[bookport] Re: Trade-offs with USB Power, Rechargeable Batteries, Internal Speakers, etc.
- From: "Walt Smith" <WSmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 08:33:20 -0400
If a rechargeable battery option is offered, I fail to see how it could
be anything _but_ a proprietary system for the reasons I gave in my
earlier message, which assumed that the current design that accommodates
double A batteries of any type were to be retained. If this is retained
and a recharge option included, then the potential for dangerous
mismatches exists and I doubt that APH would be interested in taking
that responsibility.=20
-----Original Message-----
From: bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ptorpey
Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2005 3:49 PM
To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookport] Trade-offs with USB Power, Rechargeable Batteries,
Internal Speakers, etc.
As always, you can't please all of the people all of the time when
designing a device - There are always trade-offs. Here are some of my
thoughts on the several topics which have arisen in this forum:
1. Rechargeable Batteries - I am surprised at the overwhelmingly
negative response to rechargeable batteries on this list. First, I
agree with those who do not want to see a proprietary rechargeable
battery system used. In my view, a proprietary system has several
disadvantages:
- These batteries will eventually go bad (not retain a
charge) and must be replaced. At that time, they may be difficult to
obtain and/or costly.
- If the batteries do drain and one is not near a charger,
one cannot use the Bookport.
ON the other hand, the use of rechargeable batteries doesn't necessarily
imply the use of proprietary rechargeable batteries. Except for the
first set of non-rechargeable batteries which I used when I first got
the Bookport, I've always used rechargeable batteries. Using standard
rechargeable double AA batteries has many desirable benefits:
- They are readily obtainable
- They can be recharged many times (thus saving money)
- If they die and you aren't near a recharger, you can
always pick up some non-rechargeable batteries and use them
- Finally, maybe I'm a bit of a nut here, but I can't
stand the thought of throwing away all of the dead batteries which our
society has come so accustomed to doing - What a waste and assault on
the environment! There IS a better way!
So, I think it would be a great thing if the Bookport was designed with
some sort of recharging system built in. Then, users would have the
choice, and perhaps not have to carry around (and maybe purchase) a
separate charger. There are two ways this can be done:
a. Plugging an external charger into the Bookport (not
preferred)
b. Charging through the USB port (preferable). Using the
USB port, one could simply keep their Bookport connected to the USB port
overnight when not in use (just like plugging in your cell phone over
night).
Of course, people could still use their own personal chargers if they
wished, but having this built in, especially through the USB port, would
be a convenience, less expensive, and open up more options.
2. USB port - If new hardware were to come along, I don't see any
reason why power to run the Bookport shouldn't come through the USB port
- This is what these ports were designed to handle! .And, as long as
power comes through the USB, why not make it charge the device? As
pointed out, this would give the user more options for charging and/or
power management, and perhaps save money for those who didn't want to
buy a separate charger. Also, APH wouldn't need to supply a custom
charger to plug into the Bookport if a rechargeable system was used.
3. Internal speaker - The only complaint I have about the Bookport
(and considering all of its great features and functionality, this is
relatively minor) is that it doesn't have a small built-in speaker.
Consider:
- If one wants to use a relatively low quality speaker for
checking the status of the device, reading a line or two, or listening
to a voice memo, this can be done quite quickly and readily through an
internal speaker. Currently, this is a hassle to find headphones and
plug them in for just an instant to hear something quick.
- Cell phones have very small speakers which draw very
little power (can you even find them on your cell phone?). So, I think
such a speaker could easily be incorporated into the Bookport.
- The headphone jack can be used as an external jack to
which higher quality speakers can easily be connected (I've done it many
times when giving demos of the Bookport to groups of people). Thus,
again, having an internal speaker offers the user more options and
flexibility without losing any features. You don't have to use it if
you don't want to or you're not happy with the quality!
4. Size of the Bookport - Although at times I would like to see the
Bookport be a bit smaller, I realize that this would mean smaller
buttons and could make it more difficult for others to use. It
currently feels pretty empty inside and I would guess that, except for
the layout and size of the buttons, there is room to make this device
even smaller. I don't think the size of the AA batteries is the
constraint. I have a Voice Diary which is much smaller than the
Bookport, uses AA batteries (rechargeable within the unit by plugging it
into a charger!), and also has a built in microphone AND speaker. So, I
definitely think there is some design latitude here.
Well, those are my thought!
-- Pete
- If one wants to use a relatively low quality speaker for
checking the status of the device, reading a line or two, or listening
to a voice memo, this can be done quite quickly and readily through an
internal speaker.
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