There sure are a lot of ways you can read your DAISY formatted materials these days. However, for some, many common options may be too complicated to learn or use effectively. That's why the ability to use a Digital Assistant could aid many when it comes to reading books and newspapers. J.J. spoke with Daniel Ainasoja, Sales Manager for pratsam, about their new Smart Speaker Service being shown publicly for the first time at CSUN. The interview contains a demo using a Google Home, but the new service is also available on Android, iOS, Windows and the web. Ideally this technology is good for those schools and libraries that are looking to provide their content to others without having to develop their own distribution apps. Moreover, some private companies may find the delivery system a good fit for their content as well. To learn more about the Smart Speaker Service, visit the pratsam website
CSUN 2020 coverage is Brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.
For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings, access technology book reviews, and mobile apps, and how they can enhance entertainment, education and employment, log on to AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind's free, monthly, online technology magazine. Visit www.afb.org/aw.
Transcript
We strive to provide an accurate transcription, though errors may occur.
Hide transcriptTranscribed By Grecia Ramirez
Direct from Anaheim, it’s blindbargains.com coverage of CSUN 2020, brought to you by AFB AccessWorld.
For the latest news and accessibility information on mainstream and access technology; Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offerings; access technology book reviews and mobile apps and how they can enhance entertainment, education, and employment, log onto AccessWorld, the American Foundation for the Blind’s free monthly online technology magazine, www.afb.org/aw.
Now, here’s J.J. Meddaugh.
J.J. MEDDAUGH: CSUN 2020. The quiet Exhibit Hall toward the end of Wednesday. I have found Daniel Ainasoja from Pratsam. Pratsam has created a way to listen to Daisy books -- one of the cool things here is -- using a Google assistant to demo that. Welcome to the podcast.
DANIEL AINASOJA: Thank you.
JM: So explain to me a bit about your company and what you have done here.
DA: Okay. So Pratsam is a company from Finland. It’s a software company. And we provided a national library, Celia, in Finland with a platform to distribute Daisy online To apps and different kind of devices for the end users. And the latest development we done is to make it available – the Daisy books available on the Google assistant.
JM: So we have a Google Home Max here, so why don’t you go ahead and demo a bit of how that might work.
DA: Okay.
Okay, Google. Continue.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: -- food and to keep warm. Most cars burn fuel in the engine.
JM: So that’s playing audio, Daisy audio
DA: Yes. Yes. And now, I can – okay Google. Open bookshelf.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: Currently, you have books. Book number one: Climbing the highest mountain, by Per Sennels. Book number two: Fire Safety by blaxland, Wendy. What would you like to read?
DA: Book number one.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: You have selected book, “Climbing the Highest Mountain.” Last time, you left at chapter 1.1: “How and When did They get There?” Would you like to continue from the previous position?
DA: Yes.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: Reading you book, "Climbing the Highest Mountain” in chapter three.
AUDIO BOOK: Section 1.1: How and when did they get there?
DA: Okay, Google.
AUDIO BOOK: Through practical purposes –
DA: Okay, Google. Add bookmark.
JM: There you go.
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: Bookmark added.
DA: Continue.
AUDIO BOOK: Before we continue to elaborate on this extremely interesting topic --
DA: Okay, Google. Pause.
Yes. And those are a few of the features.
JM: So you also can – you demonstrated to me earlier, you can also speed up to voice with this as well.
DA: Yeah. That’s true. Yeah.
JM: And you can control the speed or the -- something to the effect of like, change speed to 140 percent or something to that effect; right?
DA: Yes. That’s possible.
JM: Okay. Very cool. How would you go back to the bookmark that you just set?
DA: I would ask to get bookmarks, and the assistant will tell me how many bookmarks I have and where they are. And then I could select bookmark number 2, and it would jump to the chapter and also tell me the name of the chapter.
JM: How does it indicate where the bookmark is since you’re using an audio book?
DA: So it’s – the audio files – in the audio file, we make a – we follow up where the user is listening and when he adds the bookmark, we save the position of the book.
JM: Okay. So the Google Home is just one platform that you have created, or that you have created an app for. Where else are you available?
DA: We have app for Android, we have for iOS that supports Daisy and EPUB, and we have web app so you can play the Daisy book in a web browser. And you got the text and you got the audio and it’s synchronized and highlighted. And we also have an app for windows.
JM: Cool. So you’ve come to CSUN, and your goal is to license this technology, for lack of a better word, to other library systems to enable them to use this same platform to make their books accessible; right? So they don’t have to create their own apps to –
DA: Yes. That’s true. So we’re thinking about these libraries that already have a collection of books in audio formats, and we can provide them with a platform to distribute online.
JM: There’s some international implications as well, with the signing of the Marrakesh Treaty, where even apps that you create for libraries in other countries at some point might become accessible for people in many different countries because of that; right?
DA: Yeah. Yeah. That’s true.
JM: Very cool. I guess, in the U.S., the limitation becomes, for some reason, the National Library Service hasn’t adopted Daisy online. For whatever reason, they’ve gone with their own system, so I’m not sure if that’s a limitation here or – what have you found here with the U.S. market?
DA: We had discussions, actually, with the National Library and – but there have been many changes in the politics and bureaucracy with the services. They’ve started developing some services and looked into it, but eventually just ran out of resources and these kind of things.
JM: Uh-huh.
DA: So – but we keep up a discussion. We’re active in the Daisy consortium and talking with all kinds of libraries about cooperation.
JM: Sure. The cost falls on the library of the service; correct? There’s no cost for the user to use the app?
DA: Yes. We do, like, business to business, so we don’t provide anything directly for the end user. We provide organizations, the school or the library, with a platform and do this technical support, and then the organization can do the end-user support.
JM: Yeah. I look at, even a lot of mainstream services for libraries that are out there, perhaps looking for ways to make their content accessible or to add accessibility to their content. I see a lot of potential there as well.
DA: Yes. Yes, it is. And if you look at the potential to make everything more accessible, I mean, in Finland, books – maybe 5 percent of the printed books are made accessible so –
JM: Yeah.
DA: -- so there’s a lot of work to do to – in this field.
JM: Great. Well, many of our listeners may have connections with the library in their country, or maybe they can encourage them to connect with you. What would be the best way to do that?
DA: You mean the listeners in –
JM: Anywhere. We have listeners all over the place.
DA: Ah. You have – okay. Okay. So – yeah. Feel free to go to our website, pratsam.com and look at the services and we also have –
JM: Spell Pratsam, please.
DA: So Pratsam is P-r-a-t-s-a-m.
JM: All right.
DA: Dot com.
JM: Perfect.
DA: Yeah.
JM: And if someone in Finland – is this – the thing that you demoed, is that available for them now or –
DA: We – for now, we’ve done field trials. This is like, proof of concept for now.
JM: Uh-huh.
DA: And we have about ten users that have been listening to newspapers for some months and giving us feedback on the design of the service, if some features missing or are they poorly designed. So what we are looking for right now is someone to cooperate with to do a pilot project. So that’s why we’re here, actually, to –
JM: Great.
DA: Yeah.
JM: Well, good luck, and I hope it works out for you. It’s a very interesting idea. I do appreciate you coming on.
DA: Yeah. Thank you very much.
For more exclusive audio coverage, visit blindbargains.com or download the Blind Bargains app for your IOS or Android device. Blind Bargains audio coverage is presented by the A T Guys, online at atguys.com.
This has been another Blind Bargains audio podcast. Visit blindbargains.com for the latest deals, news, and exclusive content. This podcast may not be retransmitted, sold, or reproduced without the express written permission of A T Guys.
Copyright 2020.
Listen to the File
File size: 9.3MB
Length: 08:33
- Download the file
- Listen using our Enhanced Accessible Web Player
- Download our Blind Bargains Apps to listen from your phone or tablet
Check out our audio index for more exclusive content
Blind Bargains Audio RSS Feed
This content is the property of Blind Bargains and may not be redistributed without permission. If you wish to link to this content, please do not link to the audio files directly.
Category: ShowsNo one has commented on this post.
You must be logged in to post comments.
Or Forgot username or password?
Register for free
Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
