RE: Product Evaluation: Plextalk Pocket PTP1 DAISY Book Player and Digital Recorder

  • From: "Heidi " <hiheidi1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ptr1-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 06:38:23 -0400

I actually wish that the player would have come with a case.  I had
previously had a Victor which I lost, sigh, but it came with a very nice
case.  Iwould have even beeh papy with a skim similar to what you can get
for your phone. 

-----Original Message-----
From: ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of André van Deventer
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 4:24 AM
To: ptr1-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Product Evaluation: Plextalk Pocket PTP1 DAISY Book Player and
Digital Recorder

Wish though I received the zippered pouch the article talks about.  I
believe we in SA receive our plextalks from Europe and I received only a
very nice little belt pouch.



-----Original Message-----
From: ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Russ Kiehne
Sent: 15 May 2012 06:26 PM
To: ptr1-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Product Evaluation: Plextalk Pocket PTP1 DAISY Book Player and
Digital Recorder

Did anyone see this article from the current issue of accessworld?
Product Evaluation: Plextalk Pocket PTP1 DAISY Book Player and Digital
Recorder from Shinano Kenshi Deborah Kendrick The PLEXTALK Pocket PTP1 is a
sleek DAISY book player and digital recorder made for use by people who are
blind or have low vision. Smaller than some cell phones, the PLEXTALK Pocket
is about the size of a deck of cards and weighs less than four ounces.
Contents and Accessories
The PLEXTALK Pocket comes to you with a 2 GB secure digital (SD) card
already inserted, stereo earbuds, an AC adapter, a USB cable for
transferring material from a computer, a short USB adapter for connecting a
USB memory stick or CD player, and a CD containing the User's Guide in HTML
and Microsoft Word formats. The device also comes with a zippered, padded,
fabric pouch that is adequate protecting the unit and all of its
accessories.
Product Design
The PLEXTALK Pocket has an exceptionally smooth surface. The face has a
standard 12-button phone-style keypad, with 11 additional keys located
above. The layout of buttons on the PLEXTALK Pocket is extremely well
planned. Every button is distinctly shaped and textured, so that the
location of keys without sight is absolutely effortless.
Above the key panel is a speaker, which is activated when earbuds for
private listening are not in use. This is perhaps the best internal speaker
I've ever encountered on a handheld player.
On the top edge of the unit are the ports for headphones and external
microphone and on the bottom are the ports for the USB cable and AC adapter.
The left edge has the slot for the SD card, and the right edge has an
up-down volume switch and a switch for locking all keys.
Using the PLEXTALK Pocket
The PLEXTALK Pocket plays quaint melodic sounds when powering on or off,
executing a command, or directing you to wait for a task to be completed.
Somewhat akin to the sounds one might hear in a children's play to indicate
magical happenings, I found these sounds utterly charming. If you don't
share my feelings, they can be silenced.
The logic employed in the device's operation soon becomes intuitive as
patterns of performing tasks emerge. For example, one of the most prominent
features on the face of the unit is a circle of four arrow keys with a
concave Enter button in the center.
Many functions are performed by first pressing one of the four corner keys
(Go To, Bookmark, Menu, and Title) surrounding this circle, followed by a
combination of arrow keys and presses of the Enter key. It did seem
cumbersome at first, but again, once the pattern emerges, the operation is
easy and intuitive. PLEXTALK audibly confirms every command executed, so
that learning is facilitated and errors are difficult to make. The entire
user's manual is available at any time with a press of the #0 key, and a Key
Describer mode can be invoked by long-pressing the Menu key at any time for
learning the names of the various buttons.
Overview of Functions
The PLEXTALK Pocket is a DAISY book player and DAISY recorder. It can play
your books and music from a variety of sources, and does all recording in
DAISY format, meaning that you can easily insert Headings in your own
recordings to improve ease of navigation and review. The PLEXTALK Pocket
offers a Voice Memo feature for quick recordings or notes lasting up to one
minute on the go, and it can tell you the time and date.
Because it's always in standby mode, you can perform any of these functions
instantly at the touch of a button. A complete power-off is necessary only
when you wish to leave the unit for an extended period of time; powering up
again takes 30 to
40 seconds.
Playing Media
The PLEXTALK Pocket can play just about any type of audio content you might
want to load onto it, including books from Bookshare, the National Library
service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Learning Ally, and
Audible. It plays a variety of audio formats directly from your commercial
CDs, and can download podcasts or stream content from your favorite Internet
radio stations.
While many of the above book sources require authorization for any player, I
found the installation of authorization keys and activation processes to be
extremely simple.
The Audible.com activation was so straightforward that I was almost
surprised to find that my books had already transferred to the player and
were ready for listening!
Navigation
PLEXTALK Pocket organizes material in folders. You can access these folders
(by initially pressing the Title key) either as one long string of titles or
by arrowing up to select folder or category review. While playing a book or
other file, you can move forward and backward by DAISY levels (the number of
which depends on the original markup of the material) or by time increments
of 30 seconds or ten minutes. 
This
latter feature seemed inadequate at first, since some players offer a much
wider range of time intervals for navigating, but the PLEXTALK Pocket also
allows you to move forward by percentages which is a fair compensation.
To change speed of the narration, speed, or volume of the PLEXTALK voice, or
tone, you press the #1 key repeatedly until you find the desired setting,
then use the up and down arrows to adjust.
Voice Memos and Recordings
Where the PLEXTALK Pocket truly shines is as a DAISY recorder. The Voice
Memo feature is available at any time by simply pressing and holding the
Record key for up to one minute. This is useful, for example, when you want
to capture a short reminder to yourself on the fly. Voice memos are stored
internally in their own folder and can be reviewed, played, and deleted
easily.
All other user-recorded material is stored on the SD card (up to 32GB) in a
separate folder. You can record using the built-in microphone. For higher
quality recordings, you can attach an external microphone or cable directly
to another output device (such as a CD player, radio, or other source.)
Recording quality from the internal microphone is quite good and, if you use
headphones, the PLEXTALK voice can guide you through all monitoring without
interfering with the recording itself.
All recording done with the unit can be easily marked for navigation, either
during or after the recording process, by a simple press of a few buttons.
Headings are inserted, allowing for delightfully swift and efficient
navigation of a lecture, presentation, or program recorded from another
audio source.
The Bottom Line
The PLEXTALK Pocket is a delightful digital player and recorder designed
specifically for people who are blind or have low vision. Whether listening
with headphones or via the built-in speaker, the device produces excellent
sound clarity. The PLEXTALK Pocket shines as a personal DAISY recorder. It
is an extremely stable device; in two months of testing, I never once had to
reset or troubleshoot operation.
The learning curve for operating the PLEXTALK Pocket is a bit steeper than
for some other players on the access technology market, but particularly for
those who need to record lectures or other information, the time spent
learning is well worth the effort.
Product: PLEXTALK Pocket PTP1 DAISY Book Player and Digital Recorder from
Shinano Kenshi
Price: $275.00 (until May 31, 2012)
Available From:
Freedom Scientific
or
Plextalk
, (800) 444-4443



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