Baykel Talking MP3 Player

Talking Music Player, Recorder, and E-Book Reader
Item Number: 1040

Price: $299.95 Shipping: FREE From our Distribution Center
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Product Features

  • Portable device plays music in all common audio formats.
  • Fully compatible with DAISY audio books, including those downloaded from Bookshare.
  • About the size of a cell phone, and weighs under 4 ounces.
  • Large, tactile buttons which are easy to feel.
  • Buttons feature tactile marks to distinguish them by touch.
  • Audible feedback for every function and feature, 100% accessible to the blind.
  • Uses some of the best synthetic speech you've ever heard.
  • Listen in headphones or on the built-in speaker.
  • Built-in memory holds 6 GB (2000 songs, or 100 hours of recording).
  • Supports standard SD memory cards up to 32 GB.
  • Recorder can use either internal or external microphone.
  • Built-in FM radio, Calculator, Compass, and key-lock function.
  • Has a talking clock, 5 daily alarms, and optional hourly report feature.
  • Features standard-sized USB and Headphone jacks.
  • Offers voice reminders.
  • Supports Internet Radio and Podcasts over WiFi.
  • Comes complete with USB cable and earphones.
  • Rugged, fashionable construction with shock-resistant housing.
  • Innovative and ground-breaking, versatile and affordable.
  • Package Weight: about 14.8 ounces.

Product Description

The Baykel Talking MP3 Player is a revolution in design and engineering. Using real-sounding speech to guide you through the various menus, options, filenames and selections, every area of this player is entirely accessible to blind users. The button layout makes each feature extremely simple to operate, and each key is easy to feel and press by touch. The player is small, just over half an inch thick, and weighs in under 3 ounces. Take your jukebox, book reader, clock, recorder, compass, and calculator with you with one small, powerful device. It's packed with rich features, and equipped with some of the best synthetic speech you've ever heard.

Select the album you want to listen to for your afternoon walk. Pause to record a note for later, then listen to the radio on the way home. Curl up for a while with your favorite E-Book, then switch over to Recordings and play Mom's famous cookie recipe. Every song title, every menu option, and every page of your E-Book is spoken out loud. It's all possible thanks to one extraordinary device - The Baykel Talking MP3 Player.

The list of features offered by your new player is most impressive. The device boasts 6 gigabytes of internal storage, and supports SD memory cards five times that size. You can listen in headphones or on the built-in speaker, and a line-in jack is also present if you don't wish to use the onboard microphone. You can set as many Bookmarks as you like, anywhere from halfway through a song to a particular spot in an E-book. Daisy audible books are fully supported, complete with advanced navigation. Tools include FM radio, Calculator, Compass, voice reminders, and key-lock function. The talking clock speaks the time and date, complete with five daily alarms and an optional hourly report feature.

A file management menu lets you delete or move files, right from the player. The Digital Signal Processor allows you to customize your music with a configurable Equalizer and Sound Retrieval System. Voice recordings can be copied to your computer and played in any program. User-selectable Recording Formats include settings for Wav and MP3. A-B mode lets you repeat a chorus in a song or sentence in a recording. There are even play modes to shuffle or repeat tracks. Listen to podcasts or internet radio stations in real-time using the built-in wi-fi support.

This talking MP3 player is small, smaller than many of today's cell phones and less than four ounces in weight. It plays all standard music files, maintains your original file structure, has a built-in voice recorder, reads E-Books, and even boasts an FM radio. All these features are impressive, but the fact that every function talks makes this player worth its weight in gold. Digital music and E-Books have completely redefined modern-day entertainment. Come join the fun with one small device - boasting one powerful set of features!

The player is powered by an internal Lithium Ion battery. Please note that, while books from Bookshare are supported, this device will not play Audible.com or NLS audio books.

Read the Manual

Product Directions

Directions for the Baykel Talking MP3 Player From Future Aids, The Braille Superstore.

Introduction. The Baykel Talking MP3 Player is a revolution in design and engineering. Using real-sounding speech to guide you through the various menus, options, filenames and selections, every area of the player is entirely accessible to blind users. The button layout makes each feature extremely simple to operate, and each key is easy to feel and press by touch. The player is small, just over half an inch thick, and weighs in under 3 ounces. Take your jukebox, book reader, recorder, compass, calculator, radio, and alarm clock with you with one small, powerful device. It's packed with rich features, and equipped with some of the best synthetic speech you've ever heard.

Buttons. Place the player on a table in front of you, with the speaker and buttons facing up. Orient the player so the speaker is facing towards you.

There are fifteen buttons on the player.

On the top row, there are two buttons. To the left is Power, and to the right is Record. Both are marked with a single tactile dot at the top of the button.

The next grouping of buttons looks like a cross, with a large square button in the middle. The four buttons around the square are the arrow keys, and the button in the center is OK. Each arrow key is marked with a tactile arrow, and the OK button is marked with a tactile line near the bottom of the button.

Below the arrow group, we have two buttons. The one on the left is Menu, and to the right is Escape. Again, both are marked with a single, tactile dot near the bottom of the button.

The final grouping of buttons has six keys, directly below a raised, curved ridge. The three on the top row are, from left to right, Volume Down, Info, and Volume Up. Below that, we find Music, Radio, and Bookmark. Music and Radio are hotkey buttons, so you can change their function if you wish.

Ports. On the top side of the player, you will find the SD Memory card slot. On the top-right of the player, there are three ports. The round one on the top is Headphone, and below is Microphone. The rectangular port on the bottom is for a USB cable, which you will use to charge the player and add files to it.

Basic Operation. To turn on the player, hold down the Power button for two to three seconds, then release it. The player vibrates briefly, then plays a short tune. After a few seconds, the synthetic speech will announce your current position in the file structure.

You are now browsing the list of files in a folder. You may use the up and down arrow keys to select a folder. When you find the one you want, press OK to open it. Press Info to hear more about the item you have selected, or Escape to go back to the parent folder.

At any time, you can press Info twice to hear the current time and date, or thrice to hear the battery level. A fourth press of the Info button will announce the WiFi connectivity status. Press Music to go back to the audio you were listening to before, picking up right where you left off. Press Power briefly to pull up the Automatic-power-off menu. Press and hold Power for two to three seconds to power off the player, and the unit announces "Shutting down."

Press Volume Up to increase the player's volume, or Volume Down to decrease it. There are sixteen volume choices. Quickly press Power then Music to lock or unlock the keys.

If you press Escape while browsing the folders on the Root (or head) of your file structure, you are able to select which drive to browse. This allows you to listen to files on your player's internal memory, your SD memory card, or a connected flash drive.

To insert a memory card, first locate the cut-out on one corner of the card. Insert the narrow end of the card into the player, with the corner facing to the right. Gently push the card into place against the loading spring until it is flush with the side of the player, then release your finger to feel it click into place. Simply press on the card again to release it.

To connect a flash drive, first plug it into the included short USB cable, then insert the other, smaller end into the player's USB port. In a couple of seconds, the player will open a list of files and folders on the drive.

Pressing Bookmark allows you to select a bookmark you have set. If you have a lot of bookmarks, you can use the Left and Right arrow keys to show only bookmarks you've set for E-Book, Audio, or Daisy. Or, you can press Bookmark a second time to pull up a list of recently-listened audio. Again, you can use the Left and Right arrow keys to show only audio you've recently listened to in E-Book, Audio, or Daisy. Press Menu to delete a bookmark.

Once you insert a memory card or connect a flash drive, you should always power down the player before removing it. Failure to do so could result in data loss or damage to your player.

Recording. Press the Record button to pull up the Recording menu. Here, you may select where to store your recording, or set options such as recording volume and format. Press OK on Record to start recording. Press OK to pause or resume the recording, and Record to stop and save it.

Recordings are saved in the Record folder, with today's date as the filename.

Listening to Music. When you come to a song you want to listen to, press OK to start playing it. Press OK to pause and resume the audio playback. Press Left and Right arrow to skip back and forth through the song. Press Info to hear the length of the file, and your position in it.

You can also press Menu to pull up the playback Settings menu. Here, you can configure Play Mode (Normal, Single Play, Repeat Once, Repeat All or Shuffle), Equalizer (Normal, Pop, Rock, Jazz or Classical), Speed (50% slow to 300% fast), Pitch (minus 5 to 5), and Skip Step (10 seconds to 1 hour).

You can have the player remember your current position by pressing the Bookmark key. You can also access A-B mode by selecting the "Start Highlight Bookmark" option with the arrow keys under the Bookmark menu.

If you want to add a voice bookmark, press the Bookmark button, and player announces "Add Bookmark." Now press and hold the Record button, speak the name of the bookmark, then release the Record button. 3-4 seconds later, you will hear "Voice bookmark added" announcement.

Reading a book. As with Music, you can skip forward or back through the document using the Left and Right arrow keys, or press Bookmark to remember your current position. You can also press Up and Down arrow to select how quickly you move through the document: 1 percent, ten percent, Page, paragraph, or Sentence.

Listening to Daisy books. Daisy audio books must be saved in the folder called Daisy, whether on the player's internal memory or on a memory card. There are several special options available to you, when listening to audio books in the Daisy format.

While reading a book, you can press Menu to Go to a particular page or heading. You can also use the Left and Right arrows to configure Reading Speed (minus 10 to 20), Voice (Sally or Joey), and Background Music Volume and Selection.

To move through the different sections of your book, use the Left and Right arrow keys. To configure how rapidly you move through the book, use the Up and Down Arrows to select Level 1, Level 2, Page, Paragraph or One Minute Time Jump.

Configuring the Player. When browsing a list of files, press Menu to enter the Main Device menu. Here, you can set the current time, configure the speech output, set an alarm, check for updates, and much more. Use the arrow keys to select the option you want, and press OK to configure it. Use the Up and Down arrows to select the desired setting, and press OK to confirm.

Under this menu, Device Information can be selected to give you capacity and free space information. System Voice can be used to configure the voice and speed of the audible feedback.

Time Settings. The Time Settings menu, under the main device menu, is used to set a wide array of options. Here you can set the system time, configure automatic announcement of the current time, and set automatic power-off. Press OK to enter a particular setting, and use the Left and Right arrows to configure it. Press OK when done. Once connected to WiFi, you should enable Network Time Synchronization and set your Time zone and Daylight Saving time settings, so the time is always correct.

Timer Power Off will turn the unit off, even if it is playing, after a certain duration of time. Timer Power On will turn the player on automatically, after it has been powered off for the indicated amount of time.

Alarms. There are five alarms you can configure from the main system menu. After you press OK on Alarms, you are presented with the Alarm menu. Use the Up and Down arrows to select the alarm number you wish to change and press OK. Now, you can set the time you wish the alarm to go off, what weekdays it should sound on, and the desired alarm sound.

Network. Here you can set up preferred networks and connect the player to WiFi. Press OK on Wireless Settings, set Wireless to Active, and press Down arrow to scan for available networks. Use your Up and Down arrows to select the network you wish to connect to, then press OK. Unless the network is open, you will then be asked to input a password. Press Bookmark to switch between digits, capital letters, small letters, and symbols. Use Up and Down arrow to select each character, and Right arrow to accept it. Press Info to read back the password you've entered. Press OK when done to connect to the network.

Tools. Here, you will find helpful gadgets such as Calculator and Compass. You can also use Disc Management to format the internal or external memory card.

Radio. As soon as you press the Radio key, the current station is spoken and radio reception is switched on. The radio only plays through headphones, as the headphone cord acts as an antenna. Press Up and Down arrow to select the station you want to listen to. Press Menu to enter the Advanced Station Manager menu. Press Record to record from the radio.

Compass. The Compass is found on the Tools menu, under the Main Device menu. Simply select Compass, then press OK to hear the current direction. You must hold the device flat for accurate bearings. Options to Calibrate Compass or Resume Default Calibration can be found with the arrow keys, but these options can damage your unit so they are available only as a last resort and not recommended.

Calculator. In the calculator, use Up and Down arrows to select the desired number. Press Right arrow to enter another number, or Left to erase it. Press Menu repeatedly until the desired operation is reached, then use the Up and Down arrows to enter another number. Press OK to calculate.

Managing Files. When browsing a list of files, press Menu twice to enter the File Manager. Here, you can Delete a file, move it to your clipboard, or send it to your SD memory card. Simply select the action you want, then press OK. As usual, you can press Escape to exit this menu.

Streaming Internet Radio. Before you can listen to your favorite Internet radio stations, you'll need to use a PC to find and download special files that will tell your player where to tune into. Both M3u and Pls formats are supported, as long as the file contains a direct URL to the station's content. Copy the downloaded files to the "internet radio" folder on your player.

Now, when you select the Internet Radio folder on your player, you can use your Up and Down arrow keys to choose the station you wish to listen to. Press OK to start listening. Note: Inside "internet radio" folder, you can create sub-folders to categorize radio stations, such as Sports, News, Music and so on.

Podcasts. Similar to Internet Radio, before you can tune into an RSS feed, you'll need to copy special files to your player so it knows where to find your content. M3u files are typically used for this purpose, however Opml is also supported for compatibility with iTunes. Two folders are located under the Podcasts folder: Mypodcasts and prestored. Inside the prestored folder, sub-folders can be created to categorize by genre, such as music, news, sports, etc. Place your Podcast URL files in these folders when copying them onto your player.

Now, when you select the Podcasts folder on your player, you'll be able to choose a Podcast to listen to. Use Right Arrow to select Download Management, then choose the Download option. The player will keep you apprized of the download status.

Now that your podcast is up to date, it's time to select and listen to it. Use Left Arrow to select "My Podcasts." Press Up or Down Arrow to select the desired podcast feed, then press OK. Use Up and Down arrow to select the desired episode, then press OK to play it.

Charging the Battery. Using a Mini USB Cable, you can charge the player by either connecting it to the computer or a wall adapter. Note that, if it's connected to the wall adapter, the player will charge faster, it will announce "Charging battery," and you can still use the unit. If you wish to use the unit while charging from a PC, just turn the player on before connecting it to the computer. If you wish to copy files from or to the player via USB, simply connect the player to the computer when it is powered down.

Recording Editing. When playing back a recording, you can select Edit Recording from the playback menu. Now, press Up/Down arrow to select time jump interval, and left/right arrow to jump. Press and hold Left and Right arrow to rewind or fast forward. Press Play to select editing position, or Record to record. Press Music to set starting point, and Radio to set ending point. Press Menu to delete selected content, or Bookmark to cancel the selection Operation.

Here are a few examples. To delete content, when you hear the start of the passage you wish to remove, press music to select the starting point. Continue playing until at the end of the segment, then press Radio to select the ending point. Now press Menu to delete the selection. To insert Content, just press record, speak the desired insert, then press Record again to end recording. The new recording is inserted into the current recording, your file is saved automatically, and played from the inserted position. To replace a segment, when you hear the start of the old segment, press Music. Continue playing until at the end of the segment, then press Radio. Press Record and speak the new segment, then press Record again. The original segment is replaced with the one you just spoke, the new file is saved automatically, and played from the insertion position.

Safety Precautions. Keep the device dry, and away from direct heat or sunlight. Avoid dropping the device. Do not clean the device with solvents or alcohol. We recommend that you charge the battery continuously for at least five hours to maximize its life.

Basic Troubleshooting. If the device is not operating properly, simply press and hold the Power button for eight seconds to restart it. If that does not fix the problem, try reloading the firmware. If the player still will not operate, format the disc from a computer with the FAT32 file system, then reload the firmware.

Technical Specifications. Both DAISY formats 2.0 and 3.0 are supported.

Electronic books can be read in TXT, HTM, HTML, MHT, DOC, DOCX, EPUB, and PDF.

Audio can be played from MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, APE, ACC, OGG, RA, and M4A. In addition, video in RM, RMVB, AVI, MP4, 3GP, MOV, WMV, FLV, MPG, MPEG, and DAT can be listened to on the player.

Recordings can be stored in either MP3 or PCM format, with a variety of quality choices.

Internal FLASH Capacity is 6 GB. The device supports memory cards and flash drives up to a capacity of 32 GB.

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