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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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 16/08/2011 - 15:46 Amazon's move into publishing is a "concern" and the business is close to being in a monopolistic position, according to the c.e.o. of HarperCollins. Victoria Barnsley was the latest book trade figure to appear on BBC Radio 4's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 10/08/2011 - 15:45 Amazon has launched a Kindle Cloud Reader app, just two weeks after it, along with other ebooksellers, was forced to remove links to its Kindle store from its native app by Apple. The company said the new tool could be used... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magazine publisher Future has appointed a new non-executive chairman, Peter Allen, who will take over from longtime incumbent Roger Parry in the autumn. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2011-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 29/07/2011 - 15:31 A literary plagiarism allegation from the 1950s is set to be given its first detailed airing in a new biography of much-loved novelist Georgette Heyer. Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller by Jennifer Kloester (Wm... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Even though ad exchanges and networks were created to lubricate the buying and selling of digital ad inventory, the system is still far from slippery. One lingering issue is that of transparency: when online publishers cant sell all their inventory directly to advertisers (often at a premium),... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2011-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 07:40 The Irish Competition Authority has cleared the acquisition of The Book Depository by Amazon after a three-week investigation into the deal. In a short statement, the authority said: "[We have] formed the view that the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 27/07/2011 - 08:17 The Irish Competition Authority has cleared the acquisition of The Book Depository by Amazon after a three week investigation into the deal. In a short statement, the authority said: "[We have] formed the view that the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the latest development in Apples contentious relationship with booksellers, the countrys two biggest ebook retailersAmazon and Barnes & Noblehave stopped selling their wares directly to customers through their Apple apps, reports the Wall Street Journal. Canadian bookseller Kobo did... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 26/07/2011 - 08:50 Stephen Leather's bestselling ebooks The Basement and Once Bitten are to be republished under Amazon.co.uk's Encore programme. He will join other indie writers such as Joe Konrath who have been picked by the initiative, which... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 26/07/2011 - 09:14 Amazon has followed digital manufacturer Kobo and retailer Branes & Noble in complying with Apple's app purchasing rules. The retailer removed the "shop button that sent consumers to its site to buy ebooks on Monday... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Tue, 26/07/2011 - 09:30 Amazon.com is reportedly in discussions with e-commerce companies in India in a bid to expand into one of the world's fastest-growing economies. The company could enter the market as early as first quarter 2012. It is in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: M J Deschamps in Ottawa Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 15:02 Canadian publishers have attacked the decision by Indigo Books & Music, the country's biggest bookshop chain, to stock fewer books and evaluate returns on a shorter time frame. They claim it is putting extra... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 21/07/2011 - 09:08 Amazon.co.uk has launched a service allowing customers to trade in old textbooks in exchange for gift card credit on their Amazon account. The UK e-retailer is allowing customers to send textbooks to Amazon free-of-charge, but... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Mon, 18/07/2011 - 15:22 Amazon.com is giving students the ability to rent textbooks on Kindle e-readers. The company said students can save up to 80% off textbook prices with the new initiative, which launched today. Kindle Textbook Rental will also... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After debuting on the Android 3.0 Honeycomb platform for tablets last month, the Zinio digital newsstand is now universally available on all Android devices. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 15/07/2011 - 14:31 Vintage has made 12 titles by The Woman in Black author Susan Hill available to buy as ebooks for the first time across the UK and Commonwealth. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 11/07/2011 - 16:02 Quadrille has acquired a fourth book in its New Voices in Food series, written by food blogger Niamh Shields. Editorial director Anne Furniss bought world rights to Comfort and Spice through agent Clare Hulton. The book... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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By Tim Conneally, Betanews The first e-reader to be integrated with Google eBooks is from iriver and will be exclusive to Target in the US. Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 11/07/2011 - 08:45 Amazon.co.uk is creating 900 jobs by opening its seventh fulfilment centre in Rugeley, Staffordshire. The 700,000 square foot centre will begin fulfilling orders from September and aims to employ more than 900 permanent and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 08:27 HarperCollins has bought four books by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards, whose self-published novels have been Amazon bestsellers, in a six-figure, pre-empt deal. Commissioning editor Kate Bradley bought world rights from agent Sam... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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