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 partners with Co-op for collection lockers

Amazon has partnered with Co-operative Food to install collection-lockers in some of its stores... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon partners


EL James hits one million mark on Kindle in UK

EL James has been revealed as Amazon.co.uk’s bestselling ebook author ever, with her debut... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #million mark #el james


Kobo eReader Touch Edition packs bags for Japan, books flight for July

Rakuten's $315 million buyout of Kobo will bear some e-reader fruit come July. The e-tailer's CEO and chairman, Hiroshi Mikitani, announced plans to release the Kobo eReader Touch Edition in Japan next month for 10,000 yen (on par with its $130 US sticker price). Timing is key, of course --... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #announced plans #kindle touch #permalinkthe verge


Flipboard finally brings its magazine-like news reader to Android

Flipboard, the social newsreader with a stylish magazine-like design, has emerged from beta and is now available free for all Android devices, including the Kindle Fire (although it’s optimized for smartphones rather than tablets). Editor's Note: It's not compatible with my ASUS Transformer Pad... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2012-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news reader #kindle fire #wired magazine #usa today #american readers


Jacket Copy: Amazon categorizes Rodney King's memoir as 'criminal biography'

After Rodney King's unexpected death this weekend at the age of 47, his recent book began climbing the charts. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jacket copy #rodney king #unexpected death


OPA Study Reveals Attitudes of Today’s Tablet User

New York, NY − June 18, 2012 − The Online Publishers Association (OPA) has released “A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User – Wave II,” a study unveiling a range of trends on the attitudes and be ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tablet user


IDPF, Kobo, and Imago’s iSee Guides at BEA 2012

There was plenty of digital activity at this year BookExpo America, starting with the IDPF Digital Book 2012, which emphasized what IDPF executive director Bill McCoy said was the results of the “experimentation” and the “doers.” IDPF featured such “doers” as marketer and publishing maverick... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital activity


Ann Patchett calls out Amazon

In a speech at BookExpo America, the author and bookstore owner said Amazon 'wants to kill us.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookexpo america #bookstore owner


Amazon and Avalon in a tree, publishing romance books di-gi-tal-ly

Amazon Publishing and long-running book-maker Avalon now has more in common than rhyme schemes. The pair have struck up a deal to publish over 3,00 titles from the publisher's back-catalogue, broaching its romance, mystery and western genres. It'll be the first time that these books will be... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon publishing


2012 Summer Reading Guide

For book lovers, the summer is always a busy, exciting season, and this year is no exception. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book lovers


Media Decoder Blog: Attacking Amazon, Authors Group Urges Opposition to E-Book Settlement

The Authors Guild is encouraging its 8,500 members to submit comments against the proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and three large publishers. The settlement, the guild argues, will only benefit Amazon. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #e-book settlement #proposed settlement #authors guild #large publishers


Nook De-Kindles Classic Books

Some classic public domain books for the Nook appear to be stripped of any mention of the word "Kindle," no matter what the context, resulting in some odd reading.One blogger recently discovered that his downloaded 99-cent Nook version of War and Peace, ported by Superior Formatting Publishing... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2012-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular book


Amazon 'predatory', Penguin tells DoJ

Penguin and Macmillan have hit back at US government claims that they colluded to fix the price... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hit back #government claims


Headline fires up Tinder Press

Headline is set to grow its literary fiction publishing with the launch of a new imprint,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tinder press


Early News Apps Evolve Based on Lessons Learned, User Demands

When Apple introduced the iPad tablet in 2010, many newspaper publishers were eager to step up and create apps for the device. These early adopters recognized the tablet as an important medium to attract audiences and gain revenue, and they introduce ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ipad tablet #lessons learned #apple introduced #newspaper publishers #important medium #attract audiences #gain revenue


Amazon and IPG US reach settlement

Amazon and the Independent Publishers Group in the US have reached a settlement over their ebook... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Amazon, Publisher Settle Digital Books Dispute

A three month long dispute over the sale of digital books between Amazon.com Inc. and a leading independent book distributor has been resolved, both parties said Friday. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2012-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Tax protest disrupts Amazon shareholders meeting

A protest demonstration has disrupted Amazon.com's latest shareholder meeting in Seattle,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Mixed reactions continue to Waterstones Amazon deal

Reactions of surprise and bemusement have continued in the trade today in the wake of this... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Daunt: Waterstones customers 'want Kindle'

Waterstones m.d. James Daunt has said the deal with Amazon to sell its e-reading devices and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #waterstones customers #james daunt #e-reading devices