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

[Gerald Levy]

I just visited the product support page for the Narrator "talking" HD clock 
radio and perused both the User Manual and standard Quick Start Guide.  To 
my great dismay, there is no mention of the speech function or any other 
special accessibility features in either document.  There is supposed to be 
a special quick start guide for visually impaired consumers, but it is not 
listed on the product support page.  In fact, reading both documents was 
enough to turn me off to this radio, because without any explanation of the 
blind-friendly accessibility features, this radio, which is menu driven, 
sounds like it would be difficult for a blind user to master.  But this is 
not at all surprising, given that Insignia has a reputation for designing 
schlocky products.  Remember the voice-command talking clock radio it sold a 
few years ago?  It was plagued by so many technical glitches that it was 
quickly discontinued and wound up being sold on Cowboom for only $8.  I got 
stuck with one of these lemons , which now serves as a paperweight.  So 
until someone does a comprehensive podcast that explains how to set up and 
use the Narrator radio, I will remain skeptical  and hold off on ordering 
one, and advise others to do  likewise.

Gerald


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cheez" <cheez at cox.net>
To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances" 
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 1:22 AM
Subject: [Electronics-talk] Best Buy's HD Radio May Shut Us Skeptics Up For 
Now


> 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
>
>
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