Kindle How-To: Using Text-to-Speech in Kindle DX

Your Kindle can read aloud your books (where allowed by the rights holder), newspapers, magazines, blogs, and personal documents with the Kindle Experimental application, Text-to-Speech.

To turn on Text-to-Speech, follow these steps:

1. Press the Text key .
   

   

2. Move the 5-way down so that the “Text-to-Speech” option is underlined. Press the 5-way to select “turn on.” In a few moments, you will hear your content spoken aloud. You can either listen to it through the Kindle’s external speakers or plug in earphones into the headphone jack.
3. By default, content is spoken with a male voice, but using the 5-way, you can select a female speaking voice. You can also slow down or increase the rate of speech as well as pause or turn off Text-to-Speech.
4. While Text-to-Speech is playing, the screen will update to the corresponding page of text.

For PDF files and books which the rights holder does not allow Text-to-Speech to read aloud their content, then “Text-to-Speech” will be grayed and you will not be able to select it.

By default, Text-to-Speech starts reading at the beginning of the page currently displayed. To start reading at a particular spot, move the cursor where you’d like the reading to begin before starting Text-to-Speech.

Tip: You can also play or stop Text-to-Speech by holding down the Shift key and pressing the Symbol key . You can pause and resume Text-to-Speech by pressing the Spacebar.

Deliver notes to Kindle from EBeam Whiteboards

Luidia, a company that designs and sells interactive electronic whiteboard solutions, is leveraging the display, portability and connectivity of Amazon’s Kindle to offer a new “Send to Kindle” feature that shoots whiteboard contents to an Amazon’s e-book reader.

The new “Send to Kindle” feature is part of Luidia’s eBeam software, which already allows for sending whiteboard information as a BMP, PDF or JPG file to a computer. This allows for review of important data when not at a computer, so there’s no long boot delay introduced — you simply flip your Kindle power on, enable the wireless radio and get to viewing what was on the whiteboard. The new “Send to Kindle” functionality supports both the Kindle 2 and the larger Kindle DX, which is targeted squarely at the education market. While this particular application is fairly specific, it shows the potential of devices as they become web connected.

eReader Holiday Outlook: Forrester Ups Its Projections By 50%

The eReader market is growing faster than expected: Forrester published a report in May, “How Big Is The eReader Opportunity?”, that pegged 2009 US eReader sales at 2 million. Our new report ups that projection by 50% to 3 million for 2009, with 30% of 2009 sales occuring in the holiday season of November and December, and Amazon.com leading the ereader market.

There are a number of reasons why eReader sales are growing faster than we had expected, which we detail in the report, including falling device prices, more content availability, better retail distribution, and lots and lots of media buzz.

All these dynamics will compound to fuel more growth next year, and we expect more changes in the market that could push eReader sales beyond 6 million in 2010, bringing cumulative US sales to 10 million by year-end 2010.

With Nook & Sony readers out of stock, we can say next will be a Kindle Christmas.

Source: Forrester.

2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle DX ( 9.7″ Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation)

	Manufacturer: Service NetCategory: CE Buy Now: $109.00 Rating: Media: Electronics Legal Disclaimer: 2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle DX available for any Kindle DX shipped in the past 30 days. Only available for U.S.-based customers. Offered and sold by Service Net, an industry-leading service management company. See Terms and Conditions for complete details. Full refund allowed within 60-days (provided there has been no claim activity), prorated refund allowed after 60-days. Availability: Usually ships in 3-5 weeks
Features:     Protect your Kindle DX (9.7″ Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation) for two full years. Adds an additional year and more comprehensive protection than the one-year manufacturer’s warranty.     Offers one-time coverage for accidental drops and damage.     Hassle-free replacement of your Kindle DX for any device failures during normal operation. Includes free shipping both ways, for your damaged and replacement Kindle DX.     Customer service and claim support available 6 am to 10 pm PT, 365 days a year — call (877) 441-3836 for warranty claims.     2-Year Extended Warranty for Kindle DX is available for any Kindle DX( 9.7″ Display, U.S. Wireless, Latest Generation) shipped within the past 30 days. Only available to U.S customers.

Kindle How-To: Charging and Powering Up Your Kindle DX

Kindle DX ships with a U.S. power adapter and a Kindle micro-USB cable. You can charge your Kindle DX by connecting it to your computer via the Kindle micro-USB cable or by connecting it to a wall socket using the Kindle micro-USB cable and the Kindle U.S. power adapter plug. The light on your Kindle DX next to the USB socket will appear yellow when charging and change to green when Kindle DX is fully charged.

Note on third-party charging devices (not included with your Kindle DX): Third-party charging devices, power converters, USB wall chargers, and other charging hubs are not supported nor recommended for your Kindle DX.

Charging from Your Computer via Kindle Micro-USB Cable

When using the Kindle micro-USB cable to charge your Kindle via your computer, charging time will normally take 4 to 6 hours. To charge your Kindle DX from a computer via Kindle micro-USB cable:

• Connect Kindle DX directly to a USB port on your computer. Do not connect through a hub, keyboard, or monitor.
  
  
  
• Connect Kindle DX to a computer plugged into a power outlet. We recommend keeping your computer plugged into a power outlet while charging your Kindle DX. Your computer may not supply sufficient power to the USB port if it is not plugged in.
  
• Make sure your computer stays on during the entire charging process. Disable Standby, Hibernate or Sleep mode, if necessary.
  
• Verify Kindle DX recognizes the USB connection. You can verify your Kindle DX is charging if you see the USB drive mode screen. If you do not see this screen, unplug and reconnect your Kindle DX. You may also need to select an alternate USB port.

Using Kindle while Charging via Kindle Micro-USB Cable

You can use your Kindle while it is connected and charging from your computer. For most operating systems, you simply need to select “unmount,” “eject” or “safely remove” for the Kindle USB drive using your computer’s file browser without actually disconnecting the USB cable. Kindle DX will then exit USB drive mode and display the Home screen. You’ll see a lightning bolt on the battery status icon that indicates Kindle is still charging.

If you use the Windows Vista operating system on your computer, using the “Safely Remove Hardware” command will not work. Use the “Eject” option instead. Click on the Windows Start button on your computer and select “Computer” from the options. Right-click on the Kindle drive icon and select “Eject” from the pop-up menu.

Using Kindle’s Power Switch

The Power switch on top of Kindle DX puts it to sleep, wakes it up, and turns your Kindle on or off.

To wake up or turn on your Kindle: Slide and release the power switch again.

To put your Kindle to sleep: Slide and release the power switch. (Other keys and buttons are locked in Sleep mode.)

To turn your Kindle off: Slide and hold the power switch for four seconds until the screen goes blank and then release.

To reset your Kindle: Disconnect your Kindle from any power source, and then slide and hold the power switch for 15 seconds before releasing.

Tip: Your Kindle DX will also go to sleep by itself after ten minutes if you are not using it. If your Kindle had wireless on prior to going to sleep, it will continue to receive your regularly scheduled subscriptions while in sleep.

Kindle DX is out of stock

Kindle DX is out of stock, Amazon expects to ship in 3 to 5 weeks. You can buy a Kindle (Global Wireless) with FREE shipping for $259.

Kindle DX drop test

Watch a Kindle DX drop test. This video shows a typical drop test, with Kindle DX being dropped from 30 inches (76cm).