If you're a heavy reader like me, you've probably seen the new Kindle 2. One of the enhancements over the first Kindle (an iPod-like device for reading books) is the addition of a feature that will read a book out-loud to you using a built-in voice synthesizer. You can switch from reading in text to listening by computer-generated voice, while driving for example, and the Kindle will keep your place in the book.
This has generated controversy among publishers and authors because they earn a lot of revenue from the audio versions of their books. They perceive this as a threat to those revenues. I doubt that threat will materialize, at least in the short term. The Kindle voice sounds like a Speak & Spell. Also, even if the voice sounded good, it's clear no laws are being violated by the feature. Nonetheless Amazon is sensitive to their concerns.
Just a few days after the Kindle 2 started shipping, Amazon has announced that they are giving publishers/authors the right to disable the text-to-speech feature for their books on Kindle 2.
I think Amazon is calling their bluff. It will be interesting to see how many of the complainers among the publishers and authors actually disable the feature now that Amazon has given them the ability to do it. I doubt very many will.
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