[bookport] Re: working Re: Re: New Book Port: Only silence
- From: "Otto Zamora" <8zamora@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 12:45:57 -0400
Hello,
This faq is excellent.
Otto
-----Original Message-----
From: bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Scott Learned
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 10:57 PM
To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookport] Re: working Re: Re: New Book Port: Only silence
Hi Crystal,
Here is some great info for new BP users.
Scott
Snip-Snip
I have updated the Book Port FAQ to include:
- Tips on how to learn the name of the current file.
- The maximum size for text files (with thanks to David Allen)
- The location of the microphone
- Terminology for non-Americans: fanny pack is also known as a "bum bag"
or "hip bag" (with thanks to David Allen)
If you have time, I invite you to read through the following FAQ carefully -
it answers many of the most commonly asked questions about the Book Port.
Enjoy!
Peter Rand
The Unofficial Book Port FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Compiled by Peter
Rand
Version: 11th September 2005
*How can I tell the Book Port to read out the name of the current file?*
Participants on the Book Port list have suggested several possibilities:
1st method: Pressing the "b+e" keys simultaneously to delete the file, which
also says the file name, and then press any key to cancel (e.g.
after pressing "b+e", press "2" to continue listening to the file without
deleting it).
2nd method: Stop reading and hit the "star" key to move back one file and
then the "pound" key to move back to the file you had just been reading and
that too will say the file name.
3rd method: Briefly press the "e" key twice - the first key press opens the
Book Port Help, the second press returns you to the current file and reads
out the file name.
*What Kind of Batteries does the Book Port Use?* The Book Port operates on 2
AA batteries - alkaline, rechargeable or lithium all work fine. It is
important to note, however, that battery readings on the the Book Port are
calibrated specifically to alkalines, so the readings that you will get when
using lithium or rechargeable batteries will not be very accurate.
You can expect about 60 hours of use from a set of alkaline batteries,
perhaps 25 hours from NiMH rechargeable batteries, and 100 hours or more
from a set of lithium batteries.
Alkaline batteries will start at 100% announced capacity and drain gradually
over time in a linear fashion. Rechargables will start at perhaps 85%
announced capacity, hover for a long time in the 50% to 60% range, and then
decline somewhat abruptly towards the end. Lithium batteries will start at
100% announced capacity and stay at 100% for almost the entire period of
use, and then the Book Port will abruptly announce that it is time for you
to change the batteries.
*How Do I Put Batteries in the Book Port?* Place the Book Port face down in
front of you, and remove the battery cover by pulling it back towards you.
The positive tip of the bottom battery (i.e., the one closest to you) should
be put in the Book Port facing the left, while the positive tip of the top
battery (farthest from you) should be placed in the Book Port facing the
right. To reduce stress on the battery contacts, APH recommends putting in
the batteries negative (or "flat") side first. To save your various settings
while changing the batteries, press the "D+E+F" buttons simultaneously.
*Why Doesn't the Book Port Have an AC Adapter?* Because the battery life is
already excellent, and adding AC would add complexity and cost to the
product for very little gain.
*What Kind of CF Card Should I Get for the Book Port?* The Book Port uses
Type I CF Cards to store data files such as books and songs. Type II Cards
are relatively rare, and are generally referred to as "Microdrives". If it
doesn't specifically state that it's a Type II Card, then by definition it's
a Type 1, so you don't have to worry about purchasing the wrong type of
card.
The bigger the card, the more data you can carry with you on the Book Port.
The largest size CF Card currently supported by the Book Port is 2 gigabytes
- anything in excess of this is just wasted space and wasted money. Some
people recommend purchasing several small cards rather than a single large
card, in order to lessen the chance of data loss with a given card. Some
people prefer larger cards, so that they can have their data with them at
all time.
*How Many MP3 Files Fit on a CF Card?*
Do the math: let's assume that a typical song recorded in medium-quality
MP3 format is about 4MB in size. That means a 64MB card should be able to
store roughly 16 songs in MP3 format, a 256MB card about 64 songs, a 512MB
card about 128 songs, a 1GB card about 250 songs and a 2GB card about 500
songs. These are just rough estimates. The higher the quality of the
recording and the longer the length of the recording, the larger the file
will be.
The price of CF Cards is constantly falling. Whatever you buy now will cost
less in a year. Many people buy their CF Cards online. Try to buy a
brand-name card from a reputable company that will replace the card or
refund your money if the card fails to work properly.
*What are those strange file extensions I see on my CF Card?* For every file
you send to Book Port, you will have 2 additional files, giving you 3 files
for every book. The strange extensions you saw are created by Book Port
Transfer and the Book Port. The DD file is the actual data file. The other 2
files (the .ix file and the .aa file) are for navigation indexing and to
hold your place in the file. You don't want to delete those files. Even if
you did, they would be put back.
*Why use Book Port Transfer to Send Files - Why Not Just Copy Files Using a
Card Reader?* If you were to just copy files to your CF Card, you wouldn't
have all of the navigational features available or be able to set book
marks. And, you also lose the option to be able to speed up audio files via
the Book Port Transfer. So, while copying directly may be a shorter wait
than transferring via Book Port Transfer, there is somewhat of a
disadvantage, unless you don't care about those things in a particular file.
Support for unfiltered files (i.e., those files copied directly to Card,
bypassing Book Port Transfer) on the Book Port continues to improve. The
Book Port can now read unfiltered .txt files as long as they are stored in
the "Notes" directory, and the ability to navigate through unfiltered
MP3 files gets better with each firmware release.
*What are the Largest File Sizes Supported by the Book Port?* The Book Port
can currently handle MP3 files up to 256MB in size.
The maximum size for text files is 4 MB.
*What is the best set of headphones to use with the Book Port?* Members of
the Book Port list have recommended the following headphones:
Sennheiser PX100
The Sennheiser PX100's are an open design, meaning they are not a sealed
type head phone. This type of design is probably not your best choice if
what you are looking to do is keep noise out. They sound great, and the
best deal going on good sounding head phones at the $50 price range.
The PX 100's are the best set of headphones I've ever owned. They look very
light, but they are deceptively durable.
I can second or third this. I have a pair of px100's as well, and you
simply can't beat them for the price range. My favorite low priced head
phones used to be the Koss Porta Pros, but the Sennheizer PX100's now hold
that title in my opinion. The highs are crisp and clean, and the lows are
deep and well defined, no muddiness at all. They sound terrific for both
spoken audio as well as music, and they are extremely portable.
Sennheiser PXC 250 Headphones
I am extremely happy with my Sennheiser PXC 250 headphones. They are
mid-range in price between the Bose and the Radio Shack and other brands I
have heard and read about. They are comfortable to wear, fold up and come
with a soft-sided case which can be attached to a belt or fanny pack (also
known as a "bum bag/hip bag" in other parts of the world.
Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
I like the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. They cost $300.00, but they are
worth every penny. The Bose Noise Canceling headphones allow one to hear
conversation. I've used other noise canceling headphones and I was
disappointed in the results.
Radio Shack Noise Canceling Headphones
Not sure if it is helpful but I bought a set of noise canceling headphones
from Radio Shack for $40. They do not prevent me from hearing other people
but they do cut out the rumble on planes and in cars. I like the sound they
suppress and even the sound they leave. I want to be able to hear the flight
attendant. They take one triple A battery.
Brookstone Airplane Headphones
I absolutely love the folding headphones I purchased from Brookstone
(Brookstone sku # 268227). They were about $25.00 and are the most
comfortable ear phones I have ever used. They also have a volume control
which is excellent.
Etymotic ER6
I have a pair of Etymotic 4p's which are the big brother to the ER6 and they
do an outstanding job of keeping out any kind of noise. The thing about
this type of earphone is that they are canal phones meaning they literally
stick into your ear canals, and getting the right sound and level of
isolation depends on making a good seal in your ear canals.
This type of design is not for everyone because it is literally like taking
your 2 index fingers and sticking them into each ear. And some folks just
don't like that feeling.
FutureSonics EM3
I paid $150 for these last Christmas. These are also in the ear type
phones, using a soft spongy foam insert that are very comfortable in the
ear, and let me tell you that they sound absolutely terrific for both music
and spoken word, and they take up no room. When you hold these in your
hands, the impression you get is that you got gypped, until you put them in
your ears and listen to some music. The fidelity is outstanding, perhaps a
little heavy on the bass, but that depends on your source, and material you
are listening to. For $99 on sale, they are terrific, and do a very good
job at keeping out noise.
*Where is the Book Port's microphone located?* At the top of the Book Port
there are three openings from left to right:
the first is for the headphone, the second is for the USB cable and the
third, just a fifth of an inch to the right of the USB port, is a small pin
hole for the microphone. The microphone is very tiny indeed. The hole for
the microphone is so small that it can't be felt with a finger.
*How do I Activate the Book Port as an Audible device?* Just send a Format 4
Audible Book to the Book Port (only Format 4 Audible Books are supported).
When Book Port Transfer sees that your Book Port is not activated, it will
automatically prompt you for the information. For the Book Port, you only
need activate it through the BP Transfer, rather than Audible itself. You
don't actually do it with Audible.
The activation button on the Advanced page of the Options dialog is only
there for completeness; since the Deactivate button is there it was decided
to leave the Activate button there as well. While one may choose to use this
button for activation, it is easier to just send an Audible file.
Upon sending an Audible file, the software checks to see if the device is
activated. If it is not, the Enter Audible.com Information dialog appears,
just as if the Activate button was selected. In short, new users should
forget about the Activate button.
*What about support for Windows Media (WMA) and OGG files? * WMA and OGG
files are not supported at present, but APH hopes to support both these
popular audio formats at some point in the future.
*Will The Book Port Play All Kinds of Wave (WAV) Files?* No, it will only
play 16 bit wave files that are not sampled above 41 kHz.
*What Settings Should I Use When I Make MP3 Recordings?* If you are ripping
your own MP3 files, here are some example settings you can use for
medium-quality recordings:
* Mono recordings: 16 kpbs / 11 kHz mono
* Stereo music recordings : 96 kbps / 44 kHz stereo
Every setting is a trade-off between sound quality and the size of the
resulting file - try different settings until you find something that sounds
good to you.
*Types of Data Supported by Book Port*
According to the manual, the Book Port supports the following types of data:
TXT Text
HTM Web Pages*
HTML Web Pages*
BRF Contracted Formatted Braille
BRL Contracted Unformatted Braille
aa Audible.com Type 4
MP3 Compressed Audio
WAV Uncompressed Audio
NCC.HTML Daisy 2.x Digital Talking book
OPF Daisy 3.X Digital Talking Book
DOC Microsoft Word 97 or later**
RTF Rich Text Format**
*Note that Web pages are sent directly from within Internet ExplorerT.
**Note that in order to send Microsoft WordT files, you must have Word
97 or later installed.
*Obscure Technical Data About the Book Port*
* The main processor used in the Book Port is a Renesas M30245FCGP
that runs anywhere from 921 Kilohertz to 14.7456 Megahertz.
* The Book Port uses a Doubletalk Speech Synthesizer Chip.
* There is a hardware problem on the Book Port that mixes up the
left and right channels. Most users won't even notice the
difference, but audio purists will.
*How Do I Temporarily Unsubscribe from the Book Port Digest?* Send a message
to bookport-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx In the subject line, enter: set vacation
When you return, end a message to bookport-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx In the
subject line, enter: unset vacation
BOOK PORT FAQ CHANGE LOG
11th September 2005
- Tips on how to learn the name of the current file.
- The maximum size for text files (with thanks to David Allen)
- The location of the microphone
- Terminology for non-Americans: fanny pack is also known as a "bum bag"
or "hip bag" (with thanks to David Allen)
14th August 2005
- Book Port FAQ updated to include a section on headphones recommended by
Book Port list members.
10th August 2005
- Book Port FAQ first published on the Book Port List
----- Original Message -----
From: "Crystal French" <raincrow@xxxxxxx>
To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 8:33 PM
Subject: [bookport] working Re: Re: New Book Port: Only silence
Hi Chris,
Yes, I do know which end of a battery is up, but must not have been doing
something quite right, because I ttried again, after writing my message (of
course).
Yay! I have sppeech!
Sorry about the bother.
I'm off to listen to the manual.
Crystal
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