There’s a lot of buzz surrounding news aggregators and readers, since the demise of Google Reader.  If you’re still asking why the sudden interest in news aggregators, it’s because these personalized services are becoming better optimized for the bevy of content that hits the web daily, ready for mobile users on the go.

And because of consumers’ interest in these apps, investors are also seeing these services as something worth investigating.

SoThree, the developers of Umano, the app that lets you listen to aggregated news on the go, raised approximately $1 million in a round of funding co-led by Birchmere Ventures and Digital Garage, with participation from early Facebook advisor Karl Jacob and angels including several Google employees.

The first round of funding will be used by SoThree to rapidly scale Umano’s development as well as expand its team of voice actors and available content.

“Umano takes a new spin on the way people consume content to address the reality that we have less and less time to read,” said Ian Mendiola, co-founder and CEO at SoThree. “The app fits right into daily life, so people have the opportunity to listen to great content and get smarter while they’re driving, cooking, at the gym, or doing other things.”

If listening to news is your thing then you might enjoy these other apps as well.

3 Smartphone Apps that Read Your News Feeds Aloud

Voice Brief

This app not only reads you your news, but also your calendar, weather, email, Facebook and Twitter feeds, stock prices, or any custom sentences you type.  This app aims to make you more productive by freeing your hands while consuming current events.  It’s available for $2.99 on iTunes.

Winston for iPhone

This app reads you stories from your social feeds as well as your favorite news sites.  It allows you to create a personalized news briefing from your favorite news and social sources.  Available for free on iTunes.

Earl

This voice-controlled app allows you to listen to newspapers, magazines, websites and books so if you want total freedom for your hands, this is the app for you.  No need to look at your iPhone to get what you want, just double tap on the screen and speak your commands to get the content you want to hear.  You can enjoy this app for free which give you access to 15 minutes of audio content each day or get unlimited access to spoken material by paying  $9.99 per month, or get two months free when you sign up for a year—only $99.99!