Hi, Kim. I'm relying on the following two sentences from the RNIB document for which Steve gave the link:
Amazon also have a version of Kindle for PC which incorporates a text-to-speech feature for book content. This feature works for all books downloaded from the Kindle store, even those which have text-to-speech disabled. I haven't yet attempted to verify this statement from experience, since the book I needed to purchase did have text-to-speech enabled. -----Original Message----- From: Kimber Gardner [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 11:02 AM To: Adrian Spratt; The Jaws for Windows support list. Subject: Re: Kindle Books, not all have audio! Adrian, Although every kindle title has the potential to be accessed via text to speech, some publishers have chosen to block that access. The reasoning, as I understand it, is that they believe allowing TTsS would/might negatively impact audiobook sales. We all know this is ridiculous, but that is the reason as given. Interestingly, TTS need only be enabled if you are reading on a kindle device. If you are using a kindle app on your iPhone, the TTS access need not be enabled for you to read the book. Kim On 12/19/14, Adrian Spratt via Jfw <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks to this and other posts in this thread, I succeeded in downloading > the Kindle for PC app along with the book I needed to read. Steve is too > modest to own up to being the author of the RNIB document he links to. It is > a great resource. > > If I understand correctly, there is text-to-speech on all Kindle books, even > if not so designated, but to make it work you must have your screenreader > loaded. > > In case anyone encounters the same annoyance I did, your downloaded Kindle > books are in a list, but unlike regular lists, you need to navigate with the > left and right arrow keys, as well as up and down. I'm grateful that Steve > thought to mention this, along with other useful hints, in his RNIB > document. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Steve > Griffiths via Jfw > Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 4:54 AM > To: The Jaws for Windows support list. > Subject: RE: Kindle Books, not all have audio! > > Hi Tim, > > There are two types of audio with Kindle books, synthetic speech and human > narrated, and I think the person you spoke to at Amazon was confusing the > two. > > For reading with synthetic speech, all Kindle eBooks have a text-to-speech > setting within the product details heading on the page about that book. The > setting governs whether they will read with synthetic speech on a kindle > device like the kindle keyboard, and it has two options, "enabled" or "not > enabled". All Kindle eBooks can be read with synthetic speech in software > apps, which means Kindle for PC with accessibility, or the Kindle apps for > iOS and Android, or the Kindle Fire. So long as you have the Kindle for PC > with accessibility version, you should be able to open the app and pick a > book with JAWS, and read the book with the built in speech synthesiser. This > should work for any book you buy from the Kindle Store. > > In the UK this autumn, but maybe earlier in the US, Amazon introduced the > "Whispersync for Voice" feature. This is where a Kindle eBook has an audio > companion. These are two separate purchases, but if you have both, you can > switch between reading the eBook with synthetic speech and the audio book > with human narration. Not all Kindle eBooks have an audio companion, in fact > at the moment in the UK very few do. It sounds to me as if the person you > spoke to was thinking of the Whispersync audio version rather than the > ability to read with synthetic speech, which does not require a separate > button to acquire. > > There are a couple of free books you can use to check out Whispersync for > voice, one of which is Dracula. I found this particularly good for > demonstrating the potential, because it contains a number of words of East > European origin that I was unfamiliar with. I could use the audio version to > hear how a word is pronounced, and then switch to the synthetic speech > version on my iPhone to check its spelling. Very neat. But I don't know if I > would want to buy two versions of a book to get that feature! > > By the way, the RNIB have some good information about eBooks, although their > page on kindle apps doesn't include anything about Whispersync for voice: > http://www.rnib.org.uk/information-everyday-living-reading-ebook-app-reviews/kindle-ebook-apps > > Steve > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Guerra Access > Technology Training via Jfw > Sent: 19 December 2014 06:00 > To: 'Tim Ford'; 'The Jaws for Windows support list.' > Subject: RE: Kindle Books, not all have audio! > > Their was a movement several years ago about a rally against the Authors > Gild since they were mandating that not all authors should be made to make > their books with Audio. Hence this is the result of the authors guild still > not fixing it > > > Respectfully, > > Guerra Access Technology Training LLC > An Authorized state of Minnesota Vendor for Technology Training > > Call Guerra Access Technology Training LLC guerra Access Technology Training > LLC Visit Guerra Access Technology Training on the Web > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tim Ford via > Jfw > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 10:56 PM > To: Adrian Spratt; The Jaws for Windows support list. > Subject: Kindle Books, not all have audio! > > I was very excited when I successfully installed and used the Kindle P PC > software. I read some of the three books that come pre-loaded. I was able > to do that just fine. > > I then bought a Kindle book, a 2014 copyright date. It showed up on my > Kindle software. I went to read it, and got no speech. I called Amazon, > and found that not all Kindle books, even new ones, have the audio. There > is nothing to warn a blind purchaser that they are buying a print only > version. When I called Amazon, they confirmed the book I had purchased had > no audio. The rep said the only way to tell is that when you are in your > shopping cart, there is apparently a separate button to buy the version with > audio included. I told him Amazon should put up a warning, since the > absence of an audio version button would not warn someone like me who > assumed all new Kindle books came with the audio included. > > So, excitement is all gone. Amazon did of course refund my money, and said > to check back every couple of weeks to see if the seller had responded yet > to Amazon's request to add an audio version. Oh well. > > Tim Ford > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Adrian Spratt via Jfw > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 7:59 PM > To: The Jaws for Windows support list. > Subject: RE: Accessible method of converting Kindle book? > > Thanks for posting this useful information, but it leaves a question. If > this Kindle comes with its own two voices, why is JAWS needed? Or put > another way, are you saying we can ignore Amazon's voices and work just with > JAWS? That's what I'd want. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andre Jarreau > via Jfw > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 9:11 PM > To: 'Nicole Massey'; 'The Jaws for Windows support list.' > Subject: RE: Accessible method of converting Kindle book? > > Yes there is a Kindle version with built in JAWS accessibility. It's called > Kindle_for_PC with JAWS screenreader plug-in already installed in it. > JAWS works pretty well with it. Call Amazon Cust Support and ask for the > Kindle_for_PC with JAWS screenreader plug-in download. They will assist > with getting everything onto your computer and stay with you until you get > it up and running. > > Be ware the Kindle speech synthesizer has only two voices, Male and > female. > Neither is very good and understanding what is written sometimes takes a > little time. But overall it does work fairly well with JAWS. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nicole Massey > via Jfw > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 7:49 PM > To: 'Tim Ford'; 'The Jaws for Windows support list.' > Subject: RE: Accessible method of converting Kindle book? > > Well, the Kindle player for Windows should let you access it, though I don't > know how accessible that application is. Anyone got any experience with it? > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jfw [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tim Ford >> via Jfw >> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 6:46 PM >> To: The Jaws for Windows support list. >> Subject: Accessible method of converting Kindle book? >> >> I want to read a book that so far as I can tell, is available only in >> print or Kindle. It is a 2014 copyright date. Is there any method, >> accessible with JAWS, by which I can purchase the Kindle version, and >> convert it to some file I can access? >> >> Tim Ford >> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was >> scrubbed... >> URL: <http://lists.the-jdh.com/pipermail/jfw_lists.the- >> jdh.com/attachments/20141218/9504746f/attachment.html> >> _______________________________________________ >> Jfw mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > Don't miss Text Santa: Friday 19 December, 8.00pm on ITV1. > A galaxy of stars will entertain viewers in a three-hour extravaganza. > Guide Dogs is one of six beneficiary charities and our amazing work will be > showcased by famous > faces, involving viewers with our vital services. Find out more at > www.guidedogs.org.uk/textsanta > > The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association > Registered Office: Hillfields, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 > 3YG. A company limited by > guarantee registered in England and Wales (291646) and a charity registered > in England and Wales > (209617) and Scotland (SC038979). > > Tel: 0118 9835555 > Website: www.guidedogs.org.uk > Email: [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > > _______________________________________________ > Jfw mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com > -- Kimberly _______________________________________________ Jfw mailing list [email protected] http://lists.the-jdh.com/mailman/listinfo/jfw_lists.the-jdh.com
