From GPSes to synthetic rabbits, more and more gadgets are being blessed with the ability to speak. Two prominent examples from recent weeks are the Amazon Kindle 2 and Apple's latest iPod Shuffle. Can their computery speech pass for human?

We thought the point would be best explored by having the two gadgets act out a scene from the ultimate movie about man vs. machine, Blade Runner. Consider the video above speech technology's 2009 audition—and judge for yourself who's the better actor. (Posted by our sister site, DVICE.)