Comments on: Amazon retreats on Kindle's text-to-speech issue

Retailer denies the feature violates any copyright but says publishers will decide whether to enable text-to-speech function for their books.

[Edward_Virtually]

A spineless move on Amazon's part, and one which may expose them to legal action later when a visually impaired Kindle 2 owner sues for violation of the ADA. Deliberately withholding the technology on the basis of profiteering (there can be no other reason) is both illegal and immoral.

[bookaholic8453]

Amazon will fix this. Wait and see.

[iBuzz]

The text-to-speech feature allows you to read along with the book while it is being read to you. There are a number of important use-cases for this. When you buy an audio book, you don't get the text, do you? And even if you had the text on the device, the display won't automatically sync and move to the next page when the voice starts to read the next page, correct? So, even if you bought both the text version and audio versions of the book, you still wouldn't have the same experience. This is terrible. I don't understand the objections by the authors and publishers. If you really want the audio (only!) experience of an audio book, the audio book offering still offers the real value of being read by a human voice, especially if it's the author. I don't think fans of audio books would abandon that format for a robot voice if they had the choice.

[TeacherTechy]

Why do authors and publishers want to exclude people who cannot read with their eyes from enjoying books? How can anybody think that text-to-speech on a book using synthesized speech is a copyright violation?

[dhfl143]

This is such a sad retreat and so disappointing. Children with dyslexia already face unsurmountable challenges.

see: www.dyslexiafacts.net

[MacGregg]

I am disabled but it is not out of my disability that I comment here. I am very disappointed to hear that Kindle 2 has lost text-to-speech and disappointed in Amazon that folded, Kendle has lost a lot of value to me!! text-to-speech has been around in computers for a long time and there are book read devices that also use it. I can not understand how this is a DRM issue at all. I just want it because it lets me do 2 things at once, I can drive to work and read a book at the same time... if I am unhappy with not have emphasis in the reading then it will be up to me to decide that I want an audio book. What happened to good old fashioned competition in the US? Now we just sue folks into submission. Even when they have no legal right! When will reading allowed be considered a DRM issue, after all that is text-to-speech too!!

I wont be buying a Kindle now and this is really disappointing, I've been waiting to buy Kendle 2 for months.