BuzzVoice Adds New iPhone & Android Features, Goes FREE!

BuzzVoice on Android & iPhoneIf you’re a BuzzVoice user, you know we’re continually rolling out new features to make it easier to keep up with your favorite news and blogs on the go. If you’re not familiar with BuzzVoice, our magical streaming audio service lets busy people *listen* to over 1,600 of the web’s top blogs and news sites on smartphones. It’s sort of like “Pandora for news,” and it’s perfect for multitasking in the car, train, gym, or anywhere.

Earlier this summer, we launched an all new version of BuzzVoice for iPhone with 6 major new features, which Apple featured on the front page of the App Store. And, more recently, we launched BuzzVoice for Android, which received rave reviews.

Now, We’re Excited to Announce 4 Great New Things… Check out the fun video and see the features below


1) Background Audio Streaming:(New for iPhone) Now, you can double your productivity and listen to BuzzVoice “in the background” while you run other apps. So, go ahead and stream BuzzVoice while you play Angry Birds, or check Twitter, Facebook and email.

2) Control BuzzVoice with your Earphone button! (New for iPhone) Now, you can pause the audio and skip to the next story without looking at your device, just like on your iPod and Pandora. So, if you’re jogging or driving, just squeeze and you’ll be pleased.

3) Add Your Own RSS Feeds (New for BuzzVoice PRO Users on iPhone & Android): Don’t see one of your favorite blogs in BuzzVoice? No problem – the new “Add Feed” feature lets you add ANY RSS feed to your playlist.  To try this, and all of the other great PRO features for free,  just tap the “More” button in the app.

4) BuzzVoice is Now FREE! To allow everyone to enjoy the productivity and safety benefits of BuzzVoice, we’ve eliminated the “cost barrier.” And, we’re confident you’ll love it because it’s definitely not a scaled-down “Lite” version - The new, free BuzzVoice includes all the great features as previous paid versions, and more.

Get The New Versions of BuzzVoice for Free Now:

>Get BuzzVoice for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch device on the App Store here

>Get BuzzVoice on the Android Market by tapping this link on your Android device, or by scanning the code below.

Get BuzzVoice on the Android Market

**Watch for Special Promotions On BuzzVoice PRO!

We’re giving away free BuzzVoice PRO subscriptions in partnership with some of the web’s top blogs, so watch for exciting BuzzVoice contests as you surf the web! [If you're a blogger and would like to run a BuzzVoice contest, please email Publishers@BuzzVoice.com - a limited number of subscriptions are available, so please hurry]

BuzzVoice Will Run On Apple’s New iPad Tablet

The iPad featuring BuzzVoiceListen with BuzzVoiceAt the Apple Event in San Francisco, Steve Jobs unveiled the company’s long-awaited tablet named “The iPad.”

The 9.7 inch multi-touch device offers Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, weighs in at just 1.5 pounds, and sports a full 10 hour battery life.

And since the iPad runs the iPhone operating system, it will offer functionality similar to the iPhone and iPod touch, including the ability to run “most” apps from Apple’s App Store. 

When the iPad goes on sale in March- at a surprisingly low price of $499 - BuzzVoice will run on the revolutionary new device, allowing you to stream audio versions of breaking stories from the web’s top 1,400+ blogs and news sites.

Lastly, for development on The iPad, Apple announced the availability of a new software development kit that will allow us to optimize BuzzVoice for The iPad. Stay tuned for more exciting features!

Don’t want to wait for The iPad? Get BuzzVoice on the App Store now for your iPhone or iPod touch, or sign up on your computer on the BuzzVoice full site.

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For more news on The iPad, check out the indepth coverage on TechCrunch, Mashable, TUAW, Engadget and Gizmodo, and, be sure to add these great blogs to your BuzzVoice playlist, so you can listen to them in the car, at the gym – or anywhere.

New Year’s iPhone App Sale: Save 50% On BuzzVoice

Get BuzzVoice for Half Price

Start 2010 smarter and more productive – by listening to the news & blogs you wish you had time to read on the go.

Stream TechCrunch on the beach…
Listen to Mashable in the car….
Hear Lifehacker at the gym….

Choose from over 1,400 of the Web’s top news and blogs to create your personalized playlist.

Get BuzzVoice On The App Store now for only $1.99 - and  hear why MacWorld calls BuzzVoice “a time-saver and a productivity enhancer.”

Hurry, Before the 50% Savings Ends

Top Apple Blog TUAW, Calls BuzzVoice “A Major Accomplishment”

TUAW BuzzVoice ReviewThe Unofficial Apple Weblog [TUAW] recently wrote a full review of our new BuzzVoice service, and we couldn’t be more pleased with their verdict. (If you’re not familiar with BuzzVoice, it lets you listen to the Web’s top news & blogs on the go. It’s sort of like “Pandora for news and blogs.” Here’s a short video )

If you follow Apple-related news or have an iPhone, you’re probably familiar with TUAW. TUAW is a member of AOL’s popular Weblogs Inc. network, which also  includes Engadget, Download Squad, Autoblog, Blogging Stocks, and Joystiq.

Here are a few excerpts from the TUAW story titled, BuzzVoice Reads Aloud to You Almost Anywhere:

BuzzVoice is a major accomplishment… I think this is going to be big.

BuzzVoice can most simply be described as a talking reader for over 1400 blogs, but saying that doesn’t begin to do it justice. It’s not just an iPhone/iPod touch app, although BuzzVoice provides one [iTunes Link]. It’s a platform that can be enjoyed on a variety of devices including any iPod or mp3 player, your computer, Blackberry (upcoming) or with added functionality on the iPhone/iPod touch”

BuzzVoice brings podcasting to over 1,400 blogs broken down into 59 categories, while using a natural-sounding voice allowing you to take in content audibly. It does it smoothly, easily and naturally, from a well designed, multifaceted platform, allowing use on a huge number of devices… The voice implementation is nearly perfect.

The BuzzRadio feature, is interesting. Tapping it brings up a listing of topics ranging from Apple Radio to Politics Radio to Sports Radio… It’s perfect for any time your hands should be somewhere else (driving, running or whatever).”

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Please be sure to visit TUAW.com to check out the full story. [You can also listen to it on BuzzVoice here] And, don’t forget  to add TUAW to your BuzzVoice playlist, so you can stream it on the go. 

If you’re a fan of Apple and iPhone-related news, be sure to check out the our Apple category, where you’ll find other great blogs like Macworld,  The Apple Blog, Daring Fireball, Apple 2.0, The iPhone Blog, iPhone Atlas, JAIB and more.

Macworld Review of PimpMyNews iPhone App

Macworld’s Ben Boychuk recently reviewed our new iPhone & iPod touch application.

PimpMyNews received a respectable 3.5 stars out of 5. Considering Macworld’s reputation as a tough critic, and the fact that The New York Times and ABC News came in at 3 stars, we couldn’t be happier.

From the level of detail in Ben’s review, it’s obvious that he spent a few hours using PimpMyNews, customizing his playlist, listening to various news and blog posts, and composing a well thought out review.
If you keep up with this blog, you know we’re diehard user feedback proponents, so any time some one takes the time to do a “deep dive” on our service, we’re all ears.

In the review, after Ben finished ribbing us about the “ear-catching” name, he turned toward the unique utility of the app. Ben summarizes the app by saying, “Very simply, the app lets you create ‘playlists’ of blog items, or news stories, from more than 1,200 sources, and reads them aloud, and on the fly, in a voice that’s almost lifelike.”

He then goes on to the core value proposition, stating that, “For people on the move, in their cars, at the gym or multitasking at work, PimpMyNews offers an innovative way to ‘read’ your favorite Web sites by listening.” Ben also cited the daily podcast feature, which plays continuous stories from your playlist for hands-free listening, as his favorite feature.

On the “suggested enhancements” side, Ben suggested that we add the following features, most of which are already in the works:

- A “select your voice” feature
- The ability to add more than 10 feeds to your playlist
- More “continuous play” features, in addition to the existing podcast feature
- The ability for users to manage their feeds on their mobile devices

Thank you Mr. Boychuk. We appreciate your feedback – and we’re acting on it.

Be sure to check out the full PimpMyNews iPhone app review on Macworld, and download the app on The App Store. Stay tuned, more time saving enhancements are on the way.

Please keep the feedback coming to Suggestions@PimpMyNews.com

John Atkinson
Co-founder & CEO