Alaska Independent Blind
Victor Reader Vibe: First Mainstream DAISY Player in the World
At the CSUN Conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities in March 2003, VisuAide lived up to its corporate slogan "Driving the Digital Talking Book Revolution" by announcing Victor Reader Vibe, the latest Digital Talking Book Player in its growing product line of DAISY playback devices. Victor Reader Vibe is one of the smallest and most affordable DAISY player in the industry but offers full navigation and advanced features found in the most powerful DAISY players at a fraction of the price.
The Victor Reader Vibe is a portable CD player designed for students and professionals that is well suited for both the visually impaired and print disabled. Users can navigate faster and more efficiently through reference works and complex textbooks. In addition to basic navigation features, it lets the user skip straight to a specific page, insert bookmarks to return to a specific section or mark important passages. Its compact size and rechargeable batteries makes it easy to take and use anywhere.
The Victor Reader Vibe can play regular Audio and MP3 CDs. The player includes earphones, a power adapter, a carrying case and rechargeable batteries that can be recharged directly in the unit. Its tactile markings and controls are grouped in easy recognizable zones make it exceptionally accessible.
Price: $219 USD; $329 CND. These prices are for North America only.
Contact: VisuAide. E-Mail: info@visuaide.com. Web: www.visuaide.com.
Telex Communications has introduced a new digital talking book player designed to give blind and dyslexic users greater access to published material. The Scholar Talking Book Player is a small DAISY CD Player that will accept and automatically select standard CDs and MP3 CDs. Its primary controls are easily identified by their larger size and tactile rubber construction. Secondary controls are smaller and feature a chrome finish. The player will provide instant access to specific page numbers and chapters in the DAISY structure, and includes a full numeric keypad with bookmarking features. An LCD screen displays disc details for "at a glance" teacher monitoring.
Some additional features include:
Price: $249.
Contact: Telex Communications. V: 800.828.6107 Ext. 7498 or 952.887.7498. Web: www.telex.com/duplication/products.nsf/allpages/0313DC795FA04C8E86256BC2006F1EA6
WB-View Version 1.0: First Braille E-Book Reading Program for PC
WB-View, NLS's new Web-Braille viewer, a software program designed specifically to read electronic braille books on the PC, is now available. For several years, people have enjoyed electronic books using software that simulates reading traditional books. Until now, however, readers of electronic braille books have had to use ASCII text programs, such as notepad, that are not suitable for braille formatting. WB-View, designed specifically for use with braille, will increase the facility and flexibility of reading electronic braille books. The program affords many benefits to readers. It allows the user to flip through the pages of a book by braille page, which is oftentimes shorter than a print page. Additional features of the WB-View program include:
Not restricted only to braille files, WB-View also provides a similar reading experience with plain text files. WB-View's development was funded by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to facilitate access to its own electronic braille book collection, known as Web-Braille. WB-View is designed to work with all popular screen readers and refreshable braille displays. WB-View sells for $69.
Contact: Computers & Assistive Technologies, Inc. Tel: 772. 546.8950 or 772.546.2473 Monday through Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Eastern time. E-Mail: sales@computerassistivetech.com.
Olympia: New Handheld Electronic Magnifier
Telesensory Corporation has just introduced a powerful, portable, lightweight magnification system, the Olympia, that allows people with macular degeneration or other visual impairments to read, write and live more independently.
The Olympia magnifies reading material, checks, letters, prescriptions, food labels and pictures up to 26 times. It features a tilted screen for comfortable viewing, glare reduction and adjustable brightness capabilities to meet the needs of specific vision conditions and has a wide-screen viewing in three modes - full color, negative mode with white letters on black background for high contrast and positive mode with black letters on white background for maximum clarity. These options make reading easy and enjoyable.
The versatile system connects to a television for people who prefer a large screen, increasing the magnification range up to 76 times. A folding writing stand provides 4.75 inches of clearance, allowing the user to set the system over the base and then write letters and checks or do other paperwork with ease. The carrying case, battery pack and optional car adapter provide additional portability.
Olympia and other Telesensory products are available through dealers and distributors worldwide. The extensive sales and service network provides in-home product demonstrations and personalized customer support to ensure the magnification system meets the needs of the individual.
Olympia is priced at $2,495 with an introductory offer of $2,295 good through April 30, 2003. Telesensory products are backed by a 30-day money back guarantee and a two-year warranty.
Call 800.804.8004 for details.
Tiny Hard Drive Revolutionizes Media Storage
The revolutionary StorCard, to be available in the second half of this year, is the exact size and thickness of a credit card and can contain from 100MB to more than 5GB of data. At first glance, it looks like a credit card and even has a magnetic strip like a credit card, for potential use in standard credit card readers.
The hard drive data, however, is accessed on a tiny spinning disk inside the thin card. This spinning wheel made of Mylar is engaged when the card is inserted into a StorCard Reader, a USB-connected drive or PC Card that reads and writes to the StorCard. The Reader is expected to retail for under $100 and the cards for under $15 each.
Amazingly, the on-board processor contains integrated software controls that can encrypt data securely in real time. The StorCard - like a credit card - is extremely flexible, without risking damage to the data it contains. Because of its high capacity and inexpensive price, the StorCard will be a viable solution for consumers and businesses. It will provide high performance to quickly handle large amounts of data and will support a volume sufficient to stream media files and could even store material that previously would fit only on a DVD.
Updated May 23, 2003