From Gutenburg to Playaway:Technology Takes Another Leap - Essay Example

From Gutenburg to Playaway: Technology Takes Another Leap Whenever technology improves the ability to circulate literature knowledge improves along with it. The Gutenburg press was instrumental in getting the first printed material into the hands of the public. Hundreds of years later, the cassette recorder made it possible to transport the words of a book to audio. Technology made it possible to create the eBook and the MP3 format for digitizing books and audio in a compact and portable format. Today we have the Playaway, a self-contained audio book that is easy to use and portable. Though it has several drawbacks, it is a welcome addition to the field of audio books especially for the sight impaired people who may be a little less than technical savvy. The Playaway has the advantage of being portable and self-contained. The Playaway is a small device about the size of a cassette tape (without the player) that is a self-contained audio book. It is battery operated and has a small set of earplugs to add to its portability. Each Playaway comes with a pre-loaded book and is dedicated to that book. It has no need for an Internet connection, downloading, or changing of CDs or memory cards. The user can scan through the book and play the portion they desire. It is reusable and simple to operate, which makes it attractive for library use. Libraries can change the batteries and have it back on the shelf ready to check out to another patron in a short time. Its small size and ease of operation makes it simple to use, as no other equipment is necessary. The Playaway is a great product that may be on the verge of becoming the "genius idea" that Oprah Magazine has proclaimed it to be. Though it is little more than current technology that has been repackaged for a specific purpose, it is stunning that its simplicity is its greatest asset. Cassette and MP3 players have been around for years but have required the use of external media to make them work. Tapes wore out and MP3s needed to be downloaded or copied. With the Playaway all those drawbacks are eliminated. Simply plug in the headphones and play away. This makes it easier than ever to listen to a book in any situation where you may be unable or unwilling to read. That is the genius of the Playaway. Critics have been saying for years that our wide exposure to television, the Internet, and movies may have the potential to create a generation of illiterate youth. This could be a concern when putting children's books on the Playaway to substitute for reading. It has been touted with the usual marketing hype of, "Imagine providing students with an option to listen to their book in the car, in their room or on the bus. We might be able to hook a whole new generation onto reading through osmosis" (Bowllan, 2006). It may make it easier to access literature for young students, but may give them a disadvantage when presented with the written word. Reliance on technology for information can stunt the normal progress of education. With enough material, a child may never have the desire to learn to read. Using the Playaway as a substitute method of reading for children detracts from the Playaway's real value. The purpose of the Playaway is to listen to a book when you aren't able to read. This may be while driving a car or due to impaired vision. Here it is light years ahead of the competition. It is simpler to use than the standard MP3 player. This makes it ideal for the elderly, blind, or people who just can't operate technology. It is as simple to use as pressing the play button and turning up the volume. No need to change cassettes or CDs. While it is ideal for the technically challenged, it also has features that appeal to the more technically inclined. It has bookmarks that allow a user to return to a preset location in the book to replay or begin reading. It has almost no moving parts. It has minimal buttons, which should give it a lifespan comparable to a cell phone or a calculator. The simplicity and versatility is the real value of the Playaway. While the Playaway may be the next best thing in audio books, it is not without its shortcomings. According to Robert Moritz (2006), technical writer for the Chicago Tribune's Parade Magazine, there were just over 100 titles available in November of 2006. This shortage of books will see sales soon perish and the Playaway may not be able to sustain economic viability. Getting an adequate number of titles transposed to digital audio may become an overwhelming task. In addition to the limited selection the cost of $30-$55 may also become a burden to libraries already strapped for cash (Moritz, 2006). While the features may warrant the price, the limited selection may be an obstacle to sales at that cost. The initial version of the Playaway was also found to have some technical difficulties. One of the biggest complaints was the lack of rechargeable batteries and a battery charger (Final report of the field test of the Playaway, 2006). This was probably done to accommodate an engineering decision to save costs in manufacturing. Still, the need to change batteries whenever the Playaway is returned adds an additional burden to the cost of circulation. Another engineering shortcut is in the volume control. According to the Final report of the field test of the Playaway (2006), "Every time you press the volume button, you increase the volume one step in the sequence of ten pre-defined volumes. In order to lower the volume, you need to increase the volume until you cycle back to the lower settings". This feature will become an annoyance to anyone that wishes to reduce the volume temporarily. Though these shortcomings and engineering drawbacks may be overcome in future models, they are the most often cited technical problems. The Playaway needs to be improved if we are to see a move in this direction of audio books. Greater flexibility on the type of battery would be a big improvement. A single separate battery charger could be supplied that would charge multiple units at the addition of only a small cost. Text to speech conversion may one day be able to increase the number of titles and lower the cost per unit. Any books currently available in a digital format should be easily converted to use in the Playaway. Another complaint of the Playaway was that when you shut the unit off the book would start at the beginning instead of where you left off (Final report of the field test of the Playaway, 2006). This problem can be easily overcome by a simple programming change in the unit's software. A few technical changes could alleviate a lot of the consumer's concerns with the Playaway. The Playaway is an innovative device that can serve many people who may be unable to read due to a sight condition. It can also give people the luxury of literature when they are unwilling to read or are in a situation where they are unable to. The fear of raising a generation of illiterates detracts from the real value and use of the Playaway. It is the most compact and easy to use device of its type on the market. Its design should give years of reliable use. Though there are some economic concerns about cost and selection, these can be overcome by a market that demands the product. The few engineering problems can easily be overcome with existing technology at a very small cost. The Playaway is certainly a welcome addition to the field of audio books and will probably be here to stay. References Bowllan, A. (2006). PlayAway @ the library [Electronic version]. School Library Journal. Final report of the field test of the Playaway (2006, March 31). Retrieved July 24, 2007, from file:///C:/My%20Documents/Academia%20Research/Playaway/Playawayfinal.htm Moritz, R. (2006, November 6). Great gadgets. Parade. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from http://store.playawaydigital.com/Newsworthy/What-they-are-saying Winfrey, O. (2006, December). The "O" list. The Oprah Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from http://store.playawaydigital.com/Newsworthy/What-they-are-saying Read More