November 2012 - Plextalk - lists.hodgsonfamily.org

Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket
by Aidan Maher 09 Nov '12

09 Nov '12

Yes, for recording its great, and milestone only have 1 gig memory anyway. And it is limmited in the way things work like bookmarks And as far as flack and those file formats goes, yes not all players support them but all the commin formats is supported and all or most of the text file formats will be supported buy this new one i'm sure. On 09/11/2012, Jamie Cuthbertson <jamie.cuthbertson(a)ntlworld.com> wrote: > Steve, > > Hmmmmmmmmmmm, me thinks that this sounds like a slightly blinkered view of > the audio capabilities of the Plextalk Pocket. In what way do you think it > is "brain dead" any more than the other players you mention?? > > Jamie > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Plextalk [mailto:plextalk-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf > Of Steve Nutt > Sent: 09 November 2012 17:11 > To: 'Plextalk User Discussion List' > Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket > > Hi, > > I wouldn't say a lot. It can play Ogg, Flac, M4A, it's pretty braindead > with audio files. > > Booksense and Milestone can play all those. > > All the best > > Steve > > -- > Computer Room Services > 77 Exeter Close > Stevenage > Hertfordshire > SG1 4PW > Tel: +44(0)1438-742286 > Mob: +44(0)7956-334938 > Fax: +44(0)1438-759589 > Email: steve(a)comproom.co.uk > Web: http://www.comproom.co.uk > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Plextalk [mailto:plextalk-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf > Of emma goodwin > Sent: 09 November 2012 17:10 > To: Plextalk User Discussion List > Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket > > It can play alot of those file types Rus but I agree, it all depends > on what you want to do with the device. I agree though that the more > file types, the better. > > On 11/9/12, Steve Nutt <steve(a)comproom.co.uk> wrote: >> Hi, >> >> Depends on what you want. >> >> If you want sound quality, and better support of Audible, then it beats > the >> Plex hands down. >> >> All the best >> >> Steve >> >> -- >> Computer Room Services >> 77 Exeter Close >> Stevenage >> Hertfordshire >> SG1 4PW >> Tel: +44(0)1438-742286 >> Mob: +44(0)7956-334938 >> Fax: +44(0)1438-759589 >> Email: steve(a)comproom.co.uk >> Web: http://www.comproom.co.uk >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Plextalk [mailto:plextalk-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On >> Behalf >> Of Russ Kiehne >> Sent: 09 November 2012 16:41 >> To: Plextalk User Discussion List >> Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket >> >> After listening to a podcast on the Milestone, I feel it is over priced. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Steve Nutt >> Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 8:01 AM >> To: 'Plextalk User Discussion List' >> Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket >> >> Hi, >> >> Most of this is already available in the Milestone 312, so I'm not that >> impressed yet. >> >> We'll see. >> >> All the best >> >> Steve >> >> -- >> Computer Room Services >> 77 Exeter Close >> Stevenage >> Hertfordshire >> SG1 4PW >> Tel: +44(0)1438-742286 >> Mob: +44(0)7956-334938 >> Fax: +44(0)1438-759589 >> Email: steve(a)comproom.co.uk >> Web: http://www.comproom.co.uk >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Plextalk [mailto:plextalk-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On >> Behalf >> Of Aidan Maher >> Sent: 09 November 2012 16:00 >> To: Plextalk User Discussion List >> Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket >> >> Wel, as far as audible goes that will be a problem if audible no >> longer wish to support our players. I don't no the price, they said >> now its only in Europe at this stage I think, but soon enough we >> should no. And the daisy online service is great but I guess that many >> people con't really take advantage of it just as much as othres could >> do that. The real bennifit now I think is the acapela, the calendar >> and alarm, and the epub and pdf support. How long is it now that we >> want pdf support. That is ausom. I also hope they will provide an >> upgrade path or something of that nature. >> >> On 09/11/2012, emma goodwin <emma.sleeptalk(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> I agree there. They inspired APH to really do nice things with the >>> bookport and some of their other devices but I agree in some ways >>> Plextalk can also improve. Nice comment though. >>> >>> On 11/9/12, Steve Nutt <steve(a)comproom.co.uk> wrote: >>>> Hi, >>>> >>>> For my part, I hope it does Audible enhanced audio. None of the >>>> Plextalks >>>> do >>>> that so far, and it's time they did. >>>> >>>> They are so ahead on some things, and so behind on others. >>>> >>>> All the best >>>> >>>> Steve >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Computer Room Services >>>> 77 Exeter Close >>>> Stevenage >>>> Hertfordshire >>>> SG1 4PW >>>> Tel: +44(0)1438-742286 >>>> Mob: +44(0)7956-334938 >>>> Fax: +44(0)1438-759589 >>>> Email: steve(a)comproom.co.uk >>>> Web: http://www.comproom.co.uk >>>> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Plextalk [mailto:plextalk-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On >>>> Behalf >>>> Of emma goodwin >>>> Sent: 09 November 2012 15:36 >>>> To: Plextalk User Discussion List >>>> Subject: Re: [Plextalk] plextalk linio pocket >>>> >>>> I like the sound of it It sounds similar to the DT in some ways but it >>>> sounds like a real nice machine. I hope all plextalk users can have >>>> the ability to upgrade from their pocket to this new lineo pocket. >>>> Thanks Aidan, nice article. Plextalk is a great company. >>>> >>>> On 11/9/12, Aidan Maher <aidan.smarttalk(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> This is what plextalk announced today: >>>>> >>>>>> For Immediate Release >>>>>> >>>>>> Shinano Kenshi Introduces PLEXTALK Linio Pocket >>>>>> >>>>>> The world's first portable DAISY online player and recorder >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Brussels - 9 November 2012, Shinano Kenshi Europe today introduced >>>>>> the >>>>>> PLEXTALK Linio Pocket, the world's first portable DAISY online player >>>>>> and recorder, designed for the visually impaired and dyslexic to >>>>>> stream or download talking newspapers, magazines and books online. >>>>>> "PLEXTALK Linio Pocket is the smartest talking book player that we've >>>>>> ever developed in our long experience as a patent company and >>>>>> contributor to the global DAISY standard." said Marc Van der Aa, the >>>>>> sales manager of the assistive technology sales division. "We've >>>>>> designed a device with various advanced capabilities, thin and light >>>>>> weight with 8GB internal memory. You can immediately access any >>>>>> materials of your interest online wherever you have an Internet >>>>>> connection to a DAISY online service. It's not necessary any more to >>>>>> wait for a CD to be delivered or need a computer. We believe it will >>>>>> significantly help customers to reinvent their independent and >>>>>> brilliant >>>>>> life." >>>>>> >>>>>> The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket is one of the most robust DAISY players and >>>>>> recorders in the world, with its resin case it absorbs shocks and has >>>>>> passed a drop test from 150cm onto a steel floor, and a newly >>>>>> designed >>>>>> beautiful midnight blue color. The key layout is designed to cover >>>>>> all >>>>>> capabilities only using a finger or your thumb, with separated cross >>>>>> keys and numeric keys for intuitive navigation on the drip-proof >>>>>> keypad, which protects against liquids spills. >>>>>> >>>>>> The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket introduces enhanced audio features >>>>>> including >>>>>> the high-quality Acapela text to speech engine for highly natural >>>>>> narration with the choice of two voices, and PLEXVoice technology >>>>>> guarantees optimal sound quality in lower and higher speed playback, >>>>>> the built-in speaker is optimized to offer clear sound especially for >>>>>> the human voice, and the built-in microphone provides auto gain >>>>>> control system for recording in DAISY format. Users can also take >>>>>> advantage of the advanced full editing functionalities of the >>>>>> PLEXTALK >>>>>> Recording software, free of charge for buyers of the PLEXTALK Linio >>>>>> Pocket. >>>>>> >>>>>> The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket offers immediate access to DAISY online >>>>>> services in countries such as Finland, The Netherlands, Denmark, >>>>>> Belgium and Japan and more countries in the near future. The PLEXTALK >>>>>> Linio Pocket has access to web radio stations and podcasts through >>>>>> the >>>>>> built-in high speed wireless Internet connection, and detects >>>>>> automatically wireless network access points and security mode. A >>>>>> variety of content is supported such as EPUB and PDF*. Flexible data >>>>>> management by using intuitive commands to drag and drop any content >>>>>> from your personal computers to the PLEXTALK Linio Pocket by using >>>>>> Windows Explorer, or use the intuitively operational PLEXTALK >>>>>> transfer >>>>>> software. The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket also features advanced time >>>> management >>>>>> capabilities such as calendar and alarm functions*. >>>>>> *Available soon with a free firmware upgrade. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Availability >>>>>> >>>>>> PLEXTALK Linio Pocket will roll out in December in the following >>>>>> languages Dutch, English, German and Russian. The other languages >>>>>> will >>>>>> follow suit by free firmware upgrade. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> Plextalk mailing list >>>>> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>>>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> SleepTalk in action >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Plextalk mailing list >>>> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Plextalk mailing list >>>> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> SleepTalk in action >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Plextalk mailing list >>> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >>> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Plextalk mailing list >> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Plextalk mailing list >> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Plextalk mailing list >> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Plextalk mailing list >> Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org >> http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >> > > > -- > SleepTalk in action > > _______________________________________________ > Plextalk mailing list > Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk > > > > _______________________________________________ > Plextalk mailing list > Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature > database 7677 (20121109) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Plextalk mailing list > Plextalk(a)lists.hodgsonfamily.org > http://lists.hodgsonfamily.org/listinfo/plextalk >

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plextalk linio pocket
by Aidan Maher 09 Nov '12

09 Nov '12

This is what plextalk announced today: > For Immediate Release > > Shinano Kenshi Introduces PLEXTALK Linio Pocket > > The world's first portable DAISY online player and recorder > > > Brussels - 9 November 2012, Shinano Kenshi Europe today introduced the > PLEXTALK Linio Pocket, the world's first portable DAISY online player > and recorder, designed for the visually impaired and dyslexic to > stream or download talking newspapers, magazines and books online. > "PLEXTALK Linio Pocket is the smartest talking book player that we've > ever developed in our long experience as a patent company and > contributor to the global DAISY standard." said Marc Van der Aa, the > sales manager of the assistive technology sales division. "We've > designed a device with various advanced capabilities, thin and light > weight with 8GB internal memory. You can immediately access any > materials of your interest online wherever you have an Internet > connection to a DAISY online service. It's not necessary any more to > wait for a CD to be delivered or need a computer. We believe it will > significantly help customers to reinvent their independent and brilliant life." > > The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket is one of the most robust DAISY players and > recorders in the world, with its resin case it absorbs shocks and has > passed a drop test from 150cm onto a steel floor, and a newly designed > beautiful midnight blue color. The key layout is designed to cover all > capabilities only using a finger or your thumb, with separated cross > keys and numeric keys for intuitive navigation on the drip-proof > keypad, which protects against liquids spills. > > The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket introduces enhanced audio features including > the high-quality Acapela text to speech engine for highly natural > narration with the choice of two voices, and PLEXVoice technology > guarantees optimal sound quality in lower and higher speed playback, > the built-in speaker is optimized to offer clear sound especially for > the human voice, and the built-in microphone provides auto gain > control system for recording in DAISY format. Users can also take > advantage of the advanced full editing functionalities of the PLEXTALK > Recording software, free of charge for buyers of the PLEXTALK Linio Pocket. > > The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket offers immediate access to DAISY online > services in countries such as Finland, The Netherlands, Denmark, > Belgium and Japan and more countries in the near future. The PLEXTALK > Linio Pocket has access to web radio stations and podcasts through the > built-in high speed wireless Internet connection, and detects > automatically wireless network access points and security mode. A > variety of content is supported such as EPUB and PDF*. Flexible data > management by using intuitive commands to drag and drop any content > from your personal computers to the PLEXTALK Linio Pocket by using > Windows Explorer, or use the intuitively operational PLEXTALK transfer > software. The PLEXTALK Linio Pocket also features advanced time management capabilities such as calendar and alarm functions*. > *Available soon with a free firmware upgrade. > > > Availability > > PLEXTALK Linio Pocket will roll out in December in the following > languages Dutch, English, German and Russian. The other languages will > follow suit by free firmware upgrade. > >

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Product Evaluation: The PLEXTALK PTN2 DAISY and Audio Book Player from Shinano Kenshi
by Russ Kiehne 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

Did anyone happen to see this from AccessWorld? Product Evaluation: The PLEXTALK PTN2 DAISY and Audio Book Player from Shinano Kenshi Deborah Kendrick Upon reading a product evaluation I wrote of a stand-alone tabletop DAISY and audio book player , a representative of Shinano Kenshi wrote asking for an evaluation of the PLEXTALK PTN2. First Look The PLEXTALK PTN2 is roughly 9 inches by 7 inches and about one inch high, giving it a footprint very much like the digital talking book player distributed by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). The PLEXTALK PTN2 has 27 buttons (or keys) on the top face of the unit, an external speaker grille in the upper right corner, roughly 2 by 3 inches, and a connector for an AC adapter on the back. On the left edge are slots for a secure digital (SD) card and a USB port in addition to a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the front edge is a slot for standard CDs; the battery compartment is on the bottom, along with rubber feet for stability. There is no carrying handle; the unit can run on either AC current or battery power. In the box with the unit is an AC adapter, user's guide on DAISY CD, and a snap-on cover with holes exposing only the basic, essential keys. (More about that below.) Initial Test Drive After taking the unit out of the box, it's fairly easy to test it immediately. As is always wise when using any product for the first time, plug it in and press the "Power" button. Anyone familiar with other PLEXTALK products will recognize the charming chimes indicating that the unit is working on the issued command. It immediately chimes once, announces "Please wait" in a clear female voice, and then repeats the PLEXTALK chiming waiting sound for about ten seconds before announcing whatever media is detected onboard. The inclusion of the user's guide on DAISY CD offers a perfect opportunity for acquainting oneself with the product. The sound quality of the PLEXTALK PTN2 is outstanding. Even this writer with a hearing impairment can hear it loud and clear from across the room. The synthetic voices for text-to-speech are the familiar Samantha and Tom and are sufficiently distinct. When playing music or an audio book, the sound quality is excellent. Those 27 Keys At the bottom of the unit is the familiar "Play/Pause" key in the middle with arrow-shaped "Rewind" and "Fast Forward" keys to either side. Directly above this trio is the 12-key telephone-style keypad used frequently for navigation, menu selections, and other functions. In a column to the left of these buttons are four distinctly-shaped keys: the "Menu," "Bookshelf," "Go To" (heading, page, etc.), and "Bookmark" keys. Directly above the telephone-style keypad are three control columns: "Tone," "Volume," and "Speed." Although the user's guide counts these as three buttons, I count them as six since each has an up and down control with a distinct split between them. On the right-hand side of the machine is an "Information" key, a "Sleep" key, the "Power" button, an "Eject" for CDs, and a close pair of title keys ("Previous" and "Next"), which are used when navigating from one media type to another or one folder to another within a given media source. Again, these appear to be two buttons although the user's guide refers to them as one. When first powered on, the PTN2 remembers the last content played and announces that content's source. If that is the material you wish to hear, you can simply press "Play." The "2" and "8" keys will give you information regarding the mark-up available (levels 1, 2, and 3, for instance), and the "4" and "6" keys are used to move backward and forward accordingly. The "Go To" key, depending on the type of content played, allows you to move by heading, page, or percentage within a given file. The "Bookshelf" key is used to rotate among CD, SD card, and USB thumb drive, all of which can be onboard at any given time. Navigating among the various media sources can also be done using the "Title" key on the right. The "Bookmark" key can be used to set up to 10,000 bookmarks. There is, however, no voice or highlight bookmark feature available but, instead, only numbered bookmarks, the numbers for which can either be user defined by entering a number from the keypad or automatically set by the PTN2. Once bookmarks have been set, however, you can access a bookmark list, navigating through your bookmarks with the "4" and "6" keys or by entering the number of a specifically desired bookmark to move directly to it. The Mask The PTN2 comes with a snap-on cover called a mask that is molded to fit securely over the face of the unit with pieces that grip the sides. When the mask is in place, only a few of the unit's keys are available to the user. These include the three keys at the bottom ("Rewind," "Play/Pause," and "Fast Forward"), the five keys at the right ("Power," "Sleep," "Eject," "Information," and "Title"), and the "Tone" and "Volume" controls at the top. One question that immediately arose is why "Tone" and "Volume," but not "Speed," controls have been selected as the most essential to have available to a user with more limited technical ability. That small caveat aside, this may be a useful feature in some situations, such as for teaching or when the unit is used by children or those with limited tactile sensitivity. What Can It Play? The PTN2 can play a wonderful array of file types and formats: DAISY, .TXT, .DOC, HTML, and a variety of audio formats, including WAV, MP3, and OGG. If a file contains both DAISY text and audio, the PTN2 will only recognize one or the other. I loaded the unit with content of every type (a CD, an SD card, and a USB thumb drive all at once) and found the results both impressive and puzzling. While the unit was able to navigate among all three sources, representing a wide array of format types, some content was inaccessible. On the USB drive, for example, there was a folder of audio files and a folder of text files played perfectly. A third folder, however, containing both audio and text files of the same content, revealed only the text. If I hadn't known the audio files were there, I would not have been able to discover them. You can work around this problem by removing the text files from the folder or by placing the audio files in a separate folder, but the initial roadblock is bewildering. Other PLEXTALK products share this particular quirk of requiring all content to be placed in its own folder, and in this instance, even if the content is the same but is represented in more than one format, each must have a folder of its own. Quirks aside, it warrants mentioning that included in the smorgasbord of content loaded for the above experiment were books drawn from three of the most popular sources for readers who are blind or visually impaired (Bookshare, NLS BARD, and Audible.com) and the PLEXTALK PTN2 played all of them beautifully. A Few Special Features The PLEXTALK PTN2 does a few things that competing products do not, and it does them very well. First, as mentioned above, the PLEXTALK plays audiobooks and other materials downloadable from Audible.com . Secondly, although it has no other recording capabilities, the PLEXTALK can backup an audio CD, including commercially available CDs, to an SD card. The process is a simple one but does take some time. To back up a CD with approximately 50 minutes of recording, for example, the process took about 25 minutes. The procedure is completely simple (press the "9" key to begin and "8" to confirm), and the PLEXTALK chiming sounds continue throughout the process to let you know something is actually happening. When finished, the unit announces that the backup is complete. When CDs are copied in this manner, they are placed on the SD card in a folder entitled "PLEXTALK Backup," which is created by the unit itself. On a more random note, the PTN2 does have time and date announcement features, a sleep timer, and an automatic shut-off after 15 minutes when operating on battery. While none of these are likely to be deal breakers for many customers, they are convenient features that warrant mentioning. Conclusions The PTN2 is a compact unit with fabulous sound quality that will meet most listening needs of customers who are blind or low vision. It plays content from CD, SD, and USB sources and can play a wide variety of formats from the most popularly used content sources. In addition to music and audio books, it offers clear text-to-speech capabilities and is, thus, able to play plain text, Word, and HTML documents. It does not have wireless or recording functionality other than the ability to back up a CD to an SD card. Product Information Product: PLEXTALK PTN2 Price: $375 Available from: available from a variety of dealers, including IRTI, Active Forever, Maxi-Aids, and others.

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