Thanks for your comments Kim. Remember when separate but equal was the doctrine in schools? In my humble opinion, technology isn't really equal until blind and sighted people can utilize the same devices to accomplish the same tasks. Integration in technology, a civil rights issue. This is just another aspect of the debate that drives so much of what gets done. An example you say? The Packmate VS the Braille Note. The Note is easier to use, but the talking mobile phones let us use the same tools everyone else does. I just want some of us with the skills to advocate for our access to main stream products to continue to improve. This has already started to happen. Eventually we might reach a tipping point as the majority of the population of the US gets older with failing sight and hearing. Already the stigma has left many of these products and universal design principals are starting to drive decisions manufacturers make about their products. If I sound like a technology evangelist, it's because I am becoming one. The Nanno is the perfect example of this, and should point the way for other products. My talking phone is an off the shelf product that gives me talking menus. That's all I ever wanted, just the basics. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kimberly A. Morrow" <morrowka@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:22 AM Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Fw: The New Amazon Kindle 2 Has Arrived! Oh well, we have Bookshare. Kim Kimberly A. Morrow Outreach Specialist - Unity.fm Unity 1901 NW Blue Parkway Unity Village, MO 64065 816-251-3588 visit www.unityonline.org visit www.dailyword.com -----Original Message----- From: real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:real-eyes-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Robert Beach Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 7:33 AM To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Fw: The New Amazon Kindle 2 Has Arrived! The Stream can do much of what this unit does, except read the books from Amizon. I believe they are keeping those locked up just for their on device. Robert Lee Beach Assistive Technology Specialist Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue Kansas City, KS 66112 Phone: (913) 288-7671 Fax: (913) 288-7678 E-mail: rbeach@xxxxxxxxx >>> "Duyahn Walker" <themusicman1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 2/11/2009 6:37 AM >>> But you already have things like the Daisy player and Victor stream that can do half of this stuff, right? Duyahn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Reginald George" <sgeorge@xxxxxxxxx> To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 7:34 AM Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Fw: The New Amazon Kindle 2 Has Arrived! > I'm sure navigating the unit could be done. If it already has text to > speech there must be some kind of way to get it to read the titles even if > it means just using arrows or something to scroll to each one, then making > it start that book. As for the store, I wonder if you can load the unit > from your PC like a flash drive? It says you can put your own personal > documents on there. So it should be possible to purchase and upload them > from another more accessible device. That's why I'm so hopeful. Another > aspect of this I find interesting is that it totally will up the pressure > on > the voice manufacturers to continue to come out with better and better > voices suitable for the translation of text into speech with a slower CPU, > which can do nothing but help us in the quest for the perfect voice for > our > screen readers. If other manufacturers make E-book readers they will be > measured against what Amazon has accomplished here, and speech will be > expected to be a part of the feature set. As they try to out do each > other > in providing on the go access to make their devices useable to everyone it > can only help us. Don't you agree? At least until the entire unit > becomes > nothing but one big touch screen with no physical controls anyway. I > wouldn't put that past them either. > > Reg > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jim Fettgather" <jimkc@xxxxxxxxxx> > To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:05 AM > Subject: [real-eyes] Re: Fw: The New Amazon Kindle 2 Has Arrived! > > > The new Kindle is promising, but unless there is an accessible way to > navigate the store and purchase books, and then to navigate the unit to > read > books, , the text to speech is of dubious value. > I will probably have to get one anyway. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Reginald George" <sgeorge@xxxxxxxxx> > To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 11:52 PM > Subject: [real-eyes] Fw: The New Amazon Kindle 2 Has Arrived! > > > Wow, I definitely wanted to be the first one to forward this to our list. > You early adopters, Jim, old buddy old pal, going to buy one tomorrow, > please??? This sounds so promising. > > > > Finally, mainstream products with speech. > > > > Dear Amazon Associate: > > We're excited to introduce Amazon Kindle 2, the next generation wireless > reading device. With a > sleek and thin design that makes Kindle 2 as thin as a typical magazine > and > lighter than a > paperpack, the new Kindle has seven times more storage and now holds over > 1,500 books. It has a longer battery life and faster page turns. An > advanced display provides even crisper images and clearer text for an > improved book-like reading experience. And Kindle 2 even reads to you, > with "Read to > Me", our new Text to Speech feature. > > With Kindle 2 we kept everything readers love about the original > Kindle-the > convenience of reading what you want, when you want it, the > immediacy of getting a book wirelessly delivered in less than 60 seconds, > and Kindle's > ability to "disappear" in your hands so you can get lost in the author's > words. We're also excited to announce that the Kindle Store has > over 230,000 ebooks available. > > > Read-to-Me > > Now Kindle can read to you. With its new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle > can > read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you. > You can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and your > spot > is automatically saved. Pages automatically turn while the content > is being read, so you can listen hands-free. You can speed up or slow > down the reading speeds or choose a male or female voice. Anything you > can > read on > Kindle, Kindle can read to you, including books, newspapers, magazines, > blogs and even personal documents. In the middle of a great book > or article but have to jump in the car? Simply turn on Text-to-Speech and > listen on the go. > > To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, > go > to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes > > > To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, > go > to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes > > > To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, > go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes > > To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes