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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Tribune Co. has hired investment bankers to advise the media company on the sale of its newspaper publishing unit, according to a source familiar with the matter. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a legal motion that brings to mind Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, three independent bookstores, including tiny Posman Books in Grand Central, have filed a class action suit charging Amazon.com and the Big Six publishers with monopolizing the ebook market. The complaint asks that Amazon and the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The stores charge that secret agreements made between the publishers and Amazon give Amazon the advantage in selling ebooks, but some industry observers find flaws in their logic. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is pursuing more direct relationships with literary agents and authors, targeting them... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emue Books is a new Australian publisher with an unexpected mission: publishing Francophone literature and reviving "fairness" in publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall has climbed the Amazon charts following saturation media coverage... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the iPad is seemingly tailor-made for books of all kinds, you'd think Audible would leap on the opportunity to produce an optimized audiobook app -- it wasn't quite so eager, as customers have since discovered. Apple tablet owners won't have to perpetually lean on the stock music app for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2013-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When you buy an ebook from Amazon, it's yours, right? Technically speaking, Amazon is merely licensing the book to you. And the company can, seemingly on a whim, close your account and delete all your books. This isn't likely to happen, but it gives me pause. Indeed, it makes me want to back up... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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James Daunt has restated his view that Amazon operates in an advantageous fiscal environment in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Finally, a way to browse the Kindle Lending Library in your browser. As an avid reader, and an especially big fan of ebooks, I thought subscribing to Amazon Prime seemed like a good idea. After all, the $79/year membership lets you check out one ebook per month from the Kindle Lending Library,... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2013-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon is said to be involved in a scandal in Germany, with a documentary accusing the retailer... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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I had a nice surprise Valentine’s Day gift delivered to my door this morning -- a box of ten copies of my new novel (I Know What You Did Last Supper) courtesy of my publisher and fresh off the press. It seemed weird holding the book. Not just because it’s my first novel (co-authored with a... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Following strife in Bamako, Mali, France's Etonnants Voyageurs has launched a new book and film festival in Brazzaville, Congo—one for all of Africa. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon has patented a technology that allows customers to sell their previously read ebooks, audiobooks, music and movies in the same way that they can now sell print books, DVDs, and CDs. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With ebooks’ share of unit sales rising from 14% for the first nine months of 2011 to 22% for the same period in 2012, the biggest winners among retailers were Amazon and dedicated ebookstores and digital download sites. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Radical booksellers and publishers have banded together following a suspicious fire at an... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With the appointment of new executive director Andrea Vuleta in January, the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association is looking forward to the implementation of changes that will strengthen and rejuvenate the regional association. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon saw record sales growth of 22% to $21bn (£13bn) over the Christmas period, with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Verge has started offering advertisers like Ford pre-roll video ads. But in this case, Ford doesn't need its agency, as The Verge produced these Web video spots, using its own technology and editorial staff. Indeed, the tech-centric publication is looking to take native advertising to... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spar has installed Amazon collection lockers into nine of its convenience stores to make them... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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