[Electronics-talk] Fw: A Talking MP3 Player for Only $75

[Laz Mesa]

Right Chris.  I'm surprised that Gerald is recommending this player,
as it has a non-user replaceable battery which he has vehemently been
agains and he has stated in the past that he would never recommend
that type of player or buy one himself...  i'm also surprised that
Gerald forwarded this without doing some checking first.

I do have a few comments on what is being claimed in this message.

1.  Despite their statement, "Announcing the world's first talking MP3
player - at a price everyone can afford!," Accessible Electronics has
been doing this since 2009, with the 4GB players being priced as low
as $69.99.  Just google the phrase "Talking MP3 Players" and see for
yourselves.

2. Despite their statement, "Unlike every digital player on the market
today, you never need to look at the screen when using this device."
The Talking MP3 Players from Accessible Electronics, let alone the
screenless MP3 players, and iPods have had this capability for years.

3.  Also claimed, "It also boasts four gigabytes of internal flash
memory, which will hold approximately two thousand songs." which I
must question, as 4GB is estimated to hold approximately 1000 MP3
songs at a bit rate of 128 and of average length, so unless they're
speaking of some low bit rate or very short songs, this is an
exaggerated claim.

The only real advantage that I see in this player over the ones
available from Accessible Electronics is that it's claimed that this
player will read ebooks.  However, keep reading.

I took advantage of their contact form, and these are the questions I
asked and the answers I received.

What kind of ebooks will it read?

Just .txt text files

What is the TTS voice?

It is our own voice. We will have an audio sample posted in the next few days.

Does it have a microSD card slot for memory expansion?

No.

What filetypes will it play, Audible, Overdrive, FLAC, OGG, Apple file types?

Just MP3, Wav and txt.

How do you get 2000 songs on just 4GB when it's estimated that 4GB
holds approximately 1000 songs at an average bit rate of 128kb?  Must
be some very short songs.

We may have to double-check our math :) thanks for the tip.

So, take advantage of their contact form and inform yourselves as to
what this player will actually do and ask questions here or elsewhere
to verify any claims that are made.

Laz

From: Christopher Chaltain <chaltain at gmail.com>
To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
        <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Fw: A Talking MP3 Player for Only $75
Message-ID: <5076F991.9030902 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Looks like a nice player, but with a lot of products, some of the claims
seem to be a bit of a reach. Rockbox, which you can get preinstalled
through a 3rd party company on different players, gives you an eyes free
talking MP3 player at about the same price. There were also several
screenless MP3 players, like the Creative Zen Stone, that obviously
didn't require you to look at the screen and were totally accessible. Of
course, these options each had their pros and cons compared to this MP3
player.

On 11/10/12 11:24, Gerald Levy wrote:
>
> I just received the following message and thought it would be of
> interest to many of you looking for an inexpensive and accessible MP3
> player:
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Braille Superstore"
> <Sales at BrailleBookstore.com>
> To: <bwaylimited at verizon.net>
> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2012 12:06 PM
> Subject: A Talking MP3 Player for Only $75
>
>
>> A Big Hello from the Braille Superstore,
>>
>> http://www.BrailleSuperstore.com
>>
>> It's small. It's powerful. It's affordable. And best of all ... it talks!
>>
>> Yes folks, it's here. After years of development and rigorous testing,
>> we are rolling out our very own talking MP3 player, complete with a
>> voice recorder, FM Radio, and an E-Book reader.
>>
>> Unlike its competitors, our Talking MP3 player is small (about the
>> size of a cigarette lighter) and ridiculously inexpensive. Finally,
>> blind folks can take music wherever they go - on a player that doesn't
>> cost hundreds of dollars.
>>
>> Announcing the world's first talking MP3 player - at a price everyone
>> can afford! Select the album you want to listen to for your afternoon
>> walk. Pause to record a note for later, then listen to the radio on
>> the way home. Curl up for a while with your favorite E-Book, then
>> switch over to Recordings and play Mom's famous cookie recipe. You
>> can't see the screen, but it doesn't matter. Every song title, every
>> menu option, and every page of your E-Book is spoken out loud. It's
>> all possible thanks to one extraordinary device - the Tiny Tunes MP3
>> player.
>>
>> Unlike every digital player on the market today, you never need to
>> look at the screen when using this device. As you move through the
>> songs in your current album, each new title is spoken to you as you
>> select it. Names of albums, genres and even artists are also read
>> audibly. Concerned about changing settings, selecting options, finding
>> the right recording or reading a book? Don't be, because all those
>> features are voiced aloud, too. Put simply, everything that comes up
>> on the screen of this MP3 player is spoken in clear, synthetic speech.
>>
>> Your new player is powered by an internal Lithium Ion battery, which
>> lasts between ten and fifteen hours without power and charges through
>> USB. It also boasts four gigabytes of internal flash memory, which
>> will hold approximately two thousand songs. The player comes packed
>> into a durable, thick leather case, which even has two large speakers
>> built into the front. The player has a safety-lock switch to prevent
>> accidental bumping of the buttons while listening, and standard-sized
>> USB and headphone jacks. The package even comes with a USB cable and a
>> pair of stylish earphones.
>>
>> The Tiny Tunes MP3 Player itself from Future Aids is small, smaller
>> than two fingers put together and less than an ounce in weight. It
>> plays all standard music files, organizes your music exactly the way
>> you want, has a built-in voice recorder, reads E-Books, and even
>> boasts an FM radio. All these features are impressive, but the fact
>> that every function talks makes this player worth its weight in gold.
>> Digital music and E-Books have completely redefined modern-day
>> entertainment. Come join the fun with one small device - boasting one
>> powerful set of features!
>>
>> The Tiny Tunes MP3 Player is scheduled to be released over the
>> Thanksgiving long weekend (November 22). To insure you get yours as
>> quickly as possible, please place your pre-order today.
>>
>> To read more about this exciting player, or to pre-order it, please
>> visit the below link. It will take you directly to the product page.
>>
>> http://www.BrailleSuperstore.com/view.php?T=Tiny+Tunes+MP3+Player
>>
>> While you're there, don't forget to Like our new Facebook page!
>>
>> Thanks for reading, folks. Have an absolutely wonderful weekend!
>>
>> This Email was sent to bwaylimited at verizon.net. You're receiving this
>> newsletter because you subscribed to it on our website at
>> www.BrailleBookstore.com , or have ordered from us before. We now have
>> the option on our checkout page which lets you decide not to be added
>> to our mailing list. If, for any reason, you do not wish to receive
>> our newsletter in future, just visit the below link:
>> http://www.BrailleBookstore.com/mailing.php?Act=Unsub&Email=bwaylimited@verizon.net
>>
>>
>> Cordially,
>> All your Friends at
>> Future Aids The Braille Superstore
>> A Division of
>> MarvelSoft Enterprises, Inc.
>

-- 
Affordably priced Talking MP3 Players with FM radio, voice recording,
and expandable memory! Priced As low as $69.99, plus free shipping in
the US!

Listen to our presentation:
http://www.talkingmp3players.com/demo.html

See our current special:
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Join our mailing list by sending a blank email to:
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Contact info:
Email:  accessibleelectronics at gmail.com
Skype: lazmesa
Phone: 727 498-0121
Facebook: facebook.com/laz.mesa