San Francisco, CA (1888PressRelease)
December 13, 2007 - Web 2.0 startup PimpMyNews today announced the availability of the world’s first “talking social news site” at www.PimpMyNews.com PimpMyNews is a free service that allows anyone with Internet access or an MP3 player to listen to thousands of breaking text news and blog stories that they would otherwise have to read.
Throughout the day, the site’s proprietary software scours the Internet for breaking text news and blog stories matching each user’s preferences. The site then converts text content to near-human sounding audio in real time, using text-to-speech technology similar to technology used in talking GPS navigation systems.
During the sign up process, users select their favorite topics from hundreds of text-based news and blog publishers to create a “personalized talking newspaper.” For deep personalization, users can choose content from fifty-seven unique categories, including Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Colleges, Business and more.
Users with iPods, iPhones, Zunes and other MP3 players automatically receive fresh content matching their preferences every morning for listening on the go, whenever and wherever they desire – allowing users to stay current on their favorite news and blogs without being at a computer. The company believes this feature will appeal to people with active lifestyles and commuters.
The site also includes rich social media tools for users to rate, share and participate in the distribution of news and blog stories. With a single click, users can email audio versions of stories to friends, or post them to Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Mixx, and other social sites.
“The idea grew out of a need that a group of friends had, which we believe millions share. We needed a way to stay current on the news and blogs we care about and a way to share interesting stories with the world with minimal effort. PimpMyNews puts consumers in control and lets them listen to breaking text news on their terms. Publishers of text news and blogs now also have the ability to augment their reader base with listeners,” said PimpMyNews Co-Founder John Atkinson.
###
