For the last few years Amazon has been been offering a text-to-speech option in some Kindle eReaders. This lets you listen to books by plugging in a set of headphones or by using the speakers in a Kindle Keyboard or Kindle Touch.
What’s cool is that this works with almost any eBook because the Kindle software converts text to speech. You don’t need to pay extra for an audiobook.
But Amazon’s newest Kindle eReaders don’t support text-to-speech.
In fact, the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite doesn’t even have a speaker or headphone jack. So you won’t be able to listen to MP3s either. That’s a feature some older Kindle models supported.
To be fair, both text-to-speech and MP3 playback were always described as “experimental” features, which suggested two things: They might still be buggy, and Amazon could kill the features at any time.
Text-to-speech also isn’t all that great on older Kindles. Instead of listening to a voice actor performing a dramatic reading of a book with, you get a digital voice that mispronounces words, struggles to pause correctly at punctuation marks, and mangles proper nouns.
But since I picked up a Kindle Touch 10 months ago, I’ve found myself using the feature more often than I would have expected. It lets you “read” a book when you’re in a situation where it might otherwise be difficult. For instance, when you’re bobbing up and down on an exercise machine, or when you’re riding a bus (if, like me, you get motion sick when trying to read a book on a bus).
Text-to-speech also allows people with visual impairments listen to books that don’t have an official audiobook version, including many out of print titles or independent releases.
While many Kindle readers won’t miss this feature, it was one of the things that helped set Amazon’s eReaders apart from the competition.
I guess Amazon is counting on the new paperwhite screen, higher resolution display, and glow light to do that now.
Meanwhile if you need text-to-speech, Amazon still offers the Kindle Keyboard3G for $139. You can also find plenty of new and used Kindle Touch models on eBay.
Leave a Reply
25 Comments on "Amazon kills text-to-speech with new Kindle Paperwhite"
What about the more recent Vox KOBO models…do any of these support this feature?
I use TTS for their morning and evening commute 10 Hours a week. My wife got me the Kindle for Christmas a few years back and its on the fritz TTS is not working and the pic screens (not text screen) is all messed up. dose the Kindle Fire have Test to speech? How about the Nook, i-Pad?
I am disappointed in the loss. My mom uses it all the time and it is the only reason she still uses her Kindle with Keyboard. She prefers her fire, but she uses the text to speech.
I wonder how much the problems with the disabled community have influenced this. Amazon was sued and had some pretty strong reports against them because the text to speech was not good enough for many disability rights organizations. So I suspect that they may have just gotten rid of it instead of improving it to meet their standards. (That and because it was a way to shrink the device and eliminate some cost.)
I can understand Amazon narrowing the focus here to a pure-play paper book replacement device. After all, real books don’t have speakers or read to you either, and that is the product they are apparently aiming to make obsolete here.
Removal of this feature may force people who count on it to Windows tablets, where one can install third party text to speech (TTS) voices and software.
The advantage here is that the voices, such as Ivona’s, are much better than the awful Nuance voices (the 800 lb gorilla in the TTS voice arena). The TTS software can also be very good, as in NextUp’s TextAloud, which can also convert the computer generated spoken text in mp3 files.
Unfortunately, some ebook management/reader software do not work with TTS.
There is a role for government here, to mandate that ebook reader software work with TTS software, if industry doesn’t police itself, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act.
As America ages and its collective eyesight degrades, the market for TTS can only grow.
Ebooks with dialog in them can be tagged such that, if you have multiple voices installed on your computer, different voices can be used, one for each character, similar to the way different instruments play on MIDI.
One of the problems with single voice TTS is that you sometimes don’t know which character is speaking.
If it weren’t for my Kindle’s text-to-speech feature I wouldn’t get to read at all. I use it during my work commute, while doing household chores, yard work, etc. While it’s not exactly like listening to an audiobook, it certainly fills the void — and the Kindle books are MUCH cheaper than audiobooks. I was interested in the new Paperwhite until I found out it has no TTS … think I’ll stick with my keyboard model.
I will not buy another amazon device that does not have text to speech. I really love my kindle and just sold my kindle fire last week to buy the new tablet. If they don’t support TTS I will get Nexus if it offers TTS.
What a disappointment. I’ve been following the news about the new Kindle ever since it was first announced, and it has looked perfect up until now.
I’m one of the ones who DOES use the voice feature, frequently. It’s great to be able to read a bit, and pick up where you left off on the drive to/from work.
I still may get one, but this feature is a big one that I just loved.
The tts feature was the deciding point in purchasing my original kindle and the reason I’ve kept purchasing kindle products over other readers. I am very disappointed.
I love the the text-to-speech and that feature is why I have not updated to a newer Kindle. I also like to continue my housework or to listen while driving.
Without text to speech the new Kindle will be worthless. I won’t be buying one.