[guide.chat] r n i b gadgets including talking m p 3 players
- From: vanessa <qwerty1234567a@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "GUIDE CHAT" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:24:39 +0100
There was a time when listening on the move meant walking around with a ghetto
blaster on your shoulders. Thankfully technology has moved on and many people
now listen to music on personal music players such as the iPod or the DAISY
Milestone 312.
Types of digital music files
MP3 is the best-known type of digital audio file. You may also have
encountered, and shied away from, WMA files. MP3 is simply a near-CD quality
file format for audio files. It allows CD tracks to be reduced in size by about
90 per cent without significantly affecting sound quality. This in turn means
it's quick and easy to download music from the internet (downloading means
making a copy of a file on your computer, and streaming means listening to or
watching something on your computer without making a copy of it).
WMA (Windows Media Audio) files are also compressed audio files, and were
developed by Microsoft as a competitor to MP3s. Lots of other file formats are
available, but these two are the ones you're most likely to encounter as you
take your first digital steps.
Many of the products listed here will also play DAISY files (a type-of
structured audio) and Audible files (downloadable audio books with copyright
protection).
You can listen to MP3s and WMA files on your computer using programs like
Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or WinAmp or load them straight onto a
portable player.
Some devices will play WMA and MP3s, some won't. You can download free software
to convert files to MP3 - but if this isn't your kind of thing, do take this
file compatibility into consideration before you buy your player.
When shopping for a personal media player you have all sorts of options,
including products that are specifically designed for blind and partially
sighted people. These include the DAISY Milestone 312, Victor Reader Stream and
BookSense.
As always, your experiences and feedback are extremely welcome. Please send
your thoughts and product recommendations to productreviews@xxxxxxxxxxx
But to get you started, here are the basics about the players which are the
most accessible.
Creative Zen Stone
The Creative Zen Stone is an MP3 player without a display screen. As a result,
because the Zen Stone has buttons rather than on-screen menus to navigate, it
is pretty accessible to blind people. (Please note, however, that unlike the
Milestone, Stream and BookSense it was not specifically designed for blind and
partially sighted people.) It plays MP3 files, WMA and Audible files, comes
with a mini USB socket and offers up to ten hours' playtime from a built-in
rechargeable battery.
Sadly, both the 1GB and 2GB versions of the Zen Stone have been discontinued,
though it is possible to pick up a bargain from eBay. You might be lucky enough
to get one for less than £20.
You can listen to two podcasts about the Zen Stone in the Blind Cool Tech
archives. The first is dated 10/28/2007 and the second 12/27/2007 (it's an
American site in case you're wondering about the dates). Both are produced,
from a blind perspective, by David Miles. David also reviewed the Zen Stone for
Access IT magazine (July 2007). You can download his review for more
information.
Zen Stone review (Word, 24K)
iPods
The most well-known brand of MP3 player is still the iPod. For a long time the
only one accessible to blind and partially sighted people was the iPod Shuffle,
now the iPod Nano is accessible too.
iPod Shuffle
Like the Zen Stone, the Shuffle has no screen, but it can be trickier to load
your files on to the Shuffle. In From Vinyl to Digital, Darren Burton writes
for AFB AccessWorld about his experiences with electronic audio players,
including many featured on this page. Prices for a new Shuffle start at around
£40.
iPod Nano
The 4th generation nano was evaluated for Access IT magazine (October 2008) by
Stephen N Plumbton, one of RNIB's technology officers. He said: "The great news
is that this is an iPod that anyone can buy and use, not a specialist product
or needing an add-on for blind or partially sighted people to use. This is the
first talking iPod to come to the market."
You can download Stephen's review for more information about the player's
accessibility.
iPod nano review (Word, 25K)
Inevitably, Apple has moved on since then. The 6th generation nano is the most
recent version. It comes with VoiceOver, the gesture-based screen reader that
lets you browse and select songs without viewing the screen. Instead, a
synthesized voice speaks the names of menus, songs, and artists. Touch the
screen to hear a description of the item under your finger, then double-tap,
drag, or flick to control the nano.
You can read more about the nano's accessibility on Apple's website.
Prices for a new 6th generation iPod nano start at £107.
Rockbox
Other iPods can be made more accessible by installing a piece of free software
called Rockbox, which can speak all menu items on the player's interface, spell
folder and individual track names, and can be customised to speak folder or
track titles either through synthetic speech or even using pre-recorded human
speech.
Sapphire 3 MP3 player
This might not fit in your pocket, but it is an accessible MP3 player.
It measures 9cm (3.54") by 8cm (7.09") by 9cm (3.54"), has built-in speakers
and plays MP3 files from a USB stick or SD card.
It has five simple tactile controls and operates from the mains or its own
rechargable battery (gives about three hours' operation when fully charged). It
can be used with headphones and comes with its own remote control.
The Sapphire 3 MP3 player costs £24.99/£29.99 from RNIB.
Crystal MP3 player
The Crystal MP3 player is similar to the Sapphire, but also has an FM radio
(and an extra control button).
The Crystal MP3 player costs £29/£34.80from RNIB.
Milestone 312 DAISY player
The Milestone 312 is a portable all-purpose voice recorder, MP3 and DAISY
player. The player has been designed to be simple to use and has excellent
sound quality.
It has full navigation features and controls similar to a DAISY CD player. As
well as listening to MP3 files, you can listen to DAISY titles and books copied
onto an SD memory card. Large and complex structured DAISY books are easily
navigated and played.
You can go directly to the end and beginning of books and jump forward and back
in 5-minute intervals. You can also insert, use and remove up to 120 bookmarks
per book. The Milestone's history function will go to the last 15 places you
were reading from.
The Milestone has excellent player sound quality, as well as audio and voice
announcements of function, folder and DAISY navigation. It is credit card-sized
with a black front surface and five large contrasting silver colour tactile
control buttons.
The DAISY Milestone 312 will play DAISY 2.02 files and a variety of music
formats including MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV as well as Audible files - so you can
copy your music straight on to the Milestone. It has 1GB internal storage and
an SD card slot enables further storage to be added when required. The
Milestone 312 has a built-in high quality speaker, standard 3.5mm headphone
jack and a high-quality microphone, optimised for voice recording (recordings
are made in MP3 format. It also has a microphone socket enabling you to use an
external microphone).
It also has a text to speech program which reads both your text files and the
names of folders or files saved on the Milestone, and a built-in FM radio with
up to six preset channels and an alarm clock.
It is supplied with 2GB SD memory card, leather case, mains charger, USB cable
and lanyard. You can buy the DAISY Milestone 312 (£273/£327.60) from RNIB.
Milestone 212 DAISY player
The Milestone 212 looks and feels like the Milestone 312, but has been designed
for one main task - book reading. You can read DAISY books, Audible books, text
files (with the buit-in text to speech software), MP3, WMA and AAC files.
It comes with a 2GB SD memory card, but can add more storage with a bigger card
- up to 32GB, and has a built-in speaker as well as standard headphone jack.
The built-in microphone means you can use it to make MP3 recordings (there is
also socket for an external microphone).
It is supplied with 2GB SD memory card, leather case, mains charger, USB cable
and lanyard. You can buy the DAISY Milestone 212 (£220/£264) from RNIB.
Victor Reader Stream
The Victor Reader Stream is a compact and portable DAISY book and MP3 player.
Weighing in at just 180 grams and the same size as a pack of playing cards, you
can have your whole audio library in your pocket. The large, well-spaced
buttons and advanced navigational controls make reading complex books and
reference manuals quick and easy.
The Victor Stream also has a built-in text-to-speech program, which converts
text files into speech, a voice recorder using built-in microphone and variable
playback speed.
You can transfer books and music from your PC via the USB port (USB cable is
supplied), and because the Victor Stream uses a removable SD card for storing
books, music and voice recordings you can store as much information as you
want. It has a battery life of up to 15 hours and is supplied with a carry case
and headphones.
The Victor Reader Stream (£235/£282) is available from RNIB.
You can read an American review, Full Stream ahead: A review of the Victor
Reader Stream, by Deborah Kendrick for AFB AccessWorld to get more information
about the Stream. You can also discuss this player with other users by
subscribing to a UK-based Google Group - just email
victorstreamuk-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
BookSense
The BookSense is a mobile phone-style digital audio book player that plays many
formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, DAISY and Audible files. It's highly portable
- it weighs only 4 ounces - and easily fits into the average pocket.
There are two versions available. The XT has an additional radio, built-in 4GB
memory and can be linked to Bluetooth speakers or headphones. Both models can
store content on SD cards up to 32GB.
Its rechargeable, user-removable battery will operate for up to 12 hours on a
single charge and it includes a built-in digital recorder (which will record
from the radio, the built-in mic, or an external mic).
The BookSense also has built-in announcement of time/date, a choice of two
voices (Paul or Kate), an onboard 3.5mm earphone and external microphone jack,
sleep timer, alarm clock and built-in microphone with user-adjustable
microphone sensitivity.
The BookSense T50 (£250/£300) and T50XT (£315/£378) are both available from
RNIB.
Plextalk pocket DAISY player recorder
This is a lightweight, pocket-sized, DAISY and MP3 player with built-in
microphone for DAISY book recording and voice note taking. It plays DAISY audio
books, MP3s, WMA and PCM music files. You can also record DAISY books with
headings or simple voice notes in MP3. A built-in text-to-speech engine
converts Microsoft Word, text and HTML files into synthetic speech.
It uses SD memory card storage (2GB card included) for books, music and text
files. You can add more memory with a larger card (up to 32GB).
The built-in rechargeable battery provides up to 10 hours of listening and
eight hours of recording.
It is supplied with 2GB SD memory card, rechargeable battery, mains charger,
earphones and USB cable. You can choose a black case with white buttons or
white case with black buttons.
The Plextalk pocket DAISY player recorder is available from RNIB (£250/£300).
from
Vanessa The Google Girl.
my skype name is rainbowstar123
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