[Dtb-talk] No $330.00 player for me,

Mon Nov 26 09:07:36 CST 2007

Hello All, 

The problem is not whether or not companies will have access to the NLS
collection. The problem is whether or not all of these companies will stop
breaking the law and begin to make products that are accessible to all. All
of these companies have the ability to produce accessible products. They
choose not to. This forces people with disabilities to seek alternaitve and
most times inferior options. 

Valerie

-----Original Message-----
From: dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Steve Jacobson
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 9:27 AM
To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books; Lynn Evans
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] No $330.00 player for me,

Greg,

Aren't we getting the cart ahead of the horse here?  We don't really know
what policy there is for providing access to decrypting NLS books, if one
has even been 
completely established yet.  Do you know for certain that apple is ready to
make the I Pod completely accessible and also read NLS books if they only
received the 
go-ahead from NLS?  There is way too much speculation to start talking about
going to congress, or even to get all upset about since we really don't know
what 
policies exist and whether Apple or any other manufacturer is even
interested at this point.  Certainly we have seen firmware updates to the I
Pod that make it more 
accessible, and presumably such an update could be written to play NLS
books, but even that gets dangerously close to software rather than
hardware.  In short, 
unless you or others have information that has not been published here that
I have seen, we really don't know enough yet to make the sorts of statements
that are 
being made.  

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Greg Kearney" <gkearney at gmail.com>
>To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>Cc: "Mary Beth Janes" <mjanes at apple.com>
>Sent: Monday, November 26, 2007 3:53 AM
>Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] No $330.00 player for me,

>: Interesting. I suspect that policy, if it is the case, could run into
>: some serious problems. It is one thing to say that you will not
>: support software players due to security concerns. It is quite another
>: to say you will not authorize a given hardware device due to the fact
>: that too many people might own one. Thus maintaing high hardware costs
>: and a monopoly of manufacturers in perpetuity.
>:
>: I suspect congress, and the California delegation in particular, would
>: not look kindly on such an approach. Perhaps it is time to let some
>: members of congress know. Perhaps a bill instructing the NLS to
>: authorize all manufactures of devices access to the needed keys is in
>: order to prevent them from picking and choosing who they will permit
>: to profit from the sale of such devices is needed.
>:
>: I think the NLS need to decide here. Either only they build the
>: players and permit no one else to have the keys or the means to
>: authorize any players. Or they permit anyone, including mass market
>: makers like Apple to build players and they then give them the needed
>: information to authorizes such players for NLS patrons. Given that
>: they have already decided to do the latter I do not see how they can
>: tell others that such options are not open to them.
>:
>: Greg Kearney
>: 535 S. Jackson St.
>: Casper, Wyoming 82601
>: 307-224-4022
>: gkearney at gmail.com
>:
>:
>:
>: On Nov 25, 2007, at 10:23 PM, Wes Derby wrote:
>:
>: > Hello.
>: >
>: > I've been a lurker here for a while, but thought I'd throw in my two
>: > cents
>: > on this one.
>: >
>: > Having spoken to someone from NLS during a conference a few months
>: > back, I
>: > think Dan's statement is pretty accurate.  I inquired as to whether
>: > the
>: > notetakers with on-board media players, such as the PACMate and
>: > BrailleNote,
>: > might eventually be given the necessary rights and keys to support
>: > the NLS
>: > digital talking books.  the person I spoke to admitted he wasn't
>: > sure what a
>: > PACMate or BrailleNote was, but said that they do in fact want to
>: > limit
>: > distribution to manufacturers/products that are primarily used by NLS
>: > patrons.  This was as of last June, anyway...So don't expect to see
>: > support
>: > for NLS books on an iPod or any other commercial device any time in
>: > the
>: > near, or probably distant, future.
>: >
>: >
>: > ---
>: > Visit me on Myspace:
>: > http://www.myspace.com/wesderby
>: > Now, I actually remember to log in and check it!
>: >
>: > Check out CashCrate: http://www.cashcrate.com/index.php?ref=230383
>: > It's free to join, and a great way to earn a few extra bucks.
>: >
>: >
>: > ----- Original Message -----
>: > From: "Dan Rossi" <dr25 at andrew.cmu.edu>
>: > To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>: > Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 7:53 AM
>: > Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] No $330.00 player for me,
>: >
>: >
>: >> I don't think the issue is a hardware manufacturer being able to do a
>: >> firmware upgrade to a mainstream player to support NLS books.  I
>: >> think the
>: >> issue is the NLS wanting to play it pretty careful on just who gets
>: >> licensed to support their books.
>: >>
>: >> The scenario I can cook up in my own active imagination is that NLS
>: >> is
>: >> pretty sure there isn't going to be a rush of sighted folks
>: >> purchasing
>: >> something like the Stream and then attempting to download NLS books
>: >> illegally.  However, if a number of mainstream products supported NLS
>: >> books, there would be more incentive for non-NLS users to attempt
>: >> to get
>: >> their hands on NLS books.  Thus, the fewer products supporting the
>: >> NLS
>: >> format, the smaller the incentive for illegally obtaining their
>: >> books.  A
>: >> bit of security through obscurity.  Not a great plan, but it works,
>: >> and I
>: >> see it pretty often in the I.T. industry in general.
>: >>
>: >> -- 
>: >> Blue skies.
>: >> Dan Rossi
>: >> Carnegie Mellon University.
>: >> E-Mail: dr25 at andrew.cmu.edu
>: >> Tel: (412) 268-9081
>: >> _______________________________________________
>: >> Dtb-talk mailing list
>: >> Dtb-talk at nfbnet.org
>: >> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/dtb-talk
>: >>
>: >
>: >
>: > _______________________________________________
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>:
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>:
>: -- 
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>11/25/2007 4:24 PM
>:
>: 

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