Hasta La Gadget!

While the Amazon Kindle’s text-to-speech functionality might seem like a gimmick for some, it’s anything but for blind, vision-impaired and dyslexic users. Unfortunately, the device’s accessibility so far hasn’t extended to the menus. That’s set to change next year, however, with Amazon promising to release an audible menuing system for navigating the unit look-free. Amazon’s also prepping a new “super size” font, that doubles the current largest font in height and width. It all sounds great, but it also seems like a subtle dig at Barnes & Noble, whose brand new Nook reader is skipping out on text-to-speech (for this generation, anyway). Barnes & Noble claims that it’s due to the sub-par experience on “other devices,” but for now that means the Kindle might just be most accessible dedicated e-reader around — at least once this new software rolls out, supposedly by summer 2010.

Amazon beefing up Kindle’s functionality for vision-impared users as B&N’s Nook stays silent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thanks to a very generous anonymous tipster, we’ve gotten a number of hands-on pics of Barnes & Noble‘s soon to be released (for some) Nook e-reader. The impressions we’ve been given, however, weave a tale of a laggy Android interface, which sounds like what we noticed with the first introduction video. Other fun facts include in-store WiFi browsing coming in 2010, and an important clarification that cover-to-cover book browsing over BN’s network only works for an hour at a time, not unlimited. We’re itching to get our own hands on it, but in the meantime, gloss over these gracious pics. Excerpts from the tipster after the break.

Continue reading Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on

Barnes & Noble’s Nook gets a brief and early hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you didn’t feel you got the whole Story yesterday, here’s a pleasing helping of seconds, this time in the form of a full-on review. The PC Pro team rates iriver’s Kindle emulator as a “serious contender,” and places its readability on par with Sony’s touch-less Readers. While congratulations are also meted out for a decent integrated MP3 player, 3.5mm headphone jack, and the wide variety of supported formats, two issues stood out for the reviewers. One was that the support for Word, Excel and Powerpoint files was somewhat hit-and-miss, with zooming sometimes not working and rendering some files unreadable. But the major gripe related to the asking price of £230 including taxes (around $380), which the Story was not considered capable of justifying. Hit the link below for more — even if your interest is purely academic.

iriver Story reviewed, incites rebellion over price originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hardware construction is a funny thing. Sometimes, regardless of the money you throw at something, you just can’t get products to come together any quicker. Evidently that’s the case with Barnes & Noble’s Nook, which has seen its estimated ship date slip from today to sometime after the holidays, and now to January 11th. There’s still a sliver of hope that you’ll be able to snag one from a high-traffic retail location on December 7th, but unless you’re planning on abandoning ship and helping the Kindle have its new best month ever, the realistic choices are pretty clear: a) pay Tickle Me Elmo-like prices on eBay or b) drop an IOU in a nicely wrapped box, preferably with a cute puppy. We suggest the latter.

[Thanks, Dave and Wes]

P.S. – We’re also hearing that pre-orders (even those placed moments after it was announced) are also being pushed back, though hopefully they’ll still be received before December 25th.

Nook ship date slips to January 11th, supply chain managers weep originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Other than a delightful-looking keyboard, it’s a little tough to tell what sets the iriver Story apart from its E Ink brethren (other than its complete lack of wireless), but the little issue of a $400 US pricetag for import versions doesn’t give us much reason to find out. Meanwhile, in the UK the somewhat more reasonable £230 tag has been affixed to the now-shipping e-reader, and while that’s still a tad bit more than just shipping a Kindle to the UK, if you’re still interested you can feel free to check out a few videos after the break that do a mild job of explaining the device to a rollicking soundtrack of Taylor Swift.

Continue reading iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount

iriver Story up for sale in the UK, can be imported to the US for contrarian amount originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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