[stylist] New Victor Stream

Sun Jun 30 21:46:50 UTC 2013

Bridgit,
Your victor is probably the same model as mine then; I believe mine was 
purchased in 2010 at the beginning of the year.
When you said
"Music plays louder on the Victor, but books play to quietly without
having it near you or using ear buds.

Usually technology drops in price once newer versions release. For some
reason, Victor's have not followed suit."

I share the concern about the price and yeah its true you can purchase a 
netbook or an ipad for the same price or cheaper which can do more than a 
victor.
Oh, I thought I was the only one who had the issues with the volume. Music 
can be heard louder and clearer. I either get near the thing, use 
headphones, or use external speakers to hear it.
I don't know what humanware was thinking when they made the volume so low.

Can the victor stream  play audible books or those downloaded from itunes? I 
realize itunes gets their books from audible but if you use itunes, it’s a 
different format.
Other than blindness specific books from bookshare and bard, I'm not sure 
what formats the vr stream plays. I would assume it plays commercial 
downloaded books or those from cds as long as you put them on the sd card 
and put them in the right folder.

Also, how do you get music onto the sd card to play in the stream? Can you 
simply rip the music from a cd or import the digital files into windows 
media player and copy the album into the music folder?

I'd like to watch tv shows on my laptop or movies especially the books I 
read that were turned into movies. Has harry potter been made into all 
movies? I mean was one movie made yet for every book? I would guess so, but 
don't want to assume they finished the movie series.
If only I could find real audio described movies or tv shows; not audio 
files.
I wish services like itunes or netflix offered these.
I assume you watch streaming tv and audio
on websites or via aps.

Does anyone know when the next update to the vr stream is coming out?
Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2013 4:35 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

I'm not sure of the exact model of my Victor. I bought it about five
years ago. The keys are starting to stick a bit, though they started
doing this a couple of years ago, and the volume is the worse thing. If
I use ear buds, it' fine, otherwise I literally have to hold it near my
ear. Music plays louder on the Victor, but books play to quietly without
having it near you or using ear buds.

Usually technology drops in price once newer versions release. For some
reason, Victor's have not followed suit. I do prefer a Victor for
reading and would like a new one, but other purchases currently come
first right now. After all this time, you would think Victor's would be
compareable to other devices. But like most products meant for the
blind, the price is expensive. I can buy an IPad for the amount a Victor
cost. And I just got a new netbook for $250, which is less than a
Victor. So I have an entire computer for less than a Victor. Yes, most
of us need a screenreader or magnification, but I already had a copy.
And there are free screenreaders out there that actually work pretty
well for anyone wanting to not pay the exorbitant amount of money
screenreaders cost.

What I like about the IPhone is I can listen to music, watch movies and
television shows, read books and much more media-orientated things. With
the baby, we don't watch TV or films since children under two shouldn't
be exposed to this, plus we want to encourage other activities. But I
love to work-out to shows I like using the ABC player or watching movies
on my phone.

I don't find touch screen to be as difficult as I once thought, but
unless it's already accessible, you can't really do much to make it
accessible. With tactile buttons, you can label. So until all products
are accessible, touch screen technology isn't great for the entire
masses.

Also, as humans in general, we need to consider what taking away tactile
sensations may mean for us as a species down the road. More and more is
done not allowing us to use our sense of touch, or use it in it's full
capacity. I have to wonder what this will mean for us in the future.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley
Bramlett
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2013 10:37 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Bridgit,
Which victor do you have? Mine is an old version; not the oldest they
have
but close to it.
In fact I think it needs a new battery.
I am using a small mp3 player; the ipod nano, which can play audio books

from itunes. I don't know which other books it can play.
The voice is mechanical. If you say the
ipod touch and ipad have better quality voice, you might be right. I
haven't heard them enough to know. I'm sure there are shortcuts to use
the
iphone.
I am sure with repetetion that one can learn where common icons are and
functions are.

I have memorized some of the layout of the ipod.
I've gotten a bit better with time, but still double tapping the right
icon
isn't the easiest thing.

Unfortunately, button products are going away making it less and less a
choice for us. Some mp3 players still have buttons but they are not
talking
ones. Some digital recorders have buttons too but few are accessible; I
know
olympus has some talking models for which I'll hopefully have someday.

I'll always prefer a vr stream though versus a touch screen. I sure hope
I
can afford the new ones when mine no longer works. Unfortunately, with
new features being added, I don't foresee the price
going down. Not even sure the current price, maybe $350.
I agree on the price thing. I know they need a profit, but since vr
streams
are the most popular item, it seems to me they could lower the price and

still make money given the thousands of victors they sell.

Well, anyway, when the new ap comes out from nls, people will have a
choice
whether to use a smart phone or a traditional blindness product such as
a
victor stream or notetaker.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2013 12:43 AM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Ashley,

Blind or sighted, some find certain products better while others do not
prefer them. Some will pick up things faster while others may struggle
more.

I don't think touch-screen technology is more difficult because of the
double tap itself or the general lay-out. I know many sighted people,
young and old, who can't stand touch-screen devices and are slower when
using them. Then I know several blind people who love their touch screen
devices and are very quick when navigating. So I think it all depends on
the person.

I'm totally blind, and I don't have much trouble with tapping the wrong
icon on my IPhone, but my mom, who is sighted constantly, has trouble
with the touch-screen.

>From your posts, I assume you do not use an IPhone, which is a huge
difference. Like any tool, when used on a regular basis, you grow
familiar and confident with it. Before I had my phone, I didn't think
the touch screen would be very efficient, but now that I use it daily,
I'm pretty capable with it. You learn where certain icons and functions
are so finding them is quicker. You can move icons around so you know
where they are; similar to a computer. And there are navigation tips,
like with JAWS, that make finding items with the voice-over much easier.
For instance, on most pages, quickly swiping a finger continuously to
the left will state what is down and to the left of the page while
swiping it to the right states what is up and to the right of the page.
You can do this until you find what you're looking for. There are a lot
of these short-cut tips to help with the voice-over menu. It's like
JAWS. So many people, including blind people, doubt the efficiency of
the product because you're doing it audibly, using hot keys to
manipulate the computer. Many short-cuts exist allowing for quicker
navigation. Touch screen devices are similar. Until you use it and
familiarize yourself with the product on a regular basis, you don't know
how efficient it will be for you and what is capable with the device.

I'm not suggesting you switch products or one tool is better than
another; I'm simply argueing that no one knows what is possible and
efficient until they attempt something.

And I actually prefer my Victor to read books on. I just don't
understand why I can't find a Victor for a similar price I purchased my
phone for. The financial aspect isn't as great for some for me, but I
budget and save money where I can. And if I can find an accessible
product for a better price, who wouldn't go for that option? And I will
also argue that if you really want something, you can save for it. It
may take a few months or a couple of years, but it is possible. And
before I get hate mail about this statement (grin) let me state that
I've experienced living with rather inflated incomes as well as
wondering where dinner would come from on any given night. So I'm not a
stranger to this issue.

Ultimately, I do believe tactile products are the most efficient, but
once you familiarize yourself with a product, it usually grow more
efficient. And I know both sighted and blind people who use touch screen
devices as quick or quicker than people using tactile devices. So again,
it really depends on the individual.

And as to the quality of the voice... I've not heard the recent versions
of the Victor voices, but my current Victor has a clear voice, though
the few times I've had to read in the text file menu, the voice isn't
always great, but the general Victor voice has a good voice-over sound.
But I think the Apple voice-overs are much better than JAWS or
note-taking devices I've played with. Though my IPod  NANO voice isn't
as great, I will give you. But the IPod touch has a better quality
voice. And the IPad and Apple Macs have better, clearer voices, in my
opinion. Earlier Apple devices may not have as good text-to-speech
voices, but the current products I've played with, have a better quality
that's not as electronic sounding as JAWS.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley
Bramlett
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2013 9:21 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Bridgit,
I understand your point that apple products have text to speech and are
cheaper. That money factor is a huge factor unless you have family
support like I do or you have a state agency purchasing blindness
products. Some people need a consistent layout to use a product and can
actually press a button best when they actually can feel it. I have to
beg to differ on the speech. I've heard voice over on my ipod, the mp3
player, andon iphones from other people. What is tricky is you have to
position your fingers just right on the screen otherwise nothing
happens. That screen is so sensative. I would argue that having heard
the new speech on the victor products, it's a heck of a lot clearer.
There are two, a lady named heather I think, and a male named ryan. I
can understand ryan better. I do not have a new victor stream but do
have a victor stratus which I chose to play daisy cds. Victor voices are
more clear than voiceover! The victor voices are more understandable
than voice over; she sounds so so mechanical and words run together.

Nls will someday have an ap yes. But for now I think a blindness product

whether it be a victor reader or a braille notetaker
is the best option for portable reading of nls books.
But for those loving their touch screens and double tapping everything,
that is fine. We all have different preferences. For me I wanted a mp3
player and had no choice but the apple ipod. But, I cannot tell ya how
many many times I've lifted my finger and tapped the wrong item since
things are so dang

close together.

That said, I've thought of someday trying an iphone and maybe using the
magnification instead of voice or a combo of the two. I know they do
perform many tasks and so many people have them and if I hate it I can
probably trade the phone in for something else.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2013 6:16 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

But Apple products have the built-in text to speech feature too, and
they are usually cheaper than a Victor.

I was skeptical of using a device with a touch screen too. I was given
an IPhone for my birthday last year, and it took me a couple of weeks to
get use to it. Now I can use it pretty much as quickly as I did with
tactile phones. I do not use Syrie because it' unreliable and not that
helpful. The voice-over is also clearer than JAWS. There is a dictate
feature that works pretty well for texts or emailing if sending larger
amounts of text. I've found this feature to work rather well. Now I
don't like touch screens on computers like IPads, but on a phone, once
you acclimate, it's not that bad. Like anything, you just have to adjust
and use it.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley
Bramlett
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 11:13 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Bridgit,
I heard the new one is slimmer and lighter. but haven't seen it yet to
know. I have the old model which I'm happy with except for the volume.
You got to be near it to hear it well unless you use external speakers.

Why prices are not lower as the technology improves, I don't know. Most
technology comes down in price as  it gets further in development, but
not this one. My guess is that perhaps the text to speech software may
be more expensive to put in it causing the price to be raised in order
to make profits. Not even sure how much the new one is. At least now
they do not charge you for extra features in the soft pack! You get
support for .docx files and

itunes when you buy the victor at no additional cost. if
I wanted this, I'd have to purchase the soft pack.

But when NLS has the ap that I heard is coming, people will probably not
buy these expensive products if they can use a smart phone. Me, I am too
frustrated with touch screens and don't have a smart phone. I am much
better off with buttons. I have an ipod and hate the synthetic voice of
voice over and cannot understand some of what it says; it is quite
unclear when it says artists names; further, I find having to listen and
then double tap everything kind of inconvenient; I easily tap the wrong
buttons as they are so dang close together! So, all that said, I'd
rather have a vr stream with real buttons. But for those on a budget,
and who love their iphone or ipad or I touch, I can see them using the
nls on their ios device.

It probably will be out this summer.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 8:49 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Ashley,

Thank you. I'm aware that the lay-out of the new Victor's are the same,
though newest version is suppose to be slimmer. I'm just curious about
the new features such as the WiFi. And I'm more interested in knowin why
Victor's have never come down in price to compete with products like
IPods and IPads that can be purchased for much less, or the same price
but a larger GB.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley
Bramlett
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 4:18 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Hi,
although I don't have one, I heard humanware rep describe it on a
podcast. Yes, it works like the old one. In fact the keypad style
buttons are the same shape and distance apart still. It has a different
text to speech synthesizer and another big difference is that you can
charge it with other chargers other than its own and I think it charges
while hooked to the pc. If you are at convention, you can see one hands
on. Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: justin williams
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 12:35 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

How much does it cost, does it work mostly like the old one?  It has wi
fi; how does that work?

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert
Leslie Newman
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 12:28 PM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Bridgit

I have one. Yes, pricey compared to what is coming for us with the
IDevices. I can show you at the next chapter meeting (hope you come).
(Better sound, more volume, Wi-Fi, gives the time and date, smaller in
size. A good unit.

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 11:55 AM
To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
Subject: [stylist] New Victor Stream

Wondering if anyone has the newer model of the Victor. And if so, how do
you like it?

I've been curious for so long as to why the Victor's never come down in
price, but Apple products and other devices are either cheaper or the
same price but have bigger GB's or whichever one it is. I can't read
BARD books on my IPhone and IPod, though NLS is working on an app, so
hopefully soon we can, but I can read anything else along withdoing
other things like recording and Y-FY, and my phone was $100 and my Ipod
was $100. My Victor, which was bought 6 years ago, was $350, and I've
yet to see a Victor go below this price. Anyone know why?

Bridgit

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