Audible Syncs Ebooks and Audiobooks for Seamless Reading
▼ Summary
– Audible launched a new “immersion reading” feature that syncs highlighted ebook text with audiobook audio to help users concentrate.
– The feature is designed to improve reading comprehension for those who struggle to focus and to aid people learning new languages.
– It supports hundreds of thousands of books at launch, including titles in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French.
– The feature is initially available in the US, with plans to roll out to the UK, Australia, and Germany in the coming months.
– Users must own both the audiobook and ebook versions of a title to use the feature, similar to a syncing test by Spotify called “Page Match.”
Audible has introduced a powerful new tool designed to transform how people engage with books. This “immersion reading” feature allows users to simultaneously listen to an audiobook while following along with the synchronized text on their screen. By tapping a “Read & Listen” button within the app, the narrative comes alive as the spoken words are highlighted in real-time within the ebook. This synchronized approach aims to boost concentration and deepen comprehension, offering a unique multimodal experience that caters to various learning styles and needs.
The potential benefits of this dual-format consumption are significant. For individuals who find their attention wandering during traditional reading or listening, the combined audio and visual input can help anchor focus. It also presents a valuable resource for language learners, providing an immersive way to hear proper pronunciation while seeing the written structure. At launch, the functionality supports a vast library spanning hundreds of thousands of titles, including works in English, German, Spanish, Italian, and French.
Currently, the feature is available to users in the United States, with plans to expand to the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany in the next few months. To access immersion reading, a customer must own both the audiobook and the ebook editions of a particular title through Audible. This development follows a similar innovation from Spotify, which recently began testing a “Page Match” tool. That feature uses a device’s camera to scan a physical book page or an ebook screen, then syncs the audio playback to that specific point in the narrative.
(Source: The Verge)
