[Faith-Talk] Food for Thought: Is There Still a Need for Specialized Bible Players?

[Tina Hansen]

First off, thank you all for your suggestions on accessible and usable Bible
apps. I'm working with the ones you all have recommended. I still don't know
all there is to know, but I am working with them.

 

I wanted to pose this food for thought question to everyone.

 

A few weeks ago, someone posted information about the Bible Currier, a small
device that offered the text of a number of Bible versions read using the
Double Talk text to speech synthesizer.

 

I also know that there are really good Bible units that rely on human voice
recordings. I've seen MegaVoice and its partner organizations at our
national convention, and I think their units are really good.

 

However, a lot of people are now using a smart phone to read or listen to
the Bible. With the apps you all recommended, we get access to a variety of
versions, often both as text and audio, so we get the ability to search for
a passage, but then it can be read out by the screen reader on your smart
phone or with the recording.

 

If I just want to hear the Bible, I'm finding some of the best translations
that have been recorded and getting them on either a Victor Reader unit or
the NLS talking book player. With these, I'd rather have the text read out
by a voice talent, especially with the many foreign names in the Old
Testament.

 

Because of this, I'm using the dedicated Bible players less and less.

 

All this prompted me to ask: Is there still a need for these dedicated Bible
players? If so, what's the main audience?

 

Many of these dedicated Bible players lack Bluetooth capability. In this
time when everyone wants to go wireless, is there a need for a Bluetooth
capable Bible player? Here, I'm talking about the units that rely on a
recording of the Bible and not just a text file and a TTS program.

 

What can I do with the Bible players I have, but am not using nearly as
often as I have in the past?

 

What about the Bible Currier? Is it time for a new, updated version of that
unit that retains the ability to navigate through the Bible, but offers a
newer set of TTS voices and Bluetooth capability?

 

That's why I'm reluctant to get this unit. Sure, I have a smart phone, and
I'm learning how to use it. But I recognize that some people would rather
use a unit like this, but don't want to hear the Double Talk voice. While
I'm impressed with the capabilities of the Bible Currier, I would rather not
buy it if they're still using that voice. I know that if I tried to use that
with a small group, none of whom are blind, they'd probably get nervous. Is
it time for this unit to be updated? Does it still have a place in the blind
community? Is it time for something newer? Any thoughts? Thanks.