But as often happens in the digital world, publishers and authors apparently have mixed feelings about making their work accessible to the Kindle 2 text-to-speech function in a battle over licensing rights and royalties that is sure to rage for awhile before resolved. Fortunately though, consumer advocacy organizations and disability rights groups such as the Reading Rights Coalition are on it. So if you were thinking about purchasing Kindle 2 or any other digital reader, do some research beforehand, or you may find that your books will not be accessible to a text-to-speech function on the device. Finding out can be tricky, as this helpful article from Gizmodo points out.
In the interim, if you'd like to voice an opinion on the matter and have some extra time on your hands, you can send an email to Amazon. You'll have to create an account, sign in, and fill out an online form from within the help area. (You'll find a teeny tiny contact button on the lower right hand corner of the page.) You can also voice an opinion to The Authors Guild by sending an email or letter. You'll find contact information for the Authors Guild here. More on Text Readers
While I am very interested in Kindle and more than willing to pay for books, paper or electronic, I am still waiting for these books to be DRM free (which is a step further than the removal of the text-to-speech feature). It’s just so much easier and “thought-free” when I don’t have to worry about DRM and how I use something. The higher the resolution, the better it is too. We are nowhere near true 300-dpi but that’s a technical limitation at this point.
Speaking of DRM-free, Amazon does have an awesome MP3 store that is DRM-free with a large selection and often good prices. It would be nice if they had the same thing with books.
Epubor DRM Removal is the best software that can help you remove the DRM without anything lost!