# accessible alternatives to the ipod

Category: accessible Devices

## Post 1 by laurliz1186 (Generic Zoner) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 12:29:10

Hi!
I would really like to invest in an accessible mp3 player and I was wondering if anyone knew of some good alternatives to the ipod? Thanks!

## Post 2 by wildebrew (We promised the world we'd tame it, what were we hoping for?) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 13:24:34

IPods are quite accessible actually, with the Anapod Explorer software (supposedly, I've had issues with the software not working properly for some reason but didn't spend much time checking it out).
I've heard that iRiver has a range of accessible players, they're just to small and too expensive to really get me interreested. I also think Creative's players are fairly accessible.
cheers
-B

## Post 3 by elmira (Veteran Zoner) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 13:33:49

Go to
www.rockbox.org
and see which mp3-players support rockbox with speech. Rockbox is a free open source firmware for several mp3-players, and on some of them, rockbox has speech support for menus and filenames.

## Post 4 by Jesse (Hmm!) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 14:47:45

I love my iPod! I've used it since October with no problems, and I'm totally blind. Get one! You'll love it, and you will love to accessorize it, too!

## Post 5 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 14:49:55

I recently bought a RCA Lyra, which seems pretty accessible and very easy to use. I like that the buttons are all raised and of different shapes, and that they are along the sides although there is also a lock/unlock switch on the back. I also like that you really don't need any special programs to download the music to it, as it adds the Lyra as another drive when you plug it into the computer, and I have just been able to copy my MP3's from the computer into that drive as well as deleting the songs I don't want. You can also get those little cards to add more music when it gets full. I personally just got the one with I believe 256 MB, but there are some with more memory than that.

## Post 6 by WillieTheWoof (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Friday, 04-Aug-2006 22:02:46

Got an IRiver H10 5 gig and love the thing. syncs with windows media player and can can also use copy and paste. nice unit.

## Post 7 by guitargod1 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Saturday, 05-Aug-2006 13:05:52

The largest mp3 player that I river make currently is fourty gigs. I have a creative labs zen jukebox sixty gig player but the software is not accessible. It does have a lot of buttons though which is good. Regarding I pods, they will soon actually have speech. I'll dig up the article and post it today at some point.

## Post 8 by JerseyGirl1989 (Zone BBS is my Life) on Sunday, 06-Aug-2006 15:43:46

Hi! I also heaard the Ipod shuffel is pretty accessible too. I know some totally blind people who use them, and they love them. My 17th Birthday is next week, and my parents are getting me the Ipod Shuffel. Is that the right direction to go?
Amber

## Post 9 by WillieTheWoof (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Sunday, 06-Aug-2006 19:55:13

For the creative labs unit get NotMad wxplorer from redchair software: www.redchairsoftware.com. I use this on my 40 gig zen and it's excellent. completely accesssible and mirrors the windows explorer interface. As far as the IPOD shuffel it's good if you want a player where you just scrole through songs with a forward or reverse keys but to my knowledge you can't creat play lists on the thinkg. Someone correct me here if I am wrong I only had a few hours to play with one. Also, you will need to use Itunes or get a program called anapod exploerer from www.redchairsoftware.com. The advantage to the IRiver is you can very easily sync it with windows media player as well as cut and paste to the unit if you don't want to use play lists and just use the file browser. I sync it with windows media so that the playlist I have on my machine is on the Iriver. I also find the radio very easy to use as well as playlists and of course for us sound geeks the equalizer.

## Post 10 by laurliz1186 (Generic Zoner) on Thursday, 10-Aug-2006 12:37:53

Thanks for all of the feedback/suggestions!! I will look into everything mentioned above and am glad to hear the Ipods will finally have speech.
Lauren

## Post 11 by smudge (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Sunday, 27-Aug-2006 15:40:07

I am using a iRiver h120, and it is still the better sounding hard disk based mp3 player. The h300 series is now also supported, and loading mp3 material on to the player is very easy.

## Post 12 by The SHU interpreter (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 05-Feb-2007 16:45:57

i got the anapod nano and i use it with no problem

## Post 13 by Austin (the magic fan!) on Monday, 05-Feb-2007 17:18:25

i love my ipod. i have an 80 gb ipod. i use x-play to manage it.
it's vary good. it's varry accessible both the ipod and the software. software meaning x-play. ipods are good.

## Post 14 by tunedtochords (Zone BBS is my Life) on Monday, 05-Feb-2007 17:22:18

I've been using an iPod since December 2004 (first the 40-gig black and white model, then the 60-gig video), and I'd never consider getting another kind of MP3 player. The iPod is definitely accessible--that is, it's no less accessible than, say, your average DVD player or TV. Sure, it wasn't designed with blind people in mind, but what mainstream product is, really? With a bit of tweeking and practice, the iPod is definitely accessible to a totally blind user.
...And now that I've sounded like an Apple salesperson, I'll shut up...

## Post 15 by motifated (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 05-Feb-2007 17:51:34

I have the little SanDisk 2 gb player. I don't require much storage. The things it has that I like are an FM radio, and voice recorder. We'r still learning to play nice together, but I can download to it without difficulty now. Good luck.
Lou

## Post 16 by WillieTheWoof (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Tuesday, 06-Feb-2007 7:31:31

I tried the Sandisk 8 gig mp3 player and my only problem with it was I had difficulty telling which menu I was in. There is no audible verification such as a click when you go through the menus. The click whieel is a little deceiving because the clicks are hard to feel and they don't always mean that you have moved to a different menu. The sounds is excellent, the equalizer is wonderfully usable, transfering music is a breeze and the radio has a good receiver. Okay! the 20 hour battery and the fact that it is flash memmory is definately a draw. It has also been said that the battery is replaceable by the user but you do need to keep a screw driver handy to do that.

## Post 17 by Chevelle fan (Generic Zoner) on Saturday, 24-Feb-2007 23:20:58

I like the muvo by creative. It doesn't have a desplay but it is great for just goin through songs