Comments on: Your new Kindle is talking — but not paying

By: Cory T

Cory T — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:26:40 +0000

Love your article. Thanks for the insight. For others who are interested in the Kindle 2 and in the same boat as me, this site has a ton of reviews as well..check it out: http://www.kindle2reviews.com

By: Random Numbers

Random Numbers — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:56:02 +0000

This technology has been around a while, so the “signifigant change” is the first lie Blount screeches whith his sue-em-all strategy.

Microsoft Reader for desktop and laptop computers has had a TTS add-on for years. I use it (and a third-party TTS voice) quite a bit while driving. Blount needs to try taking on Microsoft before tackling the Kindle.

The publisher is saving the cost of material, labor, and transport, yet Blount wants to grab at the customer’s wallet? Get your share of the publisher’s savings, you talentless hack!

By: eric

eric — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:15:56 +0000

The text to speach translation could hardly be called a “performance”. Maybe in the future, as the technology gets better, this could be an issue.

But as it is now, in my opinion, it still sounds crude, compared to a voice actor/author speaking the book.

By: ED Fochler

ED Fochler — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:41:55 +0000

Copyright exists to ensure that there remains financial incentive for authors to create works. The whole separate audio licensing thing is preposterous anyway. If I want to give you an audio recording of me reading you a book along with the book itself, shouldn’t that be OK? Even if I sell the book to you at a profit?

The writer’s guild is trying to take whatever they can. They should be working to make sure authors get due credit for their works as they get propagated via the internet. Instead they are wasting time picking this fight, because the macintosh from 1984 is reading their book to them. Their overblown sense of entitlement and righteous indignation remind me of the RIAA and MPAA. Blech.

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:06:03 +0000

This is not right vs. wrong, good vs. bad, new technology vs. old business models, it is all about negotiated rights and payments for expressions in certain forms and formats.

In other words this is a legal, contract, and distribution issue. I want to hear what Stephen King has to say. I’ll be interested in how Random House negotiates distribution deals. I can’t wait to hear what Barnes and Noble says. Yeah, I want to hear all about it, not read it.

By: Ishan

Ishan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:19:02 +0000

I agree with writer’s guild. If Amazon is exploiting this capability for its own benefits, then it should also pay the appropriate royalty to the authors.