[Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?

Mike Freeman k7uij at panix.com
Sun Jul 31 15:14:38 UTC 2011 

You're right. But other smart phones are nearly as bad. If you think about
it, the reason becomes obvious: small size with many functions competing.

If I had my way, we'd have smart phones that looked like bricks or ham-radio
handy-talkies of yesteryear with three-quarters battery so you could operate
them for a week key-down without problem. (grin) And these phones would put
out 5 watts! Wouldn't *that* make the fear-mongers about cellphone
"radiation" wake up!

But, in truth, I can usually get a day's work out of my iPhone.

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dornetta
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 9:34 PM
To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?

Mike, while I am thinking the same thing, it have adopted the attitude that
it doesn't matter about the battery life since I think that the iPhone
battery life sucks! With or without the NLS app. It is indeed one thing that
I do not like about the iPhone!

Netta
"Just because you are blind, does not mean you lack vision"-Stevie Wonder
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "'Discussion of Digital Talking Books'" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 11:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?


> One observation about an NLS iPhone app: while I'd love such an app, 
> it would eat the iPhone battery alive so one would need one of those 
> USB charging packs or something similar to get anywhere near the life 
> you get with a VR Stream, BookSense, Book Port Plus or especially the NLS
player.
>
> Mike
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> On Behalf Of Greg Kearney
> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 5:24 PM
> To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books
> Cc: Discussion of Digital Talking Books
> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
>
> We wrote an iPhone app DaisyWorm which can read the DAISY/NISO 2002 
> format which the NLS uses. We contacted the NLS and offered to make 
> that software work with their books they never replied to us.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Greg Kearney
> Association for the Blind of Western Australia
>
> On 31/07/2011, at 7:58 AM, Jim Barbour <jbar at barcore.com> wrote:
>
>> No, no iphone player for NLS books.
>>
>> Various rumors say that NLS might be working on something, but nobody 
>> knows if it's true nor when such a thing might be released.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 30, 2011 at 07:47:36PM -0400, Dornetta wrote:
>>> Hello all:
>>> I have been monitoring this convo for a while and would like to
> ask...does
>>> NLS has a app for the iPhone?
>>> I find that while enjoying books via the DTBM is a +, it becomes a
> nuisence
>>> when travel is thrown into the mix. :-( I am saying that this is an 
>>> "bad"
>>> concept or thing but useing the VR Stream/DTBM vs. the iPhone allows 
>>> for more portibility. What a great concept if this was possible :-) 
>>> Netta "Just because you are blind, does not mean you lack 
>>> vision"-Stevie Wonder
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lynn Evans" 
>>> <evans-lynn at comcast.net>
>>> To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 2:28 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
>>>
>>>
>>>> I would think NLS has a few more patrons then you do Down Under.
>>>>
>>>> Also you have a central location and NLS has regional libraries 
>>>> spread throughout the 50 states.
>>>>
>>>> Not only are the cartridges right protected, according to my 
>>>> library
> here
>>>> in Florida each cartridge with a book has the firmware on it for 
>>>> the NLS player.
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Kearney" 
>>>> <gkearney at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 12:05 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Well as I said we went a different rout here. We assigned the 
>>>>> cartridge to the user and not the book. We then developed software 
>>>>> that reads the unique serial number tied to each cartridge and 
>>>>> then erases and lads that users next set of books.
>>>>>
>>>>> This achieves several things:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. No book is ever "put of stock" as we do not store copies on a 
>>>>> self but rather on a server.
>>>>> 2. We need only about 2 cartridges per user this reducing the 
>>>>> number of cartridge required.
>>>>> 3. We reduce the number of packages that go out in the mails by 
>>>>> putting several books on a drive.
>>>>> 4. We no longer need a big room filled up with shelves for books.
>>>>>
>>>>> As a result our drives are not write protected and as of yet that 
>>>>> has never been an issue for us.
>>>>>
>>>>> Gregory Kearney | Manager Accessible Media Association for the 
>>>>> Blind of WA - Guide Dogs WA PO Box 101, Victoria Park WA 6979 | 61 
>>>>> Kitchener Ave, Victoria Park WA
>>>>> 6100
>>>>> Tel: 08 9311 8246 | Fax: 08 9361 8696 | www.guidedogswa.com.au
>>>>> Tel: 307-224-4022 (North America)
>>>>> Email: greg.kearney at guidedogswa.com.au
>>>>> Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>>>>>
>>>>> On 30/07/2011, at 11:50 AM, Lynn Evans wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Please allow me to chime or clang in on this subject.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The cartridges are indeed flash drives in a different form that 
>>>>>> is in a cartridge with a big finger hole on one end and the USB 
>>>>>> connector on the other end.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The cable used to connect a blank cartridge to the computer is a 
>>>>>> standard USB extension cable. The cable will be able to connect 
>>>>>> one end to the other end like a necklace. I have been told these 
>>>>>> cables can be found in the Dollar Store for you guessed it a dollar.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> NLS did not choose to use flash drives or even smaller flash 
>>>>>> cards because of the dexterity issues that some patrons would 
>>>>>> have with working with small objects.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The use of a flash card reader along with a flash card is 
>>>>>> problematic at best. NLS has recommended during the BARD pilot 
>>>>>> phrase that flash cards not be used with the NLS digital players. 
>>>>>> Some may have reported some success in their use. Others have 
>>>>>> reported slow access of data transfer from card to player causing 
>>>>>> the player to loose its place in the book.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It is a waist of human resources and librarian's time for them to 
>>>>>> sit at a computer all day erasing cartridges and then replacing the
files
>>>>>> with newly requested books from NLS patrons.   NLS has contracted 
>>>>>> with
>>>>>> a company to load books, mass produce books and ship them out to 
>>>>>> our regional libraries. Like the audio cassettes the cartridges 
>>>>>> are kept in their blue shipping boxes ready to be pulled off the 
>>>>>> library shelves, affixed with the patron's address card and mailed
out.
>>>>>> What
>>>>>> would be the point of fixing the cartridges so they can not be 
>>>>>> erased only to have the librarians replace the books with other 
>>>>>> books on the same cartridge?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Kearney" 
>>>>>> <gkearney at gmail.com>
>>>>>> To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 3:18 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It would be possible to build an SD card reader into the housing 
>>>>>>> of a NSL Drive. We have considered building such a thing but 
>>>>>>> right now the drives are less expensive and you have to have a 
>>>>>>> really BIG order to justify all the plastic production work.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Gregory Kearney | Manager Accessible Media Association for the 
>>>>>>> Blind of WA - Guide Dogs WA PO Box 101, Victoria Park WA 6979 | 
>>>>>>> 61 Kitchener Ave, Victoria Park WA 6100
>>>>>>> Tel: 08 9311 8246 | Fax: 08 9361 8696 | www.guidedogswa.com.au
>>>>>>> Tel: 307-224-4022 (North America)
>>>>>>> Email: greg.kearney at guidedogswa.com.au
>>>>>>> Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 30/07/2011, at 1:31 AM, Eric SS wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Paul, good question. It would be interesting.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I was just wondering why the blank cartridges we can buy are 
>>>>>>>> limited to 1 or 2GB. Also, why couldn't there be an empty 
>>>>>>>> cartridge so that we could insert an SD card of whatever 
>>>>>>>> capacity.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Curious minds keep us from getting work done...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Eric SS
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
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