New Kobo E-reading device scheduled for release Mothers Day!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But isn't that because of being able to install the Overdrive app?

No, it's because of being able to download ACSM files via the reader's web browser. Once you have the ACSM file, whether it becomes from a library site or a bookstore, the ADE software on the device can process it in the same way that desktop ADE does and download the ePub book. This means that you can download books from any store or library which has a web interface that serves up ACSM files. And this was back in 2010.

[murg]

You guys are waaaaaayyyyyyy too late.

Kobo already had a fish based release.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by murg

You guys are waaaaaayyyyyyy too late.

Kobo already had a fish based release.

You've got me. I remember lots of hockey references, but I don't remember a fish.

[murg]

Originally Posted by davidfor

You've got me. I remember lots of hockey references, but I don't remember a fish.

Firmware releases:

• 1.9.16 was Bowfin
• 1.9.17b was Cod
• 2.0.0c was Devario
• 2.0.2 was Eel

[chrisridd]

My vote for the name of the Overdrive enabling firmware is "You ain't seen nothing yet", as in Bachman-Turner Overdrive :-)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by chrisridd

My vote for the name of the Overdrive enabling firmware is "You ain't seen nothing yet", as in Bachman-Turner Overdrive :-)

I like that one. It fits rather well.

[Nate the great]

The Mother's Day meme lives on.
https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...iobook-support

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

The Mother's Day meme lives on.
https://goodereader.com/blog/electro...iobook-support

I am surprised that Kobo hasn't had audiobook support yet. But saying it's coming for Mothers Day?! Pfft!

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I am surprised that Kobo hasn't had audiobook support yet. But saying it's coming for Mothers Day?! Pfft!

I'm not.

Amazon supports audiobooks because they saw how the two could be integrated. In fact, the very first Kindle played Audible audiobooks (that's how far back Amazon was planning this).

Kobo, on the other hand, supports audiobooks out of a "checkbox" motivation. It's not a feature they planned to include in their platform but they had to add because it is expected.

I don't expect them to ever add audiobooks to their ereaders.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

I am surprised that Kobo hasn't had audiobook support yet. But saying it's coming for Mothers Day?! Pfft!

I don't understand the desire to control audiobooks from an e-ink device. The key feature of an e-ink reader is the screen. What do audiobooks gain from an e-ink screen?

The number of readers who own an e-ink device but don't own a phone, tablet or computer must be vanishingly small to non-existent.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I don't understand the desire to control audiobooks from an e-ink device. The key feature of an e-ink reader is the screen. What do audiobooks gain from an e-ink screen?

The number of readers who own an e-ink device but don't own a phone, tablet or computer must be vanishingly small to non-existent.

I agree. I hope Kobo spend zero develop cost/time on this. There is nothing they could do that would make using an eink device better than using a smartphone.

Whether you want to listen to audiobooks purchased via paid subscription, or as simple sideloaded MP3s or using text-to-speech in an Android epub reading app, the smartphone will win every time (although I must confess to only having experience of the last two of these).

Add me the chorus of "why?" and "please don't" voices. The only situation in which I can see a use for it is immersive reading, but my understanding is that even Kindle doesn't support that on its e-ink audiobook-capable readers. Which makes the whole thing moot/pointless in my opinion. I'd rather have audiobook functionality on the dsesktop apps, so that I can listen along to the Italian books I have while I try to read them. On my e-ink reader.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

I'd rather have audiobook functionality on the dsesktop apps, so that I can listen along to the Italian books I have while I try to read them. On my e-ink reader.

You can probably already do that for free if you're a Windows 10 user. I think all you'd need to do is download/install the Win10 Italian language pack. Then open your epub in MS Edge and select 'Read Aloud'.

Originally Posted by jackie_w

You can probably already do that for free if you're a Windows 10 user. I think all you'd need to do is download/install the Win10 Italian language pack. Then open your epub in MS Edge and select 'Read Aloud'.

Yes, that would work, but text-to-speech doesn't work as well as human narration. I've done this occasionally with Hindi, read along while listening to TTS, and find the machine's pausing and intonation off-putting. And since aural aesthetics are the reason I love Italian, I'm not going to butcher it that way.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by stuartjmz

Yes, that would work, but text-to-speech doesn't work as well as human narration. I've done this occasionally with Hindi, read along while listening to TTS, and find the machine's pausing and intonation off-putting. And since aural aesthetics are the reason I love Italian, I'm not going to butcher it that way.

Well no, "you gets what you pays for", I suppose . Is the Windows Italian voice poor? I've only listened to the English voices which have improved greatly since Windows 7. However I do also own some paid-for voices which are even better - still not BBC standard, but I've trained myself to be able to enjoy TTS well enough over time.