Is There A Hand Held Device That Can Read Books/text Books To You?

From http://www.chemicalall.com/device/is-there-a-hand-held-device-that-can-read-bookstext-books-to-you.html

Question:
I’m in college and taking some online classes. I understand material better when it is spoken to me. I’m looking for a portable device that can read the textbooks to me. Any ideas?

Answer:
Nonsound on February 23rd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
You’re looking for what’s known as “text-to-audio” or “text-to-speech”.
Most PC/electronics stores have e-books (OfficeMax, Circuit City, etc) which, depending on your budget, will have an audio option.
Otherwise you can use any run-of-the-mill laptop & pick the text-to-audio software that works best for you.
Here’s an example:
http://www.nextuptech.com/
The only downside to this is that the book MUST be in a digital format; currently there is no reliable devices that can read physical textbooks. If that’s the case, you’re much better off finding a study buddy or trying to find a digital copy of your textbook.