Now Apple has updated its iBookstore Assets Guide to include instructions on how to add a Read Aloud narration track to your EPUB file. You can’t access the latest guide unless you’re a registered iTunes Connect member, but eBookNewswer has printed part of the relevant section:

“You can create a Read Aloud book by adding Media Overlays to a Fixed Layout book. A Media Overlay is an EPUB-specific Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) file that can be used to sync audio with text, allowing readers to follow along as the words are read aloud. An additional feature gives you the option of highlighting words as they are spoken.”

Fortunately, SMIL isn’t an Apple-created overlay, but a W3C recommended XML markup language that is used to control the timing of multimedia presentations, and in fact it’s been included in the proposed EPUB 3.0 Media Overlay specs.

By the way, the iPad also has a TTS function that will read most iBook EPUB files to you. It relies on the built-in voiceover functionality of iOS, which I guess is how it flew under the radar of the Authors Guild and anyone else who attacked Amazon’s Kindle TTS feature. In my tests, however, it doesn’t work on competing ebook apps.

5 Aug 2011 / Update on VoiceOver, the iOS TTS feature: I re-tested the most current Kindle, Kobo and Nook iPad apps after reading the comments below. Kindle doesn’t work at all (not even interface buttons are read aloud by VoiceOver). Nook will read some interface buttons but nothing else. Kobo actually does work, but it’s a little clumsy—you have to launch VoiceOver at the start of a chapter or section (at least in my tests), and although VoiceOver will continue to read the section after the first page, the onscreen page won’t advance. At first I suspected the varying levels of functionality had to do with what version of iOS was required, but VoiceOver has been available since iOS 3.0. Of the current app versions, Kindle requires iOS 3.0, Kobo requires iOS 3.2, and Nook requires iOS 4.0.

Via eBookNewser

Yes, this is exactly the feature that debuted in the Amazon Kindle and was then removed when publishers screamed bloody murder. But somehow, so far, Apple has gotten away with it, maybe because nobody’s even realized this feature is in there.

Why is it all right for the iPad to read books aloud, but not the Kindle? Because it’s more obviously part of an overall accessibility system for the blind, whereas the Kindle’s was meant for the convenience of the sighted (and indeed, the rest of it proved to be so inaccessible to the blind that colleges were prohibited from adopting it for textbooks), perhaps? Or is the Authors Guild more willing to give Apple a pass since it helped them stand up to the “man” on the matter of e-book pricing?

Since Pogue explained how to do it, I went ahead and gave it a try myself. It read a little fast to be understandable on the default setting, though that is adjustable by slider. The odd emphases and pauses also didn’t help understandability, and I didn’t really like the way it changed the device’s default gestures. It’s not going to replace a talented audiobook actor any time soon.

Still, I did like how loud and fairly easy to understand the individual words were, and it’s good to have the capability available even if it’s not one I would ordinarily choose to use.

A company called LookTel is in the beta stage of bringing something similar to Windows Mobile camera phones. The device will speak aloud text (package labels or street signs) or identify currency within its field of vision; snapshot-OCR magazine articles, book pages, and so forth; and allow adding voice tags to patterned labels that can be applied to containers and other objects without speakable text.

According to the article, it will even allow the user to provide a remote feed of the camera to someone else to get assistance.

The three-minute video showing the software in action (embedded below the jump) is pretty impressive. This could be one of the first really affordable handheld assistance devices for the visually-impaired.

First of all, iBooks will allow you to “add free ePub titles to iTunes and sync them to the iBooks app on your iPad.” That’s right, the page specifically uses the word “free”. Presumably it means “DRM-free”—since iBooks won’t use or support ADEPT, if someone gave an ADEPT DRM-encumbered e-book away for free, it still would not work.

Still, this is good news for Baen readers, since even Baen’s commercially-sold e-books have no DRM, and all (except the contents of older Baen CDs) are available in DRM-free ePub format.

Second, iBooks will work with the iPad’s VoiceOver text-to-speech screen reader, “so it can read you the contents of any page.” A bit of odd phrasing, that; it implies that it stops at the end of the page and you have to turn the page manually before it will read you more.

Regardless, as Wired’s “Gadget Lab” points out, text-to-speech was a major sticking point with the Kindle 2, with the Authors Guild kicking up such a fuss that Amazon was forced to allow it to be disabled on a per-book basis. There is no word on whether the Authors Guild is going to make the same protests against Apple.

There is also no word yet whether a version of iBooks will be available for the iPhone. The fact that the URL of the iBooks page puts it squarely under the iPad category does not make me hopeful, but we will see.

But thanks to CereProc, a company that mines words and syllables from existing audio sources (such as the many commentary tracks and TV shows Ebert has recorded) and sets them up in a text-to-speech application, Ebert is now able to “speak” with a voice that is noticeably his. It will never be mistaken for his “real” voice from days of old, but it sounds a lot better than the stock speech synthesizer he had been using.

Perhaps someday something like this can make its way into readers like the Kindle: instead of an artificial computer voice, you could have your favorite actor or TV personality read an e-book to you. But for now, I’m thrilled that it is helping Ebert, whom I have long respected, to communicate again.

I’ve just released two incredible new text to speech voices for use with Text2Go. They are called Amy and Brian and have been developed by IVONA Software. I really think they’re amazing – certainly the best I’ve ever heard. You can read the press release on the Text2Go blog or better still listen to the press release as narrated by Amy or Brian.

As a matter of fact, I did listen to the press releases at the links above, and the voices are so good that I decided to post this article.

Note that with the version of firmware with which the Astak shipped, only PDFs could be read aloud. However, a more recent firmware upgrade expanded speech-compatibility and now it works with ePub too. (And perhaps other formats; I did not check.)

I connected the Astak to my computer and recorded a couple of minutes of the first chapter of Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. You can download the mp3 here, and follow along with Baen’s sample chapter here.

Taking a Listen

As with the Kindle, the Astak’s text-to-speech mode is not actually meant to help blind readers—it does not have the necessary audio-based interface for such a reader to navigate to the book and start it playing. Instead, it is meant for hands-free operation, such as when driving.

As you can tell, it is not the best way to experience a book. Those publishers who complained and forced Amazon to allow them to disable the feature? If this is an example of the quality in which the Kindle reads, they were overreacting.

You will notice a number of things right away: the way it runs the ends of the first few lines together, and the way “it” at the end of the last sentence in the second paragraph gets pronounced “eye tee”. You may also notice the way it hesitates while switching pages (after the words “left leg, which”—it was read at a different font size from the one shown in the picture).

According to the manual, the jog switch on the right is supposed to adjust the volume level. However, I never could make it work. Not that it was a great hardship for me, since I barely used the feature anyway.

Parting Thoughts

The Astak 5” PocketPro EZReader is better in some ways than the Sony (more readable screen) and about the same to slightly worse in others (its clunky control scheme and problems reading PDFs). It was definitely lighter and easier to hold in one hand, but it also had the issue with its paint starting to peel off.

The lack of support for eReader format was a little frustrating, and was probably one of the big things that would have led me to want to keep it. Since it was not, I will not feel too bad about sending it back.

Even with its flaws, the Astak is still a decent little reader. Those who prefer dedicated readers and e-ink screens can certainly do worse. None of the problems are showstoppers. If I had more disposable income, even with the flaws I probably would go ahead and buy it.

But now it is time to bring this set of reviews to a close and look toward the next reviews I will be doing for TeleRead. Max Seybold, Chairman of CherryPal, will be sending me review units of the Africa and Bing netbooks sold by his company, and I will see what kind of e-book readers they might make.

I noticed your recent article describing converting ebooks to MP3 files so you can listen to them on your Kindle.

I don’t know if you’re aware but I have a similar text to speech product called Text2Go, that will convert any DRM-free ePub ebook into an iTunes Audiobook for playback on your iPod/iPhone (MP3 files can also be created for other MP3 players/devices). One of the neat things it will do is preserve the chapter marks for easy navigation during playback. It will also use the cover image when available and even pluck out images within the ebook for use as chapter images.

There is a full tutorial on the process on the Text2Go website at

Text2Go eBook to Audiobook Tutorial

I’ve also added ‘Convert to Audiobook’ links to the ebook announcements on eBooks Just Published where possible. Clicking on one of these links will automatically download the ebook and begin the conversion to an audiobook. If Text2Go is not installed, the reader will be prompted to download and install the application first.

You can see a few such links in the eBooks Just Published.com free category.

The Intel Reader is meant specifically for the blind or visually-impaired.

“We want people to experience the independence of being able to read on their own in a public place or anywhere they want to,” said [Intel representative Ben Foss], speaking at a press event on Monday. “A metaphor for this are the ramps that make buildings wheelchair accessible. This reader is like a ramp.”

The Intel Reader certainly goes farther than the Kindle toward assisting the blind. In fact, it was intentionally designed to enable full use by the visually-impaired with no additional help required. The packaging includes braille notation to identify the manuals, and a tutorial audio CD.

The Intel Reader has also been endorsed by a number of organizations dedicated to helping the blind or learning-disabled. The technical specs are impressive, and even at $1,500 it still costs considerably less than $10,000 braille readers.

It is interesting to consider that, for those who cannot read print themselves, the Intel Reader makes one of the great benefits of e-books available even for printed matter. Who knows; perhaps in a few years even ordinary e-book devices will be able to do something similar.

No, the TTS isn’t the equal of a human voice, especially one as memorable as that of Jim Dale, the Harry Potter narrator shown with actress Glenn Close.

Many have complained of the lack of inflection. Some have cited this as one reason for Amazon and others not to disable TTS to satisfy the whims of publishers. I myself think that playing text is fair use, just as large purple characters or a certain typeface would be.

In all honesty, however, the K2’s speech synthesis is far, far better than many other TTS systems. I can finally understand the speech with hardly any difficulty. And I suspect that the TTS is going to improve considerably in the future—a bit of a scary prospect since this could intensify opposition by certain publishers.

Pro-TTS legislation, please

That said, we really need to clarify the fair use aspect. Legislation, anyone? The irony is that publishers’ revenue might well increase with anti-TTS DRM banned by law. Audio book revenue is just a fraction of the industry total. TTS makes e-books much more useful for commuters, joggers and other exercisers—not just people with disabilities. What a boost TTS could give e-books!

Could it be that some publishers are less worried about revenue loss from TTS in particular and more about the rise of e-books in general?

Also of interest: Adobe/OverDrive e-book deal on hold at L.A. Public Library over text-to-speech controversy.

Hachette pretty much follows the Amazon position, saying that unless its authors object, it has no issue with adding TTS for the vast majority of its books. The only exceptions, HBG said, would be for “books that fall within our audio publishing program or specialized circumstances like memoirs, where the author or character’s voice is an artistic element of the work. Under such circumstances HBG reserves the right to request that the functionality be disabled.”

The statement said HBG arrived at its position have talking to the various parties interested in the issue. Hachette further noted that TTS “technology is likely to be a feature on an increasing number of devices in the coming months, and HBG recognizes the value of such functionality to individuals with impaired vision or similar disabilities.”

Recently I’ve been working on an ePub reader prototype. Once I’ve created a robust ePub ebook reader, I’m going to move this functionality into my text to speech application, Text2Go. My goal is provide a system that will convert an ebook to speech and transfer it to your iPod in a single click. This will allow any ePub formatted ebook to be turned into an audio book which can then be listened to while driving, walking, working out at the gym or any other activity where reading is impractical.

The focus of my ePub reader is quite different from the norm due to the fact that the recipient is not a human reader but a machine reader or computerized voice. A computerized voice cares nothing for fancy layouts, font selection or images. This makes my job a lot easier in many ways. However a computerized voice lacks one important skill a human reader uses frequently, often at a subconscious level. A computerized voice has no way of skimming over a section of text. For example, human readers will never read the same footer at the bottom of every page or meticulously read every page number. If this text is mixed in with the actual body of the story (usually as a result of some blind conversion process from a different ebook format to ePub), then the computerized voice will read this text in full on every page. This becomes incredibly irritating for the human listener.

At the suggestion of Peter Brantley of the Internet Archive, I offer up this Frequently Asked Questions for Authors regarding the Text To Speech (TTS) functionality that is the subject of debate. This may be an evolving document as more people provide input so that it adeqately addresses the issues. Please feel free to offer suggestions and/or revisions in the comments section.

***

Q: I’ve heard that there is some debate over Kindle’s Text to Speech Function. What is it and should I be concerned?

A: When Amazon released it’s Kindle 2 in February, it announced that it had included the ability for every document/book/written work on the Kindle to be real aloud using a robotic voice (either girl or boy). You can hear a sample of it here as read by Wil Wheaton. The TTS functionality was switched “on” as a default. Author’s Guild objected to this on the basis that the right to read a book out loud was an audio right, a derivative right of authors under the Copyright Law.

After laying out why that function is not an infringement, or even if it is Amazon is the wrong one to complain about, Doctorow explains that the legality of read-aloud is irrelevant and what authors should be worrying about is Amazon’s ability to turn off features in the Kindle (that is, changing their mind and allowing publishers to choose to disable read-aloud for their books) after it has been shipped.

Writes Doctorow:

If I were running the Authors Guild, this would be my number one issue: we can’t afford to allow our books to be used to lure readers into purchasing devices that can turn against them. Because whatever bad feelings arise from this, some of them will surely be visited upon us.

While Doctorow writes with his usual cheerfully blatant hyperbole, he does point out an issue that readers of all DRM-locked e-books should bear in mind: the e-book seller, or the company that manages the e-book format if they’re not one and the same, can potentially do bad things to you after you invest in their product.

For example, the MobiPocket forums are full of posts like this one, in which a long-time MobiPocket user plaintively demands some way to read the expensive DRM-locked books he bought years ago on his new iPhone:

As you all should know – I am now unable to read my ebooks on my new device. I am very sad about this. Remember – I paid for them and now I can’t use them.

Would you please offer me a solution for this problem.

Everybody who ever bought protected Mobi books while owning a Palm but later bought an iPhone or Nokia Maemo tablet or Android device is in the same boat.

Ironically, the probable culprit here is also the hypothetical villain of Doctorow’s piece: Amazon.com. And if Amazon should ever stop licensing the Mobi DRM format to its competitors, everybody’s DRM’d MobiPocket books will vanish entirely*—just as Overdrive’s Fictionwise books did when Overdrive stopped doing business with Fictionwise.

The same dangers exist for every DRM-locked format, no matter how benevolent its present owners are. As Doctorow points out in his article, even a benign DRM-owner might be replaced if the company goes bankrupt or is sold to a new owner (as MobiPocket was bought by Amazon).

In the end, caveat emptor rules. The e-book buyer should beware, and reduce his dependency on and vulnerability to all DRM’d formats however he can. Otherwise, he may end up unpleasantly surprised.

*from the e-book sites that allow re-locking and re-download of MobiPocket books. The copies of the books that have already been downloaded will continue to work for all the devices to which they are currently DRM-locked, but cannot be re-locked to new devices.

(This reminds me of the flap caused by Adobe back in 2000 when the company released a PDF of Alice in Wonderland through Glassbook whose description included the line, “This book cannot be read aloud.” Some fraction of the Internet got up in arms over this, given that Alice in Wonderland was in the public domain—but it turned out to be a misunderstanding based on Adobe disabling use of a speech synthesizer function of Adobe Reader on that particular file.)

From one perspective, it is highly disappointing that publishers will be able to turn off a really handy feature that should be entirely legally permissible and is in no way a threat to professionally-produced audiobook recordings. But it is understandable that Amazon might not want to alienate publishers at this point. Hopefully the majority of publishers will take the sensible position that authors such as Cory Doctorow and Neil Gaiman have put forward—that the read-aloud feature is neither an infringement nor a threat.

Of course, if the stricture against reading aloud is enforced by DRM, all that a Kindle customer would need to do is offload the Kindle book onto his computer and use the tools that already exist for cracking Mobipocket DRM to get around that. (At least for the Kindle books that use the Mobipocket format.)

Regardless, the Pandora’s box of text-to-speech has been opened, and I would not be surprised if other e-book reader manufacturers included it in their machines as well. There is no guarantee those other manufacturers, or even Amazon, will be willing to listen to the Authors Guild forever.