What is In Your Pocket?
In Your Pocket is a service which allows you to listen to books from the RNIB Library, Talking Book service, newspapers, magazines from RNIB Newsagent and BBC podcasts. These are all available on a mobile device that you control with your voice.
When you purchase In Your Pocket, you will receive a Samsung media player handset, a subscription to RNIB Newsagent and Talking Books and the software package that makes it all work - RealSAM. The handset also acts as a mobile phone, so you can make and receive calls and send text messages.The special built in RealSAM software guides you through the menus in order to listen to your books, newspapers and BBC podcasts, or to check the weather, time and your current location.
You speak all of the commands to In Your Pocket, including telling it what book to pick, hearing the sports section of your newspaper or when you want to text your friend.
Features and benefits
In Your Pocket is specially designed to be accessible for blind and partially sighted people. It is fully navigable by using voice commands. You can receive books just by speaking their title, making it a very simple way to gain access to a library, as well as being able to request a magazine or newspaper and navigating through them quickly and easily.
It is also a very useful phone handset. You can programme in your contacts simply by using voice commands, which then makes it quick and easy to make calls or send texts by using speech.
Anything else?
At the time of writing (August 2018), In Your Pocket can be purchased for £528 as a single payment or £22 a month . Each of those payments includes unlimited phone calls, 3GB of data and access to books, newspapers and magazines – all for 24 months. After this time, you can negotiate to extend the contract so that you keep having access to the library and newsagent.
Please note that you do not own the handset. If you do not renew your contract with In Your Pocket, you will have to return the phone to the supplier.
Note that you cannot use In Your Pocket abroad to receive books or magazines.
How to use In Your Pocket
You must use particular commands to navigate In Your Pocket which can take a while to get used to, but once you do become familiar with them, you’ll be able to operate it easily. A quick reference guide is available from the In Your Pocket website.
- Press the talk button once, wait for the tone, and then ask for what you would like. To get started say “Go to Help” or “User Guide” which provides top-level help and information.
- You can also request context sensitive help at any time by saying “Help”.
- To select from a list, say, “number one”, “the last one”, “the third one” and so on. You can then interrupt the listing at the item you want, by pressing the talk button and saying “that one” or “yes”.