Now that I have a new job, I’m commuting for the first time in 10 years. My Kindle is keeping me company in the car and reading me The New York Times.
For the past few years, I’d been forced to listen to sports radio while driving. That’s because my car stereo was broken, attached manually with Scotch tape, and capable of playing just one station. Thanks, Mom, for the new one!
Having my Kindle read to me in the morning — using its text-to-speech function and Calibre’s “fetch news” feature — is a great way to spend my 30 minutes in the car.
Sure, the computerized voice takes some time to get used to, but now I find it smooth and reassuring. And yes, I could get through news faster if I read it myself silently — which I used to do, illegally, while driving — but that’s a safety hazard, plus it makes my fellow commuters quite angry and honk a lot.
Here’s a scintillating, 14-second audio snippet of yesterday’s session!
[audio:http://iserotope.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kindle-Voice.mp3]
Advanced Tip: The Kindle Keyboard, I’ve found, is the best Kindle for in-car text-to-speech. Somehow its speakers are louder and more conducive to the car’s auxiliary jack.
Let me know if you’d like more details about how to set this up. (My friends think I’m crazy, by the way, but that’s not especially new.)
Great idea! What kind of cord do you use?
Hi Chelsa. Sorry, but I don’t know what kind of cord it is. It’s just a normal auxiliary cord — nothing special. I’m actually looking for a new one. Do you have a recommendation?