[vicsireland] Re: Kindle EBook reader.

  • From: "Flor Lynch" <florlync@xxxxxx>
  • To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:29:13 -0000

Hi Tony,

here's a longer article on the Kindle 2.

Here is a story on the Kindle  II.
Includes specs, pricing and functionality.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/09/amazon_introduces_kindle_2_with_text_to_speech_feature.html

Amazon today revealed its Kindle 2 wireless reading device that will go on
    sale later this month with a thinner design, longer battery life, faster
page turns, more storage, sharper images, and a new text-to-speech feature.

The new Kindle is virtually identical to the photos leaked last year and
with features very similar to last week's predictions.

In a press event at New York's Morgan Library, Amazon founder and chief
executive Jeff Bezos told attendees that Kindle e-books now make up 10
percent of the online retailer's unit sales, and he was quick to point out
the new Kindle is thinner than the iPhone by 0.12 inches, or 25 percent.

"Kindle 2 is everything customers tell us they love about the original
Kindle, only thinner, faster, crisper, with longer battery life, and capable
of holding hundreds more books," he said. "If you want, Kindle 2 will even
read to you
--
something new we added that a book could never do. While we're excited about
Kindle 2, we know that great hardware is useless without vast selection.
That's
why the Kindle Store offers customers over 230,000 books."

During the press event a slide outlined Amazon's vision to make "every book
ever printed in any language all available in less than 60 seconds" with the
Kindle.

Design

New buttons on the "pencil thin" Kindle 2 make it easier to turn pages with
either hand. Usability and clumsy navigation was a major complaint about the
original Kindle (review), and Amazon is addressing those concerns with its
latest design.

A new "5-way controller" is intended for more precise note-taking and
highlighting as well as faster jumps between articles and sections of
newspapers. Unfortunately, the "official Amazon.com cover", with an
integrated attachment hinge and leather cover, will be sold separately for
$29.99. This is probably a concession to third-party suppliers, as Amazon
also said that Kindle
2 covers will be sold by Patagonia, Cole Haan and Belkin.

Kindle 2

New Features

Amazon calls "Text-to-Speech" an "experimental" feature that will convert
text on the page to spoken words, and also save the spot on a page in case a
reader wants to switch back and forth between reading and listening. Users
can choose between male and female voices and specify the reading speed.
Anything that appears on the device's screen, from newspapers to blogs to
books, can be read aloud.

Meanwhile, Amazon's new "Whispersync" technology promises to sync Kindle 2
and the original Kindle automatically for easy transitions. Users can pick
up a Kindle at home, read a chapter or two, then drive to work where they
have a Kindle 2. Wherever you left off will be synced to the other device
with no flipping forward and backward to find your place. Amazon says
Whispersync will make it easier to transition to the new Kindle from the old
model or to use both together. Eventually, support for "a range of mobile
devices" will be provided, presumably smartphones, but no specifics are yet
available.

The New Oxford American Dictionary is also built in with 250,000 word
definitions that appear instantly at the bottom of the page.

Kindle 2

Display, Battery Life, and Connectivity

Whereas the Kindle 1 offered only 4 shades of gray on the display, the
Kindle 2 is capable of showing 16 shades on a six-inch, 600 x 800 electronic
paper display. There is no backlight, helping provide 25 percent longer
battery life.
Amazon claims four to five days of reading on one charge with wireless
turned on, two weeks with wireless off. The company also claims pages will
turn 20 percent faster.

The national 3G delivery network called Whispernet remains unchanged in a
continuing partnership with Sprint that keeps the service available for no
extra charge to Kindle owners. Amazon says it has been expanded to cover all
50 states with no PC, Wi-Fi hot spot, or syncing necessary.

Storage

The Kindle 2, with its 2 GB of memory, can hold more than 1,500 books
compared to the original's 200. Books bought before are backed up to an
Amazon.com account, so customers can wirelessly re-download previously
purchased titles as necessary.

Selection

The original Kindle launched with 90,000 available e-books, while Kindle 2
owners will have more than 230,000 from which to choose. New authors added
include John Steinbeck, C.S. Lewis, Beverly Cleary, Martha Stewart, Terry
Goodkind, and Spencer Johnson.

Author Stephen King has also written a plainly promotional novella, "Ur",
whose protagonist "can't seem to get his ex-girlfriend's parting shot out of
his head." The parting shot? "Why can't you just read off the computer like
the rest of us?" The lovelorn college English instructor then places an
order for a Kindle, and, we assume, lives happily ever after. Pre-orders
will get the novella automatically downloaded to their device.

Amazon has also rolled out support for more magazines, newspapers, and
blogs.
Newspaper subscriptions range from $5.99 to $14.99 fees per month, magazines
are priced at $1.25 to $3.49 per month. Wireless blog delivery starts at
$0.99
for each per month with a free two-week trial.

Kindle 2

Pricing and Availability

The Kindle 2 will sell for the same price its predecessor most recently went
for, $359. (The original device launched at $399.) Customers still waiting
on unfulfilled Kindle 1 orders will be automatically upgraded to Kindle 2,
with the devices scheduled to begin shipping February 24. Current Kindle
owners are also invited to pre-order before midnight tonight to receive
priority.

For everyone else, it's available for pre-order today.

----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Tom Rash" <audiovisionradio.tomav@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: Amazon's Kindle

I think it is the Kindle Two.  It isn't being released until the 24th of
this month, I think.  It just mentioned that there was a text to speech
function so the Kindle can read the books to you.  Just wondered if anyone
had more info than that.  I guess we'll have to wait.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Stephen Guerra
  To: blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 10:03 AM
  Subject: RE: Amazon's Kindle

  Are you sure it's the Kindle two, or the original Kindle your speaking
about

  Stephen A. Guerra
  Assistive Technology Specialist and Technical Operations

  Independent Living Aids LLC

  200 Robbins Lane
  Building A, Suite 100
  Jericho, NY 11753
  Phone: (800) 537-2118-x3817
  Direct Fax: (516) 450-3842

  Read the <http://allthingsilatech.blogspot.com> All Things ILA Tech Blog

  Follow me on <http://twitter.com/TheILATechie> Twitter and see what i'm
  doing

  Visit <http://www.independentliving.com> Independent Living Aids on the
Web

  Visit Soundbytes on the Web <http://www.soundbytes.com>

  From: blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf
  Of Pam Drake
  Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 12:00 PM
  To: blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: RE: Amazon's Kindle

  Unfortunately all reports I have heard say that this device is not
  blind-friendly. It is optimized for easier viewing, making the text
  look more like a standard book, but it really isn't designed for
  listening only. I can look up a few posts I saved on the subject if
  interested.

  Pam

  -----Original Message-----
  From: blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blindtech%40yahoogroups.com>
  [mailto:blindtech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blindtech%40yahoogroups.com> ]
On
  Behalf Of Tom Rash
  Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:27 AM
  To: blindtech
  Subject: Amazon's Kindle

  Has anyone used the Kindle yet? I heard it has a text to voice feature
  that will read the books to you. Is the device blind friendly? Thanks
  for any info.
  Tom Rash, Executive Director
  AUDIO VISION Radio Reading Service for the Blind, Inc.
  35242 Yucaipa Blvd. Ste. C
  Yucaipa, CA 92399
  (909) 797-4336
  tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:tom%40audiovisionradio.org>
  <mailto:tom%40audiovisionradio.org>
  www.audiovisionradio.org

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

  __________ NOD32 3843 (20090210) Information __________

  This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system.
  http://www.eset.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------------------

Blindtech is owned by Lynn White (www.lynnwhite.radioforlife.net).

To unsubscribe from this list, please send an e-mail to

blindtech-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you have any questions or concerns about the list, how it is being
managed, or your subscription to it, please don't raise these concerns to
the list or send test messages to it. Rather, please contact the
administrators directly at

blindtech-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

and we will be happy to assist you.Yahoo! Groups Links

------------------------------------

Blindtech is owned by Lynn White (www.lynnwhite.radioforlife.net).

To unsubscribe from this list, please send an e-mail to

blindtech-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you have any questions or concerns about the list, how it is being 
managed, or your subscription to it, please don't raise these concerns to 
the list
or send test messages to it. Rather, please contact the administrators 
directly at

blindtech-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

and we will be happy to assist you.Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindtech/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindtech/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:blindtech-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    mailto:blindtech-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    blindtech-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tony Sweeney" <tonysweeney1@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 2:25 PM
Subject: [vicsireland] Re: Kindle EBook reader.


Hi Flor, Darragh & Steve & All,

Thank you for that information!

I first heard mention of the Amazon Kindle on Marian Finucane's programme
last weekend.

They hope to have incidentally a technology slot on her show every month or
so!

I wonder if there is anything that Vics or say NCBI should be doing in order
to add their voice to "demanding"  accessibility of The Kindle for blind
persons.

It always seems a shame that when we sometimes we think WE'RE THERE we are
sometimes two steps behind!

Tony
----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Flor Lynch" <florlync@xxxxxx>
To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12:38 PM
Subject: [vicsireland] Re: Kindle EBook reader.


> Hi Darragh and list:
>
> While the Kindle 2 does have text read aloud functionality, its menus and
> controls are visual, and unfortunately are not speech accessible and do
not
> speak.  here's an article from the US pertaining to it and the NFB's
> [national Federation of the Blind] response to a 'concern' raised by a
third
> party.
>
>
> National Federation of the Blind Responds to Authors Guild
> Statement on the Amazon Kindle 2
>
> Baltimore, Maryland (February 12, 2009): The National Federation of
> the Blind, the largest organization of blind people in the United
> States, today responded to a statement put out by the Authors Guild
> advising its members to consider negotiating contracts prohibiting
> e-books to be read aloud by the new Amazon Kindle 2, which
> incorporates text-to-speech technology. The Authors Guild argues that
> the reading of a book out loud by a machine is a copyright
> infringement unless the copyright holder has specifically granted
> permission for the book to be read aloud.
>
> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
> said: "The National Federation of the Blind supports all technologies
> that allow blind people to have better access to the printed word,
> including the ability of devices like the Kindle 2 to read commercial
> e-books aloud using text-to-speech technology. Although the Authors
> Guild claims that it supports making books accessible to the blind,
> its position on the inclusion of text-to-speech technology in the
> Kindle 2 is harmful to blind people. The Authors Guild says that
> having a book read aloud by a machine in the privacy of one's home or
> vehicle is a copyright infringement. But blind people routinely use
> readers, either human or machine, to access books that are not
> available in alternative formats like Braille or audio. Up until now,
> no one has argued that this is illegal, but now the Authors Guild
> says that it is. This is absolutely wrong. The blind and other
> readers have the right for books to be presented to us in the format
> that is most useful to us, and we are not violating copyright law as
> long as we use readers, either human or machine, for private rather
> than public listening. The key point is that reading aloud in private
> is the same whether done by a person or a machine, and reading aloud
> in private is never an infringement of copyright.
>
> "Amazon has taken a step in the right direction by including
> text-to-speech technology for reading e-books aloud on its new Kindle
> 2," Dr. Maurer continued. "We note, however, that the device itself
> cannot be used independently by a blind reader because the controls
> to download a book and begin reading it aloud are visual and
> therefore inaccessible to the blind. We urge Amazon to rectify this
> situation as soon as possible in order to make the Kindle 2 a device
> that truly can be used both by blind and sighted readers. By doing
> so, Amazon will make it possible for blind people to purchase a new
> book and begin reading it immediately, just as sighted people do."
>
> ###
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Darragh" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:11 AM
> Subject: [vicsireland] Kindle EBook reader.
>
>
> Good morning,
>
> I heard some interesting news in Windows Weekly this morning about an
EBook
> reader from Amazon called Kindle version 2 that contains text to speech
> functionality.  I.e, it has the ability to convert text in an EBook to
> synthesized speech.
>
> I only looked for some text to verify this for a moment so the link below
> may not be the best source of information around but it's a start.
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123419309890963869.html
>
> The device is a tad pricy and I doubt many would be interested but it's
> great that the functionality is there.
>
>
> Darragh
>
> ===========================================================
> The vicsireland mailing list
>
> To unsubscribe at any time send a mail to:
>
> vicsireland-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> with the word "unsubscribe", without the quotes in the subject of the
message.
>
> To contact the moderator send mail to:
>
> tim.j.culhane@xxxxxxxxx
>
> For mor information on the Visually Impaired Computer Society visit:
>
> http://www.vicsireland.org
>

===========================================================
The vicsireland mailing list

To unsubscribe at any time send a mail to:

vicsireland-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

with the word "unsubscribe", without the quotes in the subject of the 
message.

To contact the moderator send mail to:

tim.j.culhane@xxxxxxxxx

For mor information on the Visually Impaired Computer Society visit:

http://www.vicsireland.org


===========================================================
The vicsireland mailing list

To unsubscribe at any time send a mail to:

vicsireland-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

with the word "unsubscribe", without the quotes in the subject of the message. 

To contact the moderator send mail to:

tim.j.culhane@xxxxxxxxx

For mor information on the Visually Impaired Computer Society visit:

http://www.vicsireland.org

Other related posts: