Category: accessible Devices
Hi, all.
I am hoping someone can give me a recommendation for a Daisy player, portable would be best, though I'm not sure that what I'm after exists.
The text-to-speech voice is important to me. I've Googled, but can't easily find what speech these things use. I prefer the more synthetic sounding voices, like Eloquence, the Dectalk voice, and such, the robotic speech is just easier on my ear.
I've been using an original APH Book Port, and like the simplicity of it. I read mainly plain text files, but for occasional Daisy's, I have and know about the BP Plus, though I'm not a fan of its humanlike tts voices.
My old BP gets daily use, and I love the basic speech synth in it, but I'm not sure how much longer this thing will continue to work. Do any of the newer machines have the robotic type speech?
Thanks for any suggestions.
HIMS Inc. has a new book player that's just coming out, and I believe it uses the Eloquence voice. (I'm just figuring that it might because I have a Braille Sense that uses that voice.)
Hims new player does not use the robotic voice. It uses one of the Evona voice from what i can recall, which will be too humanise for what Becky's need. From what i can recall, and what i know about the daisy players market at the moment, most of them got human voices on them. If you want to have fully control of the voice synth, maybe explore the software option rather than hardware.
Also, i'm not sure how navigator works in the states. but maybe, perhaps, navigator might be more of a robotic voice than the others.
This is the press release about the Blaze EZ
Blaze EZ Multi-player is the first digital book player to give the visually impaired near-instant audio playback of printed materials and single-button access to Wi-Fi, documents, books, music and more.
PRESS RELEASE: Austin, TX – May 29, 2013
Blaze EZ, a new device available from Austin, Texas-based HIMS Inc. is likely to become a favorite among those with visual impairments. Those who are blind now have independent and fast access to printed materials from a digital book reader without the need for a laptop, camera, scanner or personal assistance from a relative or friend. This new device, aptly described by its makers as a ‘multi-player’ is about the size of a deck of cards, and in addition to OCR text-to-speech access to printed text has the capability to read and/or play a host of digital document and media formats including eBooks, DAISY books, Word documents and PDF files, music, internet radio and more.
This new device was announced just this spring at the CSUN International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, California yet already the Internet and assistive technology (AT) community are buzzing with anticipation. Teachers of the visually impaired (TVI’s) and occupational therapists (OT’s) have been very vocal about their excitement about what this could mean for their students and clients. Students will now be able to listen to their textbooks in DAISY and other digital formats, and then take their Blaze EZ into the library for instant access to printed text with the touch of just a single button. Professionals can scan and sort mail, review interoffice memos and even browse an Applebee’s menu independently while at lunch with their coworkers.
Blaze EZ features high-quality stereo speakers for high quality audio output and a built-in microphone for recording school lectures or business meetings. Built-in Wi-Fi adds easy access to podcasts, internet radio and downloadable content such as DAISY and eBooks. An FM radio and talking clock round out the features of this tiny yet powerful device for the blind.
HIMS Inc. Education Business Development Manager, Dave Wilkinson, who is blind himself shared “Independent access to printed text while away from a personal computer, is something that very few devices have been able to do really well and this is the first time that the blind have had OCR built into a digital book player. Apps for iPhone and Android devices have claimed to have this ability but anyone who’s blind who has tried them knows that it’s just not an optimal solution. Blaze EZ delivers an excellent result in a variety of lighting and environmental settings – even when the document itself is upside down or sideways!”
Blaze EZ, introductorily priced at $695, includes a ten-hour rechargeable battery and is expected to begin shipping in late June 2014. To learn more about HIMS and their full line of products for those with low vision or who are blind, please visit their website, www.hims-inc.com or call 888-520-4467 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-520-4467 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting to speak to an assistive technology specialist today.