I have updated the Book Port FAQ to include a section on headphones
recommended by Book Port list members.
Peter Rand
The Unofficial Book Port FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Compiled by Peter Rand Version: 14th August 2005
*What Kind of Batteries does the Book Port Use?* The Book Port operates on 2 AA batteries - alkaline, rechargeable or lithium all work fine. It is important to note, however, that battery readings on the the Book Port are calibrated specifically to alkalines, so the readings that you will get when using lithium or rechargeable batteries will not be very accurate.
You can expect about 60 hours of use from a set of alkaline batteries, perhaps 25 hours from NiMH rechargeable batteries, and 100 hours or more from a set of lithium batteries.
Alkaline batteries will start at 100% announced capacity and drain gradually over time in a linear fashion. Rechargables will start at perhaps 85% announced capacity, hover for a long time in the 50% to 60% range, and then decline somewhat abruptly towards the end. Lithium batteries will start at 100% announced capacity and stay at 100% for almost the entire period of use, and then the Book Port will abruptly announce that it is time for you to change the batteries.
*How Do I Put Batteries in the Book Port?* Place the Book Port face down in front of you, and remove the battery cover by pulling it back towards you. The positive tip of the bottom battery (i.e., the one closest to you) should be put in the Book Port facing the left, while the positive tip of the top battery (farthest from you) should be placed in the Book Port facing the right. To reduce stress on the battery contacts, APH recommends putting in the batteries negative (or "flat") side first. To save your various settings while changing the batteries, press the "D+E+F" buttons simultaneously.
*Why Doesn't the Book Port Have an AC Adapter?* Because the battery life is already excellent, and adding AC would add complexity and cost to the product for very little gain.
*What Kind of CF Card Should I Get for the Book Port?* The Book Port uses Type I CF Cards to store data files such as books and songs. Type II Cards are relatively rare, and are generally referred to as "Microdrives". If it doesn't specifically state that it's a Type II Card, then by definition it's a Type 1, so you don't have to worry about purchasing the wrong type of card.
The bigger the card, the more data you can carry with you on the Book Port. The largest size CF Card currently supported by the Book Port is 2 gigabytes - anything in excess of this is just wasted space and wasted money. Some people recommend purchasing several small cards rather than a single large card, in order to lessen the chance of data loss with a given card. Some people prefer larger cards, so that they can have their data with them at all time.
*How Many MP3 Files Fit on a CF Card?* Do the math: let's assume that a typical song recorded in medium-quality MP3 format is about 4MB in size. That means a 64MB card should be able to store roughly 16 songs in MP3 format, a 256MB card about 64 songs, a 512MB card about 128 songs, a 1GB card about 250 songs and a 2GB card about 500 songs. These are just rough estimates. The higher the quality of the recording and the longer the length of the recording, the larger the file will be.
The price of CF Cards is constantly falling. Whatever you buy now will cost less in a year. Many people buy their CF Cards online. Try to buy a brand-name card from a reputable company that will replace the card or refund your money if the card fails to work properly.
*What are those strange file extensions I see on my CF Card?* For every file you send to Book Port, you will have 2 additional files, giving you 3 files for every book. The strange extensions you saw are created by Book Port Transfer and the Book Port. The DD file is the actual data file. The other 2 files (the ix file and the aa file) are for navigation indexing and to hold your place in the file. You don't want to delete those files. Even if you did, they would be put back.
*Why use Book Port Transfer to Send Files - Why Not Just Copy Files Using a Card Reader?* If you were to just copy files to your CF Card, you wouldn't have all of the navigational features available or be able to set book marks. And, you also lose the option to be able to speed up audio files via the Book Port Transfer. So, while copying directly may be a shorter wait than transferring via Book Port Transfer, there is somewhat of a disadvantage, unless you don't care about those things in a particular file.
Support for unfiltered files (i.e., those files copied directly to Card, bypassing Book Port Transfer) on the Book Port continues to improve. The Book Port can now read unfiltered .txt files as long as they are stored in the "Notes" directory, and the ability to navigate through unfiltered MP3 files gets better with each firmware release.
*What are the Largest File Sizes Supported by the Book Port?* The Book Port can currently handle MP3 files up to 256MB in size.
*What is the best set of headphones to use with the Book Port?* Members of the Book Port list have recommended the following headphones:
*How do I Activate the Book Port as an Audible device?* Just send a Format 4 Audible Book to the Book Port (only Format 4 Audible Books are supported). When Book Port Transfer sees that your Book Port is not activated, it will automatically prompt you for the information. For the Book Port, you only need activate it through the BP Transfer, rather than Audible itself. You don't actually do it with Audible. The activation button on the Advanced page of the Options dialog is only there for completeness; since the Deactivate button is there it was decided to leave the Activate button there as well. While one may choose to use this button for activation, it is easier to just send an Audible file.
Upon sending an Audible file, the software checks to see if the device is activated. If it is not, the Enter Audible.com Information dialog appears, just as if the Activate button was selected. In short, new users should forget about the Activate button.
*What about support for Windows Media (WMA) and OGG files? * WMA and OGG files are not supported at present, but APH hopes to support both these popular audio formats at some point in the future.
*Will The Book Port Play All Kinds of Wave (WAV) Files?* No, it will only play 16 bit wave files that are not sampled above 41 kHz.
*What Settings Should I Use When I Make MP3 Recordings?* If you are ripping your own MP3 files, here are some example settings you can use for medium-quality recordings:
* Mono recordings: 16 kpbs / 11 kHz mono * Stereo music recordings : 96 kpbs / 44 kHz stereo
Every setting is a trade-off between sound quality and the size of the resulting file - try different settings until you find something that sounds good to you.
*Types of Data Supported by Book Port* According to the manual, the Book Port supports the following types of data:
TXT Text HTM Web Pages* HTML Web Pages* BRF Contracted Formatted Braille BRL Contracted Unformatted Braille aa Audible.com Type 4 MP3 Compressed Audio WAV Uncompressed Audio NCC.HTML Daisy 2.x Digital Talking book OPF Daisy 3.X Digital Talking Book DOC Microsoft Word 97 or later** RTF Rich Text Format**
*Note that Web pages are sent directly from within Internet Explorer™. **Note that in order to send Microsoft Word™ files, you must have Word 97 or later installed.
*Obscure Technical Data About the Book Port*
* The main processor used in the Book Port is a Renesas M30245FCGP that runs anywhere from 921 Kilohertz to 14.7456 Megahertz. * The Book Port uses a Doubletalk Speech Synthesizer Chip. * There is a hardware problem on the Book Port that mixes up the left and right channels. Most users won't even notice the difference, but audio purists will.
*How Do I Temporarily Unsubscribe from the Book Port Digest?* Send a message to bookport-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx In the subject line, enter: set vacation When you return, end a message to bookport-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx In the subject line, enter: unset vacation