potential recognition, prestige and revenue through their contributions to SciVerse Applications.

SOURCE Elsevier