Kindle2, A Brave new Accessible World... Almost

Regular readers of this blog know that when Amazon trumpeted its new speech enhanced Kindle2 as an accessible reading device, certain blind people went ballistic. They had a couple reasons, one of which is balid, though how they handled their protest is another matter. The fact is that although the Kindle2 does use a digitally delivered voice to read the books themselves, the navigation is not only not readable but is in small print. Therefore a person who could not read the books without the speech output cannot read the menus at all. And although I can get around some of that with a magnifier, many people with print impairments will have to rely on other people to find the books they have downloaded. And that is definitely not cool.

I'm a problem solver besides, so I can handle most barriers on my new Kindle2 -- ues, I bought one. I had a little cash and two choices.. to buy the Victor Reader Stream and have access to downloadable books from the NLS and other special libraries for print impaired people, or a kindle2. Since I have pretty much cleared out the titles the NLS has in my chosen genres, and since I will get to borrow a Stream from the library eventually, I decided on the Kindle2. Even if the pickin's are slim there now I figure books I like will make it to Kindle soon enough and what's more new books will show up there months before the NLS. I figured out that one does not need to use the Kindle Store on the Kindle itself but can get books on Amazon's web site. I can memorize the location of some of the menu items I am most likely to read. And when push comes to shove, I have other assistive devices that I can incestuously use to access the Kindle2's screen.

There are several things I absolutely love about my new Kindle2, which I named loki. (Ok, Ok, but I like trickster gods, all right?) Most important to me is the voices installed. There is a female and a male and they are both remarkably good voices. I have heard many, many such all the way from robot sounding to quite human, and this one is perhaps the second best I have ever heard. however, as Amazon's central purpose for adding a screen reader is to attract people who are not print impaired, I am afraid the Kindle2 and this feature may be short-lived. "Sighted people won't put up with it," as one blind acquaintance observed. What sounds clear and acceptable to us is awkward and even undecipherable to people who have not been listening to digital boices for years and years.

I like the weight and size of the thing. It is obnly 1/3 of an inch thick and about the size of a paperback book. i bought myself a pretty little folksy shoulder bag to carry it around in. It has speakers, so I will not need to listen on headphones as I do with my iPod. Most of all I like the instant access to books I want to read. No wait even for a package to arrive... boom, there it is.

Last but decidedly not least, my own novel is now on Kindle! Not only is it available to others and at about a quarter of the price, I can read it now too! One frustration I have had with my beautiful print book is that it may as well have been written in Greek for all I know.. I can't read the print. But the other day my fully sighted husband and I sat on our couch and listened to the introductio to An Involuntary King.. and we h both had tears in our eyes.

My husband, Jim, is now more or less patiently waiting for the next version of Kindle with full speech output so I can buy it, and he can have Loki!