I'd totally agree with the statements about Rockbox...I've been using it on a 30GB iPod Video since February, and over all, it works great and is pretty accessible. I would have rather gone with the 80GB iPod, but at the time, Rockbox didn't support it...Not sure if that's changed.
-- Visit me on Myspace! http://www.myspace.com/wesderby -------------- Original message -------------- From: "Stephen Guerra" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > David, is your Ipod a Video Ipod > > > > Stephen A. Guerra > Assistive Technology Specialist > Independent Living Aids > > "Products for Your Active Independent Life!" > > 200 Robbins Lane > > Jericho, NY 11753 > > (OFF) (516) 937-1848-x313 > > Fax: (516) 937-3906 > > E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Web Site: > http://www.independentliving.com > > http://www.soundbytes.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of David Tanner > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 11:43 PM > To: PC audio discussion list. > Subject: Re: Article: Audio Menus for iPods > > Well, I'll tell you what. After using the RockBox software on my IPOD for 4 > days I would say that the day of the talking IPod is here. If you can use > the speech on a PC you can definately use the speech that RockBox gives you > to access your IPOD. The improvements in the software, and in the ease of > installation in the past year have made it a quite reasonable solution for > making IPOD accessible to the blind user. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Price" > To: "PC audio discussion list. " > Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 9:16 PM > Subject: Re: Article: Audio Menus for iPods > > > : Hello Steeve, > : I just red your posting about the talking ipodder. > : I've always wanted an eyepodder, but I didn't thank that it would work for > > : me because of the fact that I'm blind. > : If they pull this earpodder off, I will be the first in line at Cirket > City > : to get one. > : I hope this talking eye/earpodder will be avillable soon. > : ----- Original Message ----- > : From: "Steve Pattison" > : To: "Access-L" ; "PC Audio" > : Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 9:34 PM > : Subject: Fwd: Article: Audio Menus for iPods > : > : > : > > : >>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : >>From: David Andrews [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : > > : > I thought this was very interesting ... > : > > : > Dave > : > > : > Technology Review > : > Tuesday, May 08, 2007 > : > > : > Audio Menus for iPods > : > > : > By Kate Greene > : > > : > Download an MP3 version of this story > : > http://www.audiodizer.com/technologyreview/infotech/download.aspx?id=18 > : > > : > 703 Researchers are testing ways to let people listen to gadget menu > : > options > : > instead of looking at them. > : > > : > Clicking through the menu on your iPod demands a significant > : > amount of > : > visual attention, which can be a hassle (while jogging) and even > : > dangerous > : > (while driving). But engineers at the University of Toronto and > : > Microsoft > : > Research are working on software that could make it possible to > : > navigate > : > the menus of gadgets that use circular touch pads, like the iPod, > : > without > : > looking at them--only audio cues would be used. > : > > : > The researchers have designed an auditory menu technique--called > : > earPod--that provides audio feedback when a person drags his or > : > her finger > : > around the touch pad. Although it's not ready to replace the > : > expansive > : > menus on real iPods, the results are encouraging, says Patrick > : > Baudisch, a > : > research scientist at Microsoft Research, in Seattle, who worked > : > on the > : > project. > : > > : > LINK: > : > http://www.patrickbaudisch.com/ > : > > : > Within 30 minutes of beginning to use the technology, people can > : > navigate > : > two levels of earPod menus faster than traditional visual menus, > : > and just > : > as accurately. > : > > : > "Requiring constant visual attention while using a PC is > : > reasonable," > : > says > : > Baudisch, "but if you're using an iPod on the road, [constant > : > visual > : > attention] is unreasonable." In addition to giving people back > : > their eyes, > : > he says, audio menus could help gadgets save battery life by not > : > wasting > : > energy on a screen, and they could add functions to the > : > screen-free > : > devices such as the iPod shuffle. > : > > : > The idea of using audio menus isn't new. Auditory interfaces can, > : > after > : > all, be found in touch-tone phone menus and in various assisted > : > technologies for seeing-impaired users. But historically, handheld > : > > : > consumer gadgets haven't widely used audio menus. There are a few > : > reasons > : > for this, says Bruce Walker, professor in the school of psychology > : > and > : > college of computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. > : > > : > LINK: > : > http://sonify.psych.gatech.edu/~walkerb/ > : > > : > One reason, he says, is that audio hardware and software have > : > been > : > resource intensive, requiring significant amounts of computation > : > and > : > energy. In addition, audio software has been difficult to > : > program. > : > > : > But computing power is becoming cheaper, and there is an > : > increasing > : > need > : > to find different ways to interact with handheld devices, says > : > Walker. > : > Within the past 10 years, he says, the ubiquity of mobile devices > : > with > : > small displays "has made us all visually impaired." Currently > : > there are > : > only a handful of researchers who are systematically looking at > : > ways to > : > make better audio interfaces for various devices, but Walker > : > expects the > : > ranks to grow in the coming years. > : > > : > This first earPod prototype has a two-level menu hierarchy with 8 > : > items > : > per category, for a total of 64 items. To test how well people use > : > the > : > system, the researchers assigned to the first menu level a random > : > > : > assortment of categories: "clothing," "fish," "instrument," > : > "color," and > : > four others. The next level contained eight examples of these > : > items. The > : > iPod analogy would be found in the opening menu, which includes > : > "music," > : > "extras," "settings," and then lower menus that include > : > "playlists," > : > "artists," and "albums," for instance. The earPod approach could > : > be > : > extended to read off a limited number of names of artists and > : > songs as > : > well. > : > > : > EarPod was designed specifically for gadgets with circular touch > : > pads, > : > says Baudisch. The circular touch pad is evenly divided into eight > : > > : > sectors: it's cut like pieces of a pie, with each menu item > : > associated > : > with each piece. When a person touches the dial of an > : > earPod-equipped > : > gadget, the audio menu responds with a prerecorded human voice. If > : > a > : > person puts his or her finger at 12 o'clock on the touch pad, the > : > voice > : > might say "Color," indicating that the finger is on the color > : > sector. When > : > the finger crosses one of these invisible sector lines, the user > : > hears a > : > clicking sound. As a finger moves, a new menu item is announced. > : > To select > : > an item and go to the next menu level, the user lifts his or her > : > finger > : > and hears a "camera-shutter" sound, which indicates that an item > : > has been > : > chosen. > : > > : > Because the touch pad is divided into portions, says Baudisch, > : > people > : > can > : > easily learn where menu items are and quickly jump to certain > : > items > : > without having to scroll through a list, as with an iPod. Another > : > feature > : > of earPod, he says, is that a user doesn't need to wait until a > : > menu item > : > is read before moving on to another. When a finger moves to a new > : > sector, > : > the audio is interrupted and the new item is announced. > : > > : > In the earPod usability study, conducted by Shengdong Zhao, a > : > doctoral > : > student at the University of Toronto, and project lead, the > : > researchers > : > found that people who had no experience using either an iPod or an > : > > : > earPod-equipped device used the devices with equal accuracy. > : > EarPod was > : > 92.1 percent accurate, while the visual system was 93.9 percent > : > accurate, > : > but the difference was not statistically significant. It took > : > people > : > longer to grow accustomed to earPod, but with experience, users' > : > performance on the audio menu became faster. After 30 minutes of > : > training > : > on both devices, subjects could navigate two levels of menu with > : > earPod in > : > 2.1 seconds as opposed to 2.5 seconds with the visual menu. > : > > : > Georgia Tech's Walker is impressed with the earPod approach and > : > results. > : > "My overall impression is that this is great ... It was > : > inevitable: trying > : > to look at how to take an interface that is purely visual on the > : > iPod and > : > turn it into an interface that's purely auditory, because, after > : > all, the > : > iPod's an auditory device. Why should a person have to pull their > : > player > : > out while they're jogging to look at it?" > : > > : > Currently, however, earPod could not be a complete replacement for > : > an > : > iPod > : > menu, Walker notes. One reason is that earPod doesn't lend itself > : > to menu > : > flexibility. Once a person learns the position of the menu items, > : > he or > : > she might become frustrated if those positions need to change due > : > to a > : > software update or added playlist. In particular, the approach > : > would not > : > work well for menus such as mobile-phone address books, Walker > : > says. > : > > : > In addition, adds Baudisch, because the circular track pad is > : > divided > : > into > : > sectors, there are a limited number of menu items that a person > : > can > : > access. If there are 8 sectors, each with 8 menu items, then there > : > are > : > only 64 total items accessible on the device, and this wouldn't be > : > good > : > enough for iPods that hold hundreds of playlists and thousands of > : > songs. > : > However, Baudisch suspects that future prototypes will provide > : > ways to get > : > around the problem. He and his team are exploring how people > : > respond to > : > faster audio output (speeding up the recorded voice) and how > : > people use > : > audio and visual cues simultaneously. Developing an > : > all-encompassing > : > interface for eyes-free operations on auditory devices is still a > : > future > : > project, he says. > : > > : > http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18703/ > : > > : > > : > Regards Steve > : > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : > Skype: steve1963 > : > MSN Messenger: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : > > : > > : > Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > : > http://www.pc-audio.org > : > > : > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > : > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : > > : > > : > -- > : > No virus found in this incoming message. > : > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > : > Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.0/803 - Release Date: 5/13/2007 > > : > 12:17 PM > : > > : > > : > : > : > : Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > : http://www.pc-audio.org > : > : To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > : > : > : -- > : No virus found in this incoming message. > : Checked by AVG Free Edition. > : Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.8/800 - Release Date: 5/11/2007 > 7:34 PM > : > : > > > Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
