This is an update on the investigations I have been making into the
potential of this device to be a suitable Media Player for a Deaf blind
person.
There are a number of clarifications I need to make in relation to what
I have posted previously.
1. In part 1 of these reviews I was a little concerned as to the
rapidity of battery drain when I first received the device. This has,
am glad to say settled down over the last couple of days. I suspect that
the biggest factor in this may have been the turning off of the vibrate
feedback feature in Talkback settings. As I was investigating the device
I effectively had the device vibrating consistently over several hours
on Sunday. Since the vibrate feature has been cancelled the device has
seen a battery usage that is more appropriate. When I picked up the
device last night to experiment with its potential for reading Mobi
files it still had a battery level of 83% remaining. So this seems much
more reassuring.
2. In part 2 of my Review I criticised the Audible App for being
significantly quieter than other media apps on the device. I mentioned
at the time I needed to try more than one title for a fairer test. In
fact I discovered that for whatever reason the commencement of the book
I was testing was simply unsuitably quiet and as subsequent chaptors
loaded the volume returned to expected levels. I think I would
cautiously report that if anything the playback through Audible on the
Swift is not only equivalent to that on my iPhone SE but probably
slightly surpasses it. I was certainly able to listen to a book called
Cockroaches last night, even without hearing aid assistance.
However one aspect of the Android Audible app is definitely not as easy
as its iOS manifestation. Using the seek bar to adjust the speed of
narration was difficult even for my sighted wife. In the end we only
achieved the desired level of speed adjustment by her placing my finger
on the seek bar and my tapping and dragging with feedback from her. I am
not sure that if is due to an Andoid or App fault but as I normally do
not adjust narration speed, listening to Audible consistently at 1.5,
this one time use of sighted help has resolved matters for me. Others
may comment on how easy it is to learn to use the seek bar. My big
problem was that I could not consistently locate it with Talkback. I am
happy to report that no similar difficulties existed with any of the
other media apps I used so hopefully Audible will sort this with an update.
3. Music
I reported only briefly on Music. I have now installed the GoneMad
Music player and I have to say that my experience of this so far is
excellent. I had transferred a significant amount of music from my PC
onto the SD card and had expected that there would be some process of
importation needed. Instead all the Music I transferred was immediately
available and visible on the Media Player when I opened it. My
experience of it so far is that it is completely accessible and the
volume output is absolutely great. You will not be straining to hear
with this app.
4. Locked Screen. It is inevitable that you will have to deal with
locked screens if you want to use this media device on the move. However
I was pleasantly surprised to hear that when I reviewed the locked
screen that not only the pllay pause, volume. skip forward and skip
backward buttons for the active media playing was available but also any
other app you had playing in the background
So there were pause and play button available not only for the Mobi
eBook Reading app I was testing but also the Audible App in the
background. You can even if you want start both playing at the same time
though why you would want to do this is perhaps not clear.
However what I thingk is the case is that you could load all your media
applications, Say Audible, Voicedream Reader, Music Player and so on and
be effectively be able to control all of them from the locked screen
without having to enter the device itself. I will continue to
investigate the potential of this feature. As far as I have noticed this
is not as immediately available on my iPone though it may be that I need
to investigate this further as I may have turned Control Centre off my
Locked screen to make the sometimes problematic process of answering
calls easier.
5. Update on Earphones/Headphones. In my earlier review I mentioned I
was using the JVC Gumy folding on ear headphones with good results. Last
night I experimented with using the earpones which came with the Sandisk
clip Talking Mp3 Player. I am pleased to say that the volume feedback
was even better than with the gumy. If anybody knows how to source these
earphones independently from buying the Sandisk Clip I would be very
interested to hear.
David Griffith
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