Feedback from Actual User: Non-linear navigation is very
useful for reference books and magazines.
This user does not need non-linear navigation through novels unless the
reading is being done as part of a class or research project.
According to the manufacturer, the Classic Plus unit
supports all DAISY navigation levels (e.g., chapter, section, page, and
paragraph). It supports DAISY versions
1.x, 2.x, and 3.x.
According to the user’s manual, the Vibe handles DAISY 2.x
files.
Evidently, the current version of the BookCourier device
cannot play DAISY-encoded content. According to the FAQ on the BookCourier
website, making the device DAISY-friendly is on the product enhancement
list.
The
When a CD is inserted, the Scholar uses various series of
tones to indicate whether the CD contains MP3 files or regular CD music
files. If a DAISY book is on the CD, the
unit will read and display the title of the book.
The blue rubberized up (#2) and down (#8) buttons are used
to change the level of navigation in a DAISY book (e.g., from chapter to
section-level navigation). The blue
rubberized forward (#6) and reverse (#4) buttons are used to move within a
navigation level.
The PTR1 supports both the playback of and creation of DAISY
formatted CDs.
The Soul Player does not support the playback of DAISY
formatted CDs.
The Vibe can playback MP3
files. The number 0 key (previous
element) and number # key (next element) allow to user to move forward or
backward from track to track.
The
According to the documentation provided with the device, the
BookCourier Transfer Tool software that runs on the user’s PC currently supports
the transfer of only MP3 and TXT files.
The PTR1 can play MP3 files.
The Soul Player can play MP3 files.
The Soul Player also supports CEA (Consumer
Electronics Association) Specifications
for Audiobook MP3-CDs.
The Classic Plus can playback
regular audio files and music CDs. Note: the tone and speed keys function when music
is being played back. Increasing or
decreasing the playback speed of a musical performance somehow seems more
sacrilegious than altering the playback speed of a spoken or text-to-speech
piece of content.
The Vibe can play CD music discs.
The Scholar can play CD music discs.
Evidently the
Evidently the BookCourier device cannot play compact disc
digital audio files directly. It plays
only MP3 audio files.
The PTR1 can play standard music CDs.
The Soul Player can play standard music CDs.
The Classic Plus does not support BRF files.
Evidently the BookCourier device cannot play contract
Braille in Braille ready files format.
The
The Classic Plus does not support HTML files.
Evidently the current release of the BookCourier cannot
directly read HTML files. However, a web
page could be saved in ASCII format, then transferred
to the BookCourier device for TTS reading of the content.
Because the
The Classic Plus does not support TXT files.
The
According to the documentation provided with the device, the
BookCourier Transfer Tool software that runs on the user’s PC supports the
transfer of only MP3 and TXT files.
Assuming that the user has Microsoft Word 97 or higher
loaded on the “mother ship” PC, with the
According to the FAQ on the Springer-Design website (http://www.springer-design.com/FAQ.htm),
visited on
“Our first 2004 release will contain support for Audible files. You will
be able to download files from the Audible website directly into your
BookCourier. Or, you can download Audible files already stored on your PC into
BookCourier. You will be able to set up the BookCourier Transfer Tool as your
primary Audible download application. While the Transfer Tool will not support
all the features of Audible Manager (Audible's default download application),
it will allow you to transfer both audio books and subscriptions from Audible
right into your BookCourier. Once you get those files onto BookCourier, you
will be able to navigate through them using the Audible-defined sections.
BookCourier will support only type 4 Audible files. The type 4 files are
encrypted MP3 files and, therefore, tend to be large. While we would like to
support the other file types as well (types 1 through 3), all these files use
proprietary compression routines to make the files smaller. The companies who
own these routines require royalty payments for their use and decryption.
Consequently, BookCourier support for these files types would require a much
greater development effort as well as a higher cost to the customer.”
The Soul Player supports the playback of Windows Media Audio
(WMA) formatted files. WMA is a
proprietary compressed audio file format.