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In my previous posts, I have gone over most of the main features of the Amazon Kindle. Now I am going to take the time to explain some of the so-called “Experimental” features of the Kindle. These are the web browser, the MP3 player and the text-to-speech feature.

While the Kindle is, by no means, the iPad, the web browser on the Kindle is still quite impressive considering the fact that it was not intended to do so. All web pages will appear in black and white, and anything more advanced than text and images are not supported (e.g. Flash). Still, the Kindle web browser is pretty handy if you’re not near a laptop and would like to check the news or your Facebook. It is, in short, a bare bones version of the internet, but it does just fine for what its worth.

The MP3 player on the Kindle also has the same “bare bones” feel to it. MP3s can be transferred to the device via the included USB cord, and, by activating the player and using the hot keys, you can play, pause and skip songs. There is absolutely NO user interface for the player, so you must sift through songs (with the hot keys) in the order they are in. In terms quality, the music is surprisingly crisp and clear, with no evident distortion. The volume can be controlled via a volume button at the bottom of the device.

The last thing, the text-to-speech tool, is something that I don’t use too often but that I find to be extremely impressive. Only working on official Kindle books, the text-to-speech does what you think it does; it reads to you. Although the voice does have a sort of Microsoft Sam feel, it is surprisingly adept at pronouncing words and paying attention to punctuation. Overall, I wouldn’t mind using this feature if I ever found myself too lazy to read.

Keep in mind, that these three features are explicitly experimental, and are, by no means, comparable to anything offered on a tablet. Still, even with the limited nature of these features, they are quite impressive and hopefully will be implemented in later generations of the Kindle.


Rating:
(Avg: 5 - 6 votes)
 

 

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text - to -speech sounds so cool and useful


oh wow, mp3 player on a kindle? that’s pretty cool, but gonna be distracting.
thanks for sharing.


wait i can’t judge form the picture ><
i wonder how big it is! :D

but mp3 is sooo cool XD

thanks for sharing :D!


wow that very cool!! man i love to get one


the kindle has a mp3 player? wow I never knew that.
I’d definitely use the text-to-speech if I were reading a boring book. 


ohmy..no flash equals no entertainment


With the 3G, it’s a good deal and it doesn’t damage your eyes. However, I prefer color. Thanks for sharing.


thanks for sharing. it seems like a good deal since buying the 3g is free once you buy the 3g version (unlike other devices that require a contract)


the kindle sounds awesome!! but i think based on looks, the nook looks better ><” im not sure if it has music tho. listening while reading is awesome!! :D


really there was text-to-speech and a mp3 player on the kindle? i never actually knew about that! i knew it had a pretty good web browser though
thanks for the review!


Thanks for the review on the extra features! This is pretty interesting - I didn’t know the Kindle had those.


That’s really impressive! Thanks for sharing~



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