HIMS T70EZ OCR Multi-Player User Manual Blaze EZ
HIMS International Corporation OCR Multi-Player Blaze EZ
HIMS >
Contents
- 1. Users Manual
- 2. User Manual
Users Manual
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Blaze EZ
User Manual
ENGLISH MANUAL
For Software Version 1.0
(May, 2014)
When there are any manual updates,
the readme files or appendices
will be added to the manual CD
and website.
HIMSInternational
139‐9,Gajung‐dong,Yuseong‐gu,
Daejeon,Korea305‐350
Phone:+82‐42‐864‐4460
Fax:+82‐42‐864‐4462
Email:hims@himsintl.com
Website:www.himsintl.com
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Congratulations on the purchase of your Blaze EZ! The Blaze EZ is
capable of scanning printed material and reading DAISY content as well as
many standard functions of portable mainstream media devices, – but with
a simplified interface utilizing just a few, intuitive, tactile buttons rather than
using a touch screen!
Before using the Blaze EZ, you should read the entire manual to familiarize
yourself with the functions of the Blaze EZ. The Blaze EZ contains many
programs with a variety of functions, thus, reading the entire manual will
allow you to operate the Blaze EZ to its fullest potential.
If you are unable to find a solution to a problem within the manual, or if you
need assistance with the Blaze EZ, please email us at support@hims-
inc.com. You may also visit us on the web at www.hims-inc.com; or, you
can call us at 512-837-2000.
Safety Precautions
For your safety and protection of the Blaze EZ, please read and abide by
the following safety precautions.
1.The input voltage of the AC adapter is 100V - 240V, and the output is DC
5V / 2A.
2.When the Blaze EZ is shipped, the battery may be packaged separate
from the unit to avoid damage. When you use the Blaze EZ for the first
time, you may need to open the package, remove the battery, and insert
it into the battery slot at the rear panel of the unit. (See section 1,
introduction, for more details on inserting the battery.) It is possible that
the dealer or distributor from whom you purchased the Blaze EZ has
already done this for you. The battery may not be fully charged when it
is shipped. Before you use the Blaze EZ, you should ensure the battery
is fully charged.
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3.When you use the Blaze EZ with the battery for the first time, the battery
status may not be displayed accurately. To avoid this, leave the Blaze
EZ connected to the AC adapter for about three hours with the unit
turned on. If you want to use the Blaze EZ immediately, you may use it
while it is charging.
4. If you want or need to remove the battery from the unit, power the unit
off, and then remove the battery. If the unit is connected to AC power,
before re-inserting the battery in to the unit, make certain that the power
is off.
There is a risk of explosion if battery is replaced by an incorrect type.
Please make certain to use only battery packs produced specifically for
the Blaze EZ by HIMS. Please dispose of used batteries according to
the instructions.
5.When you are using the Blaze EZ on battery power, the status of the
remaining battery power is announced when the battery charge is low.
When the battery’s charge falls below 10 percent, connect the AC
adapter to the unit for recharging. If the remaining battery charge drops
to five percent, and the unit is not connected to the AC adapter, the
Blaze EZ shuts down one minute after the announcement of the
battery’s status. The amount of battery life per charge varies depending
on the options you have set and the number and type of tasks you are
running.
6.Your Blaze EZ needs to be handled with care. The Blaze EZ is a very
delicate machine. Please handle the unit in a proper, careful manner.
The Blaze EZ is very sensitive to dust. Make sure to keep the Blaze EZ
away from dusty environments.
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7.Do not use the Blaze EZ in a moisture-rich environment such as a
bathroom or shower. This is to prevent damage caused by moisture
getting into the device. Do not touch the AC adapter with wet hands.
8.Do not leave your Blaze EZ in closed or high temperature environments
such as inside a car on a hot summer day, as the battery attached to
the Blaze EZ may be damaged or catch fire. Please do not let your
Blaze EZ remain in such environments for long periods of time.
9.To prevent possible damage to your hearing, do not listen to audio at
high volume levels for long periods.
10.You should register your Blaze EZ in order to ensure further
maintenance, service, and upgrade information. Please visit www.hims-
inc.com, to register your information. If you have any trouble when
registering your information, please contact the dealer from whom you
purchased your Blaze EZ for help.
11.Do not take apart the Blaze EZ yourself. Do not have anyone else who
is not authorized by HIMS take apart the Blaze EZ. If an unqualified
person disassembles the unit, serious damage may occur to the Blaze
EZ. If an unauthorized person disassembles the Blaze EZ, the unit is
excluded from any free maintenance, and the warranty becomes void. If
any liquid or external force damages the unit, it may also be excluded
from free maintenance, even if the damage occurs during the warranty
period.
12.Thank you for using the Blaze EZ. We value any comments or
suggestions you have for our product. If you have any complaints or
suggestions, please provide us with your comments on our website. We
will improve our product based on your comments and suggestions.
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13.This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged
to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
- Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that
to which the receiver is connected.
- Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Caution Statement for Modifications
CAUTION : Any Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
manufacturer could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Mobile Device RF Exposure Statement
RF Exposure - This device is only authorized for use in a mobile application.
At least 20 cm of separation distance between the transmitting antenna
device and the user's body must be maintained at all times.
Model Name:
Manufacturer Name:
S/N:
(2) THIS DEVICE MUST
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES. OPERATION
IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS: (1) THIS DEVICE MAY
NOT CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE, AND (2) THIS DEVICE MUST
ACCEPT ANY INTERFERENCE RECEIVED, INCLUDING INTERFERENCE
THAT
MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED OPERATION.
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1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Blaze EZ OCR multi-player.
The Blaze EZ is a digital audio player and portable OCR device
manufactured by HIMS International Corporation. It is a small, lightweight
portable device which can play digital books, music files, document files,
DAISY content, FM radio, and can scan and recognize printed text and text
image files with the built-in 5 megapixel camera and OCR software. With the
built-in Wi-fi users can also utilize Online DAISY, Web Radio and subscribe
to and download podcasts.
Though the Blaze EZ is a powerful device with advanced features, it remains
easy to use, even for the non-technical person, with many functions
available with the press of a single button.
1.1 Main Features.
This section introduces the key features of the Blaze EZ and briefly outlines
the main functions.
1) use the Media player to play a variety of multimedia file formats including
music, audio books, podcasts, and your own recordings. The Media Player
features movement by several movement units including tracks and time
elements, adjustment of playback speed and preamp, Equalizer settings,
and more. In addition, by connecting an external CD-Rom drive with an
Audio CD inserted, you can use Blaze EZ to play commercial CD's.
2) use the Book Reader to easily read Daisy books and various document
file types. Navigate by pages, paragraphs, sentences, lines, and other text
units. Adjust reading speed, volume, and pitch, reading of DAISY audio and
more. In addition, by connecting an external CD-Rom, you can also use
Blaze EZ to read DAISY books produced on CD.
3) Listen to the FM radio, auto scan for channels, store presets, and record
for later listening.
4) Use Blaze EZ's built-in camera to capture images of printed textbooks,
brochures, or restaurant menus and recognize them using the OCR
program. You can also import images from other sources and recognize
them as well.
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5) Record via an internal / external microphone, using an Apple-compatible
headset microphone or line-in recording source. Record using mp3 or wave
file formats and adjust a variety of options, such as microphone sensitivity
and recording quality.
6) Listen to media or document playback via a Bluetooth headset connection
for wireless audio listening.
7) Use the Built-in Wi-fi and included Podcast application to subscribe to and
download podcasts for listening on the go.
8) Clock function: Use the Blaze EZ as your talking clock even when the
power is off, just press the power button to check the current date and time.
1.2 What's in the Box?
Your Blaze EZ packing box should contain the following
items:
1) Blaze EZ
2) Rechargeable Battery Pack
3) Carrying pouch
4) AC adapter
5) USB Cable for connecting to PC
6) USB Gender adapter
7) Earbuds
8) Documentation CD
9) Getting Started Guide
OptionalAccessoryPack:
10) OCR stand
11) Charging Cradle
12) Spare Battery Pack
13) Spare AC adapter
1.3 Hardware Specifications.
1) User memory (internal memory): 12GB
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2) Micro USB OTG port
3) SD card slot
4) FM radio
5) Bluetooth 3.0 (Bluetooth stereo headset support)
6) Wi-Fi (802.11B/G/N, 2.4GHz)
7) 5-megapixel camera
8) Headphone jack (3.5 mm, apple compatible headsets can be connected.
9) Stereo microphone jack (3.5 mm, supports line-in input)
10) Built-in stereo speakers
11) Built-in mono microphone
12) Replaceable battery (Lithium Polymer, 12 hours of continuous music
playback when fully charged.
1.4 Physical Orientation to the Blaze EZ.
The Blaze EZ is a small, rectangular unit, similar in size and shape to a
smart phone. It weighs just 138g, is 59.3mm wide, 116.86mm long and
16.44mm thick.
Place the Blaze in your hand or on a desk or table top in front of you so that
the keypad is facing up and the long rectangular slot on the side of the unit is
facing left.
1.4.1 The Top Face.
The top face of the unit contains the main keypad. At the top center is a
slightly recessed square depression. This is the Power On-Off button. To the
left and right of the Power button are the stereo speakers.
Below the Power button, toward the left is a round button. This is the Record
button.
Below the Record button is a row of 3 square buttons with Braille labels.
From left to right these buttons are the Media button, the Radio button, and
the Books button. These buttons open the Media Player, the FM Radio, and
the Book Reader respectively.
Below the program buttons is a circular navigation pad containing 5 keys: the
Left, Right, Up and Down arrows, and a small round button in the center
which is the Select button.
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Below the navigation pad is a row of 3 buttons: 2 square buttons with a dot-
like button between them. The square button on the left is the Cancel button.
The Square button on the right is the OCR button. The dot-like button
between them is the Explorer button. The Explorer button brings up a list of
files associated with the currently open program. For example, if you have
the BOOK reader opened, pressing the explorer button will bring up a list of
DAISY books and documents readable by the Book Reader. The Cancel
button is used to exit a program, menu or dialog.
On the very bottom of the front face are 2 LED's showing power and
charging status on the left, and the internal microphone on the right.
1.4.2 The Left Edge.
The left edge of the unit contains a long, thin, rectangular slot. This is the SD
card slot.
1.4.3 The Right Edge.
The right side of the unit contains 3 controls. Nearest the top of the unit is
the volume dial. Turn the dial away from you to increase the volume, and
turn it toward you to decrease it. As you adjust the volume, you will feel the
dial click past each setting, and the unit announces the volume level as a
number.
Below the Volume dial is the Voice Control button. The Voice Control button
allows you to quickly access Speed, volume, and pitch settings for the TTS
and/or media playback. Cycle through the settings with repeated presses of
the Voice Control button, and use the Volume dial to adjust the setting.
Below the Voice Control button is the Keylock switch. Place the Keylock
switch in the down position to lock the keyboard and in the up position for
normal operation.
About halfway between the Keylock switch and the bottom of the unit is a
very small pinhole. Inside this hole is located the Reset button. Use a
pointed object to press this button for more than 2 seconds to reset the
Blaze EZ.
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1.4.4 The Top Edge.
The top EDGE of the Blaze EZ contains only a small hole for looping a
carrying strap or lanyard.
1.4.5 The Bottom Edge.
If you move around to the edge nearest your body, you will discover 3 ports.
From left to right these ports are the headphone jack, the micro USB port,
and the stereo microphone jack. Use the headphone jack to connect
headphones or external speakers to the unit. Use the microphone jack to
connect an external microphone or line-in recording source to the unit. The
micro USB port is used to connect the Blaze to a PC for transferring files, to
connect a thumb drive or CD-ROM drive to the unit, or to connect the AC
adapter for charging the unit.
1.4.6 The Back Face.
Flip the Blaze over in your hand so that the SD card slot is now on the right
side. The back face or underside of the unit contains 2 things. In the top
center, directly opposite the Power button on the front face, is the OCR
camera. Below that is a triangular ridged section. If you press down and
backward on this section, the majority of the back of the unit slides away to
reveal the battery compartment.
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2. Getting Started.
This chapter describes basic operations of the Blaze EZ including inserting
and removing the battery, powering on and off, charging, and copying
content to the unit.
2.1 Inserting and Removing the Battery.
When your Blaze EZ is shipped, the battery is packed separately to prevent
any damage during transit. You should insert the battery before using Blaze
EZ to ensure normal operation.
As described above, you can access the battery compartment by sliding the
back off of the unit. With the keypad facing down and the SD card slot facing
to the right, locate the triangular ridged section under the camera on the
back of the unit. Press down and backward on the triangular ridge to release
and slide the back away from the unit.
To insert the battery pack into the unit, hold it so that the edge with the small
ridge is facing toward you with the ridge on the left. Place the ridged end into
the bottom of the battery compartment first. You should also notice a small
raised dot in the center of the bottom EDGE of the battery as you place it in
the unit. Gently press down on the top of the battery to secure it in place.
Slide the back casing on to the unit and click it into place.
To remove the battery pack, slide the back casing off of the unit. Place your
fingernail between the top of the battery pack and the edge of the
compartment and lift the battery up and out.
2.2 Charging.
This chapter describes how to charge the Battery of the Blaze EZ. When you
first receive your Blaze EZ, the battery will not likely contain a full charge. It
is recommended that you fully charge the battery before using Blaze EZ.
1) Charging using the included AC adapter.
To charge the Blaze using the AC adapter, plug the larger, box-like end into
a standard electrical wall outlet. Plug the small, flat end into the micro USB
port on the center of the bottom edge of the Blaze EZ. It takes about 3 hours
to fully charge the battery.
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2) Charging using a computer:
You can also charge the Blaze EZ using your computer and the included
micro USB cable. Connect the smaller end of the cable to the micro USB
port on the center of the bottom edge of the Blaze EZ, and connect the
larger end to a USB port on your computer. Charging via a computer usually
takes about 4 hours.
2.3 Powering On/Off.
To power on the Blaze, press and hold the Power button for 2 seconds. The
first time you power on Blaze, you will hear a high-pitched buzzing sound to
indicate booting has started. In a few seconds, this is followed by a musical
flourish with "HIMS" spoken. After this, progress beeps are heard, followed
by the power on sound.
Next, the unit announces, "Scanning disk" and the unit scans the internal
flashdisk as well as any storage device currently connected for content
playable by Blaze. It is not necessary to place content in any set folder
structure as this process will scan and index all playable content on all
storage devices and make it available for its associated program. After a few
seconds, the unit announces "Scanning complete".
The first time the unit is powered on, you are placed at the Home Menu,
described in the next section, and the date and time is announced. Note: the
date and time will not likely be accurate at the time of purchase. Please see
the section on setting the date and time for information on how to adjust it.
To power off Blaze, press and hold the Power button again for 2 seconds.
The power down sound is heard, and the unit is powered off.
After the initial boot sequence described above, you can power the unit on
and off quickly and the unit will power on at the Home menu. However, if the
battery is depleted, or the unit is reset, the Blaze will go through the more
lengthy boot process described above.
2.4 Inserting and Removing the SD CARD.
Locate the long rectangular slot near the bottom of the left edge.
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To insert the SD card, locate the corner of the SD card that is cut at a 45
degree angle. Place the SD card so that this cut corner is at the top right
when you insert the card into the SD slot. The surface of the label should be
face down. Gently press the SD card into the slot until it clicks into place. Do
not use excessive force. Only slight pressure is required to insert the SD
card in the slot. If the Blaze is turned on, you will hear a sound to confirm
that it has been recognized, followed by the announcement, "SD card
inserted". The unit then scanns the disk for playable content, and returns you
to the place on the unit from which you inserted the SD card.
To remove the SD card, gently press the SD card into the card slot until it
clicks, then release it. The SD card will pop out of the slot enough for you to
grip it and pull it out completely. If the Blaze is turned on, you will hear a
sound to confirm that it has detected the removal of the SD card followed by
the announcement, "SD card removed".
2.5 Connecting to a computer.
2.5.1 Connecting to a PC.
Locate the small rectangular port on the center of the bottom edge of the
Blaze between the headphone and microphone jacks. To transfer files from
your PC to your Blaze, turn on the Blaze and connect the small end of the
USB cable provided with the unit to the Micro USB port on the bottom edge
and connect the larger end to your PC's USB port. The unit announces,
"Starting data transfer mode".
Once you connect to your PC, click the "My computer" icon on the PC. The
Blaze uses the Media Transfer Protocol connection (MTP), thus, it appears
under "Portable Media Devices" with the label "T70". If you press "Enter" on
"T70", you can view the content of the "Internal Storage" as well as the
content of your SD card if one is inserted.
You may copy and organize documents, media, DAISY books and scanned
images using normal Windows commands, in whatever way makes the most
sense to you. Blaze will locate playable content no matter where it resides
on the disk and index it and make it available for the associated programs.
However, the flashdisk (Internal Storage) of Blaze EZ does contain default
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folders into which content such as Web Radio and Podcast URL's must be
placed as well as to help you organize content.
2.5.2 Connecting to a Mac.
As described above, Blaze EZ uses the Media TRANSFER Protocol, (MTP)
connection for transferring data to and from a computer. As the Mac
operating system does not natively support this connection type, it is
necessary to download a third-party executable which will allow you to drag
and drop files into Blaze EZ. You may download an appropriate executable
at the following link:
http://www.android.com/filetransfer/
Once you have installed this small application, connect your Blaze Ez to your
Mac and power it on. The Blaze will automatically launch the File Transfer
application, and you can use VoiceOver to drag and drop files into the Blaze
EZ, again, under the label "T70".
For information on how to drag and drop items using VoiceOver, visit the
following link:
http://help.apple.com/voiceover/info/guide/10.7/English.lproj/_1124.html
2.6 Folders used in the Blaze EZ.
As previously explained, it is not necessary to place content playable by the
Blaze EZ in specific folders. When the internal storage and/or SD card are
scanned, all playable content is recognized and made available to the
programs in which it can be played. For example, When you press the
"Explorer" button in the Media player, all media content is available no matter
where it is placed, and no matter on which drive it is contained. However,
there are a number of folders included on the Blaze with unique
characteristics and special purposes.
1) OCR: optical character recognition image or text files are stored in the
"OCR" folder under the following sub-folders:
A. Image: — Images captured using the built-in camera are stored in this
folder.
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B. Import: — Images can be copied from another device to this folder and
can be recognized by Blaze EZ.
C. Temporary; — files that are created during capturing and character
recognition are stored in temporary files in this folder.
D. Text :— recognition result files are stored in this folder.
2) Podcast: Podcast content and address information is stored in this folder,
including URL, XML, OPML. To subscribe to podcasts on the Blaze EZ, you
must copy the podcast address information into this folder.
3) Radio: Files recorded from the FM Radio are saved in this folder.
4) Record: Voice recordings and line-in recordings are saved in this folder.
5) Webradio: Web addresses of Internet streaming broadcasts must be
located here to be recognized by the Web Radio application, including M3u,
and PLS playlist addresses.
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3. Basic Functions.
3.1 The Home Menu.
When you power on the unit for the first time, you are placed in the Home
Menu. You can also get to the Home Menu by pressing Cancel when in a
program. The Home Menu contains a combination of things including status
information, settings, and executable programs not accessible via the
program buttons. You can navigate among the items in the Home Menu
using the Left and Right arrows. Press the Select button to activate the
focused item in the menu.
The Home Menu contains the following items:
1) Date and Time information: the current date and time is the first item in the
Home menu. When the Blaze boots, it is always placed in the Home menu
on the Date and Time item. Press the "Select" button to open the "Set Date
and Time" dialog box.
2) Power Status: announces the percentage of battery charge, whether it is
Currently plugged into the charger, and whether the unit is currently running
on battery or AC power.
3) System Information: Shows the current firmware version and displays the
amount of free space on the flash memory. Press the 'Select' button to
access more detailed system information including the product serial number,
total space on the SD card and the Mac address of the unit.
4) Guide Voice Settings: Press "Select" to open this dialog wherein you can
set the guide voice speed, volume, pitch and gender.
5) Record Settings: Press "Select" to open this dialog box in which you can
set recording quality, microphone sensitivity, and the recording source.
6) Bluetooth Information: this item announces whether Bluetooth is on or off,
and if on, whether there are any active connections. Press the "Select"
button to open the "Bluetooth Connection Settings" dialog box.
7) Wireless LAN Information: Announces whether Wi-fi is on or off, and, if on,
if the Blaze EZ is connected to any networks. Press the "Select" button to
open the "Wireless Settings" dialog box.
8) Utilities: Press "Select" to access the Utilities menu, which gives you
access to utilities related to disk scanning, and CD-ROMS.
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9) Online DAISY: Pressing "Select" on this item executes the Online DAISY
program which lets qualified patrons connect to and download from the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind library.
10) Web Radio: Press "Select" on this program to listen to web radio stations
from around the world.
11) Podcasts: Press "Select" on this program to download and play podcasts
you are subscribed to.
12) Upgrade: Press "Select" on this option to open the Upgrade menu, which
allows you to upgrade the Blaze EZ over the Internet or via an SD card.
3.2 Adjusting Volume and other properties.
You can use the Voice Control button and the Volume dial on the right side
of Blaze EZ to adjust the volume of media playback, the guide voice, and the
reading voice. You can also use it to change various other settings, such as
speed, and media preamp.
To adjust a setting, press the Voice Control button just below the Volume
dial repeatedly until you reach your desired setting. Then, use the Volume
dial to increase or decrease the value of that setting.
Note: the default setting is always the master volume, and the volume dial
returns to controlling that value after a few seconds of inactivity. Pressing
any other key on the unit also returns the Volume dial to controling the main
volume.
The available settings differ depending on your location in Blaze EZ. The
following settings are available in their respective locations on Blaze EZ.
1) From the Home Menu: Guide Voice Volume, Guide Voice Speed and
Guide Voice Pitch.
2) From the Media Player: Media Volume, Media Preamp, Media Playback
Speed and Media Equalizer.
3) During DAISY text playback: Reading Voice Volume, Reading Voice
Speed, and Reading Voice Pitch.
4) During DAISY Audio Playback: DAISY Audio Volume, DAISY Audio
Preamp, and DAISY Audio Speed.
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3.3 Adjusting Voice Settings.
This section describes how to adjust the volume, speed and pitch of the
speech of the main voice which guides you through the unit and announces
system messages, etc.
The Guide Voice Settings are located in the Home Menu. Use the Left and
Right arrows to navigate to "Guide Voice Settings", and press the Select
button to open the dialog.
Use the Up and Down arrows to move between the settings in the dialog.
Use the Left and Right arrows to change the value of the setting. Press
"Select" to save the settings, or press "Cancel" to cancel saving the settings
and exit the Voice Settings dialog box.
The Guide Voice Settings dialog consists of 5 items:
1) Guide Voice Speed: Adjusts the speed of the voice guide. Use the Left
and Right arrows to select a value from 1 to 15.
2) Guide Voice Pitch: Adjusts how high or low the voice sounds. Use the Left
and Right arrows to select a value from 1 to 15.
3) Guide voice volume: Adjust how loudly the guide voice speaks. Use the
Left and Right arrows to choose a value from 1 to 15.
4) Voice Type: Choose to use a male or female voice. Use the Left and Right
arrows to move between the options.
5) Upper Case Alert: Choose whether to have the speech alert you of capital
letters. Use the Left and Right arrows to choose between On or Off.
3.4 Checking Date and Time.
You can check the date and time on the Blaze in two ways:
1) Press the Power button quickly. If you press the Power button quickly from
anywhere on the unit, the date and time is announced.
You can even use this method when the power is off. However, it should be
noted, when the power is off, it takes a couple of seconds for the date and
time to be announced.
2) Bring up the Home Menu. The Date and time is the first item in the Home
Menu. Any time you exit a program and return to the Home Menu, the date
and time is announced as the first status item.
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3.5 Setting the Date and Time.
You can set the Date and Time in 2 ways: you can set it manually using the
Date and Time dialog, or you can have it automatically synchronized with a
time server.
3.5.1 Manually setting the Date and Time.
Use the following steps to manually set the Date and Time:
1) From the Home menu, press the Left or Right arrow to navigate to the
Date and Time.
2) Press the "Select" button to open the "Date and Time" dialog.
3) You are placed on the "Month". Use the Left and Right arrows to set the
month.
4) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to set the day.
5) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to set the year.
6) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to choose the
time format among 12 and 24 hour:
7) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to choose AM
or PM. Note: if you choose the 24 hour time format, this item is not displayed.
8) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to set the hour.
9) press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to set the
minute.
10) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to set the time
zone.
11) Press the Down arrow, and use the Left and Right arrows to choose
whether or not to use Daylight Savings time.
12) When you have finished choosing all your settings, press the "Select"
button to save your settings, and you are returned to the Home menu. If you
do not want to save your settings, press the "Cancel" button, and you are
returned to the Home menu without modifying the Date and Time.
3.5.2 Synchronizing with a Time Server.
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To set the Date and Time by Syychronizing with a time server, follow these
steps:
1) From the Home menu, use the Left and Right arrows to navigate to the
Date and Time.
2) Press the "Select" button to open the "Date and Time" dialog.
3) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to "Synchronization". Press the Left
or Right arrow to navigate to "Yes".
4) Press the "Select" button and the time is synchronized with a time server,
and you are returned to the Home menu.
3.6 Checking Power Status.
To check the power status of Blaze EZ, from the Home menu, press the
Right arrow to get to the power status item. The Power Status gives you the
following information:
1) Type of power being used: battery or AC adapter.
2) Percentage of battery charge.
3) Whether the battery is currently charging.
3.7 Setting the Sleep Timer.
The Sleep Timer allows you to choose a specified amount of time after which
the Blaze Ez will automatically power off while reading a book, listening to
music, etc. To set the Sleep Timer, follow these steps:
1) Press and hold the "Select" button for more than 2 seconds. The "Sleep
Timer" dialog box is displayed.
2) Press the Left or Right arrow to set the desired time. The time can be set
to zero (off), 3minutes, 5 Minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30
minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, or 180 minutes.
3) Press the "Select" button, and the setting is saved and you are returned to
the position from which you initiated the Sleep Timer setting. If you want to
cancel setting the Sleep Timer, press the "Cancel" button. Setting is
canceled, and you are returned to the position from which you executed the
Sleep Timer.
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3.8 Checking System Information.
To access basic system information about your Blaze EZ, from the Home
menu, press the Right arrow until you hear the software version and free
space announced. Press the "Select" button to open the "System
Information" dialog box. The "System Information" dialog displays the
following information:
1) Firmware version.
2) Build date.
3) Serial number.
4) Total space and remaining space of the internal flashdisk.
5) Total space and remaining space on the SD card. (Only appears if an SD
card is inserted.)
6) Mac Address.
To move among the items in the dialog box, press the Up and Down arrows.
Press the Left and Right arrows to navigate the information character by
character. When you have finished reviewing the system information, press
the "Cancel" button to close the dialog box.
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4. Using the Media Player.
4.1 Supported Media Formats.
The Media Player on the Blaze EZ supports the following media formats:
1) MP3 320 Kbps, 44100 Hz, Stereo
2) MP4-AAC, M4a)
3) Wave 16bit 48000Hz
4) Ogg Vorbis
5) ASF ASF
6) FLAC Q1 & Q10
7) Avi
8) WMV WMV
9) Audio cd (CDA)
You can use the Media Player to play music, books, or podcasts stored on
the Blaze EZ, or to play commercial audio CD's. You can begin playing
media content immediately with the touch of just 1 button.
4.2 Playing Audio Files.
To start media playback, simply press the left-most button on the row above
the arrow keys labeled with an M in Braille. If you have not used the Media
Player previously, Blaze EZ begins playing the first media file on the unit. If
you have used the Media Player previously, playback resumes at the last file
you played.
To close the Media Player, press the "Cancel" button, and the media Player
closes and you are returned to the Home menu.
4.3 Play and Pause.
To pause playback, press the M button briefly while media is playing. Press
the M button briefly once again to resume playback.
4.4 Moving by Track.
While the Media Player is open, you can move back and forth by track using
the Left and Right arrows. Press the Right arrow to move to the next track,
and use the Left arrow to move to the previous track.
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4.5 Moving by Time.
To move through audio by time, press and hold the Left or Right arrow. Hold
the Right arrow to move forward, and hold the Left arrow to move backward.
As you hold the Left or Right arrow, the guide voice announces time
elements by which you can move. The longer you hold the arrow key, the
larger the amount of time. When your desired amount of time is announced,
release the arrow key, and you are moved backward or forward by that
amount of time.
For example, if you want to move backward 20 seconds, press and hold the
Left arrow. You will hear, "5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds".
When the voice announces "20 seconds", release the arrow key, and you
are moved backward 20 seconds in your audio file.
4.6 Changing Navigation units.
You can actually use the Left and Right arrows to move by several units of
navigation. To adjust the unit of movement of the Left and Right arrows, use
the Up and Down arrows. by default, the Left and Right arrow keys will move
back and forth by one track. However, if you press the Up or Down Arrow,
you can set them to move by5 tracks, 10 tracks, to the first or last track, to
the beginning or end of the track, 10 minutes, 3 minutes, 30 seconds,
content type, or mark. Note: "Content type" only appears if a CD-ROM is
connected, and this option allows the Left and Right arrows to move you
between the CD content and content stored on the unit or SD card. The
"Mark" item only appears if marks are present in the file, and allows you to
use the Left and Right arrows to navigate between them.
So, to navigate your current playlist by3 minute segments, press the Up or
Down arrow until the unit announces "3 minutes". Then, use the Left and
Right arrows to navigate back and forward by3 minute segments.
4.7 Marks.
In longer audio files, such as recorded lectures or books, or files you intend
to use for teaching, etc, it can be useful to mark certain sections so that you
25
can easily return to them later. You can identify such sections using
bookmarks, Voice marks, or highlight marks.
You can place up to 999 marks in each file, and you may not duplicate mark
numbers, even if the marks are of a different type. For example, you may
not have a bookmark and a highlight mark both labeled as number 5. Each
mark, no matter the type, will have a unique number from 1-999.
4.7.1 Inserting a Bookmark.
To insert a mark, follow these steps:
1) Locate the place in the content where you want to insert the mark, and
press the "Select" button.
2) The Mark Manager menu is displayed, and you are placed on the first
item, "Insert bookmark".
3) Press the "Select" button again.
4) You are prompted for the number of the mark to insert.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to move to your desired number for the mark.
Use the Up and Down arrows to move in groups of 10. For example, if you
want to set the current mark as number 23, and the current selection is 1,
press the Right arrow twice to get to number 3, then press the Up arrow
twice to move to 13, then 23.
6) Press the "Select" button to save the mark.
If the mark already exists, you will be prompted whether to move or delete
the existing mark. Use the Left and Right arrows to move among the
choices, and press "Select" to activate your choice.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
4.7.2 Inserting a Voice Mark.
Setting a Voice Mark allows you to attach a voice recording to the mark to
provide additional information or an anotation to the content you are
marking.
Use the following steps to insert a voice mark:
1) Locate the place in the content which you want to mark, and press
"Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
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3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Voice Mark" and press "Select".
4) The unit prompts, "Start recording", and you have up to 40 seconds to
record your audio anotation.
5) When you have finished recording, press the "Select" button.
6) You are prompted to choose the number for the voice mark.
7) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
8) Press "Select" to save the mark. If a mark already exists under that
number, you are asked whether you want to delete or move the existing
mark. Use the Left or Right arrow to move among the choices, and press
"Select" to activate your desired option.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
4.7.3 Inserting a Highlight Mark.
There may be times you wish to highlight a certain section of content, similar
to underlining a passage of text. You can do this by setting a highlight mark.
Use the following steps to set a highlight mark:
1) Locate the place in the content which you want to mark, and press
"Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Highlight Mark" and press "Select".
4) The start position is marked at your current position, and playback
continues.
5) When playback reaches the point at which you want to end the highlight
mark, press "Select" again.
6) You are prompted to choose the number for the highlight mark.
7) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
8) Press "Select" to save the mark. If a mark already exists under that
number, you are asked whether you want to delete or move the existing
mark. Use the Left or Right arrow to move among the choices, and press
"Select" to activate your desired option.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
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4.7.4 Moving to a Mark.
You can move to an existing mark in 2 ways: either by using the "mark"
navigation unit available during playback, or by specifying the mark to move
to using the Mark Manager. If you have few marks in a file, or you wish to
move through your marks sequencially, using the "mark" movement unit
may be most efficient. However, if you have many marks in a file, and wish
to quickly access a specific marked position, you may find it more
advantageous to use the Mark Manager.
Use the following steps to move to a mark using the "mark" navigation unit:
1) Use the Up or Down arrow to choose "Mark" as the unit to move by.
2) Use the Left and Right arrows to move among the various marks in the file.
Use the following steps to move to a mark using the Mark Manager:
1) At any time during playback, press "Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Go to Mark" and press "Select".
4) You are prompted to choose the number of the mark to move to.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
6) Press "Select" and playback begins at the marked position.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel moving to a mark.
4.7.5 Deleting a Mark.
Use the following steps to delete a mark:
1) At any time during playback, press "Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Delete Mark" and press "Select".
4) You are prompted to choose the number of the mark to delete.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
6) Press "Select" and the mark is deleted.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel deleting a mark.
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4.8 Adjusting Volume, speed, and Equalizer.
You can use the Volume dial to adjust the media volume, preamp, playback
speed, and equalizer.
1) Media Playback Volume: You can adjust media playback volume using
values 1-15.
2) Preamp: audio recordings are often at different volume levels. You can
adjust the preamplifier level for each file to compensate for this variation.
The default value is 0. You can adjust the preamp level using values from —
-4 to 6.
3) Media Rate: Adjust the playback speed using values from 1 to 15.
4) Equalizer: Depending on the type of audio you are playing, you may wish
to change the characteristics of the audio sound using the Equalizer setting.
The available options are: Auto, Normal, Classical, Dance, Jazz, Pop and
Rock.
Use the "Voice Control" button to determine which setting the Volume dial
modifies, and turn the Volume dial toward the top of the unit to increase the
value, and toward the bottom of the unit to decrease it. For example, to
change the playback speed, press the "Voice Control" button twice to get to
"Media rate". Then use the Volume dial to increase or decrease the rate of
media playback.
4.9 Playing an Audio CD.
You can play an audio CD using Blaze EZ by connecting an external Cd-rom
drive to the USB OTG port of the Blaze using the included USB gender
adapter.
Use the following steps to play an audio CD on Blaze EZ:
1) Connect the CD-ROM drive to the USB OTG port of Blaze EZ.
2) Press the Media button (M) to launch the Media Player.
3) Use the Down arrow to move to "Content" type.
4) Use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to "Audio CD".
5) Use the UP and Down arrows to navigate the CD content and press
"Select" on your desired track to begin playback.
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6) Use normal playback and movement commands to move through the
content on the CD.
4.10 Using The Explorer.
If you wish to locate a certain song, album, or podcast file, you can use the
"Explorer" to easily search for and navigate media content stored on your
Blaze EZ.
As folders and files appear in easily navigable lists, you can locate podcasts,
books, music, or any other media files stored on your unit. You can also
easily delete files without connecting to a PC.
To access files and folders containing media content on your Blaze EZ,
press the "Explorer" button while the Media Player is running. The Explorer"
button is a dot-like button on the bottom row of keys between the "Cancel"
button and the "OCR" button.
Use the following keystrokes in the Explorer:
1) Use the Up and Down arrows to move through a file or folder list.
2) Use the Left arrow to move back a level in the folder structure.
3) Use the Right arrow to move forward a level in the file/folder structure.
4) Use the "Select" button to play the focused file or folder.
5) Press and hold the "Explorer" button to get the path for the current item.
6) Press and hold the "Cancel" button for more than 2 seconds to delete the
focused file or folder. You are prompted whether you are sure you wish to
delete. Press "Select" for yes, or "Cancel" for no. You can also press and
hold the "Cancel" button during playback to delete the current file without
entering the "Explorer".
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5. FM Radio.
In this section you will learn how to play the FM radio, how to manually and
auto scan, how to set presets, and how to record the radio output.
The FM Radio can access local stations at frequencies from 87.5MHz to
108MHz. Note: in order to receive a radio signal, you must connect a
headphone cable or audio patch cord for use as an antenna. Please connect
headphones or a patch cord to the headphone jack on the left end of the
bottom EDGE of blaze EZ.
5.1 Playing the Radio.
To play the FM radio, simply press the "Radio" button, labeled with R in
Braille and located in the center of the row of buttons just above the arrow
keys.
If you do not receive any radio stations, consider the following:
1) Make sure you have headphones or an aueio patch cord connected to the
headphone jack on Blaze EZ.
2) You may not be placed on a frequency for which there is a local radio
station. Use the Left and Right arrows to adjust the frequency until you are
able to find a station.
3) The characteristics of your location may not be optimal for receiving good
radio reception.
To mute the radio, press the R button quickly. Press it once again to resume
radio playback. Press the "Cancel" button to exit the FM Radio and return to
the Home menu.
5.2 Adjusting Radio Volume.
Use the Volume dial on the right edge of the unit to adjust the radio volume.
Turn it toward the top of the unit to increase the volume, and turn it toward
the bottom of the unit to decrease it.
5.3 Navigating Frequencies.
Use the Left and Right arrows to adjust frequency backward and forward
by0.1MHz. As stated above, the available frequency range is 87.5MHz to
108MHz.
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To automatically detect stations press and hold the Left or Right arrow to
auto scan backward and forward respectively.
5.4 Selecting and Moving to Channels.
You may find it cumbersome to manually move through all the available
channels, especially if you have specific stations you know you like to listen
to. You can easily save presets, simply by pressing "Select" while playing the
radio frequency you want to save. You can save up to 30 presets.
You can also choose to auto register all radio stations in your area. To do
this, while the FM Radio is open, press and hold the "Explorer" button for 2
seconds. Blaze EZ searches for all available radio stations in the area, and
automatically registers them as presets.
You can increase the sensitivity of the channel search by pressing and
holding the Down arrow. However, it should be noted, that increasing the
sensitivity may result in the registering of many stations that do not come in
clearly.
You can use the Up and Down arrows to navigate between your preset
channels. When you reach the last registered channel, if you continue to
navigate with the Up or Down arrow, you will wrap around to the first channel
in the list.
You can also navigate directly to a specific preset channel using the
"Explorer" button. When you press the "Explorer" button, all of your preset
channels are presented in a list. Use the Up and Down arrows to navigate to
your desired channel, and press the "Select" button to go to that channel.
To delete a preset, navigate to it, and press and hold the "Cancel" button.
5.5 Using the Internal Speaker.
Listening to the radio via headphones for great lengths of time can become
uncomfortable. You can listen to the radio via the internal speakers, even
though the headphones must be connected as an antenna. To hear the radio
through the internal speaker of Blaze EZ, press and hold the "R" button. The
radio will output through both the headphones and the internal speakers.
Press and hold the "R" button again to return the output to the headphones
only.
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5.6 Recording a Radio Broadcast.
to Record the current radio frequency, press and hold the "Record" button for
2 seconds. Depending how you have set your Record Settings, you will be
prompted through beep or voice notification that the recording has started.
To pause the recording, press the "Record" button quickly. Briefly press
"Record" button again to resume recording. To stop and save the recording,
press the "Select" button. You are notified that the recording is complete
using the method set in the "Record Settings" dialog.
To cancel the recording, press the "Radio" button or the "Cancel" button.
You are asked whether you want to cancel the recording. Press "Select" to
cancel recording, or press "Cancel" to resume recording.
Recordings are saved to the "Radio" folder on the flashdisk of Blaze EZ and
are named with the frequency and the date and time. Recording quality
settings are the same as those set for voice recording. See the section of
this manual on the "record Settings" dialog for more details.
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6. Book Reader.
The Book Reader program on Blaze EZ is able to play DAISY books as well
as several document file types. 6.1 Supported File Types.
The Book Reader supports the following formats:
Document formats:
1) Plain text document: TXT.
2) Rich Text Format: RTF.
3) MS Word document: DOC/DOCX.
4) Markup language document: HTM, HTML, XML.
5) Sense notetaker document: HBL HPF.
6) e-book: EPUB.
7) Adobe Acrobat document: PDF.
Note: only text-based PDF documents are supported in the Book Reader.
PDF's created from images cannot be supported.
DAISY formats:
1) DAISY 2.0/2.02/3.0, DAISY XML / Digital Talking Book.
2) ANSI / NISO Z39.86 2002, 2005.
3) NIMAS 1.1,
4) National Library Service (NLS).
5) Content from BookShare.org.
6) Learning Ally
7) Open Library/Archive.org.
6.2 Play and pause.
To play content in the Book Reader, simply press the "Book" button, labeled
with a B in Braille and located on the right of the row of buttons just above
the arrrow keys.
If you have not played book content previously, the Book reader begins
playing the first available book or document. If you have played content
previously, Blaze resumes playing the book or document you were last
reading at the position at which you exited it.
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Press the "Book" button briefly to pause playback. Press it once again to
resume playing the book or document. Press the "Cancel" button to exit book
or document playback and return to the Home menu. When you exit the
Book Reader, the position at which you exited is marked in the book or
document and playback resumes at that position the next time you open that
book or document.
6.3 Navigation.
You can navigate books and documents in the book reader in several ways,
including headings, paragraphs, sentences, words, time, etc. Press the Up
or Down arrow to select the movement unit. Press the Left or Right arrow to
move back and forward by the chosen movement unit.
The movement units available differ according to the type of content being
played. Information on the movement units available for the various content
types is as follows:
1) Content: When this item is selected, pressthe the Left and Right arrows
moves you among the books and documents available on the BLAZE.
2) Heading: This item appears only when playing DAISY content. When this
item is selected, using the Left and Right arrows navigates back and forward
by the headings in the DAISY book.
3) Level: This item appears only during DAISY playback. Available level
movement is dependent on how the DAISY book has been configured. It
may contain levels from 1-6.
4) Phrase: This item also appears only during DAISY playback. Phrases are
generally defined as the amount of text spoken in 1 breath, however, there is
no set standard. NLS books adapted from cassette tape have been known to
use the phrase mark up to represent an entire cassette track. When this item
is selected the Left and Right arrows move to the previous and next phrase
respectively.
5) Page: When this movement unit is selected, the Left and Right arrows will
move to the previous and next page respectively.
6) Paragraph: When this item is selected, the Left and Right arrows move to
the previous and next paragraph respectively.
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7) Sentence: When this item is selected the Left and Right arrows move to
the previous and next sentence. This item appears only in documents and
text-based DAISY content.
8) Line: The Left and Right arrows move to the previous and next line. This
item appears only during playback of documents and text-based DAISY
content.
9) Word: When this item is selected, the Left and Right arrows move to the
previous and next word. This item appears only during playback of
documents or text-based DAISY content.
10) Character: The Left and Right arrows navigate to the previous and next
character. Appears only during playback of documents or text-based DAISY
content.
11) Time movement: 30 seconds, 3 minutes, and 10 minutes. Use the Up
and Down arrows to select the time movement unit, and the Left and Right
arrows to move back and forward by the selected time. Time movement units
are available only during playback of DAISY audio content.
12) Beginning or End: The Left arrow navigates to the beginning of the book
or file, and the Right arrow navigates to the end of the book or file.
6.4 Quick Movement.
You may also use quick movement methods to navigate through a document
or book more quickly by pressing and holding the Left or Right arrow.
The movement method will vary based on the type of content you are
playing. For example, if you are playing DAISY audio, pressing and holding
the Right arrow, will give you options like 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes,
etc. If you are playing a text-based DAISY book or document, holding the
Right arrow gives you movement options like 5 sentences, 10 sentences, 15
sentences, etc. The longer you hold the arrow key, the greater the amount of
movement. When you hear the movement unit you want, release the arrow
key, and you are taken to the place in your book or document according to
the movement type and amount you chose.
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6.5 Marks.
In longer files, such as books, or files you intend to use for teaching, etc, it
can be useful to mark certain sections so that you can easily return to them
later. You can identify such sections using bookmarks, Voice marks, or
highlight marks.
You can place up to 1000 marks in each file, and you may not duplicate
mark numbers, even if the marks are of a different type. For example, you
may not have a bookmark and a highlight mark both labeled as number 5.
Each mark, no matter the type, will have a unique number from 1-999.
6.5.1 Inserting a Mark.
To insert a mark, follow these steps:
1) Locate the place in the content where you want to insert the mark, and
press the "Select" button.
2) The Mark Manager menu is displayed, and you are placed on the first
item, "Insert bookmark".
3) Press the "Select" button again.
4) You are propted for the number of the mark to insert.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to move to your desired number for the mark.
Use the Up and Down arrows to move in groups of 10. For example, if you
want to set the current mark as number 23, and the current selection is 1,
press the Right arrow twice to get to number 3, then press the Up arrow
twice to move to 13, then 23.
6) Press the "Select" button to save the mark.
If the mark already exists, you will be prompted whether to move or delete
the existing mark. Use the Left and Right arrows to move among the
choices, and press "Select" to activate your choice.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
6.5.2 Inserting a Voice Mark.
Setting a Voice Mark allows you to attach a voice recording to the mark to
provide additional information or an anotation to the content you are
marking.
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Use the following steps to insert a voice mark:
1) Locate the place in the content which you want to mark, and press
"Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Voice Mark" and press "Select".
4) The unit prompts, "Start recording", and you have up to 40 seconds to
record your audio anotation.
5) When you have finished recording, press the "Select" button.
6) You are prompted to choose the number for the voice mark.
7) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
8) Press "Select" to save the mark. If a mark already exists under that
number, you are asked whether you want to delete or move the existing
mark. Use the Left or Right arrow to move among the choices, and press
"Select" to activate your desired option.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
6.5.3 Inserting a Highlight Mark.
There may be times you wish to highlight a certain section of content, similar
to underlining a passage of text. You can do this by setting a highlight mark.
Use the following steps to set a highlight mark:
1) Locate the place in the content which you want to mark, and press
"Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Highlight Mark" and press "Select".
4) The start position is marked at your current position, and playback
continues.
5) When playback reaches the point at which you want to end the highlight
mark, press "Select" again.
6) You are prompted to choose the number for the highlight mark.
7) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
8) Press "Select" to save the mark. If a mark already exists under that
number, you are asked whether you want to delete or move the existing
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mark. Use the Left or Right arrow to move among the choices, and press
"Select" to activate your desired option.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel the setting of the mark.
6.5.4 Moving to a Mark.
You can move to an existing mark in 2 ways: either by using the "mark"
movement unit available during playback, or by specifying the mark to move
to using the Mark Manager. If you have few marks in a file, or you wish to
move through your marks sequencially, using the "mark" movement unit
may be most efficient. However, if you have many marks in a file, and wish
to quickly access a specific marked position, you may find it more
advantageous to use the Mark Manager.
Use the following steps to move to a mark using the "mark" movement unit:
1) Use the Up or Down arrow to choose "Mark" as the unit to move by.
2) Use the Left and Right arrows to move among the various marks in the file.
Use the following steps to move to a mark using the Mark Manager:
1) At any time during playback, press "Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Go to Mark" and press "Select".
4) You are prompted to choose the number of the mark to move to.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
6) Press "Select" and playback will begin at the marked position.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel moving to a mark.
6.5.5 Deleting a Mark.
Use the following steps to delete a mark:
1) At any time during playback, press "Select".
2) The Mark Manager is opened, and the first item "Bookmark" is focused.
3) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Delete Mark" and press "Select".
4) You are prompted to choose the number of the mark to delete.
5) Use the Left or Right arrow to choose the number for the mark. Use the
Up or Down arrows to move by groups of 10 numbers.
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6) Press "Select" and the mark is deleted.
Press "Cancel" at any time to cancel deleting a mark.
6.6 Adjusting Volume and Speed
You can use the Volume dial to adjust the reading voice volume, audio
preamp, playback speed, and voice pitch. Use the "Voice Control" button to
cycle through the available adjustments. The adjustable settings will vary
depending on the type of content being played. For example, an audio
DAISY book will contain the "Preamp" option, but will not contain the reading
Voice option as this applies to the TTS for text playback.
1) Reading Voice Volume: You can adjust Reading Voice volume using
values 1-15. Appears during document or DAISY text playback.
2) Reading Voice Speed: You can adjust Reading Voice speed using values
1-15. Appears during document or DAISY text playback.
3) Preamp: audio recordings are often at different volume levels. You can
adjust the preamplifier level for each file to compensate for this variation.
The default value is 0. You can adjust the preamp level using values from —
4 to 6. Appears only during DAISY audio playback.
4) Playback speed: Adjust the playback speed using values from 1 to 15. Is
available for both DAISY aueio and text/document playback.
Use the "Voice Control" button to determine which setting the Volume dial
will modify, and turn the Volume dial toward the top of the unit to increase
the value, and toward the bottom of the unit to decrease it. For example, to
change the playback speed, press the "Voice Control" button twice to get to
playback speed. Then use the Volume dial to increase or decrease the
speed of playback.
6.7 Switching Daisy Modes.
Some DAISY books contain both text and audio. In this case, you can switch
between playback of the text and the aueio.
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While a DAISY book containing both text and audio is openen, press and
hold the "Book" button. Each time you press and hold the "Book" button, it
toggles between text and audio mode.
6.8 Deleting Content.
You can easily delete the currently playing file or book during playback. To
do this, press and hold the "Cancel" buffton for more than 5 seconds. You
are asked if you want to delete the content. Press "Select" for yes, or press
"Cancel" to cancel the deletion.
6.9 Using The Explorer.
The Explorer lets you easily search for, delete, and play DAISY and
document content.
6.9.1 Entering and Exiting the Explorer.
To open the Explorer, while playing a DAISY book or document, press the
dot-like button in the center of the bottom row of keys, between the "OCR"
and "Cancel" buttons. You are presented with a list of files and folders
containing DAISY and document content. To exit the Explorer, press the
"Cancel" button and you are returned to the book or document you were
previously playing.
6.9.2 Structure of the Explorer
The Explorer sorts files and folders containing DAISY books and documents
alphabetication. DAISY books are displayed first, followed by a general list of
playable document folders and files. If a folder contains some files which are
supported, and some which are not, only the files of types supported by
Blaze EZ are shown in the Exslorer. In addition, document files contained in
a folder appear under the root folder, even if they are contained in subfolders
on the storage disk. For example, if you have a "My Documents" folder that
contains subfolders called "Manuals" and "Recipes", as well as documents in
the root, all playable items are shown under the "My Documents" folder.
6.9.3 Searching for and Playing Content.
Use the following keystrokes in the Explorer:
1) Use the Up and Down arrows to move through a file or folder list.
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2) Use the Left arrow to move back a level in the folder structure.
3) Use the Right arrow to move forward a level in the file/folder structure.
4) Use the "Select" button to play the focused file or folder.
5) Press and hold the Up arrow to move to the DAISY group.
6) Press and hold the Down arrow to move to the general documents group.
7) Press and hold the "Cancel" button for more than 2 seconds to delete the
focused file or folder. You are prompted whether you are sure you wish to
delete. Press "Select" for yes, or "Cancel" for no. You can also press and
hold the "Cancel" button during playback to delete the current file without
entering the "Explorer".
Browsing and Playing Content
The following describes how to search for and play content in more detail:
1) When you press the "Explorer" button during playback, the current title is
spoken, and you are focused on its location in the Explorer.
2) To play other content in the same folder, use the Up or Down arrow to
navigate to the desired content, and press "Select" or the "Book" button to
start playback of the newly focused book or document.
3) To navigate to a different folder, press the Left arrow to move out to the
folder list.
4) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to a different folder.
5) Press the Right arrow to enter the folder you wish to open.
6) The content of your chosen folder is displayed. Use the Up or Down
arrow to navigate the content.
7) Press the "Select" button or the "Book" button to start playback of the
focused item.
Moving among groups:
You may find it cumbersome and unnecessary to move through all the
documents to get to your DAISY books, or to navigate all your DAISY books
before getting to your documents. You can press and hold the Down arrow in
the DAISY book list to quickly jump to the beginning of the documents list.
When in the documents list, press and hold the Up arrow to jump to the
DAISY books list.
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6.9.4 Continuous Playing of a Folder.
You may have a situation where you wish to play a series of files in
succession. For example, if you have a text book or user manual wherein
each chapter is in a separate document. You can play all the content in a
given folder continuously using the steps below:
1) Press the "Explorer" button and your currently playing title is displayed.
2) Press the Left arrow to move to the folder list.
3) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to the folder you wish to play.
4) Press the "Select" button or the "Book" button and all content in the folder
will be played in sequence.
6.9.5 Checking the path.
To check the location of the current file or folder, when focused on it in the
Explorer, press and hold the "Explorer" button for more than 2 seconds. The
path of the current file or folder is announced.
6.9.6 Delete file or folder.
You can easily delete a file or folder from the Explorer or during playback.
When the content is playing, or when it is focused in the Explorer, press and
hold the "Cancel" button. You are asked if you are sure you wish to delete
the content. Press "Select" for yes, or "Cancel" for no.
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7. Recording.
This section discusses how to create and listen to recordings as well as how
to set your recording preferences.
You can record via the internal microphone, an external stereo microphone
or line-in source, from a headset microphone, or from the FM radio. You can
also adjust the quality of the recording and the sensitivity of the microphone.
7.1 Making a Recording.
To begin making a voice recording, simply press and hold the "Record"
button from either the Media Player or the Home menu. Note: if you press
and hold the "Record" button while the FM radio is playing, the unit begins
recording the radio content. Een the recording is started, you will be notified
either by a tone, a message, or not at all, depending on how you have set
your Record Settings.
To pause recording, press the "Record" button quickly. Another brief press of
the "Record" button resumes recording again.
To stop and save the recording, press the "Select" button. As with beginning
a recording, the notification you receive will depend on how your Record
Settings are set. To cancel recording, press the "Cancel" button. You are
asked if you wish to cancel the recording. Press "Select" to stop recording, or
press "Cancel" to, in a word, cancel the cancelation, thus resuming the
recording again.
The recorded file is saved in the "Record" folder of the internal flashdisk and
titled with the time and date.
To record via an extermal microphone, you can simply connect it and begin
recording. If you wish to use a line-in source, you should adjust the
Recording Source option in the Record settings before creating a recording.
7.2 Listening to a Recorded File.
A quick press of the Record button from anywhere opens the list of recorded
files created using the internal microphone or an external microphone or line-
in source. Use the Up and Down arrows to navigate among the recordings,
and press the "Select" button to play a recording. You can navigate
recordings just as you can other audio files in the Media Player.
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7.3 Searching and Deleting Recorded Files.
You can navigate and delete recordings using the Explorer just as you can
when using the Medi Player and Book Reader. To access all the recordings,
including those created from the radio, press the "Explorer" button while a
recording is opened.
Recordings are listed in chronological order by time. Use the Up and Down
arrows to move through the list of recordings. Use the Left arrow to move to
the folder list, and use the Right arrow to open a folder. Press "Select" on a
file you wish to play.
You can delete an individual recording by navigating to it and pressing and
holding "Cancel". To Delete all recordings in the Record folder or the Radio
folder, focus the folder and press and hold "Cancel". You are asked if
you're sure you wish to delete the file or folder. Press "Select" to delete the
file or folder, or press"Cancel" to cancel the deletion. You can also delete a
recording during playback.
7.4 Setting Recording Options.
You can change the Record settings to adjust microphone sensitivity, record-
quality, and recording source.
To open the "Record Settings" dialog, from the Home menu, press the Left
or Right arrow to navigate to "Record Settings" and press "Select". You are
placed on the first item, "Recording quality". Use the Up and Down arrows to
move among the settings in the list, and use the Left and Right arrows to
change the value of a setting.
The available settings and values are as follows:
1) Recording Quality: High Quality Wav, High Quality MP3, Standard quality,
Speech quality and User Defined.
A. High Quality WAV: sample rate = 44100Hz, bit-level = 16Bit, channels =
stereo
B. High quality mp3: sample rate = 44100Hz, bitrate = 320kbps, channels =
stereo
C. mp3 normal mode: sample rate = 44100Hz, bit rate = 192kbps, stereo
channel =
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D. Speech quality: sample rate = 22050Hz, bitrate = 64kbps, mono channel
=
E. User Defined: Press the Down arrow to display additional options for the
recording format and sample rate, bit rate, and specify them according to
your wish.
2) Record Method: Microphone, Headset microphone, and Line-in.
A. Microphone: built-in and external microphones to record automatically
detect the recording.
B. Following Microphones: Apple Earphones compatible with 4 pole that
supports the built-in microphone and ear microphone is automatically
detected and recorded.
C. Line-in: refers to using a line-in cable to connect your CD player, cassette
player, or other source to directly record the audio output.
Note: If Line-in or Headset Microphone is chosen, and the device is not
connected, recording is automatically done using the internal microphone.
3) Microphone Sensitivity: levels 1-5. Use level 1 to record louder sounds
such as a performance in a concert hall, and use higher sensitivity levels in
quieter environments such when recording a class lecture from the back of
the room.
4) Record notification: Beep, message, or off. This setting determines what
types of notifications you receive when beginning, pausing, and ending
recordings.
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8. OCR.
"OCR" refers to Optical Character Recognition, which simply means the
recognition and letters in an image, and the conversion of these letters to
text. The Blaze EZ accomplishes this by snapping a photo of a page of text
with it's built-in 5 mega-pixel camera, and processing it through its included
OCR software.
8.1 Opening and Closing OCR.
To open the OCR program, press the button on the bottom right of the Blaze
EZ's keypad. The OCR menu is displayed, and you are placed on the first
item, "Take a picture". Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate among the
items in the OCR menu.
The OCR menu contains the following items:
1) Take a Picture:
2) Flash On/Off: use the Left and Right arrows to adjust the setting.
3) Results: opens a list of recognition files from previously recognized
images.
4) Open a taken file: Allows you to open a previously-taken photo and have
the text re-recognized.
5) Open an External File: lets you open and recognize other image files not
captured on Blaze EZ.
6) Options: Used to set how images are processed and files are saved.
To Close the OCR program, press the "Cancel" button and you are returned
to the Home menu.
8.2 Taking a Picture.
You can capture an image using Blaze camera in 2 ways: either physically
holding the Blaze in an optimal position for taking a picture, or using the
optional OCR stand.
Taking a picture without the OCR stand:
1) Place your elows on either side of the printed material.
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2) Hold the Blaze EZ in your hands in the horizontal position where your
hands meet in the center of the arch made by your elows.
3) Press the "OCR" button to open the OCR program.
4) Press the "OCR" button once again to take the picture.
5) Blaze EZ auto focuses, shoots the picture, and automatically begins text
analysis. During text analysis, progress beeps are heard, and when the
analysis is finished, Blaze EZ automatically begins reading the text aloud.
Note: To take a decent picture of a normal sheet of paper, the camera
should be centered about 9 to 12 inches above the page. It should be placed
lower for smaller items.
Using the OCR stand:
1) Place the stand in the horizontal position, so that it's wall faces to the right.
2) Place the Blaze EZ in the tray on the top of the stand so that the camera
lines up with the small hole in the bottom.
3) Press the OCR button to take the picture.
8.3 Reading the OCR Result.
You can access OCR results in several ways:
As described above, after an image is captured, Blaze EZ automatically
analyzes and reads the text aloud.
You can also access recognition result files via the "Results" option in the
OCR menu. To open a result file via the menus, do the following:
1) Pressthe "OCR" button to open the OCR program. The "Take a picture"
option is displayed.
2) Press the Down arrow to navigate to "Results", and press "Select".
3) The list of recognized files is displayed according to the date and time
they were created.
4) Press the Left or Right arrow to select the file you wish to read, and press
"Select" to play it.
While playing a recognized file, you can also access the results by pressing
the "Explorer" button. Result files are displayed in descending order. Use the
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Up and Down arrows to navigate the list, and press "Select" on a file you
wish to play.
While reading a recognized file, press the "Select" button to pause and
resume reading. You can navigate the file in detail in the same way as would
a document file in the Book Reader.
Pressing the "OCR" button takes a new picture. Press the "Cancel" button to
return to the OCR menu. Press and hold the "Cancel" button to delete the
currently playing file. You are asked if you are sure you want to delete.
Press "Select" to delete, or "Cancel" to cancel deletion.
8.4 Importing Image Files.
You can open image files previously taken using Blaze EZ, or you can open
image files from other sources and recognize the text.
8.4.1 Opening a Captured File.
To open a file captured on the Blaze EZ, follow these steps:
1) Open the OCR menu.
2) Use Up or Down arrow to navigate to "Open a taken file" and press
"Select".
3) The list of JPG files taken on the Blaze EZ will appear titled using the date
and time they were captured.
4) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to the file you want to re-recognize,
and press "Select".
5) The file is analyzed, during which time you will hear beep sounds to
indicate progress.
6) When the recognition is completed, the text is automatically read aloud.
8.4.2 Opening an External Image File.
As mentioned previously, you can open image files created from other
sources, and recognize any available text in these images using Blaze EZ.
File types that can be recognized include BMP, JPG, PCX, TIF, PNG, GIF
and PDF.
To open and recognize an external image file, follow these steps:
1) Open the OCR menu.
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2) Press the Up or Down arrow to navigate to the "Open An Enwithgnal File"
option.
3) Blaze displays a list of image files.
4) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to the file you want to recognize
and press "Select".
5) The file is analyzed, during which time you will hear beep sounds to
indicate progress.
6) When the recognition is completed, the text is automatically read aloud.
8.5 Setting OCR Options.
8.5.1 Turning Flash On/Off.
You may need to turn the flash on or off depending on the brightness of your
surroundings. If recognition seems to be poor, try turning the flash off to
establish more appropriate lighting and better recognition.
To change the flash setting, do the following:
1) Open the OCR menu.
2) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to "Flash On/Off".
3) Use the Left or Right arrow to change the setting.
8.5.2 Selecting Image Recognition File handling.
Use this option to choose what happens when files are recognized.
1) Open the OCR menu.
2) Press the UP arrow to navigate to "Options" and press "Select"
3) Use the left or Right arrow to choose to save or delete files as they are
captured and recognized.
4) Press "Select" to save your settings.
5) To cancel saving your settings, press "Cancel" and you are returned to the
OCR menu.
8.5.3 Deleting All Recognized Text Files.
You can use the "Delete all Files" option to delete all recognized text files
since executing the OCR program. This may be useful if you've
experimented recognizing various things that you do not wish to keep, but
you want files you saved before to remain.
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1) Open the OCR menu.
2) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to "Options" and press "Select".
3) Use the Up or Down arrow to navigate to "Delete All Files" and press
"Select".
4) When asked if you want to delete all files, press "Select" to delete the files,
or press "Cancel" to cancel the deletion.
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9. Using a Bluetooth Audio Device.
You can use Blaze EZ with BLUETOOTH headsets or speakers for high
quality, wireless audio listening.
9.1 Turn Bluetooth On/Off.
To turn Bluetooth on or off, do the following:
1) From the Home menu, press the Left or Right arrow to navigate to the
Bluetooth Information item.
2) Fress the "Select" button to open the "Bluetooth Settings" dialog box.
3) You are placed on the Bluetooth status setting. Use the Left or Right
arrows to move between On and Off.
4) Press "Select" to save the settings.
5) Press the "Cancel" button to cancel saving the settings and return to the
Home menu.
9.2 Connecting a Bluetooth Headset or Speaker.
Before you can connect to a Bluetooth headset or speaker, you must first
locate the Bluetooth device. Use the following steps to search for a Bluetooth
audio device:
1) Make sure your Bluetooth audio device is in discovery mode. How to do
this will differ between make and model. Please consult your headset or
speaker's documentation for information about how to place your device in
discovery mode.
2) From the Home menu, press the Left or Right arrows to navigate to the
Bluetooth Information item.
3) Press the "Select" button to open the "Bluetooth Settings" dialog box.
4) If Bluetooth is off, press the Left or Right arrow to navigate to "On".
5) Press the Down arrow to initiate the search for Bluetooth audio devices.
Progress beeps are sounded to let you know the search is in progress.
6) When the search is complete, a list of available Bluetooth audio devices
appears. If there is more than 1 available device, use the Left and Right
arrows to navigate to the device you want to connect to.
7) Press the "Select" button on the device you want to connect to. If the
connection is successful, a series of musical tones are heard, and sound
should begin outputting to the Bluetooth headset or speaker.
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8) Press the Cancel button to cancel connecting to a Bluetooth device and
you are returned to the Home menu.
9.3 Disconnecting a Bluetooth Headset or Speaker.
You may wish to disconnect from one Bluetooth cevice so that you connect
to another. To disconnect from a Bluetooth device, use the following steps:
1) From the Home menu, press the Left or Right arrow to navigate to the
Bluetooth Information item.
2) Press "Select" to open the "Bluetooth Settings" dialog box.
3) Press the Down arrow to initiate the search for devices. Prngress beeps
are sounded to let you know the search is in progress.
4) When the search is completed, the available devices are displayed. Use
the Left or Right arrow to navigate to the currently connected device.
5) Press and hold the "Cancel" button for 5 seconds. The device is
disconnected and the Bluetooth profile is deleted.
6) Press the "Cancel" button to close the "Bluetooth Settings" dialog box and
return to the Home menu.
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10. Using Wireless LAN.
This section describes how to check Wireless status, turn Wi-fi on and off,
and how to connect to and delete profiles.
Using Wi-fi enhances the abilities of Blaze EZ in the following ways:
1) Stay synchronized with a time server, always ensuring the Date and Time
is as accurate as it can be.
2) Access Web radio stations from around the globe:
3) Subscribe to and download podcasts.
4) Easily upgrade your Blaze EZ software online.
5) Access and download books from Online DAISY libraries.
10.1 Checking the Status of Wireless LAN.
You can easily check the status of Wireless LAN simply by navigating to the
Wireless Lan information in the Home menu. Use the Left or Right arrow to
navigate to Wireless LAN information, and the Blaze EZ announces whether
wireless is on or off, and, if on, if it is connected to a network.
10.2 Turn Wireless On/Off.
You must have Wireless LAN turned on and connected to a network to
access the Online DAISY program, to listen to Web Radio, to download
podcasts, and to upgrade Blaze EZ using the online update server. To turn
on Wireless LAN, do the following:
1) From the Home menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to Wireless
LAN information, and press "Select".
2) You are placed in the "Network Setup" dialog box on the Wireless status
item. Use the Left and Right arrows to change the Wireless status between
On and Off.
3) Press "Select" to save the setting.
If you have previously connected to a network and it is range, Blaze EZ will
automatically detect and connect to it once wireless is turned on. You may
wish to keep Wi-fi turned off when you are not using it, as this will save
battery life.
10.3 Connecting to a Wireless Network.
Use the following steps to connect to a Wireless network:
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1) From the Home menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to Wireless
LAN information, and press "Select".
2) The "Network Setup" dialog box is opened.
3) If Wireless is not turned on, use the Left Or Right arrow to change
wireless status to On.
4) Press the Down arrow.
5) The list of available wireless networks is displayed.
6) Use the Left and Right arrows to navigate among the networks. As you
move through the list, the network name, signal strength, and security are
announced.
7) Press "Select" on the network you wish to connect to. If no password is
required, Blaze EZ begins trying to connect to the network. If a network key
is required, the "Password" edit box appears. In the edit box, use the Up or
Down arrows to move among the available keyboards: UPER Case Letters,
Lower Case Letters, Numbers, and Symbols. Use the Left and Right arrows
to navigate the characters in a keyboard, and press "Select" on the character
you wish to enter. Press the "Record" butt to delete a character, and press
the "Explorer" button to read what you have typed into the edit box. When
you have finished entering the password, press and hold the "Select" button
for several seconds. Press "Cancel" to cancel setting up the connection.
8) After a few seconds, if the connection is successful, Blaze EZ announces
that it is connected to the network and you are returned to the Home menu.
If the Blaze is unable to connect to the network, it announces "Connection
failed", and you are returned to the list of available wireless networks.
10.4 Deleting a Wireless Profile.
You may find it necessary to delete anetwork profile because you no longer
need it or because the password or connection scheme have changed and
you need to recreate it.
To delete a network profile, follow these steps:
1) From the Home menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to Wireless
LAN information and press "Select".
2) The "Network Setup" dialog box is opened.
3) If Wireless is rf, use the Left or Right arrow to change the status to On.
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4) Press the Down arrow.
5) The list of available networks is displayed.
6) Use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to the network you want to delete.
7) Press and hold the "Cancel" key for more than 2 seconds. The unit
announces, "Delete profile completed". If you are currently connected to the
network, you are disconnected, and the profile is removed.
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11. Web Radio.
Web Radio is live audio casting over the Internet as opposed to an FM signal.
Web streaming is the method by which devices like Blaze EZ allow you to
listen to such casts. To use the Web Radio, Blaze EZ must be connected to
a wireless network.
11.1 Executing and exiting Web Radio.
To execute the Web Radio application, from the Home menu, use the Left or
Right arrow to navigate to Web Radio" and press "Select". When the Web
Radio application is launched, Blaze EZ searches for Web Radio station
playlist addresses stored on the unit and creates a channel list. When the
channel list creation is complete, you are placed on the channel you last
listened to. If you have not previously listened to the Web Radio, you are
placed on the first station in the list. Use the Left and Right arrows to
navigate among the channels, and press "Select" on a station you wish to
play.
During playback, press "Cancel" to return to the channel list. Press "Cancel"
from the channel list to close the Web Radio and return to the Home menu.
If the Web Radio does not play, please check the following:
1) Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
2) Be sure the Webradio folder on Blaze EZ contains proper Web Radio
channel playlist addresses. Blaze EZ supports m3u and PLS radio playlists.
3) The URL may mo longer be valid, or the server may be experiencing
temporary problems. Unfortunately, Web Radio stations often change their
Url's thus, it is often necessary to check and change the address you are
using to connect to a Web Radio channel.
11.2 Moving by channel.
During Playback, you can use the Left andRight arrows to move among your
Web Radio channels. As you use the arrows to navigate, Blaze EZ stops
playing the channel you are currently listening to, and connects to the
channel to which you have just navigated. In other words, when you navigate
while streaming, you are, in escence, live tuning, similar to turning a dial on
an FM radio. As explained above, you can also press "Cancel" and navigate
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the channel list, and press "Select" on the station you actually wish to listen
to. You may wish to use the second method if you want to skip through many
stations quickly.
Because Web casting happens in real time, you are not able to move by
track or other time elements as you can when playing stored audio files. The
movement units available when playing Web Radio channels allow to move
by1 channel, 5 channels or to the first or last channel. Use the Up and Down
arrows to choose the movement unit, and use the Left and Right arrows to
move by the chosen unit of navigation.
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12. Podcasts.
Podcasts are audio files published by individuals or organizations via a
method called RSS. Podcasts are available on any number of topics
including news, politics, music, books, technology, cooking, and an unlimited
number of individual casts covering very specific personal interests. Anyone
with the know-how and the right equipment can publish a podcast, thus, the
selections are virtually unlimited.
RSS, is short for "Really Simple Syndication" and allows individuals to
receive updated web content via "feeds" to which people can subscribe
through applications called RSS Readers or Pod Catchers which access the
feed addresses and bring down the available content as it is updated. Users
can then see the available podcast content and choose to download the
podcast files if they wish to listen to them. The Podcasts application on the
Blaze EZ is such a pod catcher.
12.1 Subscribing to Podcasts.
Podcast feed address information must be stored in the "Podcast" folder on
the Blaze EZ internal flashdisk. You can paste the Podcast XML addresses
directly, or copy an OPML created by another podcatching application, and
the podcasts will be imported automatically when you next open the Podcast
application on the Blaze EZ.
If you paste podcast feed addresses directly, each URL must be placed on
it's own line for the Blaze EZ to properly recognize it.
12.2 Executing and Exiting Podcasts
To open the Podcasts application, from the Home menu, use the Left or
Right arrow to navigate to "Podcasts", and press "Select". Blaze announces,
"Creating Feed list" and progress beeps are heard while the unit creates the
list of feeds from XML addresses pasted into the Podcasts folder, and/or
from OPML files placed there. If you are not connected to the Internet, you
are prompted and asked if you wish to set up Wi-fi. Press "Select" to open
the "Network Setup" dialog described previously, or press "Cancel" to open
the Podcasts application without establishing a Wi-fi connection.
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The first time you open Podcasts after pasting an OPML file into the
Podcasts folder, it may take more time to create the feed list. When Blaze is
finished creating the feed list, it announces "Feed list creation complete" and
you are placed in the list of podcast feeds. To close the Podcasts application,
press the "Cancel" button, and you are returned to the Home menu.
12.3 Navigating Feeds and Podcasts.
From the podcast feed list, use the Left and Right arrows to navigate among
the podcast feeds. To view the content for a feed, press the Down arrow, or
the Select key.
If you are connected to the Internet, the feed is updated. Progress beeps are
sounded to let you know the update is in progress. When the update is
complete, you are placed in a list of podcasts available for the feed. If you
are not connected to the Internet, when you press the Down arrow or
"Select" button on a feed, you are given the list of podcasts available the last
time you updated the feed.
Use the Left and Right arrows to navigate among the podcasts in a list. As
you navigate, the title of the podcast is announced as well as its status, "Not
downloaded", "Not Played", "Partially played" or played.
If the podcast has not been downloaded, press "Select" on it to begin
downloading. (You must have an active Internet connection to download
podcasts.) Progress beeps are heard, and progress percentages are
announced as the podcast downloads. When the download is complete, the
unit begins playing the podcast in the Media Player.
If the podcast has been downloaded, if you press "Select" on it, it will begin
playing in the Media player. If you have already listened to part of the
podcast, it will resume playback at the position at which you last stopped
playing it. While playing a podcast, press "Cancel" to stop playback, and
return to the podcast list.
12.4 Deleting Content.
You may delete a podcast feed, or a downloaded podcast by navigating to it
and pressing and holding the "Cancel" button for more than 2 seconds. You
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are asked if you're sure you want to delete the item. Press "Select" to delete,
or press "Cancel" to cancel the deletion.
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13. Online DAISY
The Online DAISY program allows patrons of the Canadian National Institute
for the Blind to access their bookshelf and download content directly to the
Blaze EZ.
13.1 Logging In.
To log into your Online DAISY account, please do the following:
1) From the Home menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to Online
DAISY, and press "Select".
2) You are placed in the "Online DAISY Login" dialog in the ID edit box. Use
the Up or Down arrow to move among the items in the dialog. Press "Select"
on an item to bring up the keyboards and enter text.
3) In the edit box, use the Up or Down arrows to move among the available
keyboards: UPER Case Letters, Lower Case Letters, Numbers, and Symbols.
Use the Left and Right arrows to navigate the characters in a keyboard, and
press "Select" on the character you wish to enter. Press the "Record" butt to
delete a character, and press the "Explorer" button to read what you have
typed into the edit box. When you have finished entering text, press and hold
the "Select" button for several seconds.
4) Once you have entered your ID and password in the manner described
above, use the Down arrow to navigate through the other fields.
5) Choose whether or not to save both your ID and Password. Use the Left
or Right arrow to navigate to Yes" or "no".
6) Choose whether to view the Output notice. Use the Left or Right arrow to
choose "Yes" or "no".
7) Choose the number of items to display. You may choose amounts from 10
to 50 in multiples of 5. Use the Left and Right arrows to navigate among the
choices.
8) Arrow down to the "Login" item, and press "Select" to log in.
13.2 Navigating content.
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13.3 Downloading and Playing content.
13.4 Returning content to the Bookshelf.
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14. Upgrading Blaze EZ firmware.
This section describes how to upgrade the firmware on the Blaze EZ. You
may upgrade the firmware in 2 ways: Online, or Offline.
14.1 Online Upgrade.
Use the following procedure to upgrade your Blaze EZ online.
1) Make sure you are connected to the Internet. See chapter 10 for details
on setting up a wireless network connection.
2) Connect the AC adapter. If you try to upgrade without connecting the AC
adapter, the Blaze EZ will notify you that the AC adapter is not connected,
and will cancel the upgrade process.
3) From the Home Menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to
"Upgrade" and press "Select".
4) You are prompted to choose how you wish to upgrade. Use the Left or
Right arrow to navigate to Online and press "Select".
5) If you are connected to the Internet, and a mew upgrade is available, the
download begins. If you are not connected to the Internet, you are notified
and taken to the "Network Setup" dialog. If the current upgrade is the latest,
you are notified, and asked if you wish to proceed. Press "Select" to proceed,
or press "Cancel" to cancel the upgrade process.
6) When the download is complete, the unit announces, "Start System
update", and the update begins installing. During the download, you may
press the "Cancel" key to cancel the download process, and you are
returned to the upgrade options list. However, once the upgrade begins
installing, please do not press any keys on the Blaze EZ or disconnect it
from the AC adapter.
7) When the installation is complete, Blaze announces that the upgrade was
successful, and reboots to the Home menu.
14.2 Offline Upgrade.
Use the follow steps to upgrade your Blaze EZ offline:
1) Connect the AC adapter. If you try to upgrade without connecting the AC
adapter, the Blaze EZ will notify you that the AC adapter is not connected,
and will cancel the upgrade process.
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2) From the Home Menu, use the Left or Right arrow to navigate to
"Upgrade" and press "Select".
3) You are prompted to choose how you wish to upgrade. Use the Left or
Right arrow to navigate to Offline and press "Select".
4) The unit announces, "Start System update", and the update begins
installing. Once the upgrade begins installing, please do not press any keys
on the Blaze EZ or disconnect it from the AC adapter.
5) When the installation is complete, Blaze announces that the upgrade was
successful, and reboots to the Home menu.