[access-uk] Solutions In A Box? - Orion Web Box Internet Radio Review
- From: "Jackie Cairns" <cairnsplace@xxxxxxx>
- To: "Access UK Mailing List" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:32:33 -0000
Due to popular demand, I have been asked to post the below review to the list.
Draw your own conclusions from its contents, and I'm happy to answer any
questions that I can.
Jackie
SOLUTIONS IN A BOX?
THE ORION WEB BOX INTERNET RADIO
JACKIE CAIRNS
There are now thousands of radio stations worldwide that one may tune into over
the Internet. And this way of accessing radio has become so popular that
several manufacturers such as Intempo and Roberts have brought out stand-alone
devices that allow you to listen to your favourite programmes without using a
PC.
But while Internet radio, as it is known, is commercially available and
affordable, it isn't accessible for those with little or no sight. With so
much material to choose from, operating an Internet radio if you don't have
enough vision to read the display is a daunting prospect. But thanks to the
collaboration of Dutch company Solutions Radio, and UK charity SoundTalking -
which is the commercial outlet of the popular Talking Newspaper Association of
the United Kingdom (TNAUK) - an Internet radio with speech feedback is now
available.
This piece reviews a trial Orion Web Box, supplied by SoundTalking, and
outlines what users may expect from the service in the coming months.
CONTROLS AND FEATURES
The Orion Web Box is a sturdy rectangular-shaped device in contrasting black
and grey colours. It is slightly sloped so that the back is higher than the
front, with a speaker, all its controls, and small display positioned on the
top.
When the Web Box is facing you, the speaker grill occupies the portion towards
the back of the machine, with small display, five buttons and rotary volume
control/mute/pause/bookmark facility nearer to the front. A mains outlet,
RJ45 ethernet connection, two phono sockets and phone connectors are at the
rear of the unit.
The five round buttons are arranged in a sighted L-shape further to the front
of the unit. The first one is up, below which is down, below which is the OK
or Accept button. To the right of the OK is Back, followed by On/Off. The
rotary volume/mute/pause/bookmark control is in the middle of the L-shape, and
is very distinctive to feel and turn. To mute or pause what you are listening
to, simply press down the rotary control, and press again to continue. The
control, when pressed down and held, also acts as a bookmark facility.
The small display comprises black text on a yellow background. But as a
totally blind person, I could not say how easy this would be to use for those
with limited sight.
In the middle of the front edge of the Web Box is a small round sensor which
detects the accompanying remote control. This small hand-held control allows
the same functionality as the Web Box itself.
Before turning on the Web Box, it needs to be mains powered and connected to
the accompanying ethernet cable to provide access to the Internet. Once this
is done, press the bottom right button to switch on the device. A few short
beeps indicates that the Web Box has power, and is proceeded by the following:
"Hello and welcome to SoundTalking Internet radio. Press the OK button when
you hear the subject of your choice. You can choose from: Announcements;
Bookmark Facility; National Radio Stations; Local Radio Stations; Local Talking
Newspapers; National Talking Newspapers and Magazines; SoundTalking
Publications; Soundings Magazine; Info Sound; Music for Blind; Calibre Books;
RNIB Talking Books; Podcasts; Useful Information on the Orion Web Box." You
may intercept this list of choices at any point by pressing the OK button to
enter a sub-menu with further choices. Alternatively, if you know the choices
off by heart, you can quickly go up and down to find the item you want more
rapidly using the buttons described above. At the end of the list read out,
the voice continues with: "As you have made no choice, this menu will be
repeated."
As you have now discovered, the Orion Web Box is more than just an Internet
radio. It has been designed to accept the entire range of TNAUK publications
which is an annual subscription service. In addition, both RNIB and Calibre
have included talking books which they say they will update at regular
intervals. These publications may be bookmarked, with a current limit of up to
10.
As an avid radio listener, and most anxious to access this aspect of the Orion
Web Box, I discovered that the trial unit contains only 25 national and 14
local stations which may be increased on request to SoundTalking. These
stations are all easily accessed by choosing either the national or local radio
stations list from the main menu, and then selecting the preferred station from
the sub-menu. Again, the list will be repeated if you make no selection, and
just pressing the OK button allows you to make your choice. A series of beeps
ensues while you wait for your selected radio station to commence.
The speech menus are clear and straightforward to follow. No prior computer
knowledge is required to operate the Web Box, apart from the fact you must have
an Internet connection so that the radio can find the necessary information.
For those who prefer to use Wi-Fi, or wireless connectivity, a model of the Web
Box supporting this capability is available for an extra charge.
I was disappointed to discover that the Orion Web Box is only a mono radio,
both from its external speaker and through headphone listening. A supplied
lead with two phono jacks at one end can be connected to the rear of the Web
Box, with a 3.5MM socket at the other that allows attachment to your own
headphones. It looks like a stereo device because of its two phono sockets,
but it is, in fact, mono.
The Orion Web Box is available in two flavours from SoundTalking. The standard
ethernet version costs £279, and the wireless option £315. This is in stark
contrast to commercially available Internet radios which cost from £99 to £200.
The commercial alternatives also support approximately 6,000 stations
worldwide, and update automatically when new channels are added. You can
choose from country or genre when browsing these radios, and some even offer
the facility to allow you to listen to your own music collections from your PC.
But, as already stated, such an appetising prospect is impossible without
sufficient sight. At present, therefore, we are faced with a limited option in
the form of the Orion Web Box. It is limited because all stations need to be
added by SoundTalking. All stations are also tagged, which means that they
have to be voice labelled so that the user may identify them. When a station
therefore goes out of date, or changes its name, the original speech label, or
tag, doesn't automatically update, and needs to be altered manually. This is
costly for the suppliers to upkeep, and is dependent upon regular maintenance.
Both partners in this project have assured me that anyone wishing to have a
radio station of their choice added to the Orion Web Box can do so by
contacting SoundTalking. They also insist the unit will be updated regularly
with a variety of books and information from other sources. And they have
stated that they will support anyone who purchases an Orion Web Box regardless
of whether or not they take out a Talking Newspapers subscription.
CONCLUSIONS
This is a compact device with a lot of practicability for those who are not
particularly computer literate, yet want to listen to a variety of radio
stations, or TNAUK/RNIB/Calibre publications in one solution. It is easy to
use, and contains a straightforward set of print and audio instructions. There
is clearly enormous potential for the unit to be developed further,
particularly the radio aspect.
I do have concerns, however, about long term support for the Web Box. While
trials and user feedback have been positive, I cannot help wondering what sort
of shelf life such a device will have if it needs constant speech tagging and
manual maintenance to ensure everything is kept up-to-date.
For further information, contact SoundTalking on 01435 862737, send an Email to
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, or visit
http://www.soundtalking.co.uk/internet-radio-service.html.
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