I have a confession to make: I'm a book nerd.
I've been one all my life. I started reading when I was about 4 and I've never stopped. One of my happy places is sipping a Starbucks cappuccino while browsing a newly purchased book in my local bookstore. That is, when I'm not browsing at a good used bookstore.
Sadly, I don't get a chance to read or purchase books as often as I like. I've taken to doing the electronic thing -- downloading either the book or the audiobook.
Audiobooks are great for traveling, particularly riding with someone. I confess, I get carsick if I read while in a car. But I can crank up an audiobook, pop on the headphones, lay back and enjoy the ride.
But what if you don't have a smartphone or have difficulty reading an actual book?
Findaway World offers a solution with the Playaway. This is an audiobook inside its own player, so there's no need to worry about downloading anything, picking up subscriptions or finding the right apps.
I tested the standard Playaway, but the company also has the Playaway Light, which includes an LCD screen that lights up. The one I tested had just a standard digital display.
The device comes in its own video-style case. It's a good idea to hang onto it, because the instructions for working the Playaway are located on the inside cover.
Luckily, the Playaway isn't terribly difficult to operate. It does come missing two important components: An AAA battery and a pair of headphones, but both are easy to supply.
While battery life isn't bad on this device, users may run out of juice before the audiobook is complete. I came very close on an audiobook that was about 10 hours long using a standard battery. An extended-life battery might do a better job. And, if you're planning on using a lot of Playaways, I'd recommend looking into rechargeable batteries.
The back of the Playaway contains eight buttons and a small digital screen that will flash the chapter and time remaining, as well as the control readouts. The controls are very small and not lit on the standard Playaways, so it will be hard to read for those who have trouble seeing small letters. In those cases, the Light version may be a better option.
The buttons include a power button, play/pause, forward, rewind and volume up and down. It also contains the EQ and SP buttons. The EQ button is an equalizer that can enhance the voices of the narrators, making them a bit more clear. The SP button will speed up or slow down the narration. I really like this feature, because the book that I was listening to had a few parts where the dialogue became very fast. It was nice to be able to slow it down a bit to make the words clearer.
The device worked well, providing a clear sound that was easy to understand. The Playaway switches off after a couple of minutes on pause to preserve the battery. Hitting play will pick up where it left off if done quickly enough, although once or twice it picked up at the beginning of the chapter.
The Playaway pretty much does as advertised, and it's pretty handy to have around. It's about the size of the palm of your hand, so it's not hard to slip it into a pocket or purse.
My biggest problem with the Playaway is the price.
The one I reviewed retails for $69.95. That's a heck of a lot of money for an audiobook, especially given the Kindle version runs only $9.99 and the audiobook on iTunes or Amazon.com is only $23.95. Then, of course, there's the cost of the actual book. You remember, those things with paper pages and that awesome new-book smell. A new one on Amazon.com is listed at $13.10. So I have a very hard time wanting to spend $70 on an audiobook that's available in other formats for much less.
Of course, I'm gadget heavy, so I can purchase other formats. For those who don't have a smartphone or other device and who need to listen to books because reading them is difficult, the Playaways devices are actually good solutions. I can see these devices filling that sort of niche nicely.
I also could see these devices being great for libraries that need a way to easily check out audiobooks. They do offer several children's titles, and even some that come with the companion books. That idea I like: What a great way to encourage a child who may be struggling with reading. They can hear the words and follow along.
These devices will make great companions for those long summer road trips. They're also a good idea for those of us who just can't get enough of books.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
where it's @
Playaway all-in-one audiobooks require headphones or a connection to stereo speakers and a AAA battery. Retail prices vary by each book. Test device, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, retails for $69.95. More information is available at library.playaway.com.
Monday Business on 05/26/2014