Category: accessible Devices
I am interested in getting a device to download books from the internet - from Bookshare, Library of Congress and the like, but I don't know what the best device would be for me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I need something that is easy to use, has good understandable speech and accessable to blind persons. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks. Donna
You might be interested in the Bookport from APH or the Victor Reader Stream from Humanware. Both are extremely accessible, very portable, and will read books from bookshare, Web Braille, Audible, and other sources. You can listen to music on them too.
I recommend the VR stream. It's super small and has easily-distinguishable buttons. It uses SD cards while the Bookport uses Compact flash cards. Rumor has it that the Bookport 2 is in the works, though, so you might want to hold off until that comes out to see how it rivals with the VR stream. (Don't know when the ETA for the bookport 2 is, though, I just hear it's in the works.) One drawback of the stream is that it doesn't support .brf or .rtf files, but that's something I hear will be fixed in upcoming firmware updates, so.
Well Donna, you and I have discussed this before, and at that time, I wasn't sure. If what you want the device for is books, I go with the Victor Reader Stream, also. In future releases it will indeed support other formats as described earlier. I have a Braille Plus, which I love dearly, but I think for you, knowing that you already have a notetaker, it is overkill. Also, the Stream is way cheaper, too. We can talk off list if you want also.
Lou
In my opinion, the Book Courier is the best. It supports Daisy, BRF, braille, .txt, and has support for bookshare and audible. If you're reading text, the voice is clear enough that, even when speeded up, it's still intelligable. It's small and light, and takes regular batteries, so, if you ever run out, you can replace them easily. The new version supports compact flash and SD cards, and it's small and light enough to be carried about in a pocket. The interface is very, very simple to use.
If you want to read more, have a look at:
http://www.bookcourier.com
If you're in the UK, I think that Computer Room Services will let you see a demo model. Even if they don't, they're the best people to buy from, as they have the longest warranty on the unit. Their web address is:
http://www.comproom.co.uk
If you call them, you need to speak to Steve, and, if you tell him that Carly sent you, his service will be even better than usual.
Hope this helps
I have a bookport and I love it. I'v got a 1 gig memory card for it, and already have 21 books.
all 7 HP books, the fire keeper saga, the dark jewels triology, and others.
it works for about 60 hours with 2AA batteries. It can be used as a voice recorder, you can write memos on it, but honestly I just use it for the book reading, but would like to know how to get music on it.
how much do theese cost about. Right now I use my phone as a book reader. I usually get my books from audible and download them straight to my phone. I'd like to purchase a book reader, well if I could afford one that is lol.
here is the website for the bookport.
http://www.aph.org/products/bp_bro.html
hope that helps
The VR stream is $329. ish. extra for shipping and a memory card if you need one.
hmmmmmm, not in my budget right now... you think my commission counselor will pay for it? lol wishfull thinking... *sigh*
mice Vocational people got me my bookport. so maybe, now, they got it for me for school books, but I don't tell them that I don't use it for school books, hahahahahahahaha!
Shadow Dragon,
The Bookport plays mp3 files. Just send them to the BP with Bookport transfer the same as you would send books. You'll want to go into settings and make sure the setting for automatic file advance is set to yes to keep the BP from stopping after every song.
hi there
Book Courier is about £225. the website is
http://www.bookcourier.com
I know that, but I need to get my WMA files into MP3 files to begin with. and I have no idea how to do that.
ShadowDragon:
If they're unprotected, get goldwave from http://www.goldwave.com and use the batch processing, found off the file menu I believe. It can convert anything pretty much, that is if it's not DRM protected. If it is, get SoundTaxi.
I have both a BraillePlus and a Bookport. The creator of this topic mentioned they wanted NLS support as well as others, so either VRStream, which I haven't played with, or BraillePlus will be your best bet. I don't use BraillePlus just for reading, it can also automatically get Bookshare newspapers, rss feeds, podcasts, and more. Plus, you can access both Bookshare and NLS, right on the unit. No PC involved!
So, really, those are your choices so far.
HTH.
OK, I see. Here's how I do it. Use windows explorer to find the files you want to convert. select a file (or multiple files) and open the application menu. If you have Windows Media Player installed on your system, one of the options should be convert audio format. Select it and follow the promts in the dialog box. I've used this method quite a bit to convert from mp3 to wma. I haven't tried going wma to mp3 but I'm almost positive it can be done this way.
I have a Victor Stream, and love it really quite a lot. But then it's the first accessible device of the sort I've ever played with, so not sure how it compares. It's ridiculously friendly and easy to use though.
If you are downloading WMA to the bookport, it will convert itself automatically. No problem. Mine does it all the time. I'm hoping to get a VR Stream soon.
I just ordered the victor reader streaam. I am very excited. We'll see how it goes.
I just got my VR Stream a couple of weeks ago. It's the coolest player ever! I love it. I had been using a Bookport but the Stream totally kicks the BP's ass. My stream has not only replaced my Bookport, but it has replaced my milestone 311 and my olympus digital recorder. It's the only gadget I carry with me at all times. Very useful and easy to use. I Highly recommend it.
Well, mine is coming tomorrow. I too was using the bookport, but my software starting freezing in the middle of transferring books. So... I had to get something else.
I'm going to use the BP untill I can't anymore. my logic is "If it aint broken, don't fix it" or in this context, don't replace it.
I agree with that statement. However, my BP broke, so I had no choice. I love my VR stream; however the BP works well too.
I debated a long time about getting the stream since there was nothing wrong with my BP, but I'm kind of a gadget junkie and couldn't stand it anymore. All the rave reviews about the Stream plus the ability to play the digital talking books from NLS were more than I could resist. Then, I found a place on the web that was selling the stream for $275. I couldn't pass up that bargain. I'm so glad I did. The NLS digital talking books are bitchin'. I've already sold my Bookport and will probably sell my Milestone 311 as well. The Stream is the coolest blindy device I've ever owned.
Where did you find the stream for 275?
I also use the Victor reader stream. If you go and get an eight-gigabyte SD card for it, that's a lot of books and music
I have a 4 gig, 8 gig, and 16 gig SD cards.
I got my stream for $275 at activeforever.com. Their price is $289 plus shipping, but if you order 2 or more, the price drops to $275 and shipping is free. I got together with a couple of friends who wanted Streams as well and we ordered 3 together to get the good price.
Here's the link
VR Stream for $275
The VR stream sounds totally cool. I hope that's what my state peoples give me. I will settle with the CD player one as long as i can play my textbooks.
I love my VictorReader Stream!
has anyone tried the Plextalk pocket ptp1? its great! i got mine in january and haven't looked back! it reads dasy and mp3 audio files/books. really accessible and I really love it. its only the size of a mobile phone and it looks a bit like one too. the voice is really clear, and it uses up to 32 gb memory card, and comes supplied with charger, usb lead, usb pen (which it also reads books from when plugged directly into unit) and head phones, cd manual, 1 gb memory card, and case and shoulder strap. it can either be used as an usb device on the computer, or its usb pen or memory card can go directly into a computer and books go straight on it. it can also record in mp3 from radio, computer, tape, external mike or internal mike. sorry for the long post but i'm quite inthusiastic about it! not that you'd guess that lol
I use a book port for school and for entertainment port and I love it! The keys are nicely spaced out. I would like to get my hands on a stream or an upcoming book sense.
I both have a Stream and a Bookport. I like the Stream much better. I accidentally plugged in the wrong charger, so, needless to say I need a new one. I am saving up for a Braille Plus, so instead of a Stream, I am thinking of getting the Braille Plus as my book reader/Notetaker. It's still a big dilemma, as you can tell...
I've had experience with the Book Port but once I got my grubby paws on my Stream earlier this year I decided I wouldn't be turning back. The stream seems most suitable for my needs and, if I'm not mistaken, is much less expensive. Even my sighted folks are fascinated with it, but then again my dad's always been interested in our gadgets, somewhat more so than my mom.
Yes, the Stream is much cheaper than the Bookport. That's another plus!
It's cheaper yet it's in no way a flimsy piece of technology, not that I make a habit of dropping it. But ever since I got it it's gone with me anytime I spent the weekend at my folks' place because not only can you have NLS talking books and audible books on it but you can put music on it as well. My entire collection of Jean Michel Jarre albums has been on there almost constantly.
No, they're certainly not flimsy. I just wish I hadn't burned out the one I have. You can also play descriptive videos from Serotek on there. I was in the middle of watching one when it died and I burned it out.
D'oh... What folder would those videos go into?
I'd say the BP. I've got BARD, and my bookshare account set up on it. Awesome.
The NLS books go in to a folder labled $VRDTB on the stream's SD card.
The DVS movies from the SA network are audio only. They save to the $VRDTB folder.
i just got the VR stream and i love the thing. that replaces my ipod nano which is so amazing. i wish it had FM radio though so i can listen to radio on it. it also replaces my recorder which i use for lectures. i use my ipod for lectures as a recording devise. but the only draw back is the battery always gets drained and have to charge the little ipod each night. but thank god i have my vr stream as a backup just incase i have issues with my ipod