[bookport] Bookport Speaker, Recharging, etc.
- From: "ptorpey" <ptorpey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 14:58:02 -0400
Since APH has been soliciting people's thoughts for a possible new version
of the Bookport and there has already been lots of discussion on user
desires for future units, here is my two cents worth:
1. Recent Files List - The Bookport enables users to carry around lots
of books, music, etc. at one time. Various material may reside in different
folders and sub-folders. It would be nice if one had something like a
"recent files" list to quickly navigate to different material which the user
might want to access at different times. An idea for such an interface
might be something like this:
a. Press the "0" key to cycle between "Reading Keypad",
"Settings", and "Recent Files List"
b. When in the Recent Files List, use "2" to move upward in the
list, "8" to move down in the list, and "5" to select the file and
automatically put the user in the Reading Keypad and open the selected file.
2. Selecting Values in the User Settings - Often when the Bookport
needs to be rebooted, settings can be lost and the user must re-set
customized values. I like to have the Sleep Timer set at 5 minutes and the
Voice Pitch set to 80. Currently, one must hit the "4" and "6" keys many
times to move to these values from the default values. It would be nice if
there was a "hold down for one beep" function of the "4" and "6" keys during
these selections so that holding down one of these keys would move the value
to the appropriate end-point or move by larger increments (sort of like the
"Volume UP and "Volume" down keys, "D" and "F", in the Reading Keypad).
3. Speaker - If a new hardware version for the Bookport is made, I
think it would be a very good idea to include a built in speaker. Although
its fine (and probably best for most of the time) to use headphones or one
of the mini external speakers people have discussed on this list, some
additional audio feedback for occasional use (other than the beeps) would be
very helpful and functional. Here are some situations I am thinking of
where a small speaker would afford much improved user feedback:
a. Making a memo - Currently, if the user does not have the
headphones or external speaker plugged in and wants to make a quick audio
memo, this can be done, but one can not be certain if the recording was
actually made and/or how it came out. Also, unless one plugs in
headphones/speakers, one cannot be certain if the recording mode was
reliably turned off (we've seen some users on this list fill their CF cards
inadvertently!).
B. A similar situation holds if the user wants to make a quick note
with the notetaker function - There is absolutely no feedback.
c. Occasionally, a user might want to quickly check some info
on the Bookport - Either a phone number, a recorded memo or short note, etc.
Again, the user must pull out headphones/speakers before this can be done.
This means that the Bookport is not as portable and useful as it can be for
such quick, short, functions.
I am not recommending a large speaker which users would use for long or
continuous listening instead of headphones or external speakers. What I am
recommending is something small enough so that it minimally impacts (if at
all) the size and/or power drain of the Bookport, has acceptable quality to
be "functional" in terms of making use of the output, and wouldn't be
considered the "main" audio output for best listening. When I see the size
and volume of most cell-phone speakers/output, I think something like this
would be quite acceptable and afford users with greatly improved
functionality. Also, this built-in speaker should automatically be silenced
whenever either a headphone or external speaker is plugged into the
headphone jack of the Bookport.
4. Rechargeability / Power - There has been much discussion of the use
of rechargeable versus non-rechargeable batteries and the pros and cons of
each on this list. I would like to see future hardware versions of the
Bookport make use of the power naturally available in USB connections. The
USB should be used to either charge rechargeable batteries in the Bookport
itself and/or at least not drain the unit when plugged into the USB for a
long time. As CF cards get bigger, people put more data on their Bookports
(audio, Podcasts, etc.), transfer times will increase and there is a
tendency of the user to want to plug in the Bookport to start a transfer and
then walk away. The unit should not be drained when the user finally
remembers to check the transfer and comes back to unplug the unit.
5. Note Taker - Hopefully if the hardware is upgraded, the note taking
functions can be made more intuitive and in line with other common Windows
applications. For example, Control + C to copy, Control + V to paste, etc.
APH indicated that this was not possible with the current hardware
limitations. I can never remember the functions of the note taking keys
without going back and forth to the documentation since this isn't a
function I use routinely. Thus, although it's a great feature, and I would
very much like to use it occasionally, I find myself not using it at all.
Part of this is also related to the fact that when I have the desire to take
a quick note, I often don't have the headphones handy and don't have
reliable feedback when taking a note. I think unless one uses the note
taker with the current function key arrangement frequently, its difficult to
use at all. Implementation of more standard editing keystrokes would make
it much easier to be an occasional user.
6. On the Fly Audio Speed Change - This will hopefully be an exciting
addition to any future hardware upgrade! Please don't miss this one.
7. Audio Memos - I find it frustrating not to be able to go backward or
forward in audio memos. Sometimes I'll take audio notes when having a phone
call. The important info (like the caller's contact info, product numbers,
etc.) may be spread out through an audio note which can occasionally get
long enough so that it's a pain going through the recording several times to
re-hear the information one wants. I would like to see audio memos be
treated like other audio files - i.e., ability to go back and forth, put in
bookmarks, and hopefully, in the future, speed it up or down.
7. Naming of Audio Memos - Would it be possible to rename audio memos
to something that would make more intuitive sense or be more meaningful to
the user? I find that the date/time of a memo (now the title) is not
helpful in reminding me of its contents. Also, these numbers fly by so
quickly (since I use a fast reading speed for books by default), that its
difficult to catch the exact time/date relationships of similar memos.
Anyway, as most others, I think the Bookport really is the best thing to
come along since sliced bread, so, none of this is a knock against the
Bookport. This is truly a wonderfully handy and useful device. APH does a
great job of integrating user's feedback in maturing the functionality and
usefulness of this device and I'm sure the developers will continue to do
so.
-- Pete
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