The Sword and Laser discussion
Audio Book Player
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i listen on my mp3 player. i had a Creative Zen until it died a couple of months ago, then i bought a Samsung YP-RO for about 70 quid - only 8 gb memory (only! as my first PC had 2 mb ram that makes me smile) but a microSD expansion slot. no external speaker, as is the case with most mp3 players, but i have a pair of PC speakers i plug it into for use around the house when not using the headphones.i've put a 16 gig card in which i use for music, and load books to the internal memory. functionality is pretty basic compared to my old Zen (one serious lack is an "queue up" function) but for the price i'm pretty chuffed with it.
Thanks Paul, I'll have a look at those Samsung Players, and the Zen.The only reason I like an internal speaker, is so I can just pop the player under my pillow when going to sleep - the place where I listen to most of my audiobooks. I suppose an external speaker could be substituted but not ideal.
I did have a sumvision ice 4gb player years ago - that was a cheap cool player with speaker, pretty limited though, and not about anymore.
Have plenty of mSD cards so capacity is not important.
Thanks again for the suggestions
I know you are looking for an SD player, but the iPod nano or touch probably fits the bill for what you want. Both have screens and good battery life. You can also read ebooks on a touch. I've read a couple dozen books on my iPhone. The only downside is that people find iTunes on a PC a less than optimal experience.
Has anyone tried the Kindle as an audio book player? From what I've heard there's some Audible integration and the speakers are supposed to work fairly well.I'm not an audio book listener myself, so maybe someone who has actually used the Kindle for audio books can help out.
Anne wrote: "Maybe someone who has actually used the Kindle for audio books can help out."In my brief experience with it, it works fine for long periods of listening. If you ever want to skip back or do a quick pause, it's not the most convenient option.
Thanks for your great suggestions (Anne,Skip,Aldenoneil)I was just looking at the ipod nano today and have looked at the touch previously, Your so right it is partly the itunes software that is stopping me going that route, I know theres ways around it with other software etc but its a bit of a mess. I have looked at getting a touch several times though despite myself lol. Just know I wouldn't be happy with it.
Yesterday I actually was searching on "mp3 playback on the kindle", had the same idea as you Ann.
I guess it comes down to this, either I pay as little as possible <£40ish for something that will barely work, or I go way above that and get something decent.
As I don't really use a mobile phone, getting a nice android phone is out at present. (unless there is one fairly cheap with access to the android store??)(I don't think there are any android equivalents to the ipod touch? ie just media players)
Like the kindle idea, thought the music playback was kinda experimental at this stage...
Maybe a 7" android tablet would serve several purposes, better than the kindle, wouldn't mind paying extra for than, not sure there are any decent ones around yet, and would be nice to have icecream sandwitch on it
I hate having loads of separate devices
So many decisions, I think my brain is melting.
Ps Audiobooks are great like a movie in you mind. :)
Just wanted to pass along that I use an iPod Touch and love it for audio books. The speaker on the 4G model is pretty descent.
I use an iPod Nano and can't imagine any other way to listen to Audiobooks. I use Audible and don't have any problems.
Audible is well integrated with iTunes, so if you get most of your audiobooks there, I wouldn't worry. I have a few audiobooks I ripped from the CDs I had bought years ago, and they were a little messier. If you have consistent wifi access the Touch is a great buy, as a complete device. I have no real issues with iTunes, but I sync off the kitchen iMac.
I guess if I was more of a Mac user I would have few concerns, but still there are issues with converting to use on other devices, proprietary formats and the closed eco system as well as the syncing with horrible software, I don't think anything Apple will be for me.Not that there is anything wrong with all that, just not for me, I like as many options open as possible.
Thanks for the suggestions, it has helped me greatly in organising my thoughts on the issue.
I have come to the conclusion that a 7" tablet will be an ideal way for me to play audiobooks (esp the way I listen to them at night) Also will be able to use it for Text books, as well as internet access.
So looks like an Android tablet is on the cards Woohoo! :D I do hear that Amazon may be comming out with one... Will keep a look out, no rush I will struggle along until I find somethng sutible.
I guess this has become an 7" tablet recommendation thread now lol I imagine a "Android" one will be the most useful with all the apps esp the audiobook apps and support for many ebooks formats, but am open to any suggestions.
Sounds like you need to look at the Nook Color which is both a reader and, with the latest update, a decent android tablet.
Good point Bob. I kinda dismissed that ages ago when it first came out, but have just looked at it again, they keep bringing new ones out :)Just watched a Vid of Honeycomb (Android OS) on it and it does look very slick.
Questions do arise though, as its locked to Barnes&Nobel so there are restrictions implicit in that, but they do use e-Pub which means it should have no problems reading books from various places.
Hrm, well its not a Tablet per se, however its price is significantly lower than a vanilla android tablet.
Looks like its a definite contender will research a little more.
I still have not quite decided between this type of e-reader on steroids ( I imagine Amazon,Google and others will be releasing more b4 Q4) or pay a bit more for a "proper" Tablet.
Thanks for the suggestion, def got me thinking
You are right, this e-reader tablet mashup space is a good one. I am not sure how it operates but the recent nook update also added a app support, which if they keep it open enough will eventually fill any niche.For the price it is a good enough tablet that is a reader as well.
Good luck in your search and keep us posted, I for one am in a similar search.
Bob
Will do Bob, I imagine there are many people who are wandering around in this space, wanting to buy something, but concerned about getting stung with an inappropriate device.Esp with all the e-text formats / flash support / audio file support/ app stores / Updates / restrictions and DRM, etc. It can be a bit of a minefield.
Then there is rooting devices if your into that, which brings a new level of usefulness to them, or not :)
I kind of imagine me buying a device, and then the week later another comes out which has something really useful like remote controlling my PC screen or Dropbox support or Netflix integration, or something I haven't even thought of lol
I may be over-thinking this ;)
Just an idea I had ages ago - what if:Then made a tablet/E-reader that had two screens, one on each side. one Eink and the other lcd.
They could have a cover that snapped around one side, so when it was over the lcd you would be using the ereader only and just reading books etc with all the long battery life that entails.
Then when you wanted to go on to the web, watch a video etc you would just snap off the cover and pop it over the ereader screen, auto turning it off and the other one on.
Best of both worlds (regarding Eink and lcd anyway)
For whatever it's worth, unless you're buying audiobooks on CD and ripping them yourself, you're always going to have some sort of DRM to contend with. iPods use iTunes for transfer but the music doesn't need to come from the iTunes store. I get most of mine from Amazon (have had issues with audio quality from iTunes), if they're not ripped off my own CD. iTunes, while no longer the svelte application it used to be, does what it needs to do. I've been using it since 2003 when the first Windows-compatible iPod came out.Not trying to sway you to an i-device, it sounds like you've got your heart set on an Android (and I've had some really bad Android experiences so I'm not the person to ask for a partial judgement), just letting you know that DRM and incompatible DRM is always going to be an issue. If you're looking to go tablet, I definitely wouldn't get the Nook, I'd get something that's got the real Android OS such that you can better use apps (including the Kindle and Nook apps) and listen to stuff.
By DRM/ Restrictions I meant that different devices use different DRM, so sometimes you can be stuck using one only one device, and not be able to listen / read your content on you PC or phone or other media player. Just something to be aware of is all. I believe the Adobe Adept DRM is the most versatile in this area, but have little experience myself of DRM files.Re the Nook, I see what your saying, I guess it depends on the price really, the Nook could be quite a lot cheaper than an Tablet.
Thats one main issue - do you buy an e-reader and just put up with the slowness and limitations or spend the extra £100-250ish for a Tablet.
Hard decision as new Tablets are coming out all the time cheaper ones too.
Itunes for me is, well, lets say, its just not going back on my PC. I really don't what such a behemoth with all its foibles, trying to organise my music and messing with my tags, when all I want to do is drag over a album to a device, not to mention all the extra procs and services it has loaded. I'm sure its fine for others. (and don't tell anyone but I did have it on for a while just because I wanted to have the full screen coverflow of all my albums and videos - in the end though thats all it was used for.)
Transmitthis wrote: "By DRM/ Restrictions I meant that different devices use different DRM, so sometimes you can be stuck using one only one device, and not be able to listen / read your content on you PC or phone or other media player. Just something to be aware of is all. I believe the Adobe Adept DRM is the most versatile in this area, but have little experience myself of DRM files."Yes, I mean the same thing. It's actually the reason I wouldn't buy a Nook. But almost all devices play mp3s so if you're looking for a device that plays mp3s, they all do. Audible files are locked to being able to be downloaded to only a certain number of devices, but they play on almost everything.
I know nothing about Adobe Adept but still maintain that if you're going to get any kind of device, get one as versatile as possible--exactly why I wouldn't get a Nook if you want to do other stuff. Get one that you can install real applications on so you can use any number of formats.
Both Android and iOS allow you to install apps for the various readers as well as read PDFs. That gives you flexibility for where to buy from. I have a Kindle and spend a ton of time reading on it, but for anything else multi-media, I use either my iPod nano or iPhone.
Your def right Terpkristin, but just to clarify about the Nook and Adept DRM
The real killer advantage of the Nook’s content over the Kindle’s is the fact that the device is fundamentally an e-Pub reader, and all of its copy-protected content relies on Adobe Digital Editions DRM.
Allow me to translate: it uses the single most universal e-book format for all of its content. And it also uses the single most universal DRM system for copy-protecting books sold by commercial publishers.
Allow me to translate the translation: the Nook Color will read damn-near anything out there, no matter what store you buy it from. If you want to buy something from the new Google e-book Store or from an independent publisher, it’ll install just fine. If you’ve downloaded a public-domain book, it’ll install even Just Finer.
And the Adobe Digital Editions DRM scheme also allows local libraries to lend e-books to its patrons. You can install the file on your reader and it simply self-destructs after the loan period is up. And yup, these library editions also work just fine on the Nook Color.
Installing Adobe DRM’d books from libraries and competing bookstores isn’t nearly as simple as just buying them directly from the Nook Store. You need to tether the Nook to your computer via USB and then use the desktop Adobe Digital Editions app to install the title. But once it’s on there, it’s as good as any book you buy from Barnes & Noble.
Sorce
So while I totally agree and advocate getting a device with an platform that is as open as possible to facilitate as many formats and usage scenarios as your likely to use, it's not always black and white, and if your budget is limited and your choosing between a Nook for example and an sony ereader then you need to know the above. :)
Well then you've done a 180 on what you started this thread for. You started asking about audio players. Now you're talking electronic, non-audio stuff. Yes, that makes a little difference, though were it me, I'd wait an extra month and buy a tablet that's got more functionality than a dedicated ereader in general, Nook, Kindle, Sony, or otherwise.Heck, if you didn't want to see the cover of the book and were looking for an audio player, I'd recommend you get something like the SanDisk Sansa Clip. It's inexpensive (about $50 US) and though it doesn't have the external speaker, a small one could be procured fairly cheaply and still beat the price of anything else that's come up in this thread.
You'll do fine with whatever you buy. Just if it were me and finances were a concern, I wouldn't buy a device that's intended to be dedicated to one function (such as an ebook reader), I'd wait a little longer and buy something with greater functionality.
:) Not really a 180, the ideal product I started with was something not available, just a dream. So looked around at what was. A small cheep device is def a good idea, but would prefer not to have loads of devices with all there chargers and wires, bit of a minimalist. Anyway I was intending on buying a tablet at some stage, and with the help of the replies here, I kinda decided that an android tablet or similar would fit the bill nicely.
Agreed it does seem prudent to wait a while and see what happens in this space as Bob says.
I just hope my old Viewty phone holds out... I'm using it in vitural sim mode as its call days are over, and I have to type a service code in each time the batter dies, which is every time I use it =p. I can have a pc or laptop on and use a bluetooth speaker (Logitech's Z-500) but then I run into laptop battery issues, or excessive electric usage via the main PC
Think I best start a spreadsheet of all sutible Android Tablets and there specs... lol after a lie down
terpkristin wrote: "Heck, if you didn't want to see the cover of the book and were looking for an audio player, I'd recommend you get something like the SanDisk Sansa Clip. It's inexpensive (about $50 US) and though it doesn't have the external speaker, a small one could be procured fairly cheaply and still beat the price of anything else that's come up in this thread..."That's exactly what I would recommend. I've used iPod Nanos for years and found them to be glitchy and short-lived with heavy use. They typically last a year or less for me as a mailman with heavy daily use.
I bought a Sansa Clip+ and it works great without all the bells and whistles I almost never use on my Nano. The ear buds it comes with are outstanding for quality and durability. It plays audio books I download via Overdrive from my local library very seamlessly. It also integrates well with Audible. And I can buy 3 of them for what I paid for one Nano. Adios Apple.
SansaClip, that sounds like a great little mp3 player, not for me however very useful device.I was just looking around on Amazon and saw this Tablet
Tabtech M009S
It's £80ish wondering what if something that cheep would be useful, maybe just for a stop gap measure, or whether it would be more frustrating than anything, what do you think?
Ah, seems like there are many of these devices at around the £70-£100 price range, most with 7" screen and android 2.1 Sorry didn't know that, Hrm, well I suppose the Question still remains, What do you thing of these low end Android devices?
If I'm honest all I want to do with one is listen to audio books, read ebooks light surfing and email, maybe display a few pictures (doubt video or utube will be stutter free, don't really matter at price)
My thoughts are, it may be worth it to get a sub £100 device, but 2.1 is very restrictive may see if theres a 2.2 about, for ease of use of Android market etc.
I would be very careful with the cheaper tablets. Esp if they are pre-tegra2 chipset. The power of the newer chipset has taken these from "a pain to use slab" to "want it with me all the time". Saving money by going with an older version with less power I think might be frustrating.
Given the precarious nature of your current phone/player I would consider one of the mp3 players as mentioned such as the clip as an interim. Ebay mp3 players and wade past all the $0.99 entries and in the $3-5 range there are players to be found. Low enough that it could be a bridge purchase and then set aside.
The battle is just starting in tablets and like PCs were, the prices are ramping down and the power up with every generation. Add the competition and the fact that we are going to see tegra2 equipped market losers being dumped and you have plenty of incentive to wait a bit.
I was wondering if a throwaway tablet would be something to play with, with out worrying too much how lame it is, guess I just got the buy urge..:)Been looking this morning and there are thousands of these Android Tabs about (well hundreds), I guess its just a case of deciding your price point.
I mean does it really matter too much on the speed and features... yikes what am I saying lol of course it does :)
Maybe I should choose a few well know makes and decide on the features I want then just wait for the prices to drop like you say Bob.
As they go from £80-£600 there should be something there that is suitable. Tegra2 def makes a difference as does capacitive screens, and then theres the battery, lots of these cheaper ones seem to have 2h battery's.
I think finding one with at least "Gingerbread" is a good move, as it will be updated to the latest Android when its available unlike some of the older ones that will be stuck on their old firmware. That whittles the list down a bit.
Still finding it difficult to wade through all the available Tablets to find one I like.Didn't know some of them can be used as phones too. that may be intresting, as I could get rid of my mobile then, rarely use it anyway and having fewer device is always a plus for me. (as long as its not a contract)
I'm still thinking of getting a cheapish 7" tablet within a few weeks, then I could use it for 6months, and ebay it when a more expensive one with all the bells and whistles I would like comes out.
Seen some that have Capacitive screens gingerbread Os and 1GH proc for £165 (storage options - Scroll manafac #52577) Thats better than the £300 viewsonic viewpads in speed and OS.
The prices change all the time though as do the specs with new versions comming out all the time.
Really can't wait around as I have e-books books that I'm itching to read, and that's hard going on a laptop.
I'll pop together a excel sheet of all the sub £200 7" tablets that are available from "trusted Retailers" have to do something to limit it :) and don't want to get some flybynight tab from a shady etailer.
Ebuyer
Amazon
Dabs
Scan
Play
CCL
Anywhere else that you can recommend?
(If you want I'll pop the sheet up on google docs)
I will throw in a late bid for using the zune HD with external speaker...I have used it for 2+years and it does great and integrates with windows well. good battery life also.
I'm totally ruined by Chuck, whenever someone says Zune, I think of this:http://youtu.be/tqTYI55K1eo
Apparently you can't embed videos here. I just tried.
Also, if you wanted to go for an inexpensive route while saving money and you are concerned about having too many chargers/cables, I would still recommend something akin to the SanDisk Sansa with the Altec Lansing Orbit speaker. Runs on 3 AAA batteries. I got mine on special from woot but amazon has them pretty inexpensively http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-U...I put it in my kitchen and listen to things while I cook. Just a thought.
Anne wrote: "I'm totally ruined by Chuck, whenever someone says Zune, I think of this:http://youtu.be/tqTYI55K1eo
Apparently you can't embed videos here. I just tried."
well it worked...I get that alot when I say Zune to people....it's a big lol usually...
Be proud of your Zune! I'm using my 4gb Zune. It works well. I wish that Audible would stop dragging their feet and release their WP7 app. The only thing I miss is being able to adjust the speed.
Andrew wrote: "Be proud of your Zune! I'm using my 4gb Zune. It works well. I wish that Audible would stop dragging their feet and release their WP7 app. The only thing I miss is being able to adjust the speed."I love my zune HD I just laugh when people go "You have a what?" then they play with it and they think it rocks...
Just get an iPod Touch. It has everything you need - Audible, iPod, Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Google Books, Overdrive, not to mention the Sword and Laser app.I use Audible's app exclusively for audiobooks and it rocks. It has bookmarking, 30 sec rewind, most modern books are broken down by chapters, you can buy and download audiobooks directly to the app and my favorite feature - 3x speed :D
Given that this thread has been going for a week and you don't seem any closer to a decision, I'm going to hop in and say suck it up and get an iPod Touch, or an iPad if you really want the tablet form factor. There's an iOS Audible app that adds a lot of fun peripheral stuff to the audiobook experience, and lets you bypass iTunes completely. You can buy books on the website, either on your computer or on the iPod, and download them directly into the app. The same is true of Kindle - download the free app, buy books on amazon.com, boom, they're available in the app. Check out the app at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audibl...And if you prefer to manage your audiobook collection on your PC, iTunes on Windows really isn't bad at all, certainly much better than the terrible knockoffs I've seen shipped with Android devices. Honestly, it sounds like you've never owned a PDA of any sort. Any tablet/smartphone/PDA is going to require some kind of synching software, and iTunes is better than anything else I've seen used for the purpose by a huge margin.
If you're religiously set against Apple (and if you are, I think you're shooting yourself in the foot, but hey, it's your foot), then the Nook is the way to go. Nothing it going to completely satisfy your requirements in your price range, and Android tablets (other than the Nook) cost just as much as an iPad.
All we need is a small device with external speaker, and headphone jack, AA or AAA battery for easy replacement.
Forget the replaceable battery requirement. iPod touch meets the other two.
Software wise it just needs to display the Book cover (maybe the device can be the same proportionality as a book cover, so it fits on the display) like a mini book.
iPod Touch does this, either with the Audible app or the native audio player.
Then it needs to start where it left off, ie set it to play for 60 min then it auto offs, and on restart it wont loose your place.
Even an iPod nano will do this.
Also needs to have audio bookmarks, so you can easily save passages to reread later etc.
The Audible iOS app does this - you've got a bookmark button on the player screen, just tap it and the bookmark is saved.
A SD or Micro SD for easy Dragon droppings from your Pc and its all good.
I would forget about this one as well - fumbling with SD cards isn't as easy as downloading the books directly to the device, or managing them in iTunes and doing a synch.
I'd pay £140ish for such a device... but alas nothing doing.
Yeah, that's going to be the killer, isn't it. The Touch is £193 new, although you'd probably be fine picking up a refurb somewhere. If you want a decent experience though, I wouldn't make price a huge sticking point. I'm not saying you should throw frugality out the window and buy the most expensive thing you can find, but I do think you shouldn't cull your selection based on price before looking at the quality and capabilities of a bunch of devices.
No idea why its not been invented yet, I'm certainly not going to buy a £500 phone just to get close to this functionality, but what else can I do?
Nothing stopping you from inventing such a device, you know :)
Thanks for that well thought out comment Mike, much appreciated.Things kinda moved on from my first post, have updated it now, well crossed out irrelevances.
My new requirements: (read wants):)
7" Screen
Android OS
Not to belittle anything you said, but I think that a 7" screen would be ideal for reading, I have used an ipad before while fixing it (PC Technician - er so yes have had many pda's =p )
10" is way too big for that, and ipods are too small. I want a multi function device so it has to serve for audio and ebook reading, thats why 7/8 inches is about ideal, for the reading part
That really only leaves the android devices, and to be honest I have not really looked at any for over a year, mainly deal with desktops and laptops.
Anyway after a few days of being overwhelmed with the amount of them around I have found out a few things of note.
1) Anything under £100 is defiantly going to be low on battery, have poor wifi reception, minimal RAM, slow processor and resistive screens - not really worth getting.
2) There are some around £200, devices that have more RAM, Capacitive Screens,latest Android version,and better CPU's this is where I'm leaning at present.
Storage Options-Scroll (Several versions, good reviews)
Kogan-Agora (Australian, not out yet though)
These two are interesting.
3)Top of the range Tablets around the £400 and up mark are what I ideally want, but just too expensive, Bluetooth, GPS, HSDPA and 1080p HDMI out, would be nice but I don't think there quite ready yet, by that I mean the OS isn't optimized and the price has not settled down.
So, if your still following and haven't gone to sleep :) I think the ideal thing for me would be to get something with at least 512MB RAM, SD Slot Capacitive Screen, Internal Speakers Dual Core CPU @ roughly the £200 mark.
Which I could then use from till xmas, and get to know its limitations and what features I really use, then in January/Feb this one can get sold and I can buy what I would call a "proper" one ie Icecream Sandwich OS version and Updated specks inc phone and camera functionality.
Am open to any recommendations for a 7" Tab, that peeps have seen, or that are coming out by the end of June
Ah, I didn't catch that the 7" screen was important - I'd reiterate my recommendation of the Nook then. It's only $200, which is ~£120. It's got a 7" screen and runs on Android, and it's made to be a book reader - which means you'll get a good book reader that can also do some web browsing, etc, rather than a junky wannabe iPad. Whatever you get, don't pay attention to the specs. Any company that's selling a tablet device based on specs is probably selling a bad user experience. Read reviews, and get hands on time with whatever you want before you buy it if at all possible.
I disagree about the iPad being too big for reading (it's what I primarily use mine for), but the weight may be an issue, depending on how big your hands are and where you mostly intend to use it. It's not ideal for standing, but it's more comfortable than a book if you're sitting or lying down, IMO - no hand fatigue from holding pages back. The screen is about the size of a hardcover book.
Hrm, OK this may sound a bit daft, but I'm looking for an Audio book Player.
At present I'm using an old phone, and its pretty lame, with 2hr battery and difficulty with navigation.
What I thought was buy myself a nice audiobook player, but to my consternation there weren't any about, anywhere.
Why has no one invented something to do this?
All we need is a small device with external speaker, and headphone jack, AA or AAA battery for easy replacement.
Software wise it just needs to display the Book cover (maybe the device can be the same proportionality as a book cover, so it fits on the display) like a mini book.
Then it needs to start where it left off, ie set it to play for 60 min then it auto offs, and on restart it wont loose your place.
Also needs to have audio bookmarks, so you can easily save passages to reread later etc.
A SD or Micro SD for easy Dragon droppings from your Pc and its all good.
I'd pay £140ish for such a device... but alas nothing doing.
No idea why its not been invented yet, I'm certainly not going to buy a £500 phone just to get close to this functionality, but what else can I do?
Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I can use as a AudioBook player?
EDIT - Update After many useful replies I have decided to look at a combined ereader/audio player with web access, touch screen, so am looking for a
7"Android Tablet like device.
-Android Tablets 7"-
Storage Options
Disgo
Archos
Creative
Freescale
Kogan
Resources -
mobileread forum
Refrence:
2.3+3 = Ice Cream Sandwich
3.0 Honeycomb
2.3 Gingerbread
2.2 Froyo
2.1 Eclair