Amazon bringing Voice Guide and Explore by Touch features to Kindle Fires for vision-impaired users

Amazon's been attuned to the needs of its vision-impaired customers for years, first rolling out text-to-speech technology on its original Kindle e-reader years ago. Today the company revealed plans to add to that feature set in its Kindle Fire and Fire HD (7-inch) tablets with Voice Guide and Explore by Touch technology. Voice Guide's an improvement upon regular text-to-speech tech that reads aloud any action performed by users -- things like announcing app names and book titles when they're selected. Explore by Touch lets folks swipe their fingers across their Fire's display and identifies each onscreen item as their phalanges pass over them. Once aware of what app or piece of content's being touched, a simple tap opens the item. Ready for the new assisted navigation experience right now? Well, all you anxious Fire owners will have to wait, the update doesn't land until early next year.Filed under: Tablets, Software, AmazonCommentsSource: Amazon Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2012-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #feature set #reads aloud #book titles

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Amazon bringing Voice Guide and Explore by Touch features to Kindle Fires for vision-impaired users'


Amazon to donate Kindles to developing countries

Amazon has established a programme to donate Kindle e-readers, ebooks and Fire tablets to readers in developing nations. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #developing countries #fire tablets


Amazon 'Kindle Reading Fund' makes books more available to those without access

The ability to read is something many of us take for granted. At a young age, you probably had tons of books in your homes and schools, enabling you to learn to both read and write. Believe it or not, not everyone has access to books. Isn't that sad? Luckily, Amazon is looking to change this.... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #makes books #fire tablets #kindle ebooks


Steinem and le Carré feature in Amazon's new Singles Classics

Amazon.com has launched a Singles Classics range on Kindle featuring short stories and essays from writers such as John le Carré and Gloria Steinem. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #gloria steinem


A shared ambition to bring forth more diverse voices

We'd like to build bridges between the writing development sector and the publishing industry, to address diversity and to build new readers for contemporary writing, writes Claire Malcolm of New Writing North. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #build bridges #diverse voices #publishing industry #contemporary writing #writing north


Amazon Prime Day: books and Kindles on offer

Amazon has launched its second Prime Day promotional bonanza, offering deals on products every five minutes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon made flipping through books on Kindles and tablets easier

As useful (and as crazy thin) as e-readers can be, there's something terribly satisfying about thumbing through a sheaf of processed plant matter with words on it. While you'll never get the same sensory experience using a Kindle, Amazon at least tri... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon launches £269 Kindle Oasis

Amazon has announced its thinnest and lightest e-reader, the Kindle Oasis, "designed to feel weightless". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lightest e-reader #kindle oasis


Amazon's latest Kindle skinny but expensive

Will loyal fans of ebooks be willing to pay tablet prices for dedicated e-readers? Amazon is about to find out. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #loyal fans #dedicated e-readers


Amazon's high-end Kindle Oasis is sleek, sharp and pricey

Jeff Bezos probably wasn't pleased to see his surprise spoiled this week, but ebook fans still have reason to get pumped. Amazon just pulled back the curtain on its new premium reader, the Kindle Oasis, and it's the slimmest and sleekest model the c... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jeff bezos #ebook fans #kindle oasis


Amazon Introduces Kindle Oasis Premium E-reader

The Kindle Oasis is the eighth edition of Amazon's Kindle e-reading devices and is designed to be lighter, thinner and offers a new dual battery system. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle oasis


Amazon CEO hints at new, high-end Kindle

Amazon.com chief executive Jeff Bezos said that his company is about to debut a new version of the Kindle ebook reader. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Your older Amazon Kindle may lose connectivity today, but there's an update

The Amazon Kindle has been around since 2007, and plenty of updates have been made to both hardware software during the years since it was released. If you have an older model then it still works just fine and, while Amazon would almost certainly like to sell you a new one, the company is still... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2016-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle


Amazon Echo can read your Kindle books aloud on request

You don't even need to lift a finger when you're done playing Jeopardy! on Amazon Echo and want to relax with a book. Simply say "Alexa, read [Kindle book title]," and the voice assistant will start narrating almost anything you purchased from the Ki... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon echo


Waterstones Begins Pulling Amazon Kindle From Its Shelves

According to reports in The Bookseller, many Waterstones bookstores have removed the Amazon Kindle from their shelves because of poor sales of the device. The post Waterstones Begins Pulling Amazon Kindle From Its Shelves appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon kindle #poor sales


Hands-on with Amazon's new Fire HD tablets: Cheap, yet refined

One thing's for sure, Amazon's thinner new Fire HD tablets aren't iPad killers. Instead, they're being positioned as the ideal budget tablets for consuming video, ebooks and music. To that end, Amazon didn't even upgrade their hardware much -- bot... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon Launch Kindle Unlimited in India with Local Partners

Amazon launched Kindle Unlimited in India with local publishing partners that include Jaico, Westland, Grapevine, Orient, and Sinclude, and more promised. The post Amazon Launch Kindle Unlimited in India with Local Partners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


EL James tops five-year Amazon Kindle chart

Amazon has released a list of its best-selling Kindle books over the last five years in the UK, with Fifty Shades writer EL James topping the ebook chart. Amazon has released the data to mark five years today (5th August) since it opened the Kindle Store in the UK. EL James’ original Fifty... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook chart #kindle store #el james


New Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon

Amazon has today launched  a new version of the Kindle Paperwhite, which will be available from the end of June. The latest generation of the device includes a new “typesetting engine for more beautiful pages”, an exclusive Kindle font called Bookerly, and “the highest resolution Paperwhite... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle paperwhite #today launched


Amazon Updates Kindle Unlimited and Lending Library Royalty Terms

Amazon is updating its royalty terms for authors enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners Lending Library and will pay authors based on the number of pages read in each book borrowed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle unlimited #pages read


The Amazon vet who is bringing order to Time Inc.’s tech sprawl

Heritage only goes so far these days for traditional publishers. That's why Time Inc. is betting big on technology -- and its new CTO Colin Bodell -- to reverse its print woes. Bodell, an Amazon vet, is looking to a mix of paywalls, e-commerce and shared databases to jump-start growth. “If I... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #traditional publishers #betting big #presidential election