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 ]
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President Obama has angered the American Booksellers Assn. with a planned appearance Tuesday at an Amazon warehouse.President Obama, who faithfully shops at independent bookstores when given the chance, has angered the American Booksellers Assn. with a planned appearance Tuesday at an Amazon... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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President Obama will highlight Amazon as 'a perfect example of the company that is investing in American workers and creating good, high-wage jobs,' according to the White House. Independent booksellers aren't pleased. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The online bookseller had dropped prices on some of its top-selling hardcovers, as much as 64% off retail.Bargain book shoppers must have been pleased looking at Amazon's bestseller list this weekend: The online bookseller had dropped prices on some of its top-selling hardcovers, as much as 64%... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new YouTube channel encourages readers to upload a video of themselves sharing a paragraph from a favorite book. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon posted a surprise loss of $7m (or £4.56m) in its second quarter, despite achieving a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Kindle Singles store, according to its editor David Blum, is “like a bookstore where the manager also edits the books.” Blum is that manager-editor, and under his guidance the store has grown to feature nearly 400 works since launching in January 2011. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Psychiatrist Christine Montross' encounters with patients in crisis thoughtfully weaves history, medicine and memoir.Lauren swallows scissors, light bulbs, batteries, bedsprings, knives. Eddie pinches pennies for plastic surgeries he can't afford and rubs his face raw with sandpaper trying to... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines UK has published a shopping guide in Mandarin Chinese, which is being handed out with 10,000 copies of the latest Elle Collections luxury fashion biannual. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2013-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Total revenue at Amazon rose 22% in the second quarter ended June 30, to $15.70 billion, while operating income fell 26%, to $79 million. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo America's 2014 Global Market Forum will be have an exciting new focus, Books in Translation: Wanderlust for the Written Word. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Saving Mr. Banks' stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as 'Poppins' author P.L. Travers in the story of how the children's book became a Disney film. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recorded books are now a billion-dollar business, which Amazon dominates perhaps like none other. Continue reading at The Atlantic
[ The Atlantic | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If you rely on a Kindle (or Kindle app) for reading, you probably know that it supports not only ebooks, but also PDFs. In fact, if you've done your homework, you also know that your Kindle (or Kindle app) has its own email address, meaning you can send any PDF straight to your device just by... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Icon Books has signed a self-published self-help book directly from the author. Kate Hewson,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The imprint, titled Jet City Comics, released its first title, a work named 'Symposium #1," on July 9. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tuesday morning Amazon Publishing announced a new comics and graphic novel imprint, Jet City Comics. It will publish graphic novels by George R.R. Martin, of "Game of Thrones" fame and others.It was only yesterday that I asked my editor when Comic-Con begins, because the comics-related... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing has revealed a new imprint dedicated to comics and graphic novels, called Jet... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Almost overnight, the New York book publishing landscape got a lot smaller—or bigger, if you happen to work for Random House or Penguin, which last week became the publishing industry behemoth Penguin Random House. With more than 10,000 employees, the new global publisher will control 25% of the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As far as media delivery goes, ebooks are pretty flat. You get the book and maybe some notes or background info from the publisher, and that's pretty much it. That's not good enough for Amazon. The company was just awarded a patent, which it originally applied for on November 24, 2010,... Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Worlds platform has opened in the US, with its guidelines advising that it is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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