I love audiobooks. I have consumed hundreds of them, I’m sure. (Maybe forty books by Terry Pratchett alone.)
Two kinds don’t work: too complex books, where you have to stop and think all the time. And too easy books, where you can read it much faster.
But those in the middle, it frees the body and the hands etc to do tasks, go for walks. Or the opposite, really relax. I always have issues with relaxing, so I cherish being able to go from super-relax to sleep mode by just hitting a button, instead of taking off my glasses, putting in a bookmark, turning off the light, turning over, and trying to get my brain relax from the tasks of running the eyes and enterpreting letters and sentences.
By now I almost consider audiobooks to be about the same as books read by text-to-speech, because of the Kindle Fire HDX, which is so good at this that I sometimes forget it's not a human reading to me.
12 comments:
...because of the Kindle Fire HDX, which is so good at this that I sometimes forget it's not a human reading to me.
Wow...now, you've got me curious about that HDX, again... Didn't realize that it was that good; first I remember you saying so... And...how are you getting the audiobooks; via Amazon? Some app? I sure hope that it's not via Audible.com because I'm not interested in a monthly fee; I don't "listen" enough to justify it (usually, they put me to sleep!! It was a real challenge w/Elizabeth Gilbert's book 'Eat, Pray, Love,' because she has such a soothing/comforting voice... :-P )
You can buy them at amazon, but that is also Audible.
Possibly Audible has a non-membership option. Yes, I'm pretty sure you can buy a book without becoming a member.
But I like the membership, because the monthly fee is much less than one book, which is about what I use. My latest book, Pillars of the Earth, would have been like forty bucks! And it's forty hours long!
I also have a trillion audiobooks from iTunes, which can be played on a Mac or PC, an iPod, iPhone, or iPad.
But: audiobooks *are* read by a human. An actual actor, actually, usually.
Text-to-speech is computer-generated from text, like an ebook (even one you've made yourself and sent to Kindle), and of course is not the same. But what Amazon uses on the HDX (and the new phone) is, I think, from Nuance, and it's a big leap ahead from two-three years ago.
I hope I'm not over-selling it, it's just that I love that my eyes and hands are free when reading text.
I heard it's even improved on the Fire Phone, I'm looking forward to hearing how it is on the next Kindle Fire, probably to come in November.
You can buy them at amazon, but that is also Audible.
I hadn't thought of that; I guess it is... It's been so long that I have gotten any but, as I remember it, I have only bought a couple...and they were 'The Horse Boy' and 'Eat, Pray, Love,' both of which I would like to go through, again; I LOVE both of the author's voices and what they shared w/the world... :-D It's funny, however, that I don't often listen to most things more than once... And...I downloaded several, from our digital library, but, as soon as they expire, they disappear, like a vapor...
Possibly Audible has a non-membership option. Yes, I'm pretty sure you can buy a book without becoming a member.
Not sure... It seems that anything I have ever seen from them, they "offer" a "free" book for you to try them, and...then, they "offer" their membership, right after that... I just looked on their site and they have written: "After the trial, your paid membership will begin at $14.95 per month." Funny; something about that word "begin" makes me think that there will be an increase, somewhere along the line... :-P It feels like a "fine print" kind of word... Is yours a U.S. membership?
But I like the membership, because the monthly fee is much less than one book, which is about what I use.
I sure would like to be more "disciplined" and do one book/month, myself; that would be cool to be able to have such a HUGE database to choose from; "buried" in voices (get it? rather than words...since it's an audio?! LOL! ;-P )
My latest book, Pillars of the Earth, would have been like forty bucks! And it's forty hours long!
I think I just found it in our state's digital library...for free!! So...do you go back and listen to them more than once?
I also have a trillion audiobooks from iTunes, which can be played on a Mac or PC, an iPod, iPhone, or iPad.
Cool...
But: audiobooks *are* read by a human. An actual actor, actually, usually.
I dare you to try to say that, again...3 times!! ;-) Yes...my favorite, as with the above-mentioned, is when it is the actual author and they have a soothing voice... :-D
Text-to-speech is computer-generated from text, like an ebook (even one you've made yourself and sent to Kindle), and of course is not the same.
Right...
But what Amazon uses on the HDX (and the new phone) is, I think, from Nuance, and it's a big leap ahead from two-three years ago.
Good to know...
I hope I'm not over-selling it, it's just that I love that my eyes and hands are free when reading text.
Yes...understand and concur...
I heard it's even improved on the Fire Phone,
Cool...
I'm looking forward to hearing how it is on the next Kindle Fire, probably to come in November.
I look forward to your feedback; perhaps I'll wait for that one to come out, before I think of upgrading...
[So the HDX only makes a difference with ebooks, not audiobooks.]
I discovered recently I had an Audible membership both in the US and the UK. (Their signup must be quite subtle.) I cancelled my US membership and found some books for the half dozen chips I had.
I've often listened to an audiobook more than once. With Terry Pratchett, at least a couple dozen. Some of them, maybe three times.
[So the HDX only makes a difference with ebooks, not audiobooks.]
Uh, OK...gotcha!! I was thinking that you had said that the audio technology had improved; hence why I thought it would be interesting to check out...
I discovered recently I had an Audible membership both in the US and the UK. (Their signup must be quite subtle.)
Weird; must be...
I cancelled my US membership and found some books for the half dozen chips I had.
Nice... :-D
I've often listened to an audiobook more than once. With Terry Pratchett, at least a couple dozen.
That is amazing!! So, yeah, it pays for you to purchase them...ya, fer SURE!! :-P
Some of them, maybe three times.
I see...
Look what I just found... :-P I bet I'd be out in less than 5 minutes trying to listen to that in bed; part of my downfall of audiobooks... :-P
Holy cow! Full audiobooks for free on YT?!!
(The audio quality is a bit lower, but no more than I guess most can live with.)
It is several hours. Normal mortals can only post ten minutes. I wonder if this means that this is an official publication or what?
Why would they publish the whole book for free, that is as likely for a publisher as it is likely for a politician to be 100% honest.
On the other hand, how would anybody get away with posting several audiobooks they don't have the rights to?
[just an FYI, your last comment posted twice...]
Holy cow! Full audiobooks for free on YT?!!
CRAZY find, huh?! Who knew?! I sure didn't!!
(The audio quality is a bit lower, but no more than I guess most can live with.)
From what I heard of the 'Pillars...' audiobook, it sounded pretty good, to me...
It is several hours.
Yes; I saw that!! :-P
Normal mortals can only post ten minutes. I wonder if this means that this is an official publication or what?
Yeah...I'm not sure how they are: 1) able to even post them; and 2) that length, as well... Interesting, for sure... I do wonder how many books I might like are on there, though, because a book as popular as 'Eat, Pray, Love' isn't even there, sadly... :-( Let me know what you think...
Why would they publish the whole book for free, that is as likely for a publisher as it is likely for a politician to be 100% honest.
LOL!! When you put it that way... Why would someone have an entire channel of full movies, for free, or music, for that matter?! They do exist, though!! :-D
On the other hand, how would anybody get away with posting several audiobooks they don't have the rights to?
Right...but, again...the same thoughts towards the other artistic modes mentioned above... :-D
I forgot to mention one of the other reasons why I have wanted to replace my Kindle; I think the battery is dying on it and always seems to need a charge, every time I light it up...which is quite rarely, these days, honestly...which makes me suspicious of the battery because I thought that it was supposed to retain battery unless used... I can't even remember how old it is but...I didn't get the HDX, so...what...at least 2 years old, maybe?
Batteries are a weak link in so many ways.
With iPad 2, Jobs was careful to point out that if you returned to it after four weeks, there would still be charge on it.
Funny enough, just yesterday I found the only other 10-inch tablet I've ever bought, a Toshiba from 2011. It must be over two years since I touched it... and yet it started up and ran! Not even a low battery warning yet. (Admittedly it's pretty heavy, so they prob used a big battery.)
If you put your Kindle in Airplane mode (turns off the wireless), then the battery lasts much longer. Wireless is a significant drain, even without traffic.
Batteries are a weak link in so many ways.
I agree... Wouldn't it be nice if someone would harness solar energy or something like that (they use solar almost exclusively, in calculators, these days; why not this?!) instead of batteries?
With iPad 2, Jobs was careful to point out that if you returned to it after four weeks, there would still be charge on it.
Which just seems kind of unreal, with all that gets done w/it!! I, easily, run my laptop down in just a matter of a few hours; I need to charge it, daily...
Funny enough, just yesterday I found the only other 10-inch tablet I've ever bought, a Toshiba from 2011. It must be over two years since I touched it... and yet it started up and ran! Not even a low battery warning yet. (Admittedly it's pretty heavy, so they prob used a big battery.)
That's amazing!! I had a Nokia phone like that, once; hadn't used it in months and it, still, had juice, when I fired it up!! Wild!! Which is my other "annoyance;" I've had better battery life in phones, in the past...but, true...they weren't running apps...
If you put your Kindle in Airplane mode (turns off the wireless), then the battery lasts much longer. Wireless is a significant drain, even without traffic.
Thank you; I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing that, before... I'm wondering if, again, it might be some apps that I have that are causing the drain w/constant updating...I don't know...
"Which just seems kind of unreal, with all that gets done w/it"
No, that was when it was not being used.
--
Try quitting all apps you're not using.
And google, there are lots of article about saving battery power.
Post a Comment