Over the next several pages many of the primary functions
afforded by these devices are described.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive listing of the
functionalities of these devices. Many
of the devices have a wide range of functionalities. An exhaustive description of all possible
functionalities of these five devices would take hundreds of pages. If in a given functionality section a
particular device is not mentioned, that does not necessarily mean that that
function is not available on that device.
User groups are beginning to appear that are centered around
a particular device. Occasionally
interesting and useful functions and nuances of these devices that are not
described in the user manuals are discovered through intensive use by actual
users.
To turn on the unit, press and hold the gray button located
in the right center of the face of the unit.
It is the only circular, slightly concave button on the unit. A beep and a welcome message indicate that
the unit has been successfully turned on.
To turn the unit on, press the button in the
To turn on the unit, press the large red number 5 button in
the center of the unit.
To turn on the BookCourier, simply press the 5 key, the
largest key on the keypad.
The
To turn on the PTR1, slide the on/off slide button on the
left side of the device toward the front.
Note: A CD cannot be inserted
into the device when the unit is turned off.
When the unit is turned on, a series of musical notes play, then a voice
announces “disc, please wait. No disc.”
To turn on the Soul Player, press and
release the “on/volume up” button, located at the
The menu function works like a table of contents in a
printed book. It is used to list the
various elements or sections of content on the CD being played.
The 1 key serves as the bookshelf key that announces the
title(s) of the book(s) or file(s) contained on the disc currently inserted in
the device.
The 0 key is the info key.
It announces the total number of pages in the current book, the total
playback time (at the default playback speed, one assumes), the amount of time
(in minutes and seconds) already elapsed, the amount of time remaining, the
number of bookmarks in the current book, the number of titles on the disc, the
current power source, and the model version and serial number of the
device.
The #9 button on the unit is the menu key. The Vibe also has an “info” function. The types of info available for a DTB
include: the current page, the amount of
time elapsed, the amount of time remaining, the number of pages, the total
time, the version number of the software program. By pressing and holding the #9 button, the
user can gain information about the content on the CD.
BookCourier stores its files in folders, which may be
arranged hierarchically into a library.
To listen to the titles within a folder, press and hold either the 7 key
(to move backward through the list of titles) or the 9 key (to move forward
through the list of titles).
The BookCourier also has a versatile “where am I?”
feature. If you press and hold until a
beep the 5 key while listening to a file, the feature announces (in the same
voice) your current distance into the file, expressed as a percentage. For example, “You are one percent through The
Secret Agent.” If you invoke this
command when in the library, the device announces exactly where in the
hierarchy of file folders you are. If
you are reading a bookmark list, the device announces the name of the file with
which the bookmark list is associated.
According to the user guide, the table of contents feature
is not implemented in the current crop of BookCourier devices.
To access the menu, press the 5 key, then press the 6 and 4
keys to move either forward or backward through the menu. Note:
After invoking the menu function by pressing the 5 key, if you press and
hold the 5 key, you hear an audio guide and help information. The PTR1 supports folders. The PTR1 cannot support multiple playlists
located in the same folder or the root directory.
Press the “menu” button to access the menu functions. The available menu functions vary depending
on the type of file being accessed and whether or not the device is in playback
mode.
When a CD is inserted into the Classic Plus, the unit will
announce the title of the book, then immediately begin playing it.
Press the number 5 key to begin and pause
playback.
Press the number 5 key to begin and pause
playback.
The number 2 key begins playback. When the unit is reading,
press 2 to stop playback.
The number 5 key functions as both the play and pause
key.
The play/stop key the only rectangular key located on the
top of the device near the front—below the numeric keys. Note:
When a disc is inserted, the PTR1 does not begin playback immediately.
The play/stop key must be pressed.
Press the “play/pause” key located in the “
The Classic Plus contains a set of two bright, well-placed
buttons for raising and lowering the volume.
The Scholar contains a very simple process for raising and
lowering the playback volume. Two
rubberized blue buttons on the upper left corner of the face of the device move
the volume up and down. Although the
device does not audibly indicate a change in volume (other than the actual
change in the volume of the file being played back itself),
a small graphic on the extreme left side of the LCD display indicates the
relative position of the volume from softest to loudest.
The D and F keys are used to lower and raise the
volume.
Press and release the 1 key to lower the volume. Press and release the 3 key to raise the
volume.
The volume control button is on the front of the
device. Volume can be adjusted from the
values of 0 to 20 in single digit increments.
Whenever the volume is changed incrementally, playback pauses and a
female voice announces the new volume value.
If you press and hold the volume button either to the right or left,
playback continues as the volume increases or decreases to the desired level. When the key is released, the female voice
announces the new volume number.
Note: To change the
volume of the guide voice (not the volume of the e-content being played back),
press the volume button inward (that is, toward the back of the device). In other words, pressing the button inward
toggles between controlling the playback volume and the guide voice
volume. The guide volume also can be
adjusted from the values of 0 to 20 in single digit increments.
This dual volume control functionality enables the end-user
to use differences in volume of the playback and voice guide as one way to
differentiate the two.
When the Soul Player is playing content,
press and release the “on/volume up” button to increase the volume or the
“off/volume down” button to decrease the volume. The volume values range from zero (silent) to
ten (very loud). When the volume is
raised or lowered, the LCD displays the new volume value for a few
seconds.
In general, the fast forward and rewind functionalities of
these devices were disappointing, if not nearly worthless. In most instances, the audible output of the
devices when either fast forward or rewind were engaged sounded like gibberish
(or Robin Williams reprising his role as Mork), giving little or no indication
of meaning or structure of the content being skimmed over at a high rate of
speed. For moving forward faster than
normal, merely increasing the speed of playback until the desired point is
reached is an alternative.
The fast forward key is located just to the right of the
play/stop button. The button is shaped
like an arrow pointing right, and on the button is a raised arrow as well.
The #4 key on the unit is the fast forward key. When the user presses and holds the #4 key,
the devices moves forward quickly through the content. Snippets of audible content are played every
fraction of a second, presumably in an attempt to let the user know roughly
where he or she is. The snippets,
however, often are only fragments of words, which is well-nigh unintelligible. This
reviewer found it easier to increase the playback speed to move quickly forward
through the content. According to the
user’s manual, on the Vibe the fast forward and rewind functions can be used
only within the current element, not across elements. However, when listening to the demo chapters
of James Patterson’s book, The Jester, this reviewer was able to fast forward
across element boundaries.
To move fast forward through a file, simultaneously press
and hold the shift and 6 keys. The
device periodically announces how far into the file (expressed as a percentage)
you have fast forwarded.
On the PTR1 press and hold the triangular-shaped fast
forward key, just to the right of the rectangular play/stop key. As you hold the key, the fast forward speed
progressively increases from 4 to 8 then 16 times normal playback speed. The audio
output during the fast forward operation is completely nonsensical. Note:
The fast forward functionality works even when the CD is stopped. If you press the key when stopped, you will
hear the nonsensical chirping as you move forward. When you release the key, playback will
commence at the point in the file where you released the fast forward key.
Press the “fast forward” key located in approximately the “
The #6 key on the unit is the rewind key.
To rewind quickly through a file, simultaneously press and
hold the shift and 4 keys. The device
periodically announces a percentage indicating your current location in the
file.
To move through a file in reverse, press and hold the
triangular-shaped rewind key located just to the left of the rectangular
play/stop key. As you hold the key, the
fast reverse speed progressively increases from 4 to 8 then 16 times normal
playback speed.
Note: You can fast reverse even
when the CD is stopped.
Press and hold the “rewind” button located just shy of the “
The PTR1 offers a wide array of repeat options. If the user presses and releases either the
fast forward or rewind keys, the device goes forward or backward one phrase,
where a phrase is defined as a voice separation due to pauses such as
breathing. This function can be used to
quickly repeat a phrase—or even a particular word within a phrase—that the
reader missed. The “repeat between
bookmarks” function plays all text between the immediately previous and next
bookmarks in a digital talking book. The
“repeat section” plays one section, then repeats the
playback. The “random repeat” is useful
when the user wants to randomly listen songs recorded
on a CD. It also is possible to repeat a
single title or all titles recorded on a CD.
The re-read function in the Soul Player replays the most
recently played 15 seconds of content.
Press and release the “reread” button located just below the “
The play/stop key also functions as the pause key. If the pause mode is in effect for 30 minutes
when the unit is not directly connected to electricity, the unit will
automatically turn off to conserve battery power.
When you press the play/stop button (button #5) on the
Victor Reader Vibe, playback stops.
Press it again and playback continues from the point in the file when
you pressed the stop button. Note: When the user pauses and restarts in the
midst of an element, it takes the CD player a few seconds to find the current
place and resume playback.
To pause the playback of a file,
briefly press the red play/stop #5 button in the middle of the top of the
unit. At the bottom of the LCD display
the word “paused” will appear. To
continue playback, briefly press the #5 button again.
The B key is used to stop playback.
The number 5 key is used to both pause and restart playback. The device briefly announces “pause” and
“play” when these two functions are invoked.
Because the device is using TTS software for text files and contains no
moving parts, both the pause and restart are immediate, exactly where you left
off.
The rectangular play/stop key on the top of the device near
the front is used to pause playback.
Press and release the “play/pause” button to pause the
playback. The device beeps once.
This function is slightly different than the pause and restart
functionality of the previous section.
Pausing and restarting implies that the power to the unit is on
throughout the process of pausing and starting.
The “resume at point of last termination” function, on the other hand,
assume that the power to the unit has been discontinued between the conclusion
of the first listening session and the resumption of listening.
According to the manufacturer, when the Classic Plus is
powered off then restarted, the device will remember where you left off. When this reviewer tried to restart midstream
in the getting started CD, however, the playback began back at the beginning of
the file.
This reviewer was unable to get the Vibe to continue reading
where it had left off prior to being powered off.
The unit remembers the most recent position reached in a
book before power to the unit was terminated.
When playback resumes in that book, the unit will continue on from the
most recent position read. This
functionality is available for up to a maximum of 32 DAISY books.
The Soul Player can remember the point at which the CD was
last stopped. The memory remains intact
even if the unit is shut off and the CD removed. According to information from the
manufacturer, the device can remember where it left off the playback on up to
twelve discs.
The BookCourier continues playback in a file from the point
of last termination.
When part of a file has already been played or read,
When the device is turned off or a CD removed, the PTR1 remembers
the last place accessed on that CD. This
function appears to work regardless of the format of the files on the CD. For example, a commercial audio CD ejected in
the middle of the third track of an album will, when reinserted, resume playback
exactly where it left off. Although the
documentation is a little unclear, it appears that the PTR1 can remember where
it left off on up to 1,000 discs.
The Classic Plus contains a separate set of two keys to
increase and decrease the playback speed.
They are arranged and located similarly to the two-key sets that raise
and lower the volume and the tone.
The Victor Reader Vibe enables variable speed playback of
spoken content without change in pitch.
According to the user’s guide, speed ranges from approximately
two-thirds of normal speed to nearly three times the normal speed. The #3 button on the face
of the device toggles between volume and playback speed control. When the user presses the #3 button, both the
LCD display and a recorded voice announce whether volume or speed is currently
in force. The #1 button increases the
volume or playback speed, and the #2 button decreases the volume or playback
speed. For playback speed, the numeric value of zero
is considered normal playback speed. A
negative number indicates slower than normal playback, and a positive number
indicates faster than normal playback. At
the end of a listening session, the volume Note: This functionality is disabled when music is
being played. You cannot turn a waltz
into a foxtrot.
Two rubberized blue buttons in the upper right corner of the
top of the device are used to speed up or slow down the playback speed without
varying the pitch.
The A and C keys are used to slow down and speed up the
playback speed.
When listening to an MP3 file, it is not possible to change
the playback speed.
The middle toggle button on the front of the device controls
both the playback speed and the audio tone.
The playback speed has eleven stages, ranging from negative 2 (that is,
half speed), to positive 8 (that is, triple speed). Caution:
playback speed affects not only spoken audio, but also music
playback. Wittingly or unwittingly, you
may pick up or slow down the tempo of a tune.
This reviewer was unable to figure out any way to alter the
playback speed on the Soul Player.
The Classic Plus contains a separate set of two keys to
raise and lower the tone of the content being played. They are arranged and located similarly to
the two-key sets that raise and lower the volume and increase and decrease the
speed.
The pitch of the voice on the BookCourier device has 99
settings. The default pitch depends on
the voice type currently selected.
The middle toggle button on the front of the device controls
both the playback speed and the audio tone.
The tone can be adjusted in thirteen stages ranging from negative six to
positive six. Note: The tone adjustment appears to affect only
spoken work playback, not musical and singing playback.
This reviewer was unable to figure out a way to change the
pitch of the playback on the Soul Player.
The “go to” function enables the reader to jump to a
specific page. A separate key located in
the left-center area of the face of the device, initiates this function. Once the function is invoked, the end-user
inputs the desired page on the numeric keypad, followed by the # sign to
confirm the request to jump.
It also is possible to use the DAISY structure of a book to
move among the various elements and various levels. The 2 and 8 keys are used to move up and down
among the elements defined in the DAISY structure. The 4 and 6 keys are used to move backward
and forward among the elements currently selected. For example, if the 2 and 8 keys have been
used to select the chapter level, the 4 and 6 keys can be used to move backward
and forward from one chapter to the next.
The 3 key provides a “history” list of places recently
visited. The Victor Classic Plus
memorizes up to the last five places visited, regardless of the element
involved (e.g., chapter, section, paragraph). The history is erased when the book is
changed.
Key 5 is the “where am I” key. When pressed, it announces the page number and
current level within the book.
The “next element” (in the
If a DAISY book is structured to enable page-level
navigation, to go to a specific page, first press the “go to” button, which is
marked with a recessed asterisk. This
activates the numeric keypad. Enter the
numerals of the desired page, then press the small
“page” button in the left center area of the top of the device.
With the BookCourier device it is possible to navigate
through a text file by paragraph, sentence, or word. The 2 and 8 keys enable you to move upward
and downward among the various levels of navigation. Pressing the 4 and 6 keys enable you to move
backward and forward among instances of the current level of navigation (e.g.,
from paragraph to paragraph). To jump to
the first or last instance of the current level of navigation, press and hold
until the beep either the 4 or the 6 key.
If a text file also has defined pages, it is possible to use this set of
navigation commands to move from page to page.
According to the user guide, the jump functionality is not
implemented in the current crop of BookCourier devices.
The PTR1 offers a variety of “go to” options. The user can jump forward or backward by
phrase, headings (at multiple levels), group, page,
title, and title number. The “go to page” function jumps to any page, and the
“go to heading” function jumps to any heading.
When listening to an Audiobook format MP3-CD, the user can
press the “menu” button to toggle between various levels of navigation. Chapter level navigation is the default, but
page level navigation also is possible.
When the menu button is pushed, the LCD displays the chapter number and
chapter title or page number currently being played. To move to a previous or subsequent chapter
or page, simply press either the down or up buttons directly above the menu
button.
On the Classic Plus device a separate bookmark key, located
in the left-center area on the face of the device, just below the “go to” key,
initiates this function. According to
the user’s guide, a “virtually unlimited” number of bookmarks can be placed in
a book. To insert a bookmark, press the
bookmark key twice or until you hear “insert bookmark” announced. To hear the list of bookmarks, press the
bookmark key three times or until you hear “bookmark list” announced. To remove a bookmark, press the bookmark key
four times or until you hear “remove bookmark” announced. It is possible to remove all of the bookmarks
in a book with one sequence of keystrokes.
This specific functionality makes it easy for libraries and other
organizations that are loaning these devices to multiple users to “scrub” the
content clean and return it to its pristine condition prior to
recirculation.
The #8 key on the unit is the bookmark key.
To set a bookmark, begin by pressing the “set” key, which
contains a recessed # marking. Then
press the bookmark key. The unit will
assign the smallest available number between 1 and 32 to set a bookmark at the
current location within the file. To go
to an established bookmark, press the “go to” key, which activates the numeric
keypad. Then enter the number of the
desired bookmark, then press the “bookmark” key.
According to the user guide, the BookCourier device enables
the user to set an “almost unlimited” number of bookmarks in each file. The feature automatically creates a name for
the bookmark consisting of the first five words of the file following the place
where the bookmark was set. It is
possible to move forward and backward from bookmark to bookmark, or you can
access the entire list of bookmarks associated with a file, then select the desired
bookmark.
The user can set up to 10,000 bookmarks on any one disc or
30 minutes of voice bookmarks. If you happen to create 10,000 bookmarks on a
disc (good luck), the next bookmark you create will automatically delete the
oldest bookmark on the disc. The PTR1
offers four types of bookmarks: simple,
numbered, voice, and resume. Only one
simple bookmark can be added per title.
To enter a simple bookmark, press the diamond-shaped “check” key twice,
then press the #/enter key to confirm.
To add a numbered bookmark, press the “check” key twice, then enter on
the numeric keypad the numerals for the newly created bookmark, then press the
#/enter key to confirm. Note: Although “only” 10,000 bookmarks can be
created on any given disc, the assigned numbers of the bookmarks can range from
1 to 650,000. To add a voice bookmark,
press the “check” key three times. Then
press a numeral on the keypad to assign a number to the voice bookmark about to
be created, then press the #/return key. Then press and hold the red and round and
concave “record” key to input your voice bookmark. When finished release the “record” key.
The Soul Player offers a bookmark feature for regular audio
CDs, MP3, and WMA files. To bookmark a song
or file, press the “reread” button when the song or file is being played. To play back the bookmarked songs or files,
while the device is in playback mode, press the “menu” button until the display
reads “Playlist—Bookmark”, then press the “play/pause” button
Evidently it is not possible to add annotations to a book or
file.
Voice annotations can be created as separate files.
Up to 30 minutes of voice bookmarks and memos can be input. The default factory setting allocated 15
minutes each for voice bookmarks and notepads, but it is possible to reallocate
this memory to meet your particular needs.
On each “notepad” the user can record up to one minute. It
even is possible to record a voice notepad note, then
set a date and time for it to be played back automatically. You also can backup notepad notes to a CD or
PC card.
The Classic Plus does not contain a calendar feature.
The
The BookCourier has a date and time feature. Simultaneously press both
the shift (plus) key and the question mark key.
The PTR1 includes a calendar. If the user presses and holds the information
key, a voice announces the time, date, and the current charge of the
rechargeable battery.
The Classic Plus does not contain a calculator.
The PTR1 includes a calculator. Twelve digits is the limit for both input and
calculation.
Evidently, the Classic Plus contains no TTS
functionality.
The BookCourier contains a TTS function. According to the documentation, it is RC
Systems DoubleTalk.
The
To have the current word spelled, when the device is idle
press and hold the 5 key until one beep.
To have the unit spell a word, simultaneously press the
shift key and the 8 key. When you use
the word spell feature, the navigation level automatically shifts to word
level. Pressing the 4 and 6 keys enables
you to move backward or forward word-by-word until you find the word you want
to have spelled.
Evidently it is not possible to record audio on the Classic
Plus.
Evidently it is not possible to record audio on the Vibe.
With the BookCourier device it is possible to record voice
files in WAV format and save them on the compact flash memory card. Each voice file you create contains a
date/time stamp and is stored in the same folder as the current file being
accessed. To be able to create a voice
recording, the user must be either listening to a file or in the library of
files and folders.
The
The PTR1 has both playback and audio recording
capabilities. During the process of
recording audio it is possible to create heading and page navigation pointers
for later navigation through the recorded audio file. The PTR1 contains a built-in microphone.
The star (*) key is the cancel key.
To cancel any command, press any five buttons. A voice will announce the cancellation.
The unit contains a small, blue, rubberized button at the
top center of the front of the device (above the LCD display) for undoing and
redoing a command.
To cancel a command on the BookCourier device, press the 0
key.
The star (*) key functions as the cancel
key.
The Classic Plus contains a separate, distinctively shaped
key for ejecting a CD. For some reason,
the arrow part of the button points in toward the CD drive, rather than the
more logical away. This is an eject
button, after all. When the button is
pressed, the unit vocalizes the word “eject”.
If no disc is in the unit when the eject button is pressed, the unit
vocalizes the words “eject, no disc”.
When the unit is turned off, the eject button does not work.
To remove a CD from the Vibe, slide to open button to
unlatch the clam, then manually raise the top of the clam shell and manually
remove the CD.
To remove a CD from the Scholar, unhook the door clamp and
open the CD clam. The CD itself must be
manually removed from the unit.
The PTR1 contains a separate, distinctively designed
(rectangular and metallic) key for ejecting a CD. When the eject button is pressed, the unit
vocalizes the phrase “eject, please wait”.
When the ejection process is complete, the unit announces “no disc”. If no disc is in the unit when the eject
button is pressed, the unit vocalizes the words “no disc”. When the unit is turned off, the eject button
does not work.
To remove a disc from the Soul Player, slide the open button
at the front of the device to the right, then manually raise the top of the
clam shell and manually remove the device.
Note: finger guides to assist
with removing a disc are located at the “
Evidently, with the Classic Plus it is impossible to erase a
file from the inserted CD, either intentionally or accidentally.
To delete a file from the library of files and folders,
first navigate to the desired file, then
simultaneously press the shift (plus) key and the diamond key. The device will ask you to confirm your wish
to delete the file by re-executing the command.
Evidently, it is possible to delete a file only when in the library
(candlestick optional), not when a file is being played.
The
By simultaneously pressing the 2 and diamond keys, it is
possible to reset the device, which returns the system settings to their
default values. This command works even
if the device is locked.
The “clear all setting” function on the PTR1 deletes all
bookmarks and notepads, deletes the “on” timer, and defaults to the original
recording and volume settings
Evidently, under normal operating conditions the Classic
Plus reads content only from the CD currently inserted into the device.
To transfer content to the BookCourier you need to use the
transfer tool software that is loaded during the installation process onto your
PC. A USB cable connects the device with
the PC.
The Book Port Transfer software is loaded on the PC to
manage the transfer of content to and from the playback device. Version 1.3.0.0 was reviewed. Installing the software was quick and easy. When the
The PTR1 offers a variety of functional methods for copying
and deleting content between internal memory, CD, and PC card.
To turn off the unit, press and hold the gray power button
located in the right center of the face of the device. Two beeps indicate that the unit has been
turned off.
Turning off the unit is a one-step process. To turn off the Vibe, press and hold the #2
key.
To turn off the unit, press and hold the play/stop button,
the red button labeled #5 in the middle of the top of the unit.
Because it utilizes flash memory and no moving parts, the
To conserve battery power, the unit automatically turns
itself off after ten seconds of inactivity.
To manually turn off the BookCourier, simultaneously press then release
the shift (plus) key and the 5 key.
To turn off the PTR1, slide the sliding button on the left
side of the device toward the front (that is, toward you). Interspersed with various musical riffs is a
female voice announcing “shut down”.
To turn off the Soul Player, press and hold the “off/volume
down” key located just above the “
The Classic Plus offers a sleep
mode functionality. By pressing the 9
key, the user can delay the automatic turnoff of the device up to a maximum of
60 minutes. Each press of the 9 key
increased the delayed turnoff in increments of 15 minutes.
With the BookCourier the “sleep” timer can be set in
increments of five minutes up to one hour.
The device contains an internal clock and timer that enables
the device to automatically turn off after a predetermined time, in case the
user falls asleep while using the device.
The default is 30 minutes.
The PTR1 includes an on/off timer. By default, if the device is operating on
battery power and no key is pressed for 30 minutes, the device shuts itself
off. If the device is connected to a
wall outlet, it does not shut down automatically.
Evidently, the Soul Player turns itself off automatically
after a couple of minutes of inactivity.
This seems to happen regardless of the source of power—batteries or
direct current.
The Soul Player also has a sleep timer. By default it is set to “off” but it can be
set in increments of 10 minutes up to a maximum of 120 minutes.
To get help
information about a specific key, first press the question mark key, then press
the key about which you want information.
The voice briefly explains the three functions invoked by the
press-and-release, the press-and-hold-until-the-beep, and the shift-and-press
methods of invoking functions. To listen
to the user guide for the device, press and hold the question mark key.