[nabs-l] VR stream pros and cons

[V Nork]

Hi Ashley and all, I want to just chime in and say what a practical and 
powerful tool for a college student the VR stream is  I was skeptical, but I 
am a fan now.  There are sso many aspects to the stream, for example, 
setting highlight  and audio bookmarks in notes and books. .  About the 
sound, I used it this last semester in my literature class to record all the 
lectures, and it was fine, especially since  the stream is so small and 
convenient..  For me, the pick up could have been slightly better, we had a 
number of soft spoken students  in the classand I did not always hear them 
in the class, but I found that when I plugged in some headphones and put the 
volume up, most of the softer speaking students could be heard.   And the 
professor's voice was clear, even when I sat three rows back from the 
front.  I also converted the lectures  using the Humanware Companion so I 
could store them in my computer.  I also am getting another tape recorder, 
an Olympus 50, for two reasons:  it may have a bit better pick up, and I 
personally am a bit absent minded, and I would rather leave my stream at 
home, in relative safety, since I have so many books and audio notes it 
would be hard to lose.  But I really think  the sound pick up is adequate, 
but I do not know how it would do in a large classroom if I sat in the back. 
I found a great pair of headphones at an electronic chain in San Diego that 
are super.  They are lightweight, flat small  and circular that stay in 
place and are so comfortable I wear them to sleep often.  It also makes the 
sound richer with more nuances.  My Nls books and RfB and D books are more 
pleasant to listen to.  The headphones cost under twenty dollars, and are 
called "flaties" which is the brand name I think.."  You can get them in 
pink (smile.)-----  I have had my stream for about five months, enjoy 
yours, it is bvery intuitive and so many people have them you can usually 
find help as a first timer if you need some coaching but you may be fine 
with just the documentation the VR stream comes with..  Best, GinnyOriginal 
Message ----- 
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] VR stream pros and cons


> Hi Hope,
>
> How is the sound quality?  I also record some classes in additon to taking 
> notes on the Braille Note.  Do you have to be up front to get the 
> professor's or speaker's voice?  How do you find the recording?  Is each 
> file labeled by date or something?  I guess the mannual will explain
> how to transfer it to the computer.  That is something I want to do for 
> future reference.
>
> Katie, where do I find the Access World journal you referenced?
>
> Thanks all for sharing your thoughts.
> Ashley
> ----- Original Message ----- 
        > From: "Hope Paulos" <hope.paulos at maine.edu>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, January 01, 2010 8:18 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] VR stream pros and cons
>
>
>> Hi Ashley. I've found it extremely useful for recording classes. Both 
>> classes I attend and classes I teach. It allows me to then transfer the 
>> recordings to the computer. I've not played around with the music portion 
>> of the vr stream, so would be interested in hearing more about that from 
>> another subscriber.  You cansearch for a word if the book is in txt 
>> format. Otherwise, you can navigate to chapter or page.
>> Hth.
>> Hope and Beignet
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 11:47 PM
>> Subject: [nabs-l] VR stream pros and cons
>>
>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I'm getting a VR stream.  I'd like to hear from users of it about your 
>>> experiences and what it does.  What do you use it for?  I know you can 
>>> download digital talking books; now I use the traditional cassettes. 
>>> What's the site to download books?
>>>
>>> What navigation capabilities does it have?  Can you search by words?  I 
>>> know on the VR Wave you can go to bookmarks as well as chapters and 
>>> pages.
>>>
>>> If you record stuff can you transfer it to your computer?  What 
>>> functions does the MP3 player portion have?  Can you create playlists? 
>>> Can you jump to certain songs by name or singer like with regular mp3 
>>> players?
>>>
>>> What are some of the cons of it?
>>> I will likely use it for recording notes such as phone numbers and 
>>> lists. I will also use the books feature to download books from RFB and 
>>> digital talking books.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>> Ashley
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>>
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>
>
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