Im going to try to not be overly negative here... but arent there numerous other forms of media that already do this in a pretty crowded market? NPR, radio, podcasts, etc? I guess I dont really get why I would use this in that the audio forms of news that I have to choose from are pretty vast and high quality.
The idea is that they're curating content from across the web, and reading actual articles to you. Podcasts and the like have a different style of delivery.
Think of this as text-to-speech for articles you would normally read, except done by an actual human so it doesn't sound off-putting.
I think it's a fantastic idea, but its success will be determined by the team's ability to scale across a wider gamut of content.
I saw this too. Jumped out to me. (Apparently it's 125 million.)
Edit: From the comments
"Just a quick editorial note, there are close to 125MM commuters per week. Most of those are by car. A smaller percentage take public transportation or walk. As for digital voices vs. human voices and reading of content, we at iHear Network believe that TTS technology will continue to improve and provides a much more robust means of tackling the amount of text created daily online. "
Yes, I think this is absolutely important. Without knowing this, I would assume it was a crazy idea by former news operatives who think only content matters, not the logistics needed to efficiently execute on service. If it's ex-techies, then I wonder if they are misjudging what makes for compelling listening.
About a month ago I was thinking about having an app that would read stuff from your phone to you so that you wouldn't have to look at it while driving or doing something else. Glad they already came up with it.
In my opinion, this is a great strategic decision. IPhone users are more likely to be early adopters as well as become paying users (that's if the guys want to start charging for usage). Most YC companies focusing on mobile start with this as well.
Copyright violation lawsuits will soon follow. I don't think you can just read someone else's articles without getting prior approval first.
It's hard enough producing the audio for this but having to get copyright permission for each article is going to make this a tough project to get off the ground.
You really need to get the app to see how big a difference professional voice actors make. Imagine if this became ubiquitous, and we could click on a Umano button right from our favorite outlet's site, switch tabs and listen to the article as you code away!
Ignoring scaling issues, I don't see how they could compete with radio, in terms of informational and artistic value. If their premise is that radio is simply content read out loud, then that is a vast underestimation of the polish and narrative structure that radio producers add to a broadcast.
Most radio anchors ARE qualified to be professional voice actors. But a great radio report is not just great writing, but a different form of writing.
Have you tried the app? It is so different from radio content that I am a bit confused when people say that radio will be their competition.
I have two types of commutes with two very different sets of problems. I drive a car and ride the T (subway) in and around Boston/Cambridge.
When driving I (obviously) can't read. When riding the T it is usually a pain to read because there is no reception so the content must be preloaded and on top of that there are often no seats. It is not fun trying to operate an iPad[1] with one hand while holding onto a bar for dear life with the other.
Umano solves the car problem by having real humans reading to me and giving me the ability to queue multiple articles in advance. Once the app allows users to preload content it will solve all of my T pain points because I will be able get my news fix aurally without any reception needed. I would gladly pay for that.
Also, as others have mentioned, I see this as much more than an app for commuters. This seems perfect for the gym.
[1] I don't enjoy reading on the iPhone if I can help it because of the need to constantly scroll.
One way it separates itself from radio is that radio is pretty much a one-way street; you don't really choose what you listen to unless you change the station. What's nice about the app is that it is almost a cross of a high-brow Reddit with radio. You can select which stories you want read aloud after reading brief, one sentence summaries. It ends up sounding like a customized BBC news program tailored to user, though with American accents.
[+] [-] moocow01|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] HorizonXP|13 years ago|reply
Think of this as text-to-speech for articles you would normally read, except done by an actual human so it doesn't sound off-putting.
I think it's a fantastic idea, but its success will be determined by the team's ability to scale across a wider gamut of content.
[+] [-] adanto6840|13 years ago|reply
I've got to guess that the "125k people in the US commute to work" is a typo?
Edit for clarity - 125k seems very low to me.
[+] [-] HorizonXP|13 years ago|reply
Edit: From the comments "Just a quick editorial note, there are close to 125MM commuters per week. Most of those are by car. A smaller percentage take public transportation or walk. As for digital voices vs. human voices and reading of content, we at iHear Network believe that TTS technology will continue to improve and provides a much more robust means of tackling the amount of text created daily online. "
[+] [-] ndonnellan|13 years ago|reply
http://www.bts.gov/programs/national_household_travel_survey...
[+] [-] tankbot|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] acgourley|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mhaymo|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danso|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TommyDANGerous|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deepgill|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] doodyhead|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apoorvamehta|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deepgill|13 years ago|reply
Google not only has Android developers, but also backend, frontend and iPhone engineers.
[+] [-] MichaelApproved|13 years ago|reply
It's hard enough producing the audio for this but having to get copyright permission for each article is going to make this a tough project to get off the ground.
[+] [-] euskode|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sashazvea|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] n00b101|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danso|13 years ago|reply
Most radio anchors ARE qualified to be professional voice actors. But a great radio report is not just great writing, but a different form of writing.
[+] [-] weisser|13 years ago|reply
I have two types of commutes with two very different sets of problems. I drive a car and ride the T (subway) in and around Boston/Cambridge.
When driving I (obviously) can't read. When riding the T it is usually a pain to read because there is no reception so the content must be preloaded and on top of that there are often no seats. It is not fun trying to operate an iPad[1] with one hand while holding onto a bar for dear life with the other.
Umano solves the car problem by having real humans reading to me and giving me the ability to queue multiple articles in advance. Once the app allows users to preload content it will solve all of my T pain points because I will be able get my news fix aurally without any reception needed. I would gladly pay for that.
Also, as others have mentioned, I see this as much more than an app for commuters. This seems perfect for the gym.
[1] I don't enjoy reading on the iPhone if I can help it because of the need to constantly scroll.
[+] [-] cdeonier|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lanap68|13 years ago|reply