[Electronics-talk] More On the Narrator Radio

[Steve Jacobson]

Gerald,

When I heard some of the original promotional materials, I was very skeptical about reading artist information as that would require some kind of text to speech conversion.  To what degree that could have run 
on whatever microprocessor is being used is something I don't know.  Given that it is done to some degree on cordless phone handsets, although not all that well, and on some cellphones, it certainly is 
possible, but I don't know what such a system costs.  Even so, I don't think such claims should have been made when it was likely known by someone that those claims were not true.  However, I also know 
that the press releases were probably written by marketers who don't know the difference between text-to-speech and fixed-vocabulary speech.  They would assume if it can speak the time and frequency 
when it is displayed, it can certainly display the artist.  You and I know those are two different things, but it isn't obvious to the public.  

It would be nice had the radio handled that situation, and I also have some frustrations that you have to wait until an announcement completes in some cases before pressing a given button again.  This is not a 
perfect radio.  I also don't like the preset system that is used, and this has nothing to do with accessibility.  Presets are more like bookmarks as you move up and down the band in that they seem to be ordered 
by frequency.  I like to group my presets by the type of programming even if the stations are not next to each other on the dial.  

Nevertheless, after dealing with a Bose and some other radios for a long time, it does almost feel like a miracle to me that I can deal with the clock myself.  No more having the radio coming on at midnight.  I 
also liked the fact that they put the whole manual on the CD and not just the part that dealt with accessibility.  Finally, the antenna connections to this radio are the same as is commonly used on most stereos, 
even small ones, except for those that are truly portable.  I have a Teac HD Radio for example, and my kids have two small Sony stereos that also use an AM loop and an FM dipole antenna in each case.  
Therefore, I think that criticism is a little harsh and really doesn't have much to do with accessibility.  I also think that the AM sensitivity is poor, and while I don't like it, I have also found that to be pretty common 
on many small stereos, and even some pretty good stereos that use these small square loops.  I think this radio is actually better on AM than is the Teac HD radio that I own.  I think it is unfortunate when one 
can't believe advertising, but frankly, I take all promotional material about anything with a few granes of salt so I was less bothered by some of the shortcomings than you were.  

In short, I think we have to be sure people know what they are getting when they buy this radio, and comments here help make that possible, but I don't regret buying mine at all.  

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson
   
On Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:07:43 -0400, Gerald Levy wrote:


>The following editorial about the Narrator HD radio was published in this weeks's edition of the Mathilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind:

>Op Ed with Bob Branco - The Narrator Isn't All That was Advertised

>Several weeks ago, most of you heard about a wonderful new radio that Best Buy was selling called the Narrator.  It is supposed to be the best radio for visually impaired people ever manufactured.  While 
reading one of the original press releases, I was so enthused with the information that I ordered the Narrator myself.  Why not?  It is supposed to be extremely user friendly for the blind and visually impaired.

>While it allows you to set the clock, the alarm, the radio band, and specific radio stations by using voice application, the Narrator does not totally perform as it was advertised.  For example, in a press release I 
received as part of a mass email from a consumer organization, it states in one of the paragraphs as follows:  "With speech turned on, the radio will announce the artist and song, and will show and announce 
visual images as well."  This is not true.  Though the Narrator may display artist and song titles on the screen if you happen to find an HD radio station that provides that service, you won't hear it in voice mode.

>If a blind person hopes to use the menu or bookmark buttons to navigate the radio in voice mode, think again.  Those two features are for just the sighted.

>Although the Narrator comes with an audio CD instruction manual, which most people may feel is what you should read in order to use the product, the only section of the CD that benefits the blind is track 12.

>If you feel that locating HD radio stations is difficult with the Narrator, well, it's just as tough to tune in a regular A.M. station.  The Narrator does not come with a normal telescopic antenna which you can 
rotate.  It comes with two plastic shoelace Y-shaped antennas which you have to plug into two different adaptors on the back of the radio, and even after you plug them in, you have to swing the antennas 
around, especially the A.M. one, in order to pick up a station which may be as close as 25 miles away.

>I have one more side note.  Although Best Buy uses the Insignia label on the Narrator as well as other products, a representative from Insignia told me that the company had nothing to do with manufacturing 
the Narrator.

>So, if you are blind and are satisfied with setting the clock and alarm on your own, finding and presetting radio stations and tuning into certain frequencies, then you will like the Narrator.  But do not expect it to 
be the miracle radio that's being advertised, because it isn't.  


>Gerald 

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