Actually the nano is the only 4g iPod, and it's at 4g right now. The
classic is currently a 7g, the new 120gb model, and the iPod touch and
iPhone are at their 2nd generation (though the iPhone 2nd gen is
labeled iPhone 3g). So will there even be an 8th generation classic? I
think it's a 50/50 chance it could go either way, but with flash
droping in price and getting up there in capacity I could see them
switching entirely to flash fairly soon and probably consolidating the
nano and classics into one lineup with different sizes.
On Oct 13, 2008, at 06:44, David Poehlman wrote:
all the 4gs will be flash.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jacob Schmude" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS
X by
theblind" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 9:40 AM
Subject: Re: Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
If they do they'll have to compensate for the issues of hard drive
spin-up time unless they want it to be very unresponsive and drain the
battery quickly. I can think of a couple ways to do that, the main one
being to extend the hard drive's spindown time by about 5 seconds. For
anyone who has an iPod classic or other hd-based iPods like I do, you
probably know that the hard drive spins up for only about two seconds
at a time, just long enough to load a bit of the item you've picked.
As a result if you delayed too much between actions, speech would be
very unresponsive and the hard drive would spin down then up again
rapidly which, in addition to draining the battery, causes the hard
drive's life to be shortened. The iPod's 1.8-inch drives aren't the
best in the first place, so avoiding wear is a very good thing.
Extending the spindown time for a bit longer would mostly, though not
entirely, avoid these pitfalls. I have no idea what rockbox does in
regards to the hard drive and speech files, if it takes any
considerations at all. I don't have an iPod that it can run on and
likely won't ever have one unless I buy a used 5th generation.
The other methods of avoiding this would be to either integrate a
dedicated tts into the iPod, which it does not have enough power or
memory to do, or to load all the speech files into memory when it is
first booted, which again there's not enough memory for that.
Thinking about this has got me thinking about something else though:
why can't previous generation iPods talk? They're not much different,
in regards to internals, than the current ones and I'd think that a
firmware update would allow this functionality. Apple could improve
their pr image yet again by offering this functionality to iPods that
aren't the absolute latest. I personally would love a talking iPod
classic that worked like the Nanos do now, and there's no technical
reason why the iPod I have couldn't be made to speak just as easily as
a newer generation classic may eventually do. I do have my doubts that
the classic will ever speak though, and I'm not even sure if Apple
will keep it around in another generation or two given the trends in
flash memory. Who knows.
On Oct 13, 2008, at 05:03, David Poehlman wrote:
it won't be long before bigger IPods will come up to g4 and talk.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Grady" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "General discussions on all topics relating to the use of Mac OS
X by
theblind" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 12:24 AM
Subject: Re: Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
Well, it is a British product I believe. It has a voice that most
Windows users would be used to. Sounds like Viavoice. I don't think
you can play protected content with Rockbox, and most of the content
on my ipod is protected and is much more than be held on a 8GB or
16GB
ipod. If I had a choice of making my old ipod which holds everything
I want talk or buying a much smaller in storage size ipod that could
talk I think I'd opt for the device. There's also the fact that you
can access other Ipods, which is important to me.
On Oct 12, 2008, at 9:26 PM, Scott Chesworth wrote:
hmm, they took way too long to make this really. If it was cheaper,
smaller, the voice was better, so practically if it was a different
product lol, I'd grab one if I had an older generation iPod and
wasn't
fond of rockbox, but I can't really see who else would go for it.
On 10/13/08, Darcy Burnard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I actually feel kind of bad for whoever makes this thing. I can't
imagine many people will buy one. For the same price, you can get
an
8 gig nano.
Darcy
On 12-Oct-08, at 7:30 PM, Dave Wright wrote:
Accessible Devices I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
This is all the information we have on this
device. Some of you may find this interesting.
NEW!I-Tell Talking iPod Controller
"You Can Make Your iPod Talk!"
Item#: 308355
Your Price: $149.95
. Simply plugs into your iPod
. Allows your I-Pod to announce stored
Artists, Album Titles, Song Titles and Audio
Books
. 5 main buttons plus 2 for volume
. No batteries; powered by the iPod
. Includes removable belt clip
This unique product is ideal for the blind and
those with low vision. It enables
your existing iPod to announce your stored
artists, album titles, song titles and
audio books. The I-Tell simply plugs into your
iPod and your earphones plug into
the I-Tell; you then control your iPod through the controls on the
I-
Tell.
You can also connect other devices such as a
radio transmitter or charger to your
iPod while using the I-Tell. It features 5 main
control buttons which work in a similar
way to an iPod, with 2 additional buttons to
control the volume. The unit has an
additional setup menu, which enables you to
choose the voice style, voice speed and
the gaps between words. And it's economical to
operate: since it is powered by the
iPod, the I-Tell requires no batteries.
Compatible with most iPods which have a docking
connector. Compatible with all generations
of the Nano as well the the classic and the
Video. Not compatible with the iPod shuffle,
the iTouch or either generation of the iPhone.
Note: Do not plug your iPod into a
computer while the I-Tell is connected to it.
Includes built-in metal clip to attach to your
belt, clothing, purse or briefcase.
Measures 4.5" Long x 1.5" Wide x 0.5" Thick.
http://www.maxiaids.com/store/prodView.asp?
idstore=0&idproduct=7655&idCategory=&category=&product=I-
Tell_Talking_iPod_Controller
Best Regards:
David Wright
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mobile: 832-518-0707
http://www.knfbreader.com
