[bksvol-discuss] Re: OT More Abouth the Kindle
- From: "Kim Friedman" <kimfri11@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:50:48 -0800
Hi, Tammy, what you say is true, but bear in mind, that's what the
volunteers are there for. To put stuff into the collection. We can buy stuff
for Bookshare, and those who are crackerjack scanners and proofreaders do
their best to add stuff. I haven't done much proofreading, but I have bought
stuff for Bookshare as well as for volunteers who wanted a particular book
to scan because they couldn't find it where they were. I am glad when
interesting stuff is added to the collection. We have those NIMAC books that
only school kids can read and I don't think Bookshare can do anything about
that. What if parents want to help their kids? They can't get those books,
can they? Anyhow, I do take your point. I think if there were more folks to
help Carrie out at the Bookshare office and more folks interested in
scanning and proofreading, the collection will continue to grow. I'd love it
if everything published in print could also be in an accessible format or
rather, formats (don't leave out Braille!). Regards, Kim.
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Tammy Blaker
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 10:18 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT More Abouth the Kindle
I have a little eyesight first thing in the morning. I can not read a word
in the other computer eBook type. Kindle has the largest fonts I have
found. No it is not something I can use for more than an half hour or so.
I do give credit where due though. I find fault with the publishers who
refuse to let the Kindle "read" the books. I wish the Kindle PC was around
for the past five or six years ago when I could have used it. I just want a
fare playing field. I should be able to buy a paperback eBook are read it
however I like; on a Kindle, Stream or computer. Sure Bookshare is cheap
but it can not keep up with adult reading be it westerns, mysteries or
romance. Most of Bookshare's money and work goes to kids books.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jackie McBride" <abletec@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 3:46 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT More Abouth the Kindle
> Bill, if you're gonna vent your wrath to some1, do so at Random
> House--they're the 1's who are trying to make TTS discretionary. Look,
> I think Amazon's Kindle for PC is utter crap, & I have no ax to grind
> here--I *certainly* do not work for Amazon & am actually urging people
> to get on board w/Barnes & Noble because they are making their stuff
> accessible but at the same time, the thing regarding the TTS is really
> the fault of Random House. Ok, serious run-on if ever there were 1
> but...
>
> On 12/8/09, Bill Cox <waywardgeek@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> So, does this mean I shouldn't be pissed at them for:
>>
>> a) Ending my ability to listen to most books, which they did when
>> they gave publisher's the option to disable TTS.
>> b) Suing people who publish software to help load books like the ones
>> I can get from bookshare.org onto the Kindle.
>>
>> I don't see it. Let's face it: Amazon screwed the blind/VI. They
>> could have put in some sort of exception for the blind, but didn't.
>> They simply disabled audio, and DRM lock-downed the device, and then
>> sued anyone who wrote software that I can legally use to break their
>> encryption. A Kindle is a useless piece of junk for many, including
>> me.
>>
>> That said, I'm pitching it to buy my father-in-law a Kindle for
>> Christmas. I may be pissed at Amazon, but it's still a cool device.
>> Hopefully one day they'll throw the blind/VI community a bone.
>> Google is coming out next year with a competing service. Hopefully
>> they wont be evil, and the blind/VI community will be able to
participate.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 1:08 PM, Chela Robles <cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>> Here is more info on this reader.
>>>
>>> Blind and Vision-Impaired Readers to Benefit from New Kindle
>>> Features in 2010 Amazon working to make the bestselling Kindle also
>>> a breakthrough device for the blind a.. Press Release b.. Source:
>>> Amazon.com, Inc.
>>> c.. On 9:00 am EST, Monday December 7, 2009 a.. Companies:
>>> a.. Amazon.Com Inc.
>>> SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kindle, the #1 bestselling product across
>>> all of Amazon, has enabled many vision-impaired readers to enjoy
>>> books more easily than before, and has also helped dyslexic readers
>>> and those with learning disabilities improve their reading skills.
>>> Vision impaired customers benefit from Kindle's ability to change
>>> the font size - easily making any book a large print edition.
>>> Dyslexic readers benefit from being able to listen with Kindle's
>>> text-to-speech technology while simultaneously reading along with
>>> the synchronized text. Today, Amazon announced that it is working on
>>> a new set of features that will make Kindle even better for these
>>> readers as well as a meaningful breakthrough device for the blind.
>>> Related Quotes
>>> "Kindle is for anyone who loves to read-in fact, we've heard from
>>> thousands of vision-impaired customers and customers with learning
>>> disabilities over the past two years who have been helped
>>> tremendously by Kindle," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon
>>> Kindle. "With some key modifications, we believe Kindle can be a
>>> breakthrough device for the blind, and the team is excited about
>>> making these enhancements."
>>> Below are examples of emails sent to the Kindle team over the past
>>> two years about the significance of these features:
>>> "The other day I took my visually impaired friend to the eye doctor.
>>> I just happened to take my Kindle out of my purse to show her the
>>> birthday gift I had received. Amazingly, she was able to read on it.
>>> How exciting; she had not been able to read books for many years."
>>> "I've always loved to read, but the last year or so vision problems
>>> have hampered my reading. Reading small print was extremely
>>> difficult and caused eye strain. Fortunately, a dear friend gifted
>>> me with my Kindle 2 on my birthday in September. Since that time, my
>>> Kindle has not left my side."
>>> "I have an 11 year old daughter with cerebral palsy. She has very
>>> poor vision and cannot turn pages in a book, so the kindle text to
>>> speech is a blessing for her. She loves books and will listen for
>>> hours!"
>>> "I am an ophthalmologist specializing in rehabilitation of the
>>> visually impaired. I have found the Kindle DX to be of tremendous
>>> value to my patients. A few modifications could increase its
effectiveness."
>>> [From teacher of students with learning disabilities] "One of my
>>> students brought his mom's Kindle to class this week and gave a
>>> little show and tell for two different classes. He is certainly a
>>> hard worker, but reading is not an easy skill for him. He reports
>>> that the lack of back-lighting, the ability to change font size and
>>> the 'read-to' features have been very helpful - already he feels he
>>> has made great progress! The Kindle has really grabbed the attention
>>> of many of my students who have typically been turned off by reading
>>> assignments."
>>> To make Kindle more useful for the blind, the Kindle team is
>>> currently working on an audible menuing system so blind and
>>> vision-impaired readers can easily navigate to books unassisted, in
>>> addition to listening to books as they can already do today with
>>> Read To Me. In addition, a new super size font will be added to
>>> Kindle, increasing the number of font sizes from six to seven. This
>>> seventh font size will be twice the height and width of the current
>>> largest font. These new features are scheduled for release by the
>>> summer of 2010.
>>> To receive emails from Amazon when new features and updates on this
>>> topic are available, please send an email to
>>> blind-interest@xxxxxxxxxxx
>>>
>>> About Amazon.com
>>>
>>> Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN - News), a Fortune 500 company based
>>> in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today
>>> offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be
>>> Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and
>>> discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to
>>> offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other
>>> sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in
>>> categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads;
>>> Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery;
>>> Apparel; Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and
>>> Tools, Auto & Industrial.
>>> Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with
>>> access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own
>>> back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable
>>> virtually any type of business. Examples of the services offered by
>>> Amazon Web Services are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2),
>>> Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon
>>> Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), Amazon Flexible Payments Service
>>> (Amazon FPS), Amazon Mechanical Turk and Amazon CloudFront.
>>> Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including
>>> www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp,
>>> www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.amazon.cn.
>>>
>>> As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include
>>> Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates
>>> otherwise.
>>>
>>> Forward-Looking Statements
>>>
>>> This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the
>>> meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
>>> of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ
>>> significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking
>>> statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among
>>> others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new
>>> products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in
>>> operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal
>>> proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization,
>>> seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic
>>> transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption,
>>> inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud.
>>> More information about factors that potentially could affect
>>> Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings
>>> with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most
>>> recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
>>>
>>> Kindle devices are sold through Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Contact:
>>> Amazon Media Hotline:206-266-7180
>>> ----------------
>>> ----------------
>>> "If you go without playing the trumpet for one day, no one knows,
>>> two days, only you know, and more than three days without
>>> practicing, girl you better look out, because everyone will know!"
>>> Today, I find myself constantly saying those words, just to get
>>> myself going, to not give up, and it works. Since I learned to play
>>> the trumpet at the tender age of 10, I have spent so much passion
>>> and much diligence with that instrument that I will not give up on
>>> it. Sometimes my instrument puts me into awkward situations where I
>>> feel like they won't ever end, but the trumpet gives me a lot of
>>> hope with the majestic, crystal-clear sound it brings to my ears.
>>> ----------------
>>> Chela Robles
>>> E-Mail: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx
>>> MSNWindowsLive Messenger: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Skype: jazzytrumpet
>>>
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>
>
> --
> Change the world--1 deed at a time
> Jackie McBride
> www.abletec.serverheaven.net
> Please join me Saturday, 11/7, on my walk against breast cancer by
> making a donation at:
> http://main.acsevents.org/goto/larkspur>
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