Amazon Alexa reading books on voice command

[Bryce Weintz]

Nick, thanks for taking me "in" the other week when I had a mission to suggest a feature enhancement.

My family recently started using Alexa by Amazon and are amazed at the fluidity in navigating her skills and her wonderful voice (I bet someday we will be able to customize that, too!)

I have "pitched" Amazon Alexa Developers via Facebook, and you know I've suggested Bookshare to collaborate with Amazon to enable a feature where Bookshare subscribers have access through the Alexa app to request Alexa to read a book, seamlessly.  

This would avoid the layer after layer of box checking and downloading that most often derails impatient challenged readers.

I am most willing to participate in any efforts to enable this enhancement and collaboration with Amazon!

[Ginny Grant]

Thanks Bryce! We are actively working with Amazon to get Go Read available in the Kindle Store for use with Kindle Fire. After that, there may be a future for Alexa to be able to the TTS voice behind a Bookshare title, but there is a lot of work and partnership-building that would be necessary.  Keep the ideas coming!

[Deborah Armstrong]

I agree with the ease of use of Alexa and often demo her to my students, reminding them that non-disabled students need to buy or rent books and so if they have to get the book on Amazon for the easy reading experience their playing field is more than level.

I think one thing that would help impatient, challenged readers to get the "Alexa experience" now with bookshare is more videos on using the web reader. I know there's a few that exist but there is more chatting from the demonstrator and not enough demonstration of the user actually reading with the high-quality Chrome voice.

 

Remember that showing a reluctant reader how to use the web reader can go a long way towards giving them the "Alexa Experience" with today's bookshare!

 

[Bryce Weintz]

Bookshare, any progress on an Alexa Alliance to read from Bookshare subscripbers accounts?

[Ginny Grant]

We had a volunteer sign up with our Developer Program planning on building this capability a few months' back - I will check in with him to see how it is going!

[Derick L]

My brother has been asking about this. Do you have contact info for the volunteer that I could reach out to? I wouldn’t mind helping

[Angela West]

I  would like to know how much longer will it be before  the  echo devices  will have the  book share skil?l  

[Heather Collins]

Hello all,

If you are 55 years or older, you can help us test our new Amazon Alexa skill. Please fill out this survey if you are interested: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e323APf84pkw_mZhfo0-Ke-4UzwzdGF4Ds4Su_tsR24/viewform?edit_requested=true

[Ninette LeGates]

How do I find navigation commands for BookShare linked with Alexa?

[Heather Collins]

You can click on this link for information regarding beta testing the smart speaker skill: https://www.bookshare.org/cms/help-center/alexa-smart-speaker-beta-early-2021

If you have further questions or issues, please send an email message to smartspeaker@benetech.org for additional assistance.