Access review of Amazon Kindle 3

Summary of accessibility features

The Amanzon Kindle 3 eReader

The Amazon Kindle 3 (third generation) eReader device provides some accessibility for people who are blind and vision impaired.

While it is not accessible out-of-the-box, it does include text-to-speech capabilities which allow you to read books menu options, content listings and item descriptions aloud. This feature is limited however, due to licencing issues – not all eBooks allow the Text-to-Speech function, and navigation and text selection within an eBook is not possible with Text-to-Speech enabled. Text-to-Speech does allow support for search.

The device supports AudioBooks, has a QWERTY keyboard and 5-way navigation key, eight adjustable font sizes, full image zoom and higher contrast (50% higher than the previous model). Brightness cannot be adjusted on the device.

Summary of general features

Kindle 3 includes built-in Wi-Fi, 4GB storage space for up to 3,500 books and documents, weighs less than 250 grams and can run on one month of battery before recharging. Like most eReaders, the screen is made with e-ink technology, which reduces eye strain and makes the screen readable in light with no reflection.

You can acquire over 560,000 English-language plus U.S. and international magazines and newspapers through the online Kindle Store.  On your device you can download them straight onto your Kindle 3 from the Kindle Store application or via the Kindle Store website through the web browser on your device. Alternatively you can download them onto your computer or smart phone and then transfer files to your Kindle 3 via USB.

Through Kindle’s ‘Whispersync’, Kindle books can also be synced across devices such as the Kindle, iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, Android device, and BlackBerry.

Kindle doesn’t support the industry standard ePub format, which is also used for many free books online, although Amazon does provides over 4,000 free public domain books for Kindle.

Accessibility review

The Amazon Kindle 3 is not accessible out-of-the-box, which means that a sighted person is initially required to go into the settings and activate the two screen reader features ‘Voice Guide’ and ‘Text-to-Speech’. Voice Guide is used to navigate menus and other information on the device and Text-to-Speech is for reading books.

Unfortunately, many eBooks available on the Kindle Store have the Text-to-Speech function disabled by request of the publisher due to Digital Rights Management licencing. The description of the book indicates whether the book supports Text-to-Speech or not.

Text-to-Speech allows you to choose between three speed settings and a male and female voice although these settings are not saved so you have to activate them every time you open and re-open a book.

In newspapers and periodicals, which you can have directly sent to your Kindle, you can easily navigate by heading and section and clip articles for later viewing. However, it is not possible to navigate through an eBook when the Text-to-Speech function is on, or highlight and select passages of text within an eBook.

Searching is accessible on the Kindle 3 with the use of the Voice Guide, allowing you to search materials on the Kindle device and the Kindle Store. 

Voice Guide and Text-to-Speech, however, do not work with the built-in web browser or the Kindle Store on your device, so you therefore need to purchase eBooks on your computer or smart phone and then transfer them to your Kindle device via USB. The Kindle app for iPhone and iPad does not currently support VoiceOver.

Kindle 3 has 50% higher contrast than the previous model of the Kindle eReader. Feedback from customers is that the screen itself has a grey tinge, which may mean lower contrast with the black text. The screen’s brightness cannot be adjusted nor can it be adjusted to white on black, like on the iPad.

With the inclusion of an audio player, Kindle 3 allows support for AudioBooks. The QWERTY keyboard and 5-way navigation key allow for eyes free navigation. For people who are vision impaired, full image zoom and large font sizes increase the device’s accessibility.

The Amazon Kindle 3 retails for US$189 with Wi-Fi and 3G wireless capabilities and US$139 for Wi-Fi only.

Further resources


Top of page
Tags: