BookSense XT
A recent addition to the MDTAP Technology Library is the BookSense XT, produced by the HIMS Corporation. http://www.hims-inc.com. No matter where you get your digital audio books, the BookSense will likely be able to play it. It includes support for most common audio file formats as well as support for specialized formats such as that used by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) http://www.loc.gov/nls, BookShare http://www.bookshare.org and Learning Ally(formerly RFB&D) http://www.learningally.org.
The features which make the BookSense stand out from many digital book players currently on the market are it’s small size and long battery life. It has easy-to-understand text-to-speech voices, which as expected can be highly customized to suit a listener’s preferences. A powerful bookmarking system and a variety of audio recording options are also included.
Media can be copied from a computer to the bookSense using the included USB Cable or via SD Card. While the BookSense has internal flash memory, very large capacity SD Cards are easily available which makes for a virtually limitless amount of storage.
One criticism of the BookSense is the unusual shape of the keys. They are smooth and convex, which may make differentiating between them difficult for some. This is a fine example of why you might want to borrow the Booksense from our Technology Library before deciding if it is the perfect digital book reader for you. To speak with one of our Assistive Technology Specialists, call (410) 554-9230.
For product information and a full specification list see: http://www.hims-inc.com/products/booksense-xt
