[Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

[Robert Beach]

<J>
This pattern also applies to the BookSense. When The BookSense shipped, the firmware was unpolished, but has already shown great improvement.

<R>
I was quite disappointed in the Book Sense when I took it out of the box, at least compared to the Stream.  There are still some issues that haven't been fixed regarding playing Bookshare books.  I never had that kind of trouble with the Stream.

<J>
(I still think the PlexTalk PTP1 is slow compared to these other players.)

<R>
I agree.  It seems very sluggish to me.

<J>
Additionally, both the PlexTalk PTP1 and the APH BookPort Plus use the Nuance Text-to-Speech engine, which next to the NeoSpeech of the BookSense is quite poor.

<R>
Again, I agree.  The Stream also uses this TTS.

Having said all that, I use both the Book Sense and the Stream a lot.  They are both good players.  Of course, I'm comparing that to the Wave and original Book Port. <grin>

Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS  66112
Phone: 913-288-7671
Fax: 913-288-7678
E-Mail: rbeach at kckcc.edu

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Pielaet, Jon
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 3:07 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

For the most part I agree with Pratik. However, I'm seeing a pattern emerge. People who use demo units of these DAISY players are left with a bad taste in their mouth but users of the players have better experiences over time. Part of this the firmware development, and part of it is just the different use cases. The PlexTalk PTP1 was a horrid demo unit. It was slow, unresponsive, and lacked features but has begun to improve with ongoing firmware updates. This pattern also applies to the BookSense. When The BookSense shipped, the firmware was unpolished, but has already shown great improvement.

(I still think the PlexTalk PTP1 is slow compared to these other players.)

Additionally, both the PlexTalk PTP1 and the APH BookPort Plus use the Nuance Text-to-Speech engine, which next to the NeoSpeech of the BookSense is quite poor. I share the concern that HumanWare has poor tech. support but they have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to updating the firmware on the Stream.

It is a tough call. All of these players have advantages and disadvantages. It just comes down to a matter of personal preference.


PlexTalk has just announced the new PTN2 , it looks like a tough as nails follow up to the PTN1. We'll just have to wait and see how well it's accepted.


Jon P. Pielaet
Program Assistant for Instructional Materials
Disability Services for Students
Emma B. Lommasson 154
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

www.umt.edu/dss/<http://www.umt.edu/dss/>

406-243-2243 Voice/Text
406-243-4461 Direct Line
406-243-5330 Fax

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Pratik Patel
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 12:48 AM
To: 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'
Subject: Re: [Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

Hello,

I agree with ron in that the functionality of the Plextalk player is significantly better than that provided by the Stream. Keep in mind that the Victor Stream's hardware was designed more than three years ago and is not as powerful as the Plextalk.  I also agree that the Booksense is more complex than it needs to be in its interface.  Some have certainly reported hardware issues with the Booksense though I did not personally experienced these issues while I had it for testing.  The Plextalk and the Booksense have a better industrial design.  The 4th option you have available is the Bookport plus from the American Printinghouse for the Blind.  This player started shipping in early march.  It uses identical hardware as the Plextalk with APH's flavor of the firmware.  Personally if I had to choose from among all these players, I would go with APH's Bookport Plus.  I owned the first iteration of the Bookport three or four years ago.  It was very well designed.  The software was quite intuitive.  From the demos I've heard, the new player caries that tradition with new hardware.  Plus, APH has a history of updating the firmware quite frequently to meet the users' demand.  I've also noticed that GW Micro has updated the Firmware several times since the release last summer.  At this stage, the Victor Stream would be my last choice as humanware is known to have significant support issues.

Regards,

Pratik


From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Ron Stewart
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 11:11 PM
To: 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'
Subject: Re: [Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

I have been playing with the PlexTalk PTN1 and I actually like its feature set over the Stream.  Both are very durable and have a small wrist strap loop that could be used to tether them down as well though I would worry about the strength of the security.  For most users the Booksense is overkill as a DAISY reader and not something that I see checking out on a regular basis since it is really a mini-PC and overkill for the average campus use.  Odds on favorite for CD based players is the Victor Classic X+ for durability and the ability to leash it.  As many have heard Gaeir and I say, " it passed the drop test, and even the throw across the room test".

I must stay though in my visit to the RFBD and Humanware websites that finding these players was almost impossible.  Not a good sign for long term continuation of the product.  I am used to the lack of user functionality on the HumanWare site but to find the "new" RFB&D site totally almost totally unusable for access to the good pragmatic solutions that I have looked for in the past really was a bummer on a very long day.

Ron

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Kestrell
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:05 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network
Subject: Re: [Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

I have a Booksense, and I love it, but even though I only received it at Christmas and didn't start using it until after New Year's, I have already had to have it replaced. It has a known issue with the jack where you plug in the power charger. I have had a similar issue with my laptop--after a while the contact becomes loose. It was easily exchanged because it is a known issue, but still, this could be a major hassle for you.

Also, the Booksense is pretty complex--I think one of the other Daisy players might be much more straightforward to learn.

Kes
----- Original Message -----
From: Hausler,Jesse<mailto:jhausler at cahs.colostate.edu>
To: 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'<mailto:athen at athenpro.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 11:34 AM
Subject: [Athen] Daisy Player that can take a beating

Hello,

I am looking to purchase a Daisy hardware player that could survive as a loaner in a library setting.  We have a Victor Classic plus and a few Telex Scholars and they are finally nearing the end of their days.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a "work horse" daisy player? Or would the Classic plus still be the one to buy?  We use the Victor Wave and Stream for direct student loaning, but are looking for something a bit more sturdy for this purpose.

Thanks,
Jesse Hausler
Assistive Technology Resource Center
Colorado State University
970-491-0625
http://atrc.colostate.edu
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