[access-uk] Re: Milestone 311 digital recorder and MP3 player
- From: "Steve Nutt" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 17:52:32 -0000
Hi Ian,
One bit of info you didn't comment on. What is the quality of playback of
MP3's like, played through a hi-fi, or decent headphones? Is it up to
anything, or just tinny with no bass at all, which is what most voice
recorder/MP3 players sound like. The olympus players for example, are
rubbish at playing MP3 files, but OK for voice recording.
All the best
--
Computer Room Services: the long cane for blind computer users.
Telephone Voice: +44(0)1438 742286, Fax/BBS: +44(0)1438 759589
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Email: Steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Ian Macrae
Sent: 24 February 2006 16:26
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Milestone 311 digital recorder and MP3 player
Hi Clive,
I've had one from the Swiss manufacturers for a few weeks now. It has
clearly been designed with the needs of visually impaired users very much in
mind. The buttons are highly tactile and strongly contrasted with the
fasure. All the functions and actions are spoken. In short it is a very
usable and accessible device if you have little or no sight.
The information you passed on misses out some other important things. The
MP3 player relies totally on SD or MMC memory card storage. Top Whack for
these is, I believe, presently 2GB. The unit will, I understand, be
supplied with a 128MB SD card. If you are serious about MP3 and want to
carry more than a few dozen tracks around with you, then you might find this
very limiting. However, if you want something on which to listen to the
occasional audio book or odd album, and which is extremely easy to interface
with your computer, then you might find the Milestone adequate for your
needs.
There is a small external speaker on the front of the unit which, for its
size, produces reasonable quality, particularly for messages and notes
recorded on the digital voice recorder. However, be aware that the player
is supplied sans headphones.
One small frustration I've found is that the voice prompts are sampled
recordings of a real female voice. These are delivered at a rather slow
rate. If, like me, you're used to using synthesised speech at very high
speeds, it can be frustrating having to listen to this.
In short, this is a very accessible and intuitively usable piece of kit and
will be of particular interest to people who are not massively friendly or
confident with their PC. It's easy to get stuff into it and you don't have
to faff around with scripts for Jaws etc. It interfaces easily with the PC.
But, given it's price to storage ratio, it's been said by people that,
compared, for example with the iPod shuffle, it's rather highly priced.
More serious MP3 users are likely to find the iRiver/Rockbox combination and
its 40 gig of space more attractive including on the price to storage ratio.
If anyone would like a copy of the manual, please contact me privately at
Ian.macrae@xxxxxxxxx
And I'd be happy to oblige.
Hope this has been helpful.
Ian
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Clive Pallett
Sent: 24 February 2006 16:04
To: Access-UK
Subject: [access-uk] Milestone 311 digital recorder and MP3 player
Hello listers,
I read in the RNIB's February Technology Update that they will soon be
selling the Milestone 311 digital recorder and MP3 player. For those
of you who don't receive this update, here is the info.
The Milestone 311 is a portable digital voice recorder and MP3 player, the
size of a credit card. It can record up to 2 hours of voice notes using the
internal memory, or up to 140 hours using an external memory card. You can
organise your notes into five folders and label them with voice tags. In
addition, you can record from an external stereo source or a microphone in
hi-fi stereo quality. The Milestone 311 can connect to your computer to
enable the transfer of audio files or books for listening on the move using
the integrated MP3 player which is fully self-voicing. An upgrade will be
available later this year for customers wishing to play DAISY books.
Dimensions: 85 times 54 times 14 mm (3.35 times 2.13 times 0.55
inches)
Weight 49 grams (1.7 ounces)
Price: £180 excluding VAT
I did a search on the web for more information and according to a review on
the Blind Accessworld podcast this device has some limitations compared to
other products such as the bookport. If anyone has either heard or read
about this device I would be interested to hear their comments.
Best wishes,
Clive Pallett
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