Text and Audible ebook combined?

July 6, 2007 6:26 AM

Is there an ebook system that let's you flip between reading text and listening to the text read to you?

I was talking with a colleague and we were discussing ebook systems. Is there an ebook system that lets you listen to books, for example when working out, and then flip to reading the text, like when you're in a meeting?

The system would need to keep track of where you were, sort of a universal bookmark, and be able to flip between systems. It would also be great if it had the "actor voices" instead of being text to speech.

Anyone know of that anywhere?

posted by wflanagan to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 comments total)

Microsoft Reader
posted by RussHy at 8:38 AM on July 6, 2007

Microsoft reader: listening to text-to-speech is awful. I have been looking for this product you describe with real-people-voices and I haven't found anything close. I would also like to be able to "fold down" pages on books-on-tape (or ipod), so that I can easily look-back at the written page electronically at a later time. Seems like it would work great on an iPhone. Too bad the product doesn't exist, and I don't have $599 lying around.
posted by Eringatang at 12:06 PM on July 6, 2007

Yes, it IS too bad the product doesn't exist. It seems like something Audible.com should implement. It would be fantastic. I like Eringatang's idea as well...
posted by wflanagan at 2:33 PM on July 6, 2007

Uhhm... ok... a product like that doesn't exist... but text and audio are possible to put together if you have two digital devices (two laptops, two pdas, an ipod and pda/laptop.) It doesn't take a genius to have your audio on one and text on the other. The only requirement is that the audibook not be abridged....
posted by gregb1007 at 9:55 PM on July 6, 2007