METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDIBLE PRESENTATION OF WEB PAGE CONTENT

A web user may elect to have certain frequently changing web content audibly presented in the background while performing other tasks. Content may be audibly presented when it changes, or at user-specified intervals. Audible presentation does not require that any other task in which the user is engaged be interrupted. Preferably, audible background presentation is an optional feature in a web browser. The user selects web content by highlighting a portion or portions of one or more web pages. The user specifies any of various options for audible presentation, such as at fixed intervals, every time any content changes, or every time selected content changes. At the specified intervals or events, the selected web content is converted from text to speech, and audibly played over the computer's speaker. The audible presentation of web content in the background as described herein enables a user to perform other tasks while listening to web content, much as one might perform other tasks while listening to a radio broadcast in the background, significantly improving user productivity, enjoyment or general enlightenment.