[il-talk] Kindle app for iPhone

Sat May 4 19:45:54 UTC 2013

I agreed of (five?). I hope this kindle app is used on Androids. I also hope that this will be a free cursor to make in the  kindle  device  itself accessible.

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> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From: Leslie Hamric <lhamric930 at comcast.net> 
> Sent: May 4, 2013 10:47:55 AM
> To: il-talk at nfbnet.org, 
	Illinois Association of Blind Students List <iabs-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [il-talk] Kindle app for iPhone
> 
> Hi all.  I just wanted to let everyone that I downloaded and used the Kindle
> app for the first time last night with voiceover and it's totally awesome!
> Below is an article that discusses the accessibility features of the app in
> more detail.  I am very pleased with this majore improvement in
> accessibility.  Please see article below.
> 
> Leslie
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
> BREAKING: Amazon's Kindle for iOS Updated with Accessibility
> 
> 
> Posted under: <http://www.fedoraoutlier.com/category/accessibility/>
> Accessibilityby  <mailto:j at ontempoideas.com> Justin Romack
> 
> I remember the feeling quite vividly-sitting in my college courses on the
> first day of class, staring at a syllabus with books I knew I'd never be
> able to obtain in an accessible format before we were to review them. I
> attended a great university and had access to a fabulous disability services
> office, but far too many books were simply out of reach in a timely fashion.
> 
> I'd talk to peers who would download their books onto a Kindle, and as time
> progressed, soon they'd load them on their iPhones and iPads to tote around
> wherever they went. But, sadly, Amazon seemed to stubbornly push
> inaccessible Kindle products onto the market without any regard to the
> blindness community.
> 
> That all changed yesterday morning, though, and many have voiced their
> excitement for the
> <https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle-read-books-ebooks-magazines/id302584
> 613?mt=8> newly accessible Kindle for iOS application (available now through
> Apple's App Store). That's right-the blind, visually impaired and dyslexic
> now have full access to Amazon's catalog of over one million books,
> magazines and newspapers, all at the touch of a button in the
> <http://kindle.amazon.com/> Kindle Store.
> 
> After playing around with the app, connecting my braille display and
> exploring tactilely and buying (more than) a few books to try out, I want to
> share some initial impressions and a general breakdown of what you can
> expect from the app.
> 
> 
> The Interface
> 
> 
> Amazon's Kindle for iOS has a simple interface upon startup. If you have
> purchased books already, you'll be taken to your cloud bookshelf with an
> option to download each title. If you've already downloaded these texts, you
> can click and launch them with a single-finger double tap gesture, or a
> split-tap gesture.
> 
> While in the book of your choice, Amazon has made the interface incredibly
> simple, boasting no buttons, labels or other controls you may expect to see
> in an app like this. You are presented with the book's text-and that's all.
> This is nice because the text fills the entirety of the screen, making it
> much easier to scroll line by line with your finger.
> 
> 
> The Reading Experience
> 
> 
> I'm not a huge fan of audiobooks. The dramatization of text by some readers
> tends to be a turnoff for me, and it's important that I have access to the
> text in a way that I can read character by character if need be. Solid,
> intuitive and flexible navigation is imperative for any reading app or
> device-and it's why I've really enjoyed using Apple's iBooks app the past
> year or two.
> 
> In terms of navigation, Kindle for iOS is absolutely on-par with the iBooks
> experience. I can navigate character by character, word by word, and line by
> line, which is excellent. In one word-it's "flawless".
> 
> Since there are no on-screen controls while in the reading view, you can
> either interact with the text by a read all from top gesture (which is a
> two-finger swipe downward), navigate via a rotor gesture (use the rotor to
> select whether you'll move by character, word or line), move your finger
> through the text or move between pages (with a three-finger swipe left or
> right), which prompts the app to automatically start reading content on the
> new page. It's simple, easy and very effective.
> 
> 
> Making Highlights and Creating Notes
> 
> 
> This is easily one of the most exciting features I've found in the Kindle
> for iOS app-and best of all, it's very accessible. To highlight a section of
> text, or to create a note about something you've read, perform a
> single-finger, double-tap and hold around the general area in which you'd
> like to make your annotations. Hold your finger in this spot for a moment,
> and then lift it. If you've done it correctly, VoiceOver will announce "pink
> highlighter", which represents the color used to mark your selected
> section.but we're not done yet.
> 
> If you were to flick around the screen at this point, you'd see options to
> change the highlighter color, share the selection and various other options,
> but here's the kicker-you can actually adjust the selection (from edge to
> edge) using the flick gesture up and down. Flick until you find "left most
> edge" and "right most edge". By flicking up and down while focusing on
> either edge, you'll move the edge of your mark forward and backward. If you
> pause for a moment after adjusting your selection, voiceOver will announce
> the contents of your highlighted section. Wow!
> 
> After selecting the text you'd like to mark, you can save it as a mark,
> create a note or look up a word in the dictionary. You can also Google your
> selection and search for it on Wikipedia, as well. I think this is leaps and
> bounds ahead of anything else out there-and I've already used it to annotate
> several of the books I'm currently reading.
> 
> 
> Accessing the Menu While Reading a Book
> 
> 
> Since there are no controls found on-screen while reading your book, you're
> probably wondering how to perform basic features like bookmarking a page,
> navigating to a specific page or location, etc etc. All of this (and much
> more) can be found in the menu, which is accessible by performing a
> single-finger double tap (or a split-tap gesture) anywhere on-screen while
> in the reading view. VoiceOver will announce "menu On", and you're now able
> to explore the options for your book.
> 
> 
> Basic Controls inside the Menu
> 
> 
> After opening the menu, you will be presented with several options
> pertaining to your book. In the top-lefthand corner, you will find a button
> labeled "Home", which will take you back to your bookshelf. At the center
> and top of the screen is a text label which states the name and author of
> the book you are currently reading.. Single-finger flicking to the right (or
> navigating to the upper-righthand corner of the screen), you'll find a
> "Bookmark" button. This will bookmark the current page (the page visible
> when you opened the menu).
> 
> 
> One Note about Bookmarks
> 
> 
> If Amazon could make one improvement about this menu, it would be the
> ability to see whether a bookmark is currently present for the page. I
> believe they could accomplish this by having VoiceOver announce "Bookmark
> selected button) if a bookmark has already been set for the current page.
> The trick here is-if a bookmark IS already present, pressing this button
> will remove it without any indication to the VoiceOver user.
> 
> 
> "Return to Book" Option
> 
> 
> In the very middle of the screen, there is an option to jump back into your
> book. This option remains present in some subpages of the menu-but not
> always.
> 
> 
> The Bottom Row of Controls
> 
> 
> The bottom row of controls holds most of the nitty-gritty details most users
> will want to access. From left to right, these controls include:
> 
> *	Back: This option appears to always be "dimmed". Not sure what it
> does. 
> *	View Options: This menu controls various aspects of the visual
> presentation of your book, including font style, font size and brightness. 
> *	Go To: This menu offers a wide variety of locations in which you can
> be taken to throughout your book. I'll discuss this menu in greater detail
> in a moment. 
> *	Search: The Kindle for iOS app comes with an insanely powerful
> search tool, which allows you to comb the entire contents of your book for a
> word or phrase. I'll cover this one, too, in a bit more depth a little
> later. 
> *	Sync: This option will sync the reading position of your current
> Kindle device with the furthest point reached on any other device. This
> could be quite handy if you use Kindle for iOS on an iPhone AND an iPad. 
> *	The Progress Slider: The progress slider is located just below this
> row of five buttons, and represents your current location as a percentage.
> You can adjust this slider with the flicking gesture up or down, or you can
> do a single-finger, double-tap and hold to adjust more precisely. 
> 
> 
> The "Go To" Menu
> 
> 
> This menu allows you to jump through your book at varying navigation levels,
> such as by page, by bookmark or back to the beginning. Some "go to" options
> include:
> 
> *	Cover: This option will place you on the cover of your current book.
> 
> *	Table of Contents: Choosing this option will take you directly to
> the table of contents, allowing you to navigate by chapter or section.
> (NOTE: The table of contents DOES work with VoiceOver, but you'll have to
> navigate slowly with your finger because these are not visible as links.) 
> *	Beginning: Selecting this option will take you to the very beginning
> of your book, past the cover, table of contents and most introductory
> content. 
> *	Location: Pressing the "Location" button will allow you to navigate
> directly to the page of your choice. Use the keypad to type the page number,
> and then locate an "OK" button toward the middle-right section of the
> screen. 
> *	Book Extras: Here's where Kindle shines over most any other options
> you've likely tried-this section contains crowdsourced selections taken from
> the book, which means other readers took the time to select portions of the
> book that stood out to them, highlights and memorable moments, and favorite
> quotes. There is also a section which includes notes for parents. One other
> interesting thing about this menu is the ability to toggle "spoilers" on and
> off, which will help you avoid any revealing content as you dig through the
> extra features of your book. 
> *	My Notes and Marks: This section lists all of the bookmarks and
> highlights you've made throughout the book. Note that you can remove these
> by using the "Edit" button at the top-lefthand corner of the screen. 
> *	Popular Highlights: Keeping with the notion of crowdsourcing, Amazon
> pulls in the most popular highlights from all other users reading the
> currently selected book. This is one feature I absolutely love! Kindle for
> iOS tells you the location of the highlighted section, as well as how many
> people have highlighted it. 
> *	X-Ray: X-Ray allows readers to explore "the bones of a book." Tap on
> any page as you read to find chapters and locations that mention ideas,
> characters, and important places, as well as background info, biographies,
> and more from Shelfari and Wikipedia. 
> *	Before You Go: This section contains options for you to rate, review
> and share the currently selected book. The selections made here will no
> doubt factor into the recommendations Amazon makes to you for future
> reading. 
> 
> 
> The Search Feature
> 
> 
> The search functionality in Kindle for iOS is by far one of the most
> powerful I've seen in a reading option. But as impressive as its ability to
> search through your text, I'm in love with the way it displays your results.
> 
> After selecting the "Search" option, you'll be presented with a standard
> search/edit field and the iOS keyboard. Type your query and press "Go". The
> app will process the text and present you with a list of results, with the
> page number listed to the left of the section where your word or phrase is
> present. You'll also notice a count at the bottom of the screen for the
> tonal number of instances the app found for your search.
> 
> 
> Where Amazon Did It Right
> 
> 
> I think it's often easy for us to assume companies aren't listening to our
> accessibility concerns, or the timetable for accessibility isn't moving fast
> enough, but the Kindle for iOS app is a classic example of patience paying
> off. There are no flaws I've found in the app's accessibility, with only one
> minor preference issue. There has been extensive beta testing for the
> accessibility improvements, as is obvious by the flawless execution made by
> Amazon.
> 
> The standout feature, and one which Apple can take cues, is the highlighter
> found in the reading view. The granularity at which your highlighted
> selection can be edited is remarkable. If you flick around the screen,
> you'll notice VoiceOver report "left most edge" and "right most edge".
> Performing a flick gesture up or down will reposition the respective edges
> of your highlighted section (before you approve it). This is highly
> impressive,a and not present in iBooks.
> 
> 
> Summing It All Up
> 
> 
> My allegiance rarely sways between two products. I tend to stay loyal to
> solutions that have worked well for me in the past-and I'd assume many
> reading this can relate to that idea. But, given Amazon's impressive
> offering and the affordability of many selections, I could see myself using
> Kindle for iOS more often than the iBooks offering from Apple. It will be
> intriguing to see if Amazon continues this stance on accessibility, and
> extends it to their other software and hardware offerings.
> 
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