Here's the thing, however. As Acting Director of a
small agency mostly catering to the concerns of elderly blind people, we
find most of our members do not own much if any assistive
technology. Many of them still depend on either cassettes, hardcopy
braille or hardcopy large print.
--Daveed Mandell--
At 10:11 AM 12/19/2008, you wrote:
Daveed,--------------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the list at any time, please write to
I think you are perhaps jumping to the campaigning role a bit too quickly here for the following reasons:
1. I think you'll find that Frank mentioned the existence of a CD as well and, unless I'm mistaken, the CD will have the User's Guide text in a sub folder. It's perhaps different on your side of the big pond but that's what I'm led to believe is the case - perhaps Frank can confirm this? If the text is there, it should contain the text of the whole print manual.
2. There is also a built-in help file which can be accessed by pressing the Number 0 key. This is a cut down version of the full User's Guide and is in DAISY 3 text only format. Once you go into the help file, it can be read with the built-in synthetic speech. It covers all the chapters required for normal use of the unit.
Maybe you still feel your soap box is appropriate but I suspect that you can tuck it away for a while! (Smile)
Jamie
-----Original Message-----
From: ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ mailto:ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Daveed Mandell
Sent: 19 December 2008 15:21
To: ptr1-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: *Possible SPAM* Re: PT Pocket.
I think that we should not stand for only prinhted materials; it is time for us to demand full and equal acessibility, especially when it comes to products supposedly marketed for us. Yes, the lack of a case is a serous one for me as a journalist, so is the lack of a fullcomplement of editing features. But htere is no excuse for the lack of accessibility to the reference and getting started information, and we must not allow this to continue.
--Daveed Mandell--
At 12:23 AM 12/19/2008, you wrote:
Hi Frank--------------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the list at any time, please write to with unsubscribe ptr1-users in the subject or the body. The list home page is at .
Glad to hear that the microphone preamp of the pocket is of a better quality
than that of the ptr2.
Just curious - have you tried listening to music on this machine? And what
is the sound quality like?
I suposse it still has only a normal tone control?
-----Original Message-----
From: ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[ mailto:ptr1-users-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Cuta
Sent: 19 December 2008 08:38 AM
To: ptr1-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: *Possible SPAM* Re: PT Pocket.
Well I have had my Pocket a week now and it is one beautiful little marvel.
Here is a preliminary short appraisal. First, let me mention a couple of
other products that you are more familiar with -- the PTR 2 and the Stream.
I heard that as well as being a player the Pocket was
going to incorporate most of the more powerful recording capability of
the PTR 2. In short , it does. And the package is smaller in all 3
dimensions than the Stream. It feels silky and extremely sensual just
to hold this diminutive little item in your hand.
It is a powerful recorder with all of the same recording modes that you are
used to on the PTR2. You can enable or disable auto recording level and
while recording you can choose to enable monitoring of the signal or audible
level annunciation on the fly. You can also add headings on the fly or
after the fact. While recording you can monitor battery level, confirm
that you are recording (not paused) and obtain time recorded and
time remaining information. Editing is very limited, basically to
adding and removing heading marks . However, it features two powerful new
processing options that should compliment its ability to move files from SD
to thumb drive and from thumb drive to SD. These permit you to process
files that you create so they will play on other players and to
process material from other recorders for editing on the pocket. I
have yet to explore these features but they look promising.
The unit has Only a single input jack but it is switchible for either
microphone or line level. I have always been annoyed by the input
characteristics of the preamp and built in microphone on my PTR 2. No
such problem exists on the pocket. In fact I love the built in microphone.
Playback on the Pocket can be navigated by character, word, phrase
paragraph, book mark, heading levels, time and a new method by percentage
of the total length. Of course which of these options is
available to you is predetermined by the format of the file you are
reading. The pocket features both a built in male and female text to
speech voice. The female is the default and it is excellent.
The buttons on the Pocket are not too small -- its been cold out and I
have been able to operate it while wearing leather gloves. Speaking of
buttons and switches it has 24 just 5 less than the PTR 2. Even so an
operation like adding a heading mark to an existing file which has a
dedicated key on the PTR 2 takes exactly the same number of keystrokes on
the Pocket even though the option is selected off a menu. This is great
engineering!
Time to list desired improvements. The most obvious is the lack of a case.
It comes with a pouch but it really needs a skin to protect it
while it is being used. Also, when you receive it you get only a
print quick start
guide and a CD. Its up to you as a totally blind person to struggle
through getting started. And if you do not have a computer you are kind of
stuck. Of course the lack of a box running Microsoft's finest is not one
of my personal deficiencies but I resisted reading the manual
on the computer -- I was too eager to start using the pocket. As soon
as I found someone to assist me with the quick start guide I copied the
manual from the CD to a thumb drive and from the thumb drive to the pockets
SD card. A Braille quick start guide or cassette guide like the
one I received with my PTR 2 from IRTI would be a great improvement. A
feature that I appreciated in version 2 of the PTR software was an
annunciation of available recording time that changed respectively as you
cycled through the various recording qualities/modes. On the Pocket this
has been replaced with the respective bandwidth spec. This is much less
functional and of little use to the average user. Navigation by time on
the PTR2 can be set to 1 minute and ten minute increments which I have grown
to love. On the Pocket it can not be fixed at a specific value and instead
changes on the fly but always starts at ten seconds and increases as you
hold down the control. I find this a little cumbersome. Lastly the Pocket
lacks the ability to create page marks.
I actually regularly use this feature on my PTR 2. Not for page numbering
but as another powerful way of marking information for future reference. It
is a reference mark that is saved when you backup.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
> To leave the list at any time, please write to
> <ptr1-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> with unsubscribe ptr1-users in the
> subject or the body. The list home page is at
> < //www.freelists.org/list/ptr1-users/>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
To leave the list at any time, please write to
<ptr1-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> with unsubscribe ptr1-users in the
subject or the body. The list home page is at
< //www.freelists.org/list/ptr1-users/>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To leave the list at any time, please write to
<ptr1-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> with unsubscribe ptr1-users in the
subject or the body. The list home page is at
< //www.freelists.org/list/ptr1-users/>.
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.9.17/1847 - Release Date: 2008/12/13
04:56 PM
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.9.19 - Release Date: 2008/12/17 12:00
AM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To leave the list at any time, please write to <ptr1-users-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> with unsubscribe ptr1-users in the subject or the body. The list home page is at < //www.freelists.org/list/ptr1-users/>.
