[Marketing] [IAEP] AP: Schools shun Kindle, saying blind can't use it

[Yama Ploskonka]

I personally find the Kindle such a fad with short legs... Sorry, I will be
called a troll again ;-)

Anyway, a couple weeks ago USA Today had an article about some fancy school
that was giving up its (paper) book library because of pathetic low use, and
going for Kindles instead.  Like refusing to accept the fact that the
problem is not the technology, but that their overstimulated, gadgety kids
couldn't care less about reading, a standard issue in our neck of the
woods.
Giving them Kindles makes it look to the parents that the school is doing
/something/.  Sad.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm

NN's one-page computer ("XO 3")is the right concept for distributing a "book
like" experience, I believe, and if the XO were not burdened by a multilayer
software system, and the mouse buttons that get activated when pressed down
in e-book mode, the XO 1 itself could run circles around the Kindle.

As it is we could still do something, but I see other priorities, like
lowering the price of the XO 1.
Kindle-like performance ain't it, but then that's my opinion


On 11/12/09, Gary C Martin <gary at garycmartin.com> wrote:
>
> On 11 Nov 2009, at 18:44, Luke Faraone wrote:
>
> > On Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 13:35, Edward Cherlin <echerlin at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > So, no text-to-speech on Kindle? Very silly. The blind will have to
> > wait for the mp3 versions of books, then.
> >
> > The Kindle has text to speech, but they allow it to be disabled on a
> > book-by-book basis by the publisher. Most publishers opt for this,
> > in the hope of boosting audiobook / playaway sales.
>
> Fascinating, even ignoring all the horrific Kindle DRM issues (when
> you die, all your books die with you), this seem quite some breach of
> fair use especially for folks with visual disabilities, I hope some
> group take the offending publishers to court.
>
> Regards,
> --Gary
> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>
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