Whispersync for Voice

[Betsy]

Has anyone tried Whispersync for Voice?

For some books, when you buy the kindle version from Amazon, you can also buy -- at a substantial discount -- the audiobook version, and they will sync with each other. So you can read a while on kindle then switch to the audiobook and the narration will pick up where you left off reading, and vice versa. And it works across devices.

Whether it's available or not is probably dependent on permission from the author/publisher, and it may be just a promotional gimmick to get people to buy more audiobooks, but I thought it was pretty slick.

I tried it with the kindle book on my KK, and the audiobook on my Android phone, and it worked well.

[Trudy]

I've used it a few times. However, for me, it hasn't been worth the money. I usually end up reading most of the book, without the voice. Also,in addition to my Fire, I still have a Kindle 3, with text to speech capabilities, which I enjoy. The robotic voice does not bother me. I am anxious to hear what others think about Whispersync for Voice.

[Christine]

I don't use it mainly because I am an Audible subscriber and I don't think it is worth it for me to buy the Kindle book then spend one of my credits on the audio.

Plus, I tend to either read or listen to an entire book. I don't like going back and forth.

[IndieHeart]

I enjoy audiobooks and the feature is great when you have to do something (take a bath, do the dishes, weed the yard) that would make you put the book down. The Read to Me feature is fine for this, but not even a patch on a pro quality audiobook.

However, I also enjoy stand-alone audiobooks on my iPhone when I am riding my bike or walking. For a lot of the books I listen to I can buy the Kindle edition (or may have grabbed it when it was on a free promotion day), and then buying the audiobook as a Whispersync add on can cost a substantial amount less than actually buying the audiobook alone! That's the biggest benefit right now. And then I step back into the ebook when I get home.

Jill
IndieHeart.com

[Velia]

I've used this for a few books. It was great initially, but the sync between e-book and audio stopped working. I am not sure why. I have a couple that are still to be read so I am hoping I can use the Whispersync as I plan to switch between just plain reading and voice only play back.

I like the Immersion capability, where you can follow along and there's active/real-time highlighting to guide you. This just helps me keep my eyes focused where it should be when I have trouble concentrating.

I think I like it more so for authors that read their own books, like memoirs. I get a little more into the book this way.

I am not an Audible subscriber since I buy selectively. Also,I can get the audiobook cheaper usually if I buy the e-book first.