[blindlaw] Portable devices

Aser Tolentino agtolentino at gmail.com
Fri Mar 9 17:15:08 UTC 2012 

There are a few accessible apps that can read PDFs, not least of which is Apple's own iBooks. The Kindle app's interface is accessible, but books are not; this is the case with many ebook and PDF viewers. I also ran into an app called VoiceReader, which can import PDF's and allow you to navigate the text fairly well; it can also generate its own text-to-speech independent of the operating system screen reader much like the GhostReader program on the Mac.

Respectfully,
Aser Tolentino, Esq.

On Mar 9, 2012, at 8:24 AM, "Daniel K. Beitz" <dbeitz at wiennergould.com> wrote:

> The advantage of apple over the laptop is that it reads iBook's and
> presumably amazon books as well.  Other devices and programs can read books
> in epub format, but not protected formats.  
> 
> -------------------------------------------
> Daniel K. Beitz
> Wienner & Gould, P.C.
> 950 University Dr., Ste. 350
> Rochester, MI  48307
> Phone:  (248) 841-9405
> Fax:  (248) 652-2729
> dbeitz at wiennergould.com
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
> Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 11:05 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Portable devices
> 
> Could you comment on handling PDF documents on the apple devices and also
> reviewing text files, searching, and marking your place and such?  I know
> these were issues in older Apple devices but have been addressed to some
> extent on newer devices.  
> 
> When looking at devices specifically developed for the blind, one should
> look at the BookPort Plus from the American Printing House for the Blind
> which has some WI-FI capability as well as the similar device sold by
> Freedom Scientific, the PlexTalk Pocket or whatever it is called.  I am not
> certain that a small laptop is still not the best solution for dealing with
> a wide variety of information, but I know that the Apple devices are very
> nice.  I did not have a good experience using a Netbook, but some have and
> they are getting better.  HP and Toshiba make some small laptops that are
> not much bigger than Netbooks and because they have small screens and no
> CD-Rom drives, they have good battery life and are light weight.  The Apple
> devices also have the advantage of working with a bluetooth keyboard and can
> be paired to braille displays, which is something the devices for the blind
> such as the Stream and the BookSense can't do.  The choice just isn't that
> simple, though.  It depends a lot on one's personal patterns of work such as
> the kinds of documents reviewed, whether one strictly reads or one does
> editing, to what degree one needs to access the internet and so forth.
> Something like the I Phone and some I pads let you access the internet
> through the 4G networks from anywhere you have network coverage while other
> devices can only access the internet with Wi-Fi coverage.  The Booksense and
> the Stream must get their information through a connection to a computer.
> How else can I confuse the issue?
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Steve Jacobson
> 
> On Fri, 9 Mar 2012 07:50:38 -0500, Daniel K. Beitz wrote:
> 
>> I have a book sense, and it was nice.  But devices like this are very
>> expensive for the benefits you get, and don't offer anything close to the
>> functionality of an iPod touch.  I use an IPad for my personal reading
> needs
>> now because it has a better speaker, and can read any audio format plus any
>> book on the Itunes library is also accessible.  The iPhone has a decent
>> speaker as well, better than book sense.  The apple portable products are
>> worth learning.
> 
>> -------------------------------------------
>> Daniel K. Beitz
>> Wienner & Gould, P.C.
>> 950 University Dr., Ste. 350
>> Rochester, MI  48307
>> Phone:  (248) 841-9405
>> Fax:  (248) 652-2729
>> dbeitz at wiennergould.com
>> This email transmission and any documents, files or previous email messages
>> attached
>> to it may contain confidential information that is legally privileged.  If
>> you are
>> not the intended recipient or the individual responsible for delivering
> this
>> email
>> to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure,
>> copying,
>> or distribution or use of any of the information contained herein or
>> attached to
>> this email is strictly prohibited.  Should you receive this communication
> in
>> error,
>> please notify us immediately by replying to the sender of this email or by
>> telephoning
>> us at (248) 841-9400.
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Andrew Webb
>> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 11:10 PM
>> To: 'Blind Law Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Portable devices
> 
>> Randy,
> 
>> Thanks much.  Yes, someone did mention this to me, I believe it is the Book
>> Sense.  I will look into it.
> 
>> Otherwise, people are jut telling me to get an iPod Touch or an iPhone.
> 
>> Regards,
>> Andrew
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Farber, Randy
>> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 9:53 PM
>> To: Blind Law Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] Portable devices
> 
>> Andrew
> 
>>    I have heard that HIMS makes a similar device.  It is slightly more
>> expensive than the Victor Reader Stream, but apparently does more.
> 
>> Randy 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Andrew Webb
>> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2012 8:27 PM
>> To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
>> Subject: [blindlaw] Portable devices
> 
>> Hello all,
> 
>> 
> 
>> I would like to identify a highly portable and compact electronic device
>> that might be ideal for storing and reviewing data on the go.  The piece
> I'm
>> envisioning is one that I could easily carry along and pull out just about
>> anywhere, whether that's on the bus/train, working around the house,
> sitting
>> at the coffee shop, attending kids' soccer practice, etc.  I could use it
> to
>> download materials including cases, statutes, and assorted other documents
>> in a variety of digital formats.  I'd like to be able to easily arrange my
>> downloads into files for quick retrieval and review, and to be able to
>> highlight/bookmark salient portions of text.
> 
>> 
> 
>> Could I ask if, based either on personal experience or worldly wisdom,
>> anyone can suggest a device along these lines?  It has come to my attention
>> that the Victor Reader Stream  might be an apt choice, but I wondered if
>> there might be some other good possibilities out there.
> 
>> 
> 
>> Many thanks in advance!
> 
>> 
> 
>> Regards
> 
>> Andrew Webb
> 
>> 
> 
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