#Mp3 players top rated how to#
#Mp3 players top rated portable#

#Mp3 players top rated portable#

But they have built-in loudspeakers so they’re not as portable as a Shuffle or similar MP3 player. In the UK, the RNIB sells Sovereign and Sonic portable USB players that enable blind users to play music from flash drives. (Daisy is an acronym for Digital Accessible Information Systems, and it’s an international standard for audio publications such as “talking books”.) There are products such as the Victor Reader Stream, which is a Daisy-compatible talking book and media player, and the Plextalk Pocket Daisy player, but they generally cost £300 to £400 or more. If there is, suppliers don’t appear to be addressing it. You would think there would be a huge market for cheap, easy-to-use MP3 players suitable for blind and visually impaired users, and for older users whose fingers are not as nimble as they used to be. Experiment with Siri on an iPad or iPhone to find out if you can operate an iPod Touch successfully.Ī new iPod Touch may be a bit spendy at the moment, but you may be able to afford a second hand or refurbished one.Įither way, as an iTunes user, sticking with Apple is the simplest way to maintain your current set-up. See Apple’s help page, Use Accessibility features on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.īetter still, the latest iPod Touch has Siri, Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant. These include the VoiceOver screen reader and Voice Control, which recognises command such as shuffle, pause and next song.

However, it does have a number of features that may make it usable by blind and visually impaired users. You might dismiss it for being a touchscreen player or, more likely, because it’s expensive at £199/£299 or $199/$299. The iPod Touch is the only surviving member of the iPod family, and it’s much like an iPhone without the phone. You may have a friend who is happy to do this for you, should the need arise, or a local repair shop that can do it cheaply. Replacement iPod batteries often ship with the small tools required, and there are usually demonstration videos on YouTube.

#Mp3 players top rated how to#

However, iFixit also shows how to replace the batteries in later versions of the Shuffle, and this could influence your choice of a new model. Unfortunately, iFixit says this is “very difficult” with a first-generation version, so I don’t recommend it in your case. Given that your last Shuffle lasted around nine years, this should also be a reasonably cost-effective option.Īlternatively, you could get someone to replace the battery in your current Shuffle. Your simplest and least disruptive option is to buy a more recent Shuffle, or two, either “as new” or little used. Many are advertised as being brand new and still sealed in their boxes. AnnabelleĪpple has discontinued the iPod Shuffle, but there are still lots of them available from other sources. Also, I don’t want it to be too spendy, as right this moment, I don’t have hundreds of dollars. m4a files, that can store lots of music, and most important of all, that has an easy way to replace the battery. I want something that can be compatible with iTunes Music, especially. Does anybody out there know of any lightweight, blind-accessible alternatives to the iPod Shuffle? I have a first-generation Shuffle, which I purchased in 2008, and the battery dies after one hour.

I am a blind young woman who absolutely loves listening to music.