Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) is an audio standard developed by the DAISY Consortium to allow print disabled people all over the world to access talking books. It is a digital reading format that combines audio, text and graphical information.
This article provides an overview of five of the world’s leading portable DAISY players: BookSense T50 XT, iPhone 4S, Milestone 312, Plextalk Pocket PTP1 and Victor Reader Stream.
Exploring key features such as accessibility, functionality and portability, it will help you make the right choice to enhance your reading experience.
Accessibility
The layout of BookSense keys is very accessible. The keys are flat and quite close together yet tactile enough to be distinguishable. Additionally, keys on the number pad alternate between raised square and flatter square.
The iPhone has only four buttons: Home, Volume, a silencing switch and key lock.
So, the tactile keys are simple enough to navigate. The Qwerty keyboard, however, is another matter. You can bring up a touch screen keyboard by moving the phone’s opening screen to the right.
I would suggest using a Bluetooth keyboard for lengthy typing though: it is frustrating being unable to judge the distance between keys. Typing is manageable using the Voiceover feature, but progress can be slow.
Voiceover is Apple’s own variation of a screen reader. Once it’s enabled, it is completely controlled by the phone’s touch screen.
There’s no actual menu structure on the iPhone; every function is based around Apps, which are ranged across home screens in grids of 16. You swipe left and right to browse through them and tap on an app to open it.
Milestone keys have tactile symbols on them making them easy to distinguish. As they are few in number, spacing isn’t an issue. Using a set pattern of keystrokes to try and carry out a task in a particular time frame can be difficult though.
If you don’t get the timing right you can end up in a muddle, which is one drawback of having a device with such a minimalistic design.
Milestone’s voices work to a high standard. Reading documents in a foreign language is also possible. You can also easily customise speed, volume and pitch.
The player is set up around a system of applications, including audio and radio, that is not dissimilar to BookSense.
The select key cycles to the application you want where you can access its menus. Each application has a menu with three internal options: information, local settings and basic settings.
I found Milestone to be fully accessible but a little slow at times.
The Plextalk’s key layout is fairly simple. All keys are large and tactile. Users who have some vision can order the device in black or white with contrasting buttons.
Unlike Milestone, carrying out tasks is always effortless even with some keys performing multiple functions.
You have a choice of two voices. You can customise speed, volume and pitch. The guide voice gives you clear and precise instructions at all times.
The Plextalk’s structure is different again. You have a title button that cycles to the type of media you want, SD card, USB etc. The folders and files are contained within these options.
Cycle through these with the up and down arrows to get from one level to another, then select your chosen destination using the left and right arrows.
Victor Reader Stream’s keys are well spaced, large and easy to identify. For example, fast forward and rewind are shaped like arrows.
The Victor Reader Stream is different in that all functions are carried out using the number pad. Seven accesses the menus and you move around using 2, 4, 6 and 8 as navigation keys.
Again I found navigation to be simple, although it does take a while to become accustomed to navigating with the number pad.
Audio/DAISY books and music
You can access audio/DAISY books and music tracks from all five players, provided they are in a supported format.
You can use the navigation keys to choose a level on each player with the exception of the iPhone, which requires you to use your finger to move around parameters and double tap to select them instead.
Elements differ in each book but typically level 1 means chapter, level 2 means section, and level 3 means sub-section and so on. Page and phrase elements may not be present on all books.
Enter bookmarks in three different formats: a simple bookmark, a recorded voice bookmark or a highlighted section of audio.
In addition, you can customise voice rate, pitch, tone and volume settings.
Navigation of music is much the same as with audio or DAISY books: the levels have different names though and you have extra equaliser settings.
Radio
BookSense and Milestone have an inbuilt FM radio and both allow you to have preset channels for your convenience. You can also record broadcasts without any background interference. The recordings are immediately saved to the SD card.
In order to get clearer reception, connect earphones to the player as they act as an antenna.
iPhone and Plextalk have an option to listen to web radio as they can connect to Wi-Fi.
Podcasts
BookSense, Milestone and Victor Reader Stream players can play any podcasts that you have downloaded on to them from your PC.
iPhone allows you to simply download podcasts from the web address of your choice.
Plextalk plays podcasts on the web as long as you’ve saved the URL to the route of the SD card. You can record broadcasts on Plextalk with one press of a button.
Text to speech
Four of the players function in virtually the same way. Aside from a few specific features, they only differ in the file types that they support.
BookSense supports: TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, HTML, XML, BRL, BRF, Bookshare Braille files, EPUB (unprotected ebook) and Archive unprotected ebook (open library)
Milestone supports TXT files and DAISY 2.02 talking books.
Plextalk supports the following: TXT, HTML, DOX and DOCX files as well as DAISY talking books.
Victor Reader Stream supports: TXT, HTML, XML, RTF, BRA and BRF files and DAISY 2, 2.02, NISO Z39.86 2002, /2005, NIMAS 1 talking book formats. You need to purchase a Soft Pack to access DOCX files or EPUB books.
Recording
Recording is a feature common to all five players, but recording methods do vary significantly.
BookSense records your voice, lectures, meetings and FM radio using the internal mic. In addition, recording from other audio players is managed via an audio cable.
The quality of recordings is decent but is much better when using an external mic. Note: the recording settings are limited so the quality depends on the specifications of the mic.
With the iPhone, the possibilities seem endless. Four free recording apps as well as many others for sale.
Using the app italk, I was able to make high quality recordings with almost no background noise. Recordings are made using the built-in mic.
Again you have a range of settings which you can customise to enhance your recording experience.
A feature which I particularly rate is the option to attach your recording to an email.
Milestone’s integrated mic allows you to record your voice as well as FM radio.
For higher quality, connect an external microphone and customise the recording settings to suit your requirements.
Milestone has the ability to minimise background noise as it is set to home in on your voice.
Plextalk records voice memos and bookmarks to an SD card in the DAISY format. This is unfortunately the only format available.
Basic recordings are possible using the inbuilt mic but if you want to enhance the quality, attach an external mic or an audio cable. Plextalk also offers a variety of mode and recording settings that further improve the clarity of your recording.
Victor Reader Stream voice recordings are called audio notes. These notes are saved on the SD card.
The number of audio notes you can record is only limited by the space on your SD card.
You have to purchase the Victor Reader Stream Soft Pack separately in order to record in MP3 or WAV formats. Yet another expense.
Portability
BookSense is a compact and lightweight player, not unlike one of the older Nokia mobile phones. It measures 4.8cm x 10.8cm x 1.8cm and weighs 115 grams.
The battery provides up to 12 hours of continuous use.
The iPhone is slim, small and light and, therefore, easily portable. It measures 5.86cm x 0.93cm x 11.52cm and weighs 140 grams. Audio playback of up to 40 hours is possible.
The phone may look classy but it is extremely fragile. Drop it and you will be left with nothing but fragments of broken glass. A carrying case is a must.
Milestone is the smallest and lightest of the players. It is, again, very compact and slick. It measures 5.4cm x 8.5cm x 1.4cm and weighs 85 grams.
Its battery gives you around 15 hours of run time.
Milestone’s body is made of impact-resistant plastic. So you can carry it around without worrying too much about damaging it. A carry case is included in the original purchase, which also helps protect the player.
A lightweight, pocket sized player, the PlexTalk is not dissimilar to a mobile phone in shape. It measures 5.5cm x 11.2cm x 1.6cm and weighs 110 grams.
The battery allows for approximately 10 hours listening time.
Although this device is an ideal size for carrying around; I’d suggest doing so with a strap attached or inside the pouch which is supplied. The slick plastic casing could quite easily slip out of your hand.
The Victor Reader Stream is a compact and portable player about the same thickness as a pack of playing cards. It is undoubtedly the bulkiest device though. It is 6.6cm x 11.7cm x 2.2cm, and weighs 180 grams. This doesn’t inhibit its portability much but it is a feature which could be improved upon in the future.
The battery allows for around 15 hours playtime.
Prices
BookSense T50 XT £315, iPhone 4S £415 (16 GB version from the Apple Store), Milestone 312 £273, Plextalk Pocket PTP1 £250 and Victor Reader Stream £235. Except for the iPhone, prices are from the online RNIB store. All prices quoted exclude VAT.
Conclusions
In the course of my review I discovered that some devices are dedicated to playback of books, while others focus more on other functions.
You really do have to ask yourself what it is you actually need to get full enjoyment of your reading experience.
Victor Reader Stream is a quality, fully accessible, portable book reader; its other functionality is very limited however.
BookSense performs well in most areas except for playing music.
Milestone is a very neat little player with excellent functionality in all areas. The minimalistic approach sometimes goes against it though and you have to purchase a Soft Pack to activate colour detector or agenda applications
Plextalk is another excellent performer and it has the additional bonus of Wi-Fi. However, the manufacturers do need to simplify the wireless settings as it was extremely difficult to connect.
In another dimension entirely is the iPhone with its all singing, all dancing applications. It is so much more than a DAISY player. This review has merely touched on its capabilities so you must ask yourself how many of its features you actually need.
And do you really want to use touch screen technology? Voice Over is an efficient accessibility solution but it does take a lot of getting used to.
Whatever player you choose, rest assured, there are plenty of sources for DAISY and audio books to keep you occupied. Happy reading.
The purpose-built DAISY players Allana Grant reviewed were loaned by the RNIB. The iPhone 4S was made available courtesy of Vodafone.