[Electronics-talk] Best Buy's HD Radio May Shut Us Skeptics Up For Now

[cheez]

Best Buy is going to be selling a new HD Radio--called the 
Narrator--starting in July. The radio, which was manufactured with the blind 
in mind, will be selling for $99. If you want the added two year protection 
plan, you will need to pay an extra $14.99.

"With The Narrator coming to market, people with visual disabilities will 
have a radio that they can program and tune themselves," said Dave Noble, 
chairman of government relations for IAAIS.

For years, blind people have had to pay a lot of money for radios with 
single purpose receivers that provided low audio quality.  Now, the 
Narrator, a table top receiver, speaks commands as soon as a blind or 
visually impaired person turns it on. However, this feature can be turned 
off so that a sighted person can use the radio silently as well. This makes 
the radio have universal appeal for everyone and will also help to keep the 
price lower.  With speech turned on, the radio will announce the artist and 
song, and will show and announce visual images as well. The radio is also 
equipped with large buttons with raised lettering.

Another great feature is that the radio comes with a PDF Quick Start Guide, 
along with a user manual. In addition, you can get the warranty information 
as a PDF document as well. All of these documents can be downloaded from the 
Best Buy website and have been verified to be accessible with screen 
readers.

The radio was created with input from the International Association of Audio 
Information Services, the group that represents Radio Reading Services.  The 
radio manufacturer chose to partner with the IAAIS to help identify and 
solve issues for the everyday technology needs of people with visual 
disabilities.

The Narrator will be promoted on air by iBiquity and its alliance member 
stations. It will be marketed under the Best Buy Insignia brand.

While the visually impaired community has had other radio companies create 
accessible products (C. Crane comes to mind), it's fantastic to see that a 
very large electronics company like Best Buy is taking an interest in 
accessible products and teaming up with organizations who can help them 
design the radio from the ground up.  It's also incredibly beneficial that 
they created a product that is equally usable for both the sighted and 
visually impaired--an important element in keeping the cost as low as 
possible.  Hopefully, others will follow the lead of companies like Best Buy 
and Apple and begin building accessibility into their products that can 
serve everyone equally.

Sources: 
http://radioworld.com/article/best-buy-takes-pre-orders-for-'the-narrator'-/213556
http://www.dealerscope.com/article/best-buy-debuts-talking-hd-radio/1