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Is There Hope For A Kindle Application In Universities

The Kindle DX has 10" screen which makes it very easy to read textbooks and other classroom materials. It's lightweight and cuts the cost of books at the college and university levels to less than half of what you have to pay at the school bookstore. So, what is the problem? The use of the Kindle application in Universities and public schools is no longer being supported or promoted.

Author: Marco Gustafsson
Date: Mar 11, 2010 - 1:50:17 PM

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The Kindle DX was designed specifically for use in schools. The system has a cool 10" screen which makes it very easy to read documents, textbooks, and other classroom materials. It's easy to use, is lightweight, and cuts the cost of books at the college and university levels to less than half of what you have to pay at the school bookstore. So, what is the problem? The use of the Kindle application in Universities and public schools is no longer being supported or promoted.

One tiny little flaw has effectively eliminated the support of this eReader in schools. Unfortunately, the designers thought of everything when building this eReader, except, they didn't read the laws about the United State Disabilities Act and it's relationship to education in the US. A tiny flaw yes, but nevertheless fatal.

During the testing phase of the eReader at four major universities, it was found that there was no way that visually impaired students could use the menu and navigation features of the reader to get to the books that are available in text-to-speech. This problem eventually rose to the Department of Justice where it was decided that, since the system does not meet the ADA regulations, it cannot be used in public schools.

The universities have decided that the Kindle DX and any other eBooks will not be provided, promoted, or recommended unless they are made accessible to visually impaired students. It has been agreed by everyone involved that the use of an eReader in schools is a great idea and one that will eventually bring the provider who comes up with the right system a great deal of profit.

Kindle is working on a fix for this issue and has stated that they should have something out by Summer. Unfortunately, once a company has been thrown under the bus, they generally stay squished. The issue is really about more than the eReader, it is about the incredible profit that most educational systems make through the sale of books. And the fact that the eReader is going to remove a great deal of the profit made from people who are very comfortable with the status quo as it is. Another issue is of copyright and lending from university libraries. According to the article " Why Universities Should Make Textbooks Available on e-Readers", the problem is that Amazon states that it is not permitted to lend Kindles, and although Amazon reps have verbally given the nod, this was not put in writing (Digital Book Readers).

When a full-time student is getting ready for a semester at a college or university, several thousand dollars are going to be spent on books and mandatory materials that are only sold through the bookstore of the university. While there have been several laws and regulations passed in an attempt to keep textbook prices reasonable, this has not resulted in any savings to the student. Finding alternative ways to get books that are required for courses are continually explored by students who are trying to get an education.

As anyone who uses a voice recognition system on their home computer knows, there are some very simple ways to incorporate voice commands for menu and navigation on a program. Kindle DX and other eReaders will undoubtedly use these same tools on their eReader to make it functional for any student in an educational setting.

Even with the restriction on sales of eReaders and the Kindle application in Universities, over ten million students are using the applications. While the fight may continue for several years in the academic and judicial arenas, many students are finding that they can control at least part of the money that is spent on their education by getting an eReader that has the same benefits that the Kindle eReader offers.

Marco Gustafsson is author of articles on e-book readers, e-inc technology and electronic books. For more information visit Digital Book Readers - the #1 eBook readers guide with reviews and secrets to buy a good portable e-Reader.

View all articles by Marco Gustafsson

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