Comments on: Looking beyond the ‘Text-to-Speech’ Kindle Kerfuffle http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:01:59 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Stephen Windwalker http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/comment-page-1/#comment-1012540 Stephen Windwalker Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:52:08 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/#comment-1012540 Garson, thank you both for your kind words and for your own incisive and well-informed commentary. Garson, thank you both for your kind words and for your own incisive and well-informed commentary.

]]> By: Garson O'Toole http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/comment-page-1/#comment-1012453 Garson O'Toole Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:35:38 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/#comment-1012453 Much thanks to Stephen Windwalker for his informative article on this issue. If the Authors Guild sues Amazon to block the text-to-speech capability of the Kindle then it will experience horrendous publicity and it will face powerful opposition. The National Federation of the Blind, Microsoft, Apple and many other groups will fight for the right to use text-to-speech software. Consider the <a HREF="http://www.knfbreader.com/" rel="nofollow">knfbReader</A>, a handheld device that captures images of text for vision-impaired individuals and then reads the corresponding words aloud. Of course, the text enunciated by the gadget might be copyrighted, so the Guild would have to attack the National Federation of the Blind who sponsor the device. An <a HREF="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/11/kindle_complaint/" rel="nofollow">article at the Register</A> makes clear that the Guild would also have to take legal action against Microsoft and Apple if they wish to ban computerized oratory. Since: <blockquote>… text-reading capability is already built into modern computer operating systems, such as the Text-to-Speech capability in Windows XP and Vista, and Apple's VoiceOver, which was greatly improved in the current version of Mac OS X, aka Leopard. If you want a computer to read to you, you've been able to do so for years.</blockquote> Much of the text residing on a typical computer is copyrighted. The text passing through a browser is often copyrighted, so the Guild would have to ban accessibility tools that read-aloud the text displayed in a browser. A note on the Guild website says that the Kindle 2 isn't designed for use by the visually impaired. But what happens when Amazon releases a firmware update that is exactly aimed at enabling the Kindle 2 to be used by this group? The Guild should reconsider its strategy of making intemperate remarks that are apparently based on technological illiteracy and dubious legalisms. Much thanks to Stephen Windwalker for his informative article on this issue. If the Authors Guild sues Amazon to block the text-to-speech capability of the Kindle then it will experience horrendous publicity and it will face powerful opposition. The National Federation of the Blind, Microsoft, Apple and many other groups will fight for the right to use text-to-speech software.

Consider the knfbReader, a handheld device that captures images of text for vision-impaired individuals and then reads the corresponding words aloud. Of course, the text enunciated by the gadget might be copyrighted, so the Guild would have to attack the National Federation of the Blind who sponsor the device.

An article at the Register makes clear that the Guild would also have to take legal action against Microsoft and Apple if they wish to ban computerized oratory. Since:

… text-reading capability is already built into modern computer operating systems, such as the Text-to-Speech capability in Windows XP and Vista, and Apple’s VoiceOver, which was greatly improved in the current version of Mac OS X, aka Leopard. If you want a computer to read to you, you’ve been able to do so for years.

Much of the text residing on a typical computer is copyrighted. The text passing through a browser is often copyrighted, so the Guild would have to ban accessibility tools that read-aloud the text displayed in a browser.

A note on the Guild website says that the Kindle 2 isn’t designed for use by the visually impaired. But what happens when Amazon releases a firmware update that is exactly aimed at enabling the Kindle 2 to be used by this group? The Guild should reconsider its strategy of making intemperate remarks that are apparently based on technological illiteracy and dubious legalisms.

]]> By: Stephen Windwalker http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/comment-page-1/#comment-1012312 Stephen Windwalker Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:18:26 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/#comment-1012312 Yep, and I hope I haven't stolen a scene from the sequel to UR, Chris. Alan, no doubt it can be done. Perhaps I should have said that I wasn't aware of it being done commercially here in the safe ol' USA. Yep, and I hope I haven’t stolen a scene from the sequel to UR, Chris.

Alan, no doubt it can be done. Perhaps I should have said that I wasn’t aware of it being done commercially here in the safe ol’ USA.

]]> By: Chris Meadows http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/comment-page-1/#comment-1012290 Chris Meadows Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:54:20 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/#comment-1012290 That kind of reminds me of the scene from <i>Real Genius</i> where a classroom full of tape recorders listened to a tape recorder propped on the lectern giving a lecture. That kind of reminds me of the scene from Real Genius where a classroom full of tape recorders listened to a tape recorder propped on the lectern giving a lecture.

]]> By: Alan Wallcraft http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/comment-page-1/#comment-1012281 Alan Wallcraft Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:05:31 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/13/looking-beyond-the-text-to-speech-kindle-kerfuffle/#comment-1012281 Amazon's AZW ebooks are standard MOBIs and their DRM can easily be stripped by treating them as MOBIs. Amazon's TOPAZ format has not been hacked, and the text to speech to text approach is an interesting idea. My guess is that the transcription would not be accurate enough in practice though. Amazon’s AZW ebooks are standard MOBIs and their DRM can easily be stripped by treating them as MOBIs.

Amazon’s TOPAZ format has not been hacked, and the text to speech to text approach is an interesting idea. My guess is that the transcription would not be accurate enough in practice though.

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