Blio eReader software to have Nuance text-to-speech technology

When the Blio eReader software is finally released next month, it will also include Nuance Vocalizer text-to-speech technology with a pair of "lifelike" voices to choose from.

Blio is a software program that was first announced way back at CES 2010 in January. The platform attempts to stay as close to the original paper medium as possible with image-rich digital versions of books and magazines.

The Nuance Vocalizer brings on support for more than 30 languages and two voices (“Samantha” and “Tom") to make the reading experience more natural and alive. Both the Vocalizer and Blio have been optimized to work on a number of different gadgets, such as smartphones and PCs.

Note that the Vocalizer will actually be available as a "downloadable accessory" from Blio eBookstores. Thus, there might be a fee involved here.