> Article from Access World > > Product Evaluation: Insignia Narrator, the Only Fully Accessible HD Radio > on the Market > Deborah Kendrick > > It's a small thing, but you're a smart person, and you know that if only > you could read the instructions that came with your new piece of > equipment, you could be using and enjoying it in a flash. How often have > you paused over the box of some brand-new, shiny toy to reflect along > these same lines: "I wish there were instructions in this box I could > read." > > Have you ever imagined how lovely it would be if, say, when you took a new > radio out of the box, a CD containing the audio instruction for setting it > up were right there in the box alongside that pesky printed user's guide? > > That is exactly the step that Best Buy, in partnership with the > International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS), has taken > in the launch of Best Buy's sleek, new, and fully accessible HD FM radio. > The radio, designed by Best Buy's own Insignia Products team, is called > the Narrator. When you take this radio out of the box, right there > alongside the printed user's guide is an audio CD containing the complete > user's guide conveniently divided into 12 audio tracks. When you take this > radio out of the box, you can set it on a table, pop the CD into your > computer or other player, and listen to the entire manual while examining > the radio and absorbing its functions. > > A Little History > IAAIS is a membership organization of radio reading and other information > services throughout the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. In 2008, IAAIS was > asked to draw up a list of those features that, if available on an HD > radio, would render it completely usable by a person unable to see the > display. An IAAIS task force compiled those features in a document known > as the STAR document, and Best Buy's Insignia line has built a radio > incorporating those specifications. > > The Insignia Narrator is a stylish, tabletop radio delivering the crisp, > clear sound of HD radio, which includes some radio reading services along > with AM and FM broadcasts. It also has an auxiliary mode for playing the > audio of other devices through its speakers, a clock, two alarms, and the > ability to mark up to 20 presets for your favorite stations. All of these > features can provide audio feedback so that a person unable to see the > display can use the radio without assistance. If, however, you don't need > the accessible features, then you simply keep the radio tuned into ITR > rather than IAAIS mode and perform all of the above functions visually. > > First Look > Taking the radio out of the box, I set it up on the desk and popped the > accompanying CD into my computer. The radio is an attractive, compact > design, measuring about 12 inches wide by 5 inches tall by 6 inches deep. > It is slightly elevated by back "legs" to tilt the speakers upward. The > radio has two large speaker surfaces to the right and left of a display > panel in the center of the front face. When in accessible or IAAIS mode, > this display presents orange characters on a black background. There are > two rows of buttons near the bottom of this display (or five "columns" > with two buttons in each column). While flush with the display surface of > the radio and, thus, consistent with the popular, sleek touch-screen > appearance, these ten controls are shaped and textured so that locating > them by touch is quick and easy. > > > Caption: The Insignia Narrator Radio > > On the top surface of the radio are six round buttons with three on either > side of an oblong button or bar. A push of this long button gets an > announcement of the correct time whether the radio is powered on or off. > It also acts as the "Snooze" button when an alarm has sounded. > > The six round buttons are "Power," "Source," two alarms, and two volume > controls. > > I must mention here that it was very empowering to listen to the audio > version of the user's guide while exploring the radio and, thus, learning > every function of every button immediately. Of course, because this is a > radio with universal appeal, the earliest segments of the user > instructions deal primarily with its visual interface with occasional > references to the audio feedback available. The instructions do tell you > straightaway, however, how to turn on the audio mode at power-up, and > finally, an entire section at the end of the CD is devoted to step-by-step > explanations of every audio function. It bears repeating that, for those > individuals not interested in the audio feedback of this radio, they will > never need to hear it. On the other hand, once you have activated it, the > radio will come up talking on every power-on unless you want it to do > otherwise. > > On the back of the radio are the AC adapter connection, connectors for the > AM and FM antennae (both included), and a jack for connecting auxiliary > devices. The latter is useful for playing other devices, such as a Victor > Reader Stream or Book Sense, through the radio's speakers. A 3.5 mm > earphone jack is conveniently located on the front of the radio just above > the first column of buttons on the control panel. > > What It Has to Say > The Narrator's speech is clear, digitized human speech delivered as a > pleasant female voice. If you have activated the IAAIS mode (by holding > down the "Select" button on the front while pressing "Power"), the > Narrator will announce, "Power on," as it comes to life and will then > announce its sound source. This will be AM, FM, or auxiliary along with a > frequency in AM or FM. The radio will remember the last source mode used > and come up in that same mode when powered on again. > > By tapping the "Source" button on top of the radio, you can move among > these source modes. By pressing the "Seek Up" and "Down" buttons, the > "Channel Up" and "Down" buttons, or the "Preset Up" and "Down" buttons > from the front of the radio, you can select channels of your choice. Each > frequency is announced in the same clear voice as you explore channels or > switch to one you have marked as a Preset. > > Setting the time and the two alarms can be done entirely independently > without visual access to the display, as well. These functions are > performed with the radio powered off so that buttons used to select > channels and presets while playing the radio can now double as announcers > of hours and minutes for setting clock or alarm time. Both 12 and 24-hour > modes are available. The alarm sound can be any of the radio's source > options or a repeated beep tone. > > What It Can't Do > Well, of course, it can't make your coffee or tell you what to wear for > work after waking you up in the morning, but there are a few features > available to sighted users which have not been made accessible to the > blind. These are the Bookmark and Artist Experience features. When not in > IAAIS mode, the press of a button will provide album art and what is > called "Artist Experience," i.e., identification of the content which is > being broadcast. This is, of course, only available if it has been > transmitted by the station which, reportedly, is still rather infrequent. > The Bookmark feature allows a sighted user to Bookmark particular content. > This, too, has not yet been made accessible via audio feedback. When the > Bookmark key is pressed while in IAAIS mode, a single beep tone is heard, > indicating that this feature is not accessible. > > Every other feature on this radio, however, can be completely and > conveniently enjoyed with nonvisual access. > > The Bottom Line > HD radio broadcasts now cover roughly 90 percent of the U.S. At this > writing, there are a reported 2100 HD channels and 1300 multicast > channels, thus 3400 crisp, clear broadcasts for your listening pleasure. > At least one radio reading service, Sun Sounds of Arizona, is also > broadcasting on an HD channel, a kind of bonus for blind or visually > impaired listeners who happen to buy an HD radio and live in that > particular market. > > Best Buy has taken a truly exemplary step in the development of this > product. The Insignia Narrator is a great product at a great price that > will appeal to many consumers and has the advantage of being completely > accessible "out of the box" to blind and low vision users. The company has > expressed an interest in developing other products with similar universal > appeal, and if the Narrator is any indication of things to come, that is > happy news, indeed. > > Product Information > The Insignia Narrator sells for $99 and can be ordered at Best Buy's > online website (not in Best Buy retail stores). > > The STAR Project report, outlining the desired specifications for > accessible radios, can be found on the website of the International > Association of Audio Information Services.
