FreeLists / blindipod / [blindipod] Re: audio navigation for ipods

["Ryan Smith" <ryansmith78@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow!  This will be wonderful.  I certainly hope it happens in the near 
future.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "yusuf" <yusufaosman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindipod@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 5:39 AM
Subject: [blindipod] audio navigation for ipods


> Hi all, I saw this on the Pac Mate email list and thought I'd post it here 
> for anyone who didn't see it. I wander how long it will take Apple to 
> actually role this thing out.
> Yusuf
>
> Apple patent covers audio navigation for iPod
> May. 5, 2006
> In a second patent application posted this week, Apple details an
> audio-based navigation interface that would allow iPod users to
> navigate and select music without looking at the iPod's display.
> "Apple describes a system for automatic generation of audio navigation
> tags for your iPod," reports Unwired View. "The tags are generated
> from the metadata of your music or video files-the text information
> like author, song name and duration, film director or lead actor name,
> etc.-which comes with a song or video that you download from iTunes
> store. This text information is then converted using text-to-speech
> software into a small audio files-audio navigation tags. The iPod
> computing capabilities are too small to do a good text-to speech
> translation, so this operation is carried out on your Mac or PC. Audio
> navigation tags then are attached to the songs or videos themselves
> and transferred to you iPod."
> Audio navigation for your iPod
> One of the key factors in Apple's iPod success was it's convenient
> user interface for navigating through the huge music libraries stored
> inside the player. And this user interface might get even better soon
> - it seems that Apple plans to add audio navigation to the iPods.
> One of the problems when searching for a particular song or changing
> playlists is that you have to look at the tiny screen when navigating
> to the right place. This is particularly troublesome if you forgot
> your glasses or can not shift your eyes from other things you are
> doing. Like crossing the street, jogging or driving and watching the
> road ahead.
> Now Apple may have found solution for this problem - Audio navigation
> interface. In patent application made public today Apple describes
> such a system for automatic generation of audio navigation tags for
> your iPod.
> The tags are generated from the metadata of your music or video files
> - the text information like author, song name and duration, film
> director or lead actor name, etc;- which comes with a song or video
> that you download from iTunes store. This text information is then
> converted using text-to-speech software into a small audio files -
> audio navigation tags. The iPod computing capabilities are too small
> to do a good text-to speech translation, so this operation is carried
> out on your Mac or PC.
> Audio navigation tags then are attached to the songs or videos
> themselves and transferred to you iPod. When getting there, audio
> navigation tags can be stored with the songs themselves or transferred
> to a separate database and then synchronized with the navigation menu.
> The same audio information can be generated for user playlists and
> every song in the playlist.So for example when an iPod user wants to
> play "In the air tonight" by Phil Collins he navigates to the song
> using his preferred path: "Menu"->"Music"->"Pop"->"Phil Collins"->"In
> the air tonight"->"Play". However instead of having to look at the
> screen, all along the way he hears audio prompts advising him on the
> next navigation steps.
> Now, audio navigation menus are used in various business applications
> for a long time and there's not much to patent here. However the
> clever thing with this particular Apple's patent seems to be the way
> they solved the dynamic synchronization problem for constantly
> changing metafiles of huge music collections stored on the iPod.
> By dynamically generating audio tags in iTunes on your computer when
> song is downloaded or playlist is created and then synchronizing it
> with the iPod, Apple is able to make audio navigation as easy to use
> and update as current text navigation system.
> And since no hardware and navigation control changes are necessary,
> audio navigation can be added to current iPods through simple software
> update.
>
>
> More information about portable media devices can be obtained from the 
> Blind iPod Portal.  Please visit www.hartgen.org and choose the Blind iPod 
> Portal link.
>
> To post a message, send your e-mail to
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> To contact the List Owner, Brian Hartgen:
>
> E-MAIL:  brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
> MSN:  brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
> SKYPE:  brianhartgen

More information about portable media devices can be obtained from the Blind iPod Portal.  Please visit 
www.hartgen.org 
and choose the Blind iPod Portal link.

To post a message, send your e-mail to
blindipod@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to
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and put the word
subscribe
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To contact the List Owner, Brian Hartgen:

E-MAIL:  brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
MSN:  brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
SKYPE:  brianhartgen