Justice Department settlement puts on-campus Kindle use on hold
By Donald Melanson 
posted January 13th 2010 8:51PM
posted January 13th 2010 8:51PM
Amazon may have recently announced it was beefing up the Kindle's functionality for vision-impaired users, but it looks like that's too little too late for three universities using Kindles as an alternative to textbooks, who have now agreed to shelve the e-readers until such enhancements are in place as part of a settlement with the Justice Department. Those universities include Pace, Case Western, and Reed College, who were all sued by two organizations representing the blind, which alleged that while the Kindle has a text-to-speech function, the menus do not, thereby making them impossible for blind students to use -- another university testing the Kindle, Arizona State, has already reached a similar settlement. Assuming Amazon lives up to its promises, however, it looks like the Kindles could be put back to use as soon as this summer -- and the universities in question will still be able to finish any pilot programs currently taking place this semester, just not expand their use.
So I'm guessing the books the Kindles are replacing had a text to speech function?
@JeremyBenthem Seriously. I've owned many a college textbook, and none of them had text-to-speech menus.
This is just a group being pushed on by some other industry (textbook recording services, probably) to resist change at all costs and protect a dying business model.
@JeremyBenthem exactly, they should ban laptops because blind people can't see the monitor, oh, and tvs and projectors. Everyone must learn to read braille, and either use braille or audio books.
While we are at it, scantrons, pens, pencils, crayons, markers, paper, dry erase and chalk boards.
@JeremyBenthem My first response also, but think about how easy it will be for the navigation system to be updated. Of course, I believe the free market should take care of this without force being applied to the producer but there is an easy fix. Not worth arguing about.
@Amnesia87 "Kindle has a text-to-speech function, the menus do not, thereby making them impossible for blind students to use " Yes, this is yet another propaganda to prevent the e-readers to dominate the school paradigm.
Skiff will also have these voice to speech functionality later on their updates to be competitive enough with Ama's kindle. Details: http://bit.ly/skiff-reader-amazing-details and its specs
@JeremyBenthem Exactly what I was going to say. Another example of the disabled taking advantage of their disability! If I were the school I would have gone to court and pointed out that normal textbooks can't be seen by the blind either. But I guess they didn't want the bad PR.
It seems hard to believe that these organizations are legitimate and not some kind of special interest groups trying to take away from Kindle sales/popularity for some other reason (like being funded behind the scenes by the owning group behind Borders). At least with a lawsuit frivolous like this one asking for a feature that probably would have been in the next version of the Kindle.
Or maybe the blind were just jealous and decided to try and destroy the pilot program if they couldn't be in it. Are there any other logical explanations? Who runs these special interest groups? Why don't they just point them to something like the blind-friendly haptic reader that I'm sure is already subsidized (and if not they should be suing for that instead): http://www.siftwire.com/haptic-reader-blind-braille-books-gadgets.html
While we're on this topic, does everyone remember the panic and arguing coming from the publishing groups about the Kindle having text-to-speech at all. I'm sure they're busy working the other end to remove the feature from the Kindle. At least maybe until the Justice Department stepped in and decided it should...?
Can't please anyone.
These morons claim to be advocates for the disabled, while they work to stifle innovation and technology. Instead of working for a solution, they try to block everyone else from being able to use it.
@bigdave Blind people suck.
@bigdave
it's the blind leading the blind
...because actual textbooks have perfect TTS and are the most vision-impaired-friendly thing ever.
@Blacklight
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing...
Textbooks are better for the visually impaired? Really? How many of them can adjust font sizes or even read the text to you?
@Nitesh
Almost all textbooks have a Braille versions out.
@IndiaTech
so they can still buy the braille books?
whats the problem here?
What a weird thing to get sued over.
@sweet greggo
This is America, you can be sued for peeing on your dog by PETA.
@nitinmehra20
Maybe I'm missing something here but it never occurred to me to even try to pee on a dog... I feel like you might deserve a lawsuit for that one. Feels kind of wrong.
@IUKonstantin
I think if it's on a chihuahua it's okay. Those dogs are evil by nature.
I cant wait for something like this to become standard for university students. As a college student I for one am so tired of getting screwed with having to pay for a book and not being able to sell it back at the end of the semester after paying 100 bucks for it. At least for the kindle the actual cost for the book would go down because there is no resell value. The only problem I see is when color charts and graphics are needed for like a biology text book.
@chestnu1
Your school doesnt let yall sell your books back
Mines did and still does and plus if the school didnt I could go to many bookshops and sell them there this has nothing to do with the books and alot to do with your school.
@Xoy
The past 2 semesters, even though we have two bookstores on campus that do buyback, I could only sell 2/6 because they were all either custom books that were for a single semester, or they had some kind of one time use online code that was necessary for the class.
The worst one was where I had to buy a $50 book for a single page which was essentially my agreeing not to plagiarize.
@fatslug
Language is a made up thing so grammar does not matter; I don't give a damn about if my English is horrible or perfect since it all is just a made up thing and this is neither a business setting nor an education setting.
Almost every school I have been at or worked for allowed the students to sell there books back usually they would get about 1/3 of the price.
If people have a problem with how much books cost maybe the should buy used or don't attend at all its well known how much college cost and the price of books usually $1000 per year for college should be added to the total the price of tuition is not new it has been like this for many years.
If they can not afford them than they should try to get financial aid or grants to cover just the cost of books they are available.
@BigJayDogg3
I faced pretty much the same deal. Bought a book with an online access code, never opened that book again (access code gets you an ebook). Another text book was 1 edition too old and I never even opened it. Got to sell one book back, cash money. That's always nice.
@Xoy grammar is not exactly made up, there seems to be evidence that there is something called biogrammar. Go read some Chomsky to understand that. in any case, writing well DOES matter. It is like dressing well, or brushing your teeth. You shoudl ask for a refund if you really went to college and did not learn your own native language well enough to understand the difference between their, they're and their.
@Xoy
It's a made-up thing that happens to have some very basic rules, like: "a third-person plural pronoun and a pronoun indicating a specific place are not interchangeable, even though they sound similar when spoken".
@Xoy IcaKs aS►►-▼dll afla◘a@sl* sjfa;s sl ALls JFs&&&
sjf sa s;ss ss;s;sss33Jxw"òÊD 0p██ÄA{8☺☻♥☻eOosssss222@
***sjf ASO++__ sof_f aso☻☺☻AW█ssss fcwcIIeIlIl33
=[
@BigJayDogg3 You think thats bad I once took a philosophy class during the summer I needed the book and spent 80 dollars on it used and 5 weeks later when the class was over I tried to sell it. those thieves offered me 3 dollars for it because in the fall they were switching editions. You think they would have told me this when I was buying the book or at least offered me a discount, the whole industry is setup to take advantage of the student. Thankfully I am sure all this will take on amazons end is a quick software update to get this on track.
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi "the difference between their, they're and their"
Sorry, I just have to ask-- what's the difference between "their" and "their"? :P
@Dr Yusuf AlKindi
"Go read some Chomsky to understand that. in any case, writing well DOES matter. It is like dressing well, or brushing your teeth. You shoudl ask for a refund if you really went to college and did not learn your own native language well enough to understand the difference between their, they're and their."
Also dressing well does not matter it is a cultural thing I could care less if a person was dressed like a hobo/bum or a prince whomever can effectively do the job is the one thats better.
The way a person dresses or acts is just a social construct which has no real importance besides making someone else feel good; a person could do the same job fine if there in pajamas, a 3 piece suit or nothing what a person wears does nothing but project a false image.
@Xoy : Ignore the slug, he's a professional troll.
@Xoy "The way a person dresses or acts is just a social construct which has no real importance."
You're right! Your dress has no real importance at all. Well, you know, besides getting you looked at for a job, a date, an educational opportunity like a residency or fellowship...hmm. Maybe these "social construct" things are ok afterall.
@Xoy
You will go far.
@Xoy
ya, I certainly respect the person that puts on the pajamas instead of the 3-piece suit. They're way smarter, as pajamas are comfortable, and personal comfort is most important at all times. hows that work-from-home thing going for ya, btw?
@Xoy
You're like those kids with really bad acne because washing your face doesn't really matter. And you're also one of those people who perform live-action role-play in the local mall, because it doesn't matter what other people think. And you're like the kids who smell HORRIBLE because using deodorant and brushing teeth are all a scam made by the hyigene industry.
There are always exceptions to the rule. Like when you don't go outside, but instead compulsively argue a point in the comments section of a tech blog. You can smell any way you want, your hair can be as messy as you'd like, and it's completely acceptable. It's completely fine to avoid washing for a week, wear nothing but sweat-stained underwear, and yell at your mother for not getting you a grilled cheese sandwich when you demanded one an hour prior.
Ironic that US Govt. (DOJ) got involved in this matter considering that US currency bills are the most visually impaired unfriendly bills in the world. All bills of same size, no raised text or textures etc.
@IndiaTech
who uses actual money in america?
@BrianH Credit cards have plenty of raised text.
And fees.
@IndiaTech
That does not fit the definition of "irony."
Besides the fact that books don't do text to speech even so, why on earth would you take it away from 99.9% of college students because it isn't handicap friendly. Why not just build a special model just for the blind? This just screams of how broke all our systems are...
@balazamon0
of course it screams, they're BLIND. You have to shout and talk very slowly.
@sweet greggo
I HEARD YOU ARE BLIND.
CAN YOU UNDER - STAND ME?
Yeah, because real books are much better for blind people.
idiots.
@Cam
So because they don't have the option to use this everyone needs to suffer?
last time i checked i don't walk with my eye's closed because it's harder for blind people to use a cane.
@BrianH
ignore that, i read it wrong... must be going blind
@BrianH
I'm going to keep hitting refresh and down ranking you to help hide your shame.
good god pc will be the death of this nation. so, shall we sue GM and Ford? the blind can't drive, can they?
Sue! It's the American way!
I just love people who sue because a device is lacking a feature that would suit them. A better, and cheaper, approach would be to forgo the lawyers and just go to Amazon as a group saying 'Hey, you have a great device there, and our millions of members would love to buy one but they can't use it the way it is. How about adding such and such, and then we'll all buy them and the ebooks for them.'
@greatpix
They thought this would be faster.