2020-12-16 20:01:14 (edited by jdawg1983 2020-12-16 20:03:12)

I’m  kind of wary about posting this kind of message to this forum, given the less than stellar replies others have got in semi-similar situations, not to mention the fact that I have started  audio game related topics a handful of times, and have not gotten responses, however here goes. I have a go fund me site, which currently has a campaign up for the purchase of a Victor reader trek. I, as like most other blind individuals, am on a fixed income, have other bills to pay, and a family to support.  I have an iPhone, and I have stated so on the page, but I would like a portable device to be able to read books with. I’m not asking for complete coverage of the cost of the device, but any little bit helps. Also, I feel that the story that I have put up needs improvement. Any takers? :-)
Given the current world situation, I am not expecting much donations, would love it though, trust me. frankly, I know others have much more important things to spend their money on. But then again if we got a whole bunch of people to donate… :-)
Here’s the site: gofundme.com/f/purchase-of-a-victor-reader-trek

2020-12-16 20:11:07 (edited by Nocturnus 2020-12-16 20:13:02)

The trek isn't the only way to read books portablly.  Do you live in the states?  Have you an iOS or Android device?  Do you have an account with your local branch of the national library service?  They'll send you a player for free which will play all the mainstream audio formats as well as bard DAISY titles.  Of course, if you have a bard account you already have access to that material with either an iOS or Android device through the bard app itself.
Note: this is just a suggestion while you await something better.  I do hope you get some donations as reading is more than just entertainment; it is food and drink for the mind, body and soul and helps one improve their productivity, creativity and learn new abilities.  Unlike a gaming console, which is the other topic people are a bit tiffed about, this one doesn't seem too bad, and I'd donate if I had money.  As it stands, I just used the last of it to buy my wife a much needed upgrade for her wrist, meaning an apple watch.  Her doctor recommended it as she almost had a heart attack recently and she wanted a way to help monitor its activity.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-12-16 20:13:27

@2 you mean Apple watch?

2020-12-16 20:26:52 (edited by jdawg1983 2020-12-16 20:27:57)

Hey, thanks  for the response, I honestly wasn’t expecting any.
Yes, I have a bard account, and an iOS device, and I also have a book port desktop, but I find the UI of the stream/trek to be way better, especially on bard, and other online Services. If y’all wouldn’t mind, share that link with people that you may know, so I can hopefully get donations. I did have a digital player  from MLS, but send it back, due to the fact that I have the book port desktop, which basically does the same thing, plus more.
Now you guys are probably asking why do you want another daisy player, when you already  have a book port? Well, as I said before, portability. You can’t exactly carry the BPDTaround with you like you can with a smaller device such as the trek. :-)

2020-12-16 20:28:17

Um, I thought I edited that...

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-12-16 20:29:42

I've never seen the trek but am looking forward to my stream, which I should be getting thanks to DBS soonish.  I don't want all that GPS functionality.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-12-16 20:30:16

@2 I appreciate your at least willingness to donate if you could. And who knows, maybe you’ll be able to eventually, it’s not like I plan on closing the campaign down anytime soon. :-) Trust me, your wife is way more important than I am. To you, and probably everyone else.:-)

2020-12-16 20:32:20

@6 i’d take the stream, but I love the Bluetooth connectivity that the trek offers.

2020-12-16 20:38:46 (edited by Rich_Beardsley 2020-12-16 20:42:04)

Do you have an agency who will buy it for you?
Edit: @8, I agree with you. I prefer bluetooth headphones to wired ones unless I'm on a computer. On devices like my phone and victor, wires get in the way. Also, I don't even have a headphone jack on my phone and I lost my adapter

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2020-12-16 21:02:10

Sadly I'm a bit too short on funds and have credit to worry about myself, but have you considered selling the Bookport DT and using some of that credit towards a Trek? If you prefer the Trek's layout to the BPD you're probably not going to be using the BPD much once you have the Trek. The BPD is probably still worth quite a lot. You might try a Blind Bargains classified if you have $5 to spare, or a trades list via email.
Good luck! As a Trek user myself I can confidently confim that you're probably not going to need any other player, otherwise I wouldn't straight up advise selling the BPD.

2020-12-16 21:22:01

@9 I don’t have an agency that will buy it for me, otherwise I wouldn’t be setting up a go fund me campaign. :-)
@10 I’ve tried both of the email trading lists that I know of, swap  shop, and blind ads, and nobody wants the thing. :-)

2020-12-16 21:31:40

Ebay? FaceBook? I'm sure if you find the right source someone will buy it

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2020-12-16 22:10:21

Nah sorry, don't have any money, plus, you already have ways to read books.

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2020-12-16 22:47:32

Really I think you'd be better off spending the time to get more comfortable with your Phone which can already do all of these things and much more accessibly.

2020-12-16 23:41:48

@jdawg1983: You might want to check with local blindness communites/outreach in your area to see if anyone would be interested in buying it off you.

2020-12-17 00:41:16

@13 course  I already have ways to read books, I would just like a device that is just a book reader. , I know several people who own an iPhone, and a daisy player, but they have a device that can read books already.
@14 I am already well comfortable with my phone, and can use Bard mobile efficiently. I just want a device that is more portable than what I currently own.
Hindsight I guess I should’ve done the Victor reader stream when I was purchasing the book reader back in 2014… :-)

2020-12-17 06:20:33

Ah I see.  Could you get away with buying a used stream though for less and without the GPS which would already be on your phone?

2020-12-17 12:16:10

I've said this on many victor reader topics before on this forum. I still believe it has it's place for the contrivercial fact that it's not a phone. Here me out here. You all know gps is a major battery drain on mobile devices, and most gps apps for both iOS and android don't have the ability to download maps to the device so you're stuck without navigation if your cellular craps out, and as for reading books on it, yeah it works, but pressing buttons is way faster than looking for them. I love my phone, it has it's uses, but I find the trek useful so the phone can take a back seat and be a phone. An example of why using the phone for gps being bad is that in certain parts of Louisiana, my aunt's house being one of them, I have no cell service at all. That'd mean I wouldn't be able to navigate, but sense the trek downloads maps, it's not an issue. Another example would be, what if you went to another country.

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2020-12-17 12:46:04

@18
Just as an FYI, Google Maps has the ability to download local maps, so if you know you're going somewhere with no signal, or your connection is getting spotty, you can just download the maps, and you're good to go.

@1
I'm not trying to be disparaging here, but I personally won't be donating to you here because @13 is right.

If I gave money to everyone who wanted it for their own enjoyment I'd be skint. If people put up GoFundMe's or whatever for stuff they need, then I'll always consider it, otherwise I feel like it's setting a precedent which I don't personally feel comfortable with.

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2020-12-17 12:53:52

@18, Regarding what you said about the GPS, having the physical buttons is much simpler than trying to hold your phone with one hand while flicking and using your cane with the other. With the Trek, your thumb can hit all of the buttons and you're not hunting for the option you need

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2020-12-17 16:11:30

Exactly, and the google offline maps don't have specific info about intersections and what not that blind pedestrians need.

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2020-12-17 17:46:31

@19 no, it’s not a need at all, it is something that I want, and I didn’t really expect donations, given how people have treated other requests for donations on this forum, but it was worth trying.
Like I said, I’m not forcing anybody to do anything, but if you want to…

2020-12-17 19:25:14

@21, I tried downloading Google maps offline once, and it didn't seem to be accessible. This was over two years ago so it may have changed. Who knows

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