Feature

Benefit

Raised, mechanical type keys

Easy to find and useful mechanical-type feedback to confirm key press unlike soft flat keys where it is difficult to find the key and ‘feel’ the key press.

Key spacing

Liberal spacing of keys helps to distinguish them compared to compressed keypads where keys are very close together.

Key regions

Basic and most important keys (Rew, P/S, FF, Time/Sleep) at bottom of unit so user with simple needs can avoid advanced functions.

High contrast

Comfortable and pleasant for low vision user.

Use of color

Important keys are highlighted in orange. Orange for 2,4,6,8 keys also emphasizes their purpose as navigation keys.

Dedicated FF/Rewind

Many are familiar with FF/Rewind from old cassette players so a dedicated key for simple movement forward or backward is welcomed. Also, a single tap moves backward or forward 5 seconds making it simple to repeat a small amount of narration that was missed

No multi-key press

No features require user to press more than one key simultaneously.

Feature

Benefit

Separate bookshelves

Each type of content (DAISY book, recorded MP3 book, music, text files, online content, and recorded notes each has its own bookshelf to simplify categorization. User need only press a single key (#1) to select a bookshelf.

Uniform navigation

For every bookshelf, navigation is uniform. Press key 1 to find the correct bookshelf and then keys 4 and 6 to move back and forth along its list of titles. Simple to learn. Learn one bookshelf and you have learned them all.

Bookshelf Sub categories

Optionally, advanced users may create sub-folders within each bookshelf folder to categorize titles. For example, you could organize the DAISY bookshelf by Fiction, nonfiction, and newspapers. Or, organize the music folder by artist and album. In this case, keys 2 and 8 choose the category.

Feature

Benefit

DAISY navigation

Follows the structure of the equivalent print book by allowing user to navigate the audio by chapter, section, and page.

Non DAISY navigation

For non DAISY recorded books allows navigation by file, folder, and choice of 1, 5, 10, or 30 minute time jumps.

Text navigation

For text documents navigate by paragraph, sentence, word, character, and percentage time jump.

Text Search

To aid in navigating large text documents, enter keywords to search for via multi-tap numeric keypad. Also find previous and find next occurrence.

Consistent navigation all types

Whether chapter, section, page, paragraph, sentence, word, character, or time jumps user always selects the level of navigation with 2/8 keys and moves back and forth between the elements with 4/6 keys. So, learn one type of book navigation and you have learned them all.

Direct navigation

Flexibility. User may also press Go To Page key to move directly to an entered page number or heading number in DAISY, directly to a time offset in a recorded audio file, or directly to a percentage offset in a text file.

Feature

Benefit

Separate volume speaker/headphone

Stream will remember separate volume settings for each of the built-in speaker and headphone. It means the user does not need to adjust volume when switching between speaker and headphone.

Separate volume speaker/headphone

Safety. If a high volume is set on the speaker user will not risk same high volume when switching to the headphones.

Variable speed

Playback speed can reduced to allow listening of complex passages or increased to allow skim reading.

Audio tone/pitch

A HumanWare first. The user may adjust either the tone or pitch of recorded audio. Some people prefer tone adjustment than pitch adjustment or vice versa.

Feature

Benefit

Sleep timer

Prevents book from playing to the end if user should fall asleep.

Sleep timer

Use Sleep key to ‘play for a while’. For example, set the timer to play for 30 minutes during your lunch break. It even warns you when 1 minute remains.

Multiple presets

Flexible choices of 15, 30, 45, or 60 minute timers.

Custom time

You may even set a specific number of minutes from the number pad. Maybe you want to boil your pasta for exactly 7 minutes!

Feature

Benefit

Announce time/date

Useful to not need another device when you want to check the time.

Clock battery

The clock has its own battery so it will not lose the time setting if the main battery runs out.

Daylight setting

There is a toggle to choose either daylight or standard time so you do not need to reset the time twice a year when it changes.

Feature

Benefit

Info (key 0)

All info in one key press. Single press gives book and player information including title, total pages/headings/time, elapsed/remaining time, number of bookmarks, battery status, online status, player model/version/serial numbers.

Where Am I? (key 5)

Single press announces percentage of the book read, where you are in the book, and time remaining in the current chapter.

Key Describer

Key Describer mode announces function of each key. Great way to learn the player.

Built-in User Guide

Just press and hold key 1 anytime to read the built-in User Guide. Thus, the User Guide is always available.

User Guide is DAISY text

Allows benefit of DAISY chapter, section navigation as well as searching for keywords.

Feature

Benefit

Up to 15 hr play

Useful for travel or extended use when away from a power source.

Replaceable

Extends lifetime of the device.

Replaceable

Use a spare battery to extend play time.

USB Recharge

Flexible. Use any USB AC adapter to recharge. If you have a mobile phone and Stream you need carry only one adapter for both. You may also use USB outlets on trains or airplanes.

USB Recharge

Safe. You cannot damage Stream by using the wrong power adapter as any USB charger can safely be used.

Micro USB port

You need only 1 connector and 1 cable for both recharge and data transfer.

Feature

Benefit

Auto software update

Player can download new software directly from HumanWare web site.

Auto install book keys

Stream can automatically download and install book decryption keys to play protected books such as those from the NLS library in the USA.

Feature

Benefit

Transfers books from PC to Stream

Simplifies process of transferring books to the Stream for users who are not familiar with managing Windows folders/files.

Unzip books

Many libraries download books in zip format. Users who are frustrated managing zip files can let Companion unzip and transfer those books.

Create playlists

Companion allows creation of music playlists so users do not need to learn Windows tools to do this.

Online functions

Companion allows simple way to use the computer to find, download, and transfer online content to the Stream such as books from Bookshare.org.

Feature

Benefit

Text search

Search DAISY, EPUB, or text documents for specific keywords. In large files searching is often the most efficient way to navigate to the passage of interest.

Music search

Search your large music bookshelf for artist, album, or song names.

Simple to Search

Whether searching text or music, just press the Go To key until you hear, “Search”. Then type the search phrase using the multi-tap method on the numeric keypad.

Feature

Benefit

DAISY hybrid books

For DAISY books with synchronized full text and full audio choose whether you want to listen to the recorded audio or use the Stream text-to-speech to listen to the equivalent text of the book. Just press key 9 to switch back and forth. Useful for studying school or reference books.

DAISY hybrid books

Switch to text mode. Then use the Stream to search for a passage with specific keywords and then switch back to recorded audio to resume reading at that point.

DAISY hybrid books

If listening to the audio and a word is not understood, switch back to the equivalent text and use the Stream Spell feature to spell the word for you.

DOD support

If your library offers the DAISY Online Delivery service then a Stream future upgrade will allow automatic download of your DAISY book. Useful for non technical or non computer users.

Feature

Benefit

Simple bookmark

Mark a passage like you would insert a bookmark in a print book.

Highlight bookmark

Mark the start and end of a passage like you would highlight a passage in a print book.

Audio bookmark

Record your own annotation of a passage like you would write a note in the margin of a print book.

Feature

Benefit

Make voice notes

Record reminders, to-do lists, record lectures/meetings.

Choose recording file type

Flexibility to record in MP3 format to save space or in Wav format for higher quality using more space.

Choose microphone

Record quick notes with built-in microphone or use an external microphone for specialized recording needs.

Choose Line-in

Set the external microphone to line-in mode to record from external devices such as a cassette player.

Monitor recording

You may monitor recording in the headphones.

Mono or stereo

Flexible. Set the external microphone or line-in to record in either stereo or mono mode depending on your needs. Mono takes half the space.

Feature

Benefit

NFB Newsline

Wireless automatic download of favorite newspapers, magazines and other NFB Newsline content.

Bookshare

Search the Bookshare online library and download books wirelessly.