I use to write information on whichever device I had handy at the time. I then synced everything together using my computer as the hub. Oh, I also had a PacMate which was a Pocket PC device. One day, I forgot to close the file on the Windows Mobile smartphone before editing it on the Pocket PC device. A couple hours later, I finished my edit and synced all the devices to update everything. Unfortunately, the last file to close was the smartphone version (which closed automatically for syncing), and I lost a few hours worth of work.
The problem is, when we express how easy something should be, many people automatically assume that it will be that easy, and then start expecting it. Any developer, programmer, system designer, high-end alpha and beta tester, or competent manager knows that, once you start getting into the details, easy almost always goes out the window. As far as I am concerned, those of us who understand this are doing everyone a disservice when we give the impression that something is easy to do when we know, just by looking at the disparate elements, that there are going to be hidden complexities. I changed from a systems engineering degree when I realised that I did not want to spend all my time combing through code to locate that hidden variable which flipped its state inappropriately causing seemingly unrelated system bugs elsewhere in the system. I much prefer doing that with people instead as a therapist. David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA Email: [email protected] Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 Sent from my iPhone On 21/05/2013, at 10:51, Christopher Chaltain <[email protected]> wrote: > Well, first, that wasn't even close to the question I was answering. I was > only saying that you don't need to use the internet or the cloud if you want > to save your place between books. I didn't say it would be easy, and I wasn't > talking about supporting all of the existing devices that are currently out > there. No one could come up with a system for all of the existing devices > using the internet or the cloud either. > > BTW, I didn't have trouble syncing my data, music, contacts and so on between > my computers, Nokia smart phone and MP3 players. True, now I do all of that > through the cloud, but there was a time I did that without the internet or > the cloud. > > I should learn never to disagree with you David. Whenever I do, the question > I'm answering keeps changing until I look like an idiot. That doesn't mean > I'm not actually an idiot though. > > On 05/20/2013 05:34 PM, David Chittenden wrote: >> It is interesting how simple something can sound in the abstract. Note that >> Amazon does it only with Amazon controlled equipment. Back when I had both a >> Windows Mobile smartphone and a Nokia smartphone, each device syncing with >> my computer was basic as long as I was not trying to sync things more >> complicated than updates to files, and I made sure the file was closed last >> on the device which had the most recent iteration of the file. However, >> trying to do this with both the Windows Mobile and the Nokia became very >> complicated very quickly. When you add different OSs and different sync >> protocols managed by different sync programs on the computer, it becomes >> messy. >> >> So, we have the Victor Stream by HumanWare on a proprietary OS, the iPhone >> app on the iOS platform, the BookSense on a modified version of Windows CE >> (which has been discontinued a few years ago by the way), the Icon and >> Braille Plus on a Linux variant, The BrailleNote on a different variant of >> modified Windows CE (which has been discontinued a few years ago), the >> forthcoming APH and NBP systems both running Android. >> >> I would love to see you design and roll out a local syncing system that will >> run locally on whichever equipment the person happens to have, and will >> manage transferring file location markers effectively between these >> disparate devices, with anything near 100% accuracy. After all, anything >> less than 100% accuracy will rapidly earn you a large volume of complaints >> from this community. >> >> Like I said, it would be a very complex project, and one I would not care to >> manage. >> >> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA >> Email: [email protected] >> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On 21/05/2013, at 10:14, Christopher Chaltain <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> There are lots of ways this could be done without an internet connection. >>> You could pass some media between the devices, like an SD card, you could >>> use your PC as a sync point between your devices or the devices could sync >>> with one another through NFC, bluetooth or wifi. >>> >>> On 05/20/2013 04:57 PM, David Chittenden wrote: >>>> Excuse me, unless you connect your devices to some sort of central >>>> managing database, there is no way to synchronise one's reading location >>>> mark across devices. Amazon does it by having all devices connect to their >>>> servers and update reading location marks, highlight marks, comments, and >>>> so forth, with the database that also keeps track of which books one has >>>> purchased. It isn't complicated so long as the infrastructure is set-up >>>> for it. Setting up the infrastructure from scratch, on the other hand, is >>>> a real nightmare. >>>> >>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA >>>> Email: [email protected] >>>> Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 >>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>> >>>> On 21/05/2013, at 9:20, Christopher Chaltain <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> This could be done without an internet connection. Many of these devices >>>>> support SD cards, USB connections and bluetooth. They're also now >>>>> starting to come out with wifi connections. >>>>> >>>>> On 05/20/2013 03:56 PM, Ricardo Walker wrote: >>>>>> Hi, >>>>>> >>>>>> This would require whatever device you use at home have an internet >>>>>> connection. I don't own a stream or, any other type of blind centric >>>>>> reader except the actual NLS player so, do these devices often have the >>>>>> ability to connect to the internet? >>>>>> >>>>>> Ricardo Walker >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> Twitter:@apple2thecore >>>>>> www.appletothecore.info >>>>>> >>>>>> On May 20, 2013, at 3:08 PM, "Alan Paganelli" >>>>>> <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I think it's a fair question though. Not everybody who gets NLS >>>>>>> Talking Books has a smart phone and they would like to have some sense >>>>>>> of how popular it would be. Personally, I'd just like to have the >>>>>>> option. Now if there were a way in which you could start reading an >>>>>>> NLS book on your iPhone, get home and pickup where you left off on your >>>>>>> reading device. They keep saying more features will be added to the >>>>>>> Victor Reader Stream 2. Be cool if they could manage that. >>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>>>> From: Brad Hodges >>>>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>>>> Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 11:44 AM >>>>>>> Subject: Re: NLS Update on Talking Book App >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Similarly, I just signed on to NLS BARD and encountered the same two >>>>>>> questions. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On 5/20/2013 2:37 PM, Arnold Schmidt wrote: >>>>>>>> When I logged onto my library's bard site today, there was a survey >>>>>>>> question about whether I would use the app, if it were available, and >>>>>>>> which version, IOS or Android, I would use. I post this, in hopes >>>>>>>> that it is a national survey, not just from my library. If you tend >>>>>>>> not to log onto bard often, log onto it and, if the question is there, >>>>>>>> hopefully answer it yes. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Arnold Schmidt >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>>>>> Google Group. >>>>>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>>>>>> --- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>> Groups "VIPhone" group. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>>>>> Google Group. >>>>>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>>>> [email protected]. >>>>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>>>>>> --- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>> Groups "VIPhone" group. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Christopher (CJ) >>>>> chaltain at Gmail >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>>>> Google Group. >>>>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>> [email protected]. >>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>>>> --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "VIPhone" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to [email protected]. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> -- >>> Christopher (CJ) >>> chaltain at Gmail >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>> Google Group. >>> To search the VIPhone public archive, visit >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>> --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "VIPhone" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> >> > > -- > Christopher (CJ) > chaltain at Gmail > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > To search the VIPhone public archive, visit > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. To search the VIPhone public archive, visit http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
