Re: Currently available portable talking book players.
I primarily want more cool features related to files and playback. For example, I'd like to transfer files over Wi-Fi on the Stream, browse network attached drives, and play audio on Chromecast or AirPlay devices. Sadly, the Plextalk/BookPort Plus isn't receiving software updates anymore, and it looks like the Victor Reader Stream is reaching the end of its software support life as well. It's a shame, they said they could do all these cool Wi-Fi things, but they've only done a few things. I was expecting so much more...
The Stream works pretty well. I've had mine for over 5 years, and it's still rocking! It plays NLS as well as enhanced quality Audible titles which is awesome! The keypad still works, although a couple of the buttons are a little worn out due to my extreme usage of the device. The Wi-Fi works pretty well, although it can be a little slow when downloading podcasts or NLS books. All the other playback features work extremely well.
I also have a BookPort Plus, and it's decent as well. The Wi-Fi is horrendously slow, probably because it's using 802.11 G and most likely has a slower processor than the Stream. It's not nearly as intuitive to add podcasts or web radio stations, as these must be manually added to the SD card from a computer. APH also released an update that was supposed to add download capabilities for NLS, Bookshare, Open Library, and the APH magazine service. It was a paid upgrade that was around $30. Unfortunately, it did not work well at all! The unit would freeze up and I received many download errors when downloading from Open Library. I believe most of the functionality has broken, because the only service I could download from successfully was Bookshare last I checked.
What pisses me off is the fact APH refused to do anything to fix these problems, even after I reported them. Because of this, and the fact this isn't the first technology product they've abandoned, I refuse to purchase any other APH products, let alone any of their technology ones. Remember what they did to the Braille Plus 18? I understand the hardware was old and underpowered, but they couldn't fix issues in an update that was hopefully? tested for about 3 years? Seriously?
I'm done purchasing these blindness devices. They always lag behind mainstream tech, and these companies never develop them to their full potential. If you want something with buttons, try a GPD Win. I love mine! It's a Windows 10 laptop that's about the size of a Nintendo DS. You can do all sorts of things with it except play NLS books. Honestly, NLS should release a Windows 10 BARD app on the Microsoft Store and be done with it.
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