Amazon updates its Kindle e-readers to make studying extra accessible to all

Earlier this summer season, Amazon launched a new update for its Kindle e-reader gadgets, including options to make studying even simpler. These embrace new options for spacing between characters, phrases, and paragraphs. Now, Amazon has dropped one other replace for its Kindle e-readers, introducing further accessibility options.

The replace, model 5.18.4.0.1, is now out there for eleventh and Twelfth-generation Kindle e-readers. In typical Amazon trend, the release notes merely say, “Efficiency enhancements, bug fixes, and different basic enhancements” had been included within the replace, however they do not point out that two new options have been added: Assistive Reader and a bigger font setting for the interface.

The brand new font choice, discovered underneath Accessibility in settings, enlarges the font dimension for all components and textual content in your Kindle e-reader. This contains the person interface, menus, and the Kindle Retailer (by way of Good E Reader). The one factor that continues to be unchanged is the font dimension whereas studying an e-book, probably as a result of e-books have their very own separate font setting, which you’ll be able to modify by tapping the “Aa” menu on the toolbar and deciding on Fonts. For customers with a imaginative and prescient impairment, this characteristic will likely be significantly useful in making their Kindle simpler to navigate.

Amazon has reintroduced Assistive Reader to its Kindle gadgets

Assistive Reader reads your e-books aloud and highlights the textual content because it goes

The second characteristic Amazon launched with this replace is named Assistive Reader, and it’s truly the second time it has appeared on Kindle gadgets. In response to Good E Reader, Amazon initially added this characteristic in July however eliminated it just a few days later. Amazon didn’t formally clarify why it made this alteration, however it’s presumed to be as a consequence of bugs that wanted to be fastened.

That stated, with the most recent Kindle replace, evidently the Assistive Reader is again, making studying on Kindle gadgets extra accessible. What Assistive Reader does is learn aloud your e-book to you, and when you’re listening, the textual content being learn to you is highlighted in your display screen. The voice studying it’s reportedly simply an AI voice, so it isn’t as subtle as audiobooks, nevertheless it’s nonetheless helpful nonetheless.

With Assistive Reader enabled, you’ll be able to play, pause, and management the pace of the narration, and rewind by 30 seconds should you miss one thing utilizing the participant controls on the backside of the display screen. If you happen to open a navigation menu or cease to create notes or highlights, Assistive Reader mechanically pauses and resumes the place you left off whenever you end.

To make use of Assistive Reader, an e-book should help “Enhanced Typesetting.” To verify in case your e-book helps it, Amazon recommends visiting the Kindle Retailer, discovering your e-book, and searching for “Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled” in its options checklist.

In case your e-book helps Assistive Reader, you’ll be able to flip it on within the studying settings menu. Merely faucet the display screen, choose “Aa” on the high, then select “Extra,” and allow Assistive Reader. It is price noting you will want Bluetooth headphones or earbuds linked to make use of Assistive Reader, as Kindle e-readers do not have audio system.

Assistive Reader first debuted on the Kindle App for iOS final yr, so it is nice to see it now out there on Kindle e-readers. To check out the brand new characteristic, you will want the most recent Kindle replace, model 5.18.4.0.1. You may verify for updates by navigating to Settings > Machine choices > Software program updates in your Kindle, or by manually downloading and putting in it.