Is this the future of textbooks? The Moby Tablet

Is this the future of textbooks?


Marvell, a company that manufacturers processor chips, recently announced a $99 tablet that will be aimed directly at the school market.

This new device, called the Moby tablet, was recently introduced. Here is what is known at this point about the features of the Moby:

* will enable students to utilize digital textbooks and media
* access the Internet
* play HD quality video
* equipped with a 10.1" screen

“Marvell can help propel education into the 21st century with an all-in-one device that gives students access to the best live content, information, and resources the world has to offer—from books and online resources, [to] text, video, news, music, data expression, or any medium.”

- Marvell Co Founder Weili Dai @ Future of Publishing Conference

The company expects the devices to be ready by the end of the year. In addition, Marvell is working collaboratively with Washington DC Public Schools to provide a Moby tablet to each student.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

What do you think about this device? Sound off by leaving a comment below.

Up Close - Amazon Kindle text to speech

Have you been wondering what the text to speech feature on the Amazon Kindle sounds like?

Check out our video.

Virginia's new iPad

Check out the video below of 99 year old Virginia Campbell using her new iPad.

According to The Lake Oswego News, Virginia hasn't been able to participate in one of her favorite pastimes: reading. Due to glaucoma - she was finding it difficult to read. Using the e-book feature, along with the ability to enlarge text, Virginia is not only reading again - but is also writing poetry!

She has even written an ode to her new iPad:

To this technology-ninny it’s clear
In my compromised 100th year,
That to read and to write
Are again within sight
Of this Apple iPad pioneer.

Apple iPAD - Accessible e-reader?

Apple's iPAD is coming soon. So what does that mean for the e-book market? Of course, if you have been listening to the media stories - the iPAD will be much more than an e-book reader. Over 150,00 Apps, large color touch screen and more.

But will this device make e-books more mainstream?



As we get closer to the launch date (April 3rd), more details are emerging that may hint at the power of this device for people with disabilities. Most notably, the iPAD will read aloud to users - using the Voice Over feature that has been a part of the Mac Accessibility features for years.

What is the difference between voice over and the text to speech ability of the Kindle? Well, first the Kindle's speech output is limited to simply reading the book. And have you heard the text to speech on the Kindle?? The voice quality is not up to the level of other text to speech tools. Also, publishers have the right to disable this speech feature for their books. (Will the same hold true for the iPAD - we'll have to wait and see)

Voice Over is more of an actual screen reader. This will provide auditory support throughout the device - not just in the e-book. This has the potential to provide a much better reading experience for audio users.

Want to learn more about Voice Over in Mac OS X? Check the Apple Voice Over web page here.

Want to learn about Voice Over for the iPhone? Check the iPhone Voice Over web page here.

According to the website, the other accessibility features of the iPAD will be:

• Support for playback of closed-captioned content

• VoiceOver screen reader
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• White on black display
• Mono audio

We will post more details about the iPAD as they come in.

E-Reader Pilot Project - University Results

Princeton University recently released the results of a semester long pilot project on the use of the Amazon Kindle DX as a tool to assist students.

The six college and universities that participated in the study were: Princeton University, Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Reed College and Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Check out the article here.

Highlights of the study include:

What they liked best about the devices was:

* the battery life, the wireless connection and the portability of the e-reader;
* the fact that all the course reading was on one device;
* the ability to search for content; and
* the legibility of the screen, including the fact it could be read in full sunlight.

The top five suggestions students had for improving e-readers were:

1. improving the ability to highlight and annotate PDF files;
2. improving the annotation tools;
3. providing a folder structure to keep similar readings together;
4. improving the highlighting function; and
5. improving the navigation within and between documents on the reader (including having more than one document open at the same time for comparison).

For the full results of the study, check out the pilot program website here.

Eye Strain and E-Readers

With E-Readers becoming more prevalent, people have voiced concerns about an increase in eye strain. Have you ever experienced eye fatigue when using a computer all day? But what about the e-ink displays on the electronic readers?

Now, there is some research that says there is no increase in eye strain from these electronic devices.

According to an article in today's New York Times Technology section, entitled "Do E-Readers Cause Eye Strain":

“Most of what our mothers told us about our eyes was wrong,” said Dr. Travis Meredith, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “Sitting close to a television, or computer screen, isn’t bad for our eyes. It’s a variety of other factors that can cause physical fatigue.”

Check out the entire article here.

What do you think? Comment below.

E-Book Readers: Kindle vs. Nook

Barnes and Noble has finally released their much awaited e-book reader and Kindle-rival: the Nook.

At first glance, the devices look similar. But go a little deeper and some differences emerge. For example, the Nook has a color screen vs. the gray-scale screen of the Kindle. Also, the Nook has a touchscreen which the Kindle does not (no matter how long I use the Kindle I still try to touch items on the screen!). One feature the Nook doesn't have and the Kindle does is Text to Speech. While the TTS is not the best - it is functional for students who need auditory support for print materials.

Want to learn more about these two devices? Click here to read a review from ZDNet.

For a really nice comparison chart, click here to read an article from Gizmodo.

Now I just have to get my hands on a Nook and really check it out!