Comments on: Kindle Fire: Down in Flames!

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:14:30 +0000

Sorry, I forgot to remove the last sentense after I copied and pasted it at the bottom of my reply message. I am truly not trying to beat that last part of the post into anyone's head. - Thanks, Gene

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:05:10 +0000

I am visually impaired and have owned a Kindle 2, and now a Kindle DX with the Pearl Eink display. I know the Kindle devices aren’t completely accessible to people who are totally blind, but with a netbook and a few more Kindle for PC with the Accessibility Plug In updates, Amazon can completely reproduce the Kindle experience. I carry both the Kindle DX and a Toshiba netbook, which cost me much more than a single netbook with the free Kindle for PC app on it. When I stack my Kindle DX on top of my Toshiba netbook, I end up with the same exact foot print, so I guess I don’t understand why that would be a problem. You have much more functionality with a netbook over a tablet or and dedicated ereader. For school, the netbook makes the most sense. I hated the keyboard on the Kindle 2, the DX isn’t much better, and the Kindle 3 uses the same kind of keyboard that’s on the Kindle 2, which means all none of them can be used to notetake in real time. A netbook is the only viable choice in that regard. Push Amazon to match the Kindle for PC with Accessiblity Plugin and the Kindle for Mac app as well feature for feature with the the hardware Kindle devices. Tell Amazon to provide Braille display support in the app as well to reproduce the visual reading experience that a sighted or low vision has. Or push Amazon to produce Kindle for apps for the major blind notetakers, such as the Pacmate series, the Braillenote series, the Braille Sense series, and Braille + and Icon with the querty keyboard dock without it. There are many blind people who take their notetakers with them everywhere in the same way Kindle hardware device owners do, but again, you end up with a much more powerful and functional arrangement. Plus, you can get battery life that just can’t be matched on a netbook or a tablet. Push Amazon to reproduce whatever it did in Kindle for PC with the Accessibility Plugin to make TTS disabled books accessible to blind Kindle readers on these notetakers as well. Finally, below is the email address which will do you all the most good. Check it out and email the Kindle team, beleive me they do see it and take what comes in seriously, and Amazon’s Kindle customer service is the best I have ever seen. Don’t give up on them, and go to the email address below with your suggestions, thoughts, concerns, and complaints. And don’t assume I am not supportive of people are totally blind because I visually impaired, because noting could be further from the truth. – Sincerely, Gene

Here is the email address: blind-interest@amazon.com

And don’t assume I am not supportive of people are totally blind because I visually impaired, because noting could be further from the truth.

By: John Greer

John Greer — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:29:30 +0000

While I applaud the blind community in their untiring efforts to fight for accessibility of consumer products, I feel there may be one angle to take with it that they may be missing. One question to ask Amazon is if there are any future plans to market the devices toward use in public schools. The reason for this and by not mentioning specificly accessible for blind is because, in order for a device like that to be allowed in public schools it must be Section 508 compliant. It is my understanding that Section 508 covers more than just blind accessibility. Perhaps a joining of arms among all of the citizens covered in Section 508 is needed, instead of the blind fighting it alone. I don't feel that the blind advocacy groups focusing soley on blind accessibility is ever going to be enough. It will require that the focus is broadened to everyone covered by 508 and the ADA. The most important focus being on marketing toward public schools in general. Remind companies that they can never market their products toward public schools without being compliant. Remind them that they can never market their products toward government entities without first making their products 508 and ADA compliant. The loophole they can always fall back on of course is they are only marketing to the general consumer sales market, but remind them of the potential market they are missing out on by not being able to sell their products to public schools and other governmental bodies covered under the protection acts.

By: Rick Harmon

Rick Harmon — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:26:59 +0000

Very well said gang. I've went out and purchased and then canceled a Kindle fire. Lets work together and get Amazons attention!

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:18:32 +0000

Thank you for this article.
Well said and very disappointing.
I was hoping Kindle would make much needed improvements to Kindle to make it more accessible and it sounds like they took giant steps backward.