Category: Geeks r Us
I purchses this device from tigerdirect.com for $99 US
Upon receiving it, I stalled rockbox, to proceed to learn all I can about the OS and how to implement the accessible features.
This is a review of my experience with the rockbox and iriver 20gb model, not how to install the OS. If you need aid, you'll have to either start a topic to which I may respond or email me externally. I no longer frequent this site so emailing me will result in a "no anser".
I spent 3 and a half hours reading the manuals and installing the OS manually. Seems there are particulars that must be followed else you will run in to problems. After the OS is in, the speech starts immediately. However, the there are aspects of which the rockbox does not voice outloud by default. Folder and file names is an example. Subdirectories also are not spoken out loud by default.
I found that there are settings to which I must change in order for the rockbox to read out loud the names of folders and files. However, there is no text to speech engine built in to the OS. As a result, it can only read by default, numbers, or spell out the names of the folder/files. After some time of listening to the spelling of my folders and files, fustration drove me to do some research and I found that there is a self generating script which will take the onboard pc's t2s and create a small .talk file which will read out loud the names of your folders and files in words. After that, i can navigate my directories and files with ease.
the rockbox allows me to access the iriver about 90 or so percent. Some of the things it can not read out loud, so it seems, is the virtual keyboard. I can not create a new directory from the unit, rename a file/folder, control the graphical equalizer. however, there is an advance eq section where the graphical eq is in text, so that issue is moote.
The iriver h10 can be UMS as opposing to its MTP by default. However, a certain trick must be performed in order to force it in to UMS. One must hold the select button while holding the power button to do so. Afterwards however, one must stick a small pin in to the reset button in order to boot it back in to rockbox OS. The reason I mention this is that, I much prefer copying and pasting in to the iriver instead of having to use the windows media to add my songs. Unfortunately, there is no way to permanently change it in to the UMS mode. One would not want to using rockbox, as the UMS mode is the default OS of iriver.
There seems to be various voices of the rockbox, however, I have not yet found a different voice that is compatible to the iriver. thus, I am stuck with the old ms sam sapi4 sounding voice, which isn't that bad. Beggars can't be choosers I guess.
In conclusion, the iriver h10 20gc 20 gig mp3 is very blind user friendly once rockbox is successfully installed, all settings in turnned on for speech, and .talks files are generated for the folders and files.
Please post success stories, fustrations, or comment of your experience with the rockbox and other brands of mp3 players being blind accessible. I'm sure that many here can benefit from them.
Thanks