But David. Why can’t you use Siri to simplify at least some of it? I did say that there will be those who just go for the convenience, and I can understand that totally. You’re quite right that sometimes, it can take forever to accomplish the most simple of tasks using touch technology with accessibility. Frankly though, I find these days that the iPhone is not the best device for me. In fact, I’ve no longer even got one! I’ve held on to my 5S for about 4 years now because I just couldn’t justify the cost of upgrading it. Now, I’m using Android for my mobile technologies and, quite honestly, I do not miss iOS much at all.
But, back to the point in question here. There is no doubt that the Trek will bring some people a lot of satisfaction, and they will think it’s money worth spending. But the £545.00 price tag is just a little too high as far as I’m concerned. When I bought my Victor Reader Stream, (which I still have), I did so purely for the convenience of talking books, or, should I say, DAISY content. However, I realised afterwards that, A, there are better devices capable of rendering that kind of thing, such as the Blaze ET, which does much more than just play books. But that’s another story. Now, the whole situation has changed somewhat, at least to my own way of thinking. For that £545.00 I could buy myself a good quality Android tablet, not a large one, but just the right size to pop into my pocket. Then, I can use apps such as ComPilot GPS or Google Maps, to name but two. And there’s still change in my pocket from the £545.00 that I saved up to buy the Trek, but changed my mind, hypothetically speaking, of course. Now, it is very true that different people will see this from different angles, and that is absolutely as it should be. I am certainly not going to shoot down in flames anybody who says that they believe the Trek represents value for money. I absolutely understand that there will be some who just want the convenience and simplicity to get the job done quickly. In fact, I can definitely understand that perspective. After all, when one is out and about, one doesn’t want to have to keep pulling one’s phone out of one’s pocket and exposing it to the rogues of this world, of whom there are too many by half!People just looking for a soft target to finance their next social medication purchase, for want of a better term. I absolutely also concede that the average blind person probably wouldn’t feel all that comfortable about walking down the street with a Bluetooth® headset stuck on their head. Down right reckless, in my view. So again, yes, there’s probably a market for the Trek amongst those who fit into that category. Again, that’s absolutely as it should be. Now, let’s consider the device from the perspective of a person who needs the GPS and doesn’t own a mobile phone. After all, not everybody does. Again, there are cheaper solutions which might do the same job. I don’t dispute for a moment, looking at the docs, that the HumanWare product has been quite well thought through. And I do not dispute that the maps are updated regularly so as to take account of ongoing changes which might occur within the user’s locality. So what I’m saying here is that, if there is a market, only time will tell. But I’m sitting on the fence here a little bit, just wondering what I’m gonna do with my old Victor Reader Stream. Not a bad device, although it’s been superseded for me for a very long time, ever since I acquired the Blaze ET in fact. ======================================== My compliments and kindest regards Gordon Smith: <gor...@mac-access.net> Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.. This Message Was Created Using 100% Recycled Electrons. If you can avoid printing it, please do so. Think of the environment, save a tree! Contact: • UK Free Phone: 0800 8620538 • UK Geographic / Global: +44(0) 1642 688095 • UK Mobile/SMS: +44 (0)7804 983849 • Vic. Australia: +61 38 82059300 • US/Canada: +1 646 9151493 ---------------------------------------- On 8 Nov 2017, at 19:19, david griffith <d.griff...@btinternet.com> wrote: Personally I am in the polar opposite camp. Although I used Audible and Kindle and Voicedream Reader as well as Radio apps on my phone I would never ever regard it as a better option than my Stream. As another blind person said to me the other day – he can lay half asleep in bed whilst reading books with his stream and just press a couple of buttons and he is where he wants to be. I can use all the iPhone apps but I normally have to be swiping around to open various apps, given Siri’s continued inability to recognise what I am saying, and then once in the apps I am confronted by various swiping strategies before I can be listening to what I want to listen to. To pause a book even I normally have to get my phone out, press the home button and double tap. If I want to navigate forward or backwards this nmormally involves returning to the actual app which I may have to enter through app switching and then swipe around to ffind the relevant button. With the Stream I don’t even have to take it out of my pocket. In theory you can get a headset with rmote to use with an iPhone for instant pausing but I have never found a headset with remote loud enough. Or I could use an O6 device or Bluetooth portable keyboard but I think why bother when I already have a stream. Apparently the Stream is the most popular device humanware have ever sold, with over 100,000 units sold. Small for the mass market but significant for our sector I think. I definitely don’t ever use my iPhone as GPS except in emergencies as I don’t want to be flashing my phone around in public. Persoanlly the GPS apps I have used, whilst useful have never provided the same level of feedback that my Trekker has. Forl example I find the where am I function in Blind Square very unresponsive no matter how vigorously I am shaking my phone. I have also never come across an app which has the ease of POI entryh and level of intersection information that the Trekker offers. Where the phones currently win hands down I admit is in the speed of GPS acquisition and accuracy. Humanware claim that with the new Galileo GPS support already built into the Stream chip set hardware the new Trek will have precision GPS when this comes online in the next year or two. We will have to see. GPS acquisition is also allegedly improved. Finally My deafness means that after shock earphones are not an option for me. Using my phone therefore needs, to get the same functionality as my Trekker, a small rivo Bluetooth type keyboard A Bluetooth speaker. These devices need pairing and I need to ensure that they are charged up before going out. The battery would then run dry incredibly quickly on my phone. In the end I don’t bother. I stick my phone in my pocket and take out my Trekker. Job done. Just my opinion of course. David Griffith , and once in the apps . o My Blind Access and Guide dog Blog http://dgriffithblog.wordpress.com/ <http://dgriffithblog.wordpress.com/> My Blind hammer Blog https://www.westhamtillidie.com/authors/blind-hammer/posts <https://www.westhamtillidie.com/authors/blind-hammer/posts> From: Gordon Smith <mailto:gor...@mac-access.net> Sent: 08 November 2017 18:48 To: Techno-Chat ... Technology Enthusiasm! <mailto:techno-chat@techno-chat.net> Subject: [Techno-Chat]: Humanware - Victor Reader Trek – talking book player & GPS - Victor Reader Talking Book Players (Stream & Stratus) - Blindness - Low Vision Aids for Macular Degeneration Hello everybody Sadly, HumanWare has put their device beyond the reach of many, yet again. And not only that, but they’ve made it an untenable product, in my view. Everything it does, you can do via iOS and Android. That includes playing talking books and, I’m pretty sure, DAISY content. Given that the main stream devices have so much more to offer than simply being a book player and a GPS navigator, I don’t really think they’re on to a winner this time. Sure, the functionality is easy to use, and accessible. But then again, most people would find it just as easy to use a smart phone with GPS, and something to the tune of the Seeing Eye, (RNIB) Navigator. But make up your own minds. I’m just expressing my humble opinion as somebody who is looking to start advising clients on this sort of ting professionally. My take on this is, sadly, it won’t last long. > http://store.humanware.com/heu/victor-reader-trek-talking-book-player-gps.html > > <http://store.humanware.com/heu/victor-reader-trek-talking-book-player-gps.html><http://store.humanware..com/heu/victor-reader-trek-talking-book-player-gps.html > > <http://store.humanware..com/heu/victor-reader-trek-talking-book-player-gps.html>> ======================================== My compliments and kindest regards Gordon Smith: <gor...@mac-access.net <mailto:gor...@mac-access.net>> Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.. This Message Was Created Using 100% Recycled Electrons. If you can avoid printing it, please do so. Think of the environment, save a tree! Contact: • UK Free Phone: 0800 8620538 • UK Geographic / Global: +44(0) 1642 688095 • UK Mobile/SMS: +44 (0)7804 983849 • Vic. Australia: +61 38 82059300 • US/Canada: +1 646 9151493 ----------------------------------------
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