I totally agree with what you say Chela.The speech tts is pretty good, but it takes getting used to, and the help sucks the big one. I wonder why they didn't concentrate on getting the material to the screen reader which they require you have anyway. Why reinvent the wheel?
I'm pretty sure it won't work at all with Braille displays which, once again, leaves our deaf blind community out in the cold. Are you folks getting chill bumps yet?
However, I'm glad they are working on making their books accessible. I'd give them a c plus for a pretty good beginning.
Bob (who isn't going to be using his Kindle reader much)----- Original Message ----- From: "Chela Robles" <cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 6:11 PMSubject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Fwd: Introducing Free Kindle Software with Accessibility Features
This new version of the Kindle app appears quite accessible with JAWS. Upon launching it, you register with your Amazon e-mail and password. I purchased a Kindle book and was able to read it without difficulty. The software uses its own TTS speech engine to read books you purchase, which explains its over 200 megabyte download. So far the only thing I find annoying is difficulty in utilizing the search function for quickly moving to a phrase in a book, not being able to navigate through the table of contents, and only being able to read one page at a time rather than read continuously. Of course, perhaps reading the manual will shed light on how to do this. As a consumer, my only real complaint with the Kindle, and most ebook platforms for that matter, is being limited to a proprietary format, as I would like to read lawfully purchased ebooks on whatever device and whatever medium I choose, be it PC, iPhone, or Braille notetaker. However, it's encouraging to see that ebooks which incorporate digital rights management schemes can indeed be accessed with speech. Hopefully other ebook manufacturers such as NFB Technologies and Google are taking notice.But what's up with the help! It took me to the Kindle Store. I wanted more information about reading keys, and couldn't find it. Also, that reading voice really is useful only in a pintch. Any nonstandard English word causes it to stumble.--"To me, music that breaks your heart is the music that stays with you forever. It's one thing to be melancholy and one thing to be sophisticated, but when you get the two of them together in a way people can relate to, then I think you're on to something. You want the sophistication to lie in the purity of the sound, the beauty of the arrangements, and the quality of the performances."-Trumpeter Chris Botti---- Chela Robles AIM/Twitter/MySpace/E-Mail: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx Skype: jazzytrumpet WindowsLive Messenger: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxxxx Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chela.robles Text my Cell at: 19252505955I volunteer for a non-profit organization called Bookshare, to find out more go to: http://www.bookshare.org Visit my Blog Piece from RFB&D and fill out the comment form and enjoy the blog and sound clips: http://www.rfbd.org/Blog/Access-and-Achievement/144/vobId__2525/------- Original Message ----- From: "Ann Petrous" <annpetrous@xxxxxxxxx>To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:20 PMSubject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: OT: Fwd: Introducing Free Kindle Software with Accessibility FeaturesThat's awesome. Now can you download that ap on a kindal? If nso, then I would toatally buy one. Lol -----Original Message----- From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Debby Franson Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 4:52 PM To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [bksvol-discuss] OT: Fwd: Introducing Free Kindle Software with Accessibility Features Hi everyone!I am excited to try this app. It will avail many of us another source forbooks. DebbySubject: Fwd: Introducing Free Kindle Software with Accessibility Features[] Dear blind-interest@xxxxxxxxxx subscriber, Amazon.com is releasing a new version of Kindle for PC that adds accessibility features designed for blind and low-vision customers. Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin is a free, downloadable application for your Windows PC. It provides the following accessibility features: text-to-speech reading with adjustable voice settings, voice-guided menu navigation, large font sizes, high contrast reading mode, keyboard navigation, and accessible shortcuts. With this software, for the first time ever, the entire collection of English language books in the Kindle Store can be read aloud. With over 750,000 English language titles, Amazon offers the largest selection of accessible ebooks. In order to use the text-to-speech feature, an external screen reader program must be installed and running on the Windows PC. The free download is available at <http://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?R=2K2H70RHZWU7M&C=1BCY59BXVQFS0&H=CHDG0V1IERAWLK7B8GVBJJVQCIWA&T=C&U=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fkindle%2Faccessibi lity%3Fref_%3Dpe_71480_18358260>www.amazon.com/kindle/accessibility.We welcome your feedback at <mailto:kindle-PC-accessibility-feedback@xxxxxxxxxx>kindle-PC-accessibility-feedback@xxxxxxxxxxxSincerely, The Kindle Team C 2011 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, the Amazon a logo, the AmazonKindle logo, Kindle, and Whispersync are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue, North, Seattle, WA 98109. Reference:18358260Please note that this message was sent to the following e-mail address: bafrans@xxxxxxxxx []-- mailto:<the.bee@xxxxxxxxxxxx> --Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreamingabout nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.--Ecclesiastes 6:9 NLT To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxput the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list ofavailable commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxput the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxput the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. 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