> 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.
