Stanza - Accessible E-Book Reader for the iPhone

Scanning through the Personal Tech section of the Times, I bumped into an interesting tidbit, "Tip of the Week - Turn Your iPhone Into an e-Book - NYTimes.com". I have an iPod Touch (the iPhone sans phone), so I ws intrigued, though remaining skeptical, by this tip. I just downloaded the app, Stanza, to my iPod and fell in love. On a technical level, it is a perfect application of accessibility for a visually impaired user. The font sizes can be adjusted with a very wide range. You can select font and background colors with a wide selection of choices, not just a simple reverse color scheme option. The screen rotates with the iPod, so you can read it landscape with the larger text. Pages can be turned with a simple flick on the screen. Best of all, it retains your choice of settings. I could not be happier with the accessibility.

Now I have to download the desktop version and hope that there are interesting e-books to read . . .

Portable Player Portal Main Page

Here is a nice review of iPods, other digital music players and related software from an accessible perspective: Portable Player Portal Main Page. I am interested in Rockbox, which has a voice-based interface, but it does not allow for Audible.com playback.

The Complete Guide to iPod Audiobooks

The iPodLounge website has an excellent introdcution to using iPods to listen to audiobooks. So, if you have been thinking about becoming an audiobook listener, but have not yet taken that first step, this is for you.

iPod Shuffle review - "Now all can shuffle"

The New Straits Times, Malaysia News Online, has a review of the accessibility of the new iPod shuffle. It seems like a great choice for those who can't (or don't like to) read the screens that these devices come with. Since the iPod functions without a screen with a 'minimalist' user interface, the iPod Shuffle avoids, however unintentionally, the barriers posed by most MP3 players. Read the article, Now all can shuffle, for details.

My iPod Wishlist

I use an iPod MP3 player to listen to audiobooks. It has some great features and looks great too. I have some ideas about how to make it easier to use for those of us who find its screen hard to see. I sent the following message to Apple via its iPod feedback page

As a legally blind iPod user, I have a three suggestions for making the iPod better. The first is to add a bookmarking feature. The second is to add a Current AudioBook selection on the main menu. The third is to add audio cues. To be upfront, my main use for my iPod is to listen to Audible.com content. The bookmarking feature would be fairly standard. I am sure you have other requests for this, so I will not waste any more words on it. Adding a Current Audiobook would allow users to easily switch between music and their current book, without having to drill down and search thorough the list of audiobooks each time they switch between music and books. Audio cues would be the most important accessibility feature. I cannot read the iPod screen without my low vision aids, so maneuvering around the iPod is not so easy. If the iPod spoke out loud the current screen information when pressing the Menu button, my life would be much easier. Another nice cue would be for the iPod to list the current time and time remaining when the menu button is pressed while listening to the audiobook.

I will let you know if I get any response. What do you think of my suggestions? UPDATE (12 February 2005): No word from Apple, but I would like to add another idea. An undo feature that undoes the last accidental button press would be great!