[bookport] Re: Realistic Wish List
- From: "Julia Cosgrove (Mrs.)" <j.cosgrove@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:26:53 +0100
A good wish-list. I would like to add: a way of copying text from files that
one is reading on the Book Port, say, long URLs which one cannot remember, so
that these can be copied into the notepad.
Julia.
>Let's pick my wish list apart. Let's see just how outrageous my suggestions
>are and how they would transform, through wild disregard for the current
>purpose of the BP, the unit into something else like a pocket PC. Here is an
>annotated version of my wish list, showing just how radical my changes are and
>how they will destroy life on this planet as we know it:
>
>HIGH PRIORITIES:
>1. USB 2-enabled; the speed difference is substantial.
>No functionality increase here, just a difference in speed for existing
>functionality.
>
>2. A true lock mode that doesn't activate the unit every time a key is
>pressed;
>Again, no increased functionality here, just more efficient use of an existing
>function.
>
>3. Seek to time feature; seeking by time is fine for short files, but seek to
>time would still, in my mind, be desirable.
>Yes, it's a new function, but it's well in keeping with BP's mandate.
>Searching through a long audiobook MP3 can often be better facilitated by
>jumping directly to a specified time.
>
>4. Direct, no-vonversion-necessary, OGG Vorbis support.
>Nothing new to learn, just a little more versatility in formats that are
>allowable. Well with in BP's current mandate.
>
>5. Option for an externally audible beep to indicate recording. The record
>feature is really nice, but it gets less convenient if you have to put on a
>pair of headphones each time to get the audible varification that you're
>recording.
>Nothing new to learn, unless the audible beep is configurable in the menu.
>Just making an existing function more convenient.
>
>6. Independent volume controls for voice and audio.
>The volume differences between synthetic speech and audio are really quite
>profound, and if you have the volume set right for a piece of audio, you might
>miss error or warning messages the machine tries to give you.
>
>7. More memory in the unit and a more modern processor, so that things
>like necessary conversions, grade two translation, etc. could be done in the
>unit and on the fly.
>Offers speed increases and more flexibility for APH programmers. Essentially
>it allows the BP itself to do what the software previous had to do. What if
>you don't have an hour to transfer a large book to your unit?
>
>8. 4-GIG CF card support.
>No new functionality here, just more potential versatility for those who want
>it.
>
>9. Correct mapping of the stereo channels to the correct speakers.
>Simple fix of a hardware bug, no new functionality.
>
>10. Still-finer control of volume.
>No increased options to learn, just a finer control over how loud you want
>your unit to be for those of us whose ideal volume is between two existing
>volume levels.
>
>11. Eliminate transfer limit of 250 MB
>Just the removal of a restriction that inhibits transfering of DAISY books on
>CD. No new functionality.
>
>12. Ability to sort directory listings automatically so files play in
>correct order.
>
>Again, BP's mandate is served by this, some purchased MP3 books are
>numerically named and it is helpful to know what order you're going to hear
>your book in. No new outward functionality, but a smoother reading experience.
>
>Lower-Priority:
>1. Third battery to run the clock.
>This could be a small watch battery which would probably last for years, since
>it's just running a clock, not displaying or saying anything.
>
>2. Ability to write error messages to files so that line numbers need not be
>memorized.
>Handy for beta testing.
>
>3. Memorize latest point read in a file in case that point was
>inadvertently navigated away from; should work for audio and text files.
>
>Not terribly ground-breaking, just a way to get to the last point read in case
>you inadvertently lean on the go-to-top feature or something.
>
>I utterly fail to see what is so outrageous about these suggestions, or how
>these suggestions turn the BP into something other than what it is. With the
>exception of the rewiring to correct the switched stereo channels and a clock
>backup battery, everyon one of these suggestions is directly relevant to book
>reading. I am not asking for PDA functions, for Internet support, or anything
>else that doesn't directly fit into BP's reason for being. My list isn't
>suggesting radios, external speakers, WIFI support, spell checkers,
>dictionaries, blood pressure gauges, dehumidifiers, or anything else like
>that. I was very deliberately thinking of the BP's mandate, what it's here
>for, and what its potential, with redesign, could be to improve on its
>existing features and purposes.
>
>--
>Bruce Toews
>E-mail and MSN/Windows Messenger: dogriver@xxxxxxxx
>Web Site (including info on my weekly commentaries): http://www.ogts.net
>Info on the Best TV Show of All Time: http://www.cornergas.com
>
>On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, Scott D. Henning wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I only drop in sometimes, this discussion is interesting. The Pocket PC is
>>the machine many are envisioning for raw horsepower and connectivity. The
>>battery life is poor, but they are very mature devices now. If someone wrote
>>a screen reader for it...we could experience true Windows power and
>>frustration. Devices with a focus like Bookport can be more stable and can
>>be easier to use, due to a lack of ambiguity. I actually feel the Bookport
>>may already be too many things. I have hundreds of keystrokes to remember
>>(so does everyone else here, smile), I actually think menu driven software
>>and devices make sense when so many options are availible.
>>
>>The Bookport can evolve, should evolve, but I do not think it should lose
>>it's basic function in a wealth of features.
>
>Scott D. Henning
>Cheif Engineer
>KSUT Public Radio
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