Mariner Software Acquires Narrator

Dejal Systems and Mariner Software have announced the acquisition of Narrator by Minneapolis-based Mariner Software. Narrator is a popular Mac OS X software that allows the user to read stories out loud using speech synthesis. With no plans at this time to change the application's title, the software product will be rereleased under the Mariner brand in the near future.

Using the rich voices already provided within the Mac OS X system, Narrator supplies controls that allows the user to choose a voice actor - adjusting the speed and pitch of the actor's voice as well as inflection and volume - when reading the user added content. A dictionary preference allows substitution of words or phrases and to fine-tune pronunciation.

Other features of Narrator include:
* Exporting to iTunes, complete with track attributes including lyrics; great for listening to Narrator stories on an iPod or iPhone.
* The ability to create audiobooks
* Support for multiple chapters in each document
* Ability to export to a AAC sound file
* Multiple voice characters in a single document
* Syncing to the iPhone, iPad and iPod


"Adding Narrator to our product line made good sense to us," said Michael Wray, President of Mariner Software. "A product like Narrator which allows a screenplay or story to be read aloud with different voices, is a nice fit with all our creative writing products."

"Narrator was my first product for Mac OS X, so I've always had a soft spot for it, even though I haven't been able to devote as much time to it as I'd like," said David Sinclair, Founder of Dejal. "I am therefore very pleased that Narrator has found such a great new home, where it can get the attention it deserves."

Pricing and Availability:
Narrator will be available, in the near future, for sale and trial on the Mariner Software web site and selected retailers. The shipping version will be available in English, French and German. A selling price has not yet been established. Current registered Narrator users will be able to upgrade to the Mariner-branded version for free. Narrator requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher.

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