Audio players
Types of digital music files
MP3 is the best-known type of digital audio file. You may also have encountered, and shied away from, WMA files. MP3 is simply a near-CD quality file format for audio files. It allows CD tracks to be reduced in size by about 90 per cent without significantly affecting sound quality. This in turn means it's quick and easy to download music from the internet (downloading means making a copy of a file on your computer, and streaming means listening to or watching something on your computer without making a copy of it).
WMA (Windows Media Audio) files are also compressed audio files, and were developed by Microsoft as a competitor to MP3s. Lots of other file formats are available, but these two are the ones you're most likely to encounter as you take your first digital steps.
Many of the products listed here will also play DAISY files (a type-of structured audio) and Audible files (downloadable audio books with copyright protection).
You can listen to MP3s and WMA files on your computer using programs like Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or WinAmp or load them straight onto a portable player.
Some devices will play WMA and MP3s, some won't. You can download free software to convert files to MP3 - but if this isn't your kind of thing, do take this file compatibility into consideration before you buy your player.
Devices
Creative Zen Stone
The 1GB Creative Zen Stone is an MP3 player without a display screen. As a result, because the Zen Stone has buttons rather than on-screen menus to navigate, it is pretty accessible to blind people. (Please note, however, that unlike the Milestone, Stream and BookSense it was not specifically designed for blind and partially sighted people.) It plays MP3 files, WMA and Audible files, comes with a mini USB socket and offers up to ten hours' playtime from a built-in rechargeable battery.
You can pick one up from Amazon for about £35, or it's possible to pick up a bargain from eBay. You might be lucky enough to get one for less than £20.
You can listen to two podcasts about the Zen Stone in the Blind Cool Tech archives. The first is dated 10/28/2007 and the second 12/27/2007 (it's an American site in case you're wondering about the dates). Both are produced, from a blind perspective, by David Miles. David also reviewed the Zen Stone for Access IT magazine (July 2007). You can download his review for more information.
Apple iPods
The most well-known brand of MP3 player is still the iPod. For a long time the only one accessible to blind and partially sighted people was the iPod Shuffle, now the new iPod Nano has some accessibility too.
You can buy an American book, Using the Accessible iPod, by Anna Dresner, to help get you up and running with a new iPod. Published by the National Braille Press in hardcopy braille, DAISY audio and e-text, it costs $15.
iPod Shuffle
Like the Zen Stone, the Shuffle has no screen, but it can be trickier to load your files on to the Shuffle. In From Vinyl to Digital, Darren Burton writes for AFB AccessWorld about his experiences with electronic audio players, including many featured on this page. Prices for a new Shuffle start at around £30.
iPod Nano
The new (fourth generation) Nano was evaluated for Access IT magazine (October 2008) by Stephen N Plumbton, one of RNIB's technology officers. He said: "The great news is that this is an iPod that anyone can buy and use, not a specialist product or needing an add-on for blind or partially sighted people to use. This is the first talking iPod to come to the market."
Rockbox
Other iPods can be made more accessible by installing a piece of free software called Rockbox, which can speak all menu items on the player's interface, spell folder and individual track names, and can be customised to speak folder or track titles either through synthetic speech or even using pre-recorded human speech.
DAISY Milestone
The DAISY Milestone is a portable all-purpose voice recorder, MP3 and DAISY player. The player has been designed to be simple to use and has excellent sound quality.
It has full navigation features and controls similar to a DAISY CD player. As well as listening to MP3 files, you can listen to DAISY titles and books copied onto an SD memory card. Large and complex structured DAISY books are easily navigated and played.
You can go directly to the end and beginning of books and jump forward and back in 5-minute intervals. You can also insert, use and remove up to 120 bookmarks per book. The Milestone's history function will go to the last 15 places you were reading from.
The Milestone has excellent player sound quality, as well as audio and voice announcements of function, folder and DAISY navigation. It is credit card-sized with a black front surface and five large contrasting silver colour tactile control buttons.
The DAISY Milestone 312 will play DAISY 2.02 files and a variety of music formats including MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV as well as Audible files - so you can copy your music straight on to the Milestone. It has 1GB internal storage and an SD card slot enables further storage to be added when required. The Milestone 312 has a built-in high quality speaker, standard 3.5mm headphone jack and a high-quality microphone, optimised for voice recording (recordings are made in MP3 format. It also has a microphone socket enabling you to use an external microphone).
It also has a text to speech program which reads both your text files and the names of folders or files saved on the Milestone, and a built-in FM radio with up to six preset channels and an alarm clock.
It is supplied with 2GB SD memory card, leather case, mains charger, USB cable and lanyard. You can buy the DAISY Milestone 312 (£260/£312) from RNIB.
Victor Reader Stream
The Victor Reader Stream is a compact and portable DAISY book and MP3 player. Weighing in at just 180 grams and the same size as a pack of playing cards, you can have your whole audio library in your pocket. The large, well-spaced buttons and advanced navigational controls make reading complex books and reference manuals quick and easy.
The Victor Stream also has a built-in text-to-speech program, which converts text files into speech, a voice recorder using built-in microphone and variable playback speed.
You can transfer books and music from your PC via the USB port (USB cable is supplied), and because the Victor Stream uses a removable SD card for storing books, music and voice recordings you can store as much information as you want. It has a battery life of up to 15 hours and is supplied with a carry case and headphones.
The Victor Reader Stream (£215/£258) is available from RNIB.
BookSense
The BookSense is a mobile phone-style digital audio book player that plays many formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, DAISY and Audible files. It's highly portable - it weighs only 4 ounces - and easily fits into the average pocket.
There are two versions available. The XT has an additional radio, built-in 4GB memory and can be linked to Bluetooth speakers or headphones. Both models can store content on SD cards up to 32GB.
Its rechargeable, user-removable battery will operate for up to 12 hours on a single charge and it includes a built-in digital recorder (which will record from the radio, the built-in mic, or an external mic).
The BookSense also has built-in announcement of time/date, a choice of two voices (Paul or Kate), an onboard 3.5mm earphone and external microphone jack, sleep timer, alarm clock and built-in microphone with user-adjustable microphone sensitivity.
The BookSense T50 (£225/£270) and T50XT (£315/£378) are both available from RNIB.