Review I Was Asked To Do (Book Port Plus)

Off-topic Chatter
1

From a thread I was asked to do a review on the new device that this forum helped me purchase. Through a month of fundraising I was able to obtain a device that will allow me to listen to audiobooks, files, music, web radio, podcasts, etc. What is so special about that one might ask. Well the device is geared to those who have low vision or are blind. What is this doing in a flashlight forum? Well as mentioned in another thread….if it has and LED in it….review it. Here are some pictures of the device from the American Printing House For The Blind:
https://shop.aph.org/wcsstore/APHConsumerDirect/Attachment/products_secondary/1-07191-00_BookPort_Plus.jpg
https://shop.aph.org/wcsstore/APHConsumerDirect/Attachment/products_secondary/1-07191-00_BookPort_Plus_3.jpghttps://shop.aph.org/wcsstore/APHConsumerDirect/Attachment/products_secondary/1-07191-00_BookPort_Plus_2.jpg
https://shop.aph.org/wcsstore/APHConsumerDirect/Attachment/products_secondary/1-07191-00_BookPort_Plus_4.jpg
https://shop.aph.org/wcsstore/APHConsumerDirect/Attachment/products_secondary/1-07191-00_BookPort_Plus_7.jpg

The Book Port Plus is about the size of my flip phone or an iPod Touch 4th generation but thicker. It is made of plastic and feels rather slick in my hand. The device runs on Windows CE Core 5.0 for an operating system. It was designed in Japan but made in china.Book Port Plus dimensions are: 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches and weighs 3.9 ounces.

What does this thing do? What it does is allows me to listen to audiobooks provided to me through the NLS/BARD website. These are books, magazines, music scores, etc that are read by volunteer humans from all over the country. If the service has the books that I want, I simply download it and listen to the book being read to me just like a book on cd. The device works with another service called Bookshare. This service offers a lot more content BUT the content is not read by humans. The download is in the form of a DAISY bIn a nutshell it is a text file that the device reads to me like a book but with a synthetic electronic voice.

The device has wireless capabilities with a built in wireless network chip. This allows listening to web radio stations and podcasts. Due to the wireless features, the device can be a stand alone device and does not NEED a computer. You can download from NLS/BARD or bookshare right to the SD card in the device.

Thats great you might be thinking but the device does not have a screen, so how the heck do you use it? The Book Port Plus is made to be used by feel. When you touch any key the device talks to you in the same voice that is used for Siri on your iPhone or iOS device. you navigate the device using the keys.

The Book Port Plus plays many different file types which include:
Braille (brf)
Microsoft Word doc and .docx
HTML
Text
EPUB
Daisy 2.x
Daisy 3.x
Web radio playlists including pls, m3u, and asx.
Podcast feeds (opml)

mp3
wav
ogg
Wav
wma
AMR WB+

The device also supports recording via a built in mic or a jack to plug in your own mic. You can plug in headphones or use the built in speaker. The device will take notes as well. You enter text into the unit using the same T9 language that you use for an older style cell phone. The device will save that text and you can have it read back to you later. You can also use the keypad with braille. You enter notes/data using the braille code which the device will then save and read back when you are ready. I do not know Braille yet but will learn that from the Rehab center for the blind that I will be attending.

Via the USB port on the bottom of the unit you can use the small usb cable supplied with the unit and connect thumb drives, usb cd/dvd drive, or hard drive. If the device supports any files located on those drive….you can listen to or read the content.

The unit comes with a 3.7 volt 1430 MAH 5.29 WH Li-ion battery pack. It can be charged via the supplied AC power pack or via the built in USB. The paperwork says it charges in about 4 hours. The unit does have two small holes with four small LEDs. One area shows if the unit is in wi-fi or airplane mode and the other flashes red/green for charging or green when charged. You do not need the LEDs at all however because you can get that information with a key press. If you connect the Book Port Plus to a W1nd0w$, Mac, or Linux machine basically what happens is the device becomes an SD card reader. AT that point you drag and drop the files you want into the right folder which fits the system structure the device uses. If you do not use a computer, then you use the built in wireless to search for and download the content you want by using the various buttons and all without eyesight. Lets say you have the username and password for Bookshare already set up on the device. You connect to Bookshare and then have to use the T9 or braille via the number pad to find what you are looking for. It would be easier and faster to use a computer BYT the device will work alone which is pretty cool.

The device was $355 out the door with shipping. That sounds like and is a lot of money. Think about people who live on a fixed income. Sure when compared to an iPod the price is similar but it is still a lot of money. I am still learning how the machine works. There are menues, folders, sub folders, etc to go through. While the method is the same no matter what you are listening to or reading, it is taking time to learn. The unit does the same commands and uses the same keys no matter if you are listening to an MP3, and audiobook, or it is reading you a text file. I know that ai will enjoy using it. Right now I am going through the learning curve with it. Thanks again for all the help and support.

Doing some more looking around the Book Port Plus of a rebadged unit. The unit that my device is based upon is called a Plextor Plextalk Pocket. The hardware is exactly the same. The difference is in the firmware. The Plextalk Pocket is marketed to more areas of the world and thus has support for many languages. The Book Port Plus was tweaked for The American Printing House For The Blind. the firmware is different to appeal to a USA customer base. So the firmware is a little different and it does not have support for foreign languages. The Book Port Plus is marketed for a USA audience. Both units cost the same and both were designed in Japan yet made in China.

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Sounds like a real good device and hope it serves you well. How good does the electronic voice sound?

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Here is a link to the two voices you can pick from when the device is reading a Daidy book….which to the device is a text file.

http://tech.aph.org/bt_tts.htm

Now the machines navagational voice is the same voice used for Siri on an iOS device. I do not know why they could not use that voice for reading to you. LOL

4

Nice review!
Thanks

But ehmmm did you wrote that you needed to gather some info about it in the supplied papers? Really they did not give a manual you can listen to? Seems a bit odd for a device like this, but forgive me because it’s probably me that is odd :wink:

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The device manual can be accessed here which can be read with zoom ability on my computer. Or using Apple’s VoiceOver it can be read to me.

http://tech.aph.org/bt_doc.htm

I forgot to mention that the device has this same manual from the link built into the unit. If you press the number 8 key it loads the manual for you. It is a text file so the voice in the device reads it to you. You can move around, search, skip, etc to find what you are looking for.

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I use audible.com and have for over 16 years.

There are certain books like Herman Melville’s Moby Dick: The Whale and authors like James Joyce and Samuel Beckett which can even be better appreciated in oral or vocal presentation.

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The device also supports Audible.com, The Gutenburg Project, and Open Library.

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+1

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Well son of a doggy biscuit. Yep the device will support Audible books BUT because of the way Audible works you have to transfer the books using the Audible software because of the DRM copy protection. That software only works on Windows. I have a Mac. I will find out if the issue is with Audible.com and the BookPortPlus as to why the exchange only works on a W1nd0w$ machine. I keep learning as I go. The device can do a lot but it is not “plug & play”. It is not even “plug & pray”…which is a good thing. This device has procedures and a certain set of rules and how things are done to make it work. I just did a chat with Audible and the issue is with Audible. The Book Port Plus can play Audible content BUT the Audible software that copies the content only runs on a W1nd0w$ machine. So while I have the capability to use the device for Audible, my choice in having a computer that is virus free, malware free, spyware free, and works each and every time I use it……has kept me from using Audible. LOL

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I am a combat veteran in computer operating system peace keeping. I use Apple and Windows products and even did battle with Windows 10. :slight_smile:

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LOL nice. I grew up using Bill Gates stuff. DOS, 3.1,95,98,ME, then XP. After XP I went to Linux. After Linux I went to Mac and I never looked back. For me OSX supports my vision problem right out of the box. You can zoom by using fingers gestures on the smart trackpad. It has voiceOver built in. On A W1nd0w$ machine these options cost a lot of money via third party software such as JAWS, WindowEyes, and Zoomtext. VoiceOver on the Mac is not just a program running on top of another program like it is with the Windows options. VoiceOver is intergrated within the entire system and therefor works more closely with programs. The commands and gestures are always the same on the Mac and VoiceOver no matter what program I am using. It is not that way say using Zoomtext in Windows.

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[quote=s1After Linux I went to Mac and I never looked back.[/quote]

+1

I have been looking back far to long; MS is a never ending jig-saw puzzle.

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The voices dont sound to bad. I put Sam on in two pages both going at the fastest speed. I had to close them down quickly as it reminded me of my wife having a conversation with any of her friends. :person_facepalming:

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I am using the Samantha voice right now. Now the other device that I did not get because it did not work at all with a Mac….The Victor Reader Stream…. has slightly better voices. They are called Ryan & Heather. They are a little less harsh and more Siri like. I am learning more about how it works and what it can do. I found out that the American printing House offers Readers Digest and Newsweek at not cost. You have to sign up for the service and you can download either or both. The file is the same format as the NLS/Bard books so they are read by a human.

What would I change about the device? I wish it was a tiny bit more grippy. It can be a little slick to hold. So lets take it apart and spray a bit of truck bed coating on the outer plastic case, and then put it back together. Problem solved.

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Here is a small update about using the Book Port Plus. I was trying to make the device a bit earier to use. For example…on the SD card, I wanted to have a folder structure that would make it easier for me to navigate. For example the books that I get from the National Library Service (NLS/BARD) I want to put into an NLS/BARD folder on the SD card. For text to speech books such as DAISY books, I wanted to put in a DAISY folder on the SD card. That way when I load items from the computer to the card….they are easier for me to keep up with. Well guess what, the device does not like that at all. Everything you put on the card goes into the root directory of the card and it sorts the different files out on its own. You just drag and drop whatever files you want onto the SD card and the device places them in its own folder structure. I am learning that you do not need the supplied file transfer software at all if you know how to unzip files and drag & drop. What the supplied software does is unzip files and place them on the card for you while using the Book Port Plus as a $355 SD card reader. I have also found a bug in the device firmware. When you plug the usb cable into the device to basically use the device as a card reader……the device will often times shut down/reboot/shut down/reboot, etc in this endless cycle. I called the company tech support and they are aware of this issue and are working on a firmware update. In my case I get around this by not using the USB at all and removing the SD card and putting it into the computer instead. Those are my updates and findings for now.

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+1

Thank you!

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Thanks for the update!
I hope they fix the bug soon!

18

A very thorough review and glad it’s working out for you.

Now I wonder whether Audible could be swayed to make this MAC compatible by an email campaign?

Phil

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That is a good idea. The NLS/BARD files that the device plays requires a unique key for each person and player. The DAISY files as well are encrypted so that the player can use them but not a normal computer. The audible software is doing the same but using the software as a go between like Adobe Digital Editions does with content. There is no reason why Audible could not have an OSX version of their software. The Book Port Plus is supported by Audible as far as playing the content, yet their software does not support the Mac. It is the same story for the Victor Reader Stream by Humanware.

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Here is another update now that I have more time using the Book Port Plus. I have learned that the unit does not like you creating your own folder structure. It wants you to just put an item in the root folder of the SD card. The machine sorts out what type of file or content that a certain file is on its own. That is great for the device but makes it harder to keep up with when viewing the files on a computer. Now I am not going to say the device is poorly made. However, for $355 I would like more robust build quality. For example, the device is all plastic. That means it it slippery to hold at times. There is nothing on it such a rubber sides to help you hold the device. The volume and key lock switches are sliders switches. The volume switch is on a spring so you push it up and is bounces back to neutral, same for volume down. However it feels “cheap” and is not smooth. The lock switch you push up to engage key lock. I like this feature a lot. However, it feels cheap. It is not a smooth slide to lock and unlock. It takes a small bit of force. Again for a feeling of cheapness, I think the headphone jack could have been of better quality. Yes it works just fine but again the jack is plastic sitting within a plastic body. While it works fine, I wish the device had a more solid click or locked the headphones in more securely. It is rather easy to knock the headphones out of the headphone jack by mistake. Have any of you ever owned or used an iPod Shuffle? The little 2GB music player? The entire unit is aluminum, made well, and has a quality feel to it. The headphone jack holds the headphones well and they click into place. The iPod Shuffle is the benchmark on how I think this $355 Book Port Plus should have been made. For that kind of money they could have made it with better materials. I enjoy the device very much and I am happy with it. I do however think the Japanese company that designed it could have done a better job. I honestly believe that this is a $100 device but costs $355 because it is an assistive technology device….they know you need it….so they can charge whatever they want.