They call it "text to speech." You can pick a male or female voice, and adjust the rate it speaks at. They're also experimenting with letting you play mp3 files, but I haven't messed with that yet. I'd like to try getting podcasts that way.

PJ

"You told me you weren't like other men," she said, shaking her head at him when the storm of laughter had passed.
He grinned at her - a goofy, Clark Kent kind of a grin. "I have a gift for understatement."
"You can say that again," she told him.
"I have a...."
"Oh, shut up."

--Stardust, Caroline K