Playaway : The audiobook players that smartphones couldn't kill

[@Techmoan]

1) The teardown mentioned in the video at 08:26 can be found here www.mitsake.net/2019/06/playaway-audiobook-teardown/ 2) PRICES - This is mentioned in the video in the section starting at 16:23 Libraries do not pay the same amount for their books that you or I would to buy one in a bookstore. Libraries pay double or triple the normal retail cost depending upon the agreement. The book publisher charges them more due to the fact that each library book may be read by multiple people. It’s the same with the Playaway. The prices shown on their website are *priced for rental* agreements and are not intended for purchase by an individual.

[@alkestos]

May I ask what headphones are those at 8:45? The ones with the brown earpads and a silver finish.

[@rolfs2165]

Regarding library prices, this obviously also varies from country to country. German libraries pay retail price (because Fixed Book Price Law), but then pay licensing fees to VG Wort, the copyright collective for written stuff, which then passes those on to its members.

[@EarlofBaltimore]

Yes, government institutions paying triple the value of goods. Novel concept there. Tax dollars at work.

[@rolfs2165]

@@EarlofBaltimore In the case of libraries it's because they're taking away sales - or so the argument goes. It's kinda hard to measure how much libraries generate sales by introducing people to new authors, and how much they take away sales because people will borrow the book instead of buying it. But a single book can be lent out up to 100 times (assuming it's treated well) before it's so used that it needs to be replaced. That's a lot of missed sales. And because publishers make a lot of money (while libraries only cost money) and thus can afford better lobbyists, they could easily shut down all libraries if they wanted to.

[@robclark3095]

@@EarlofBaltimore I remember as a kid in the US, people talking about $1000 toilet seats.

[@NorwichCameraCompany]

We had a lot of them on submarines. Don’t have to worry about security concerns or breaking them like you would with a phone screen while on deployment.

[@abelq8008]

That's so cool for some reason. It does remind me of what someone in the 60s would imagine books of the future to be like.

[@jC-kc4si]

Yeah, I remember reading a school story in the 80s about a guy that worked in an undersea base sometime in the future. He'd get videos of sporting events shipped to him from his family.

[@Jason-Scott]

Where they yellow?

[@iggysixx]

Submarines and military things almost seem like the perfect use case for these. :) Not connected to the internet, no moving parts, low power consumption, (plus AAA alkaline batteries wouldn't explode when damaged or cause a fire) Also, you can 'read' in the dark, so you don't wake up / or keep up your bunk mates Plus, you can share the book with someone after you finished it. Or actually... You could literally have a whole library for the crew in 1 suitcase.. Instead of each crew member having to bring several books.. - Come to think of it, this would also be an amazing solution for prisons; where people are not allowed to contact the outside world, and where a bigger (or different chemistry) battery might pose a security threat.. (AAAs seem small enough to not be useful in a fight). - I have to say; all this talk about not needing a subscription, about just owning the things you buy, and no one listening in... It feels very calming to me. - Thank you for sharing that information. :)

[@peterfireflylund]

@@iggysixx They would have to get a version in a clear plastic case for the prisons :)

[@watermelonhelmet6854]

It's actually a pretty good idea. My mum's pushing 80 and to her, smartphones might as well be magic. So opening an audible account, downloading a book, getting that book onto a device and opening and navigating an app to listen to it is a bit of a tall order. Handing her something like this and just saying "Here's the on button, then you press play" would be far less intimidating. The physical buttons also make me think this would be a lot more accessible for the visually impaired

[@AsbestosMuffins]

plus thanks to google and apple greed they have to be able to open an app, then go to a website enter passwords and then buy their book, download it to the app, reopen the app and get the book. My grandmother was able to buy books on kindle before they decided to fight over payments, after that she couldn't buy books without someone else's help

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Very good points :)

[@iggysixx]

Exactly right, sir. It's also nice that the controls are always the same. No updates that suddenly change the user interface. (If you've learned to use it, you can use any of these books) Also, no setup. No connection needed. Plus physical buttons are way easier to operate. (I still miss my Blackberry's keyboard after all these years... I could still type correctly while being too drunk to walk, and laying face down in the gutter. Try doing that with a touchscreen ;)) . Bonus; no possibility to crack the screen when you drop the device, and no deteriorating battery forcing you to upgrade

[@Agret]

You'd be surprised how easy the iPad is to work out, my grandmother hated computers and never touched one. The family got her an ipad for her 75th birthday and shes on it constantly now. She reads books on it and gets audiobooks no problem. I guess if babies who can't even talk are able to work out an iPad it's pretty damn easy to pickup.

[@peterfireflylund]

@@Agret my stepmother was very much against them until she got an iPad and an iPhone -- I guess having been conditioned over 40 years to think that computers were complicated and not very useful in one's everyday life does that. The only real issue she has is that Facebook changes its interface too often.

[@WildkatPhoto]

The ones we got from the military came in a cardboard sleeve only slightly bigger than the Playaway itself - just big enough to hold the headphones and lanyard.

[@gchahn]

I still have all the ones I got from the Garrison library in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. They gave them out for free and I collected a few dozen of them. Super useful since internet access came at a premium.

[@jamesboston]

It's like something from the imagination of a 1950s sci-fi writer. An electronic version of something that already exists but created by someone who doesn't know about the internet. Anyway, very excited to discover that my library has a thousand of these weird things I've never heard of. Can't wait to walk around with Frank Herbert's Dune hanging on lanyard around my neck like it's an Ixian scroll.

[@ebouwman034]

Even some more modern sci fi has stuff like this; a physical medium for digital media. Very sci fi feeling…

[@MarcoMaurice]

@@ebouwman034 so it’s basically always sci fi, when a physical media gets turned into a digital media, and vice versa?

[@DonOblivious]

@James Boston >An electronic version of something that already exists but created by someone who doesn't know about the internet. This is one of the reasons William Gibson's works have remained somewhat timeless. Dude was typing up the craziest digital/internet/futuristic stuff on a typewriter instead of learning anything about computers of his era. He mentions so much stuff and leaves it undefined with no explanation and just lets the reader fill in the details as their mind chooses. Your individual interpretation of the text is going to be shaped by the media he influenced, that you consumed, before reading the text. Somebody that has watched the Ghost In The Shell TV shows is probably going to imagine his "cyber" scenes much differently than somebody who was immersed in the Shadowrun RPG books or computer games.

[@04dram04]

Seems perfect for the elderly

[@thebroyosgaming]

That sounds enjoyable.

[@bobbobson4069]

This has been one of my favourite TechMoan episodes! Why? Because it contained a fascinating paradox. How can you explain the continued commercial success of a physical medium in today's smartphone world? Brilliant show TechMoan! This "playaway" phenomenon is fascinating!

[@Techmoan]

I’m glad you appreciated it - it seems the story was lost on many.

[@kaibotski4939]

Do you drive a newer car with all the UI via a touch screen? You ever miss have knobs and buttons you can hold on to and feel so you can operate without looking at it? I hate my car radio so much. I have to push the touch screen at the right touch zone while driving. I miss having physical touch.

[@tarnin]

@@Techmoan Interesting. My entire takeaway was "okay, this still being a thing makes sense". Not sure how people missed this! I found the idea that the company found a way to continue to exist in the way that it did way way more fascinating than the actual device. I love how in depth you get on these things, it makes watching your videos so compelling.

[@TassieLorenzo]

@@kaibotski4939 I drive a car from 2010 so I've avoided that problem! Unfortunately the lead-free solder for the LED segment display cracks though, so I did have to redo that soldering which is annoying but the vehicle is happily touchscreen free! I believe in the UK you call this model the "Civic UFO", there are nice big LED segment displays for the radio, climate and speedo placed up high on the dash in clear eyeline -- I hate touchscreens and submenus in vehicles. :)

[@sheaulle]

@@kaibotski4939 Same with Smartphones: I miss texting messages without looking at the device as we could when phones had a physical keyboard.

[@unvergebeneid]

Making the volume level loop around is an.... interesting design decision. Especially when going from quietest to loudest.

[@firefly618]

Maybe they ran out of EEPROM space and needed that extra 1 or 2 bytes in the firmware.

[@drfsupercenter]

icanthearyouCANYOUHEARMENOW????

[@SeanSMST]

It's much easier to program a loop rather than programming a sort of ladder system, where you it goes back on itself.

[@cartilagehead]

I imagine that these sell really well in hospital and hospice/elder care settings, where somebody may not be able to really use a smartphone for various reasons, or where these could be purchased as gifts by family members, etc. For people with limited or reduced mobility, or limited experience with tech, these are probably quite accessible compared to the more popular means of accessing audiobooks

[@DonOblivious]

In the US similar devices are provided for free to people who can not visually or physical read print books anymore. Instead of sending out individual audio book devices, they are provided with a playback machine that takes audio book and magazine cartridges. The devices feature large buttons with distinct shapes, colors, and braille markings.

[@batterytestchannel-v4v]

@@DonOblivious I would love to see a techmoan episode on those devices!

[@mustacheboyo]

@@batterytestchannel-v4v VWestlife has a good video on that kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIqUeZ-ejpqHebM

[@akshaydalvi1534]

Could also be popular with people with high security jobs where smartphones aren't allowed

[@thatcutegameotaku]

my library would use them as well, which made sense because long term they'd last better than cds, and you can easily get them sorted to loan.

[@bubbledoubletrouble]

“The people who just wanted to borrow an audiobook from a library, well you can’t do that now, it’s all in the cloud.” If you have a playback device (smartphone, tablet, Kindle, etc), many public libraries will now let you borrow audiobooks, ebooks, and other media through a service such as Libby. Granted, not everyone wants to deal with a website or app. Not having to return items is convenient though.

[@Jehty_]

But you don't borrow it directly from the library. You still need internet.

[@RocketboyX]

@@Jehty_ In my experience, anyone who could not deal with their library's smartphone app, they didn't want to deal with these either.

[@Jehty_]

@@nooneinpart you still need internet do download something. So does your local library offer free wifi?

[@Jehty_]

@@RocketboyX really? Because pushing a few clearly labeled buttons seems a lot easier than dealing with a smartphone. I know so many people who don't even know how to download an app on their smartphone.

[@Jehty_]

@@harshbarj "almost always", "nearly all" - you see the problem?

[@ghoularty2030]

I worked in a U.S. public library from 2015-2019 and we had three forms of audio options. These, the chunky cd cases, or through an app like Libby. Obviously, online loans were nice, because they couldn’t be damaged or lost (audiobooks are expensive!), but these guys were godsend for our less tech savvy patrons.

[@mikecoxxard1667]

Great video! Still making quality content after all these years! I fell of the grid for 3 years (prison) but I'm so glad I rediscovered this great channel after all this time! Honestly, I completely forgot about this guy and he popped up in my recommended tab the other day and holy shit, memory unlocked. Haven't thought about TechMoan since 2018 and I have a lot of catching up to do!

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

What a bombshell to drop on us in parentheses! I hope you're doing okay, working on yourself, and that Covid wasn't too horrible to experience in prison where you live.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Damn, you missed the entire pandemic then? I mean, I'm sure it affected you guys on the inside as well, but you missed out on all the silly rituals and the memes and stuff.

[@textliter]

you might like this episode then kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWSzl6akmdicnrs&ab_channel=Techmoan

[@LasseGreiner]

Doing in time is not to envy but being able to binge watch a load of content is. Wish you well coming back to society. You may like the episodes on clear devices and give some insight on these now....

[@charlesstauffer9831]

Welcome back to reality my friend. I hope things work out better for you this time.

[@NewFalconerRecords]

I bought quite a few of these from my local library for 50 cents each. My favourite is the History of America by Alistair Cooke, I've listened to it a few times in my workshop. They do chew through the batteries, I must say. That lady reading the Grisham book is Lorelei King, she's done hundreds of audio books (pretty much all crime fiction) I recognised her voice immediately from when I went through a Patricia Cornwall audio book phase years ago.

[@startedtech]

So the advertised 30 hours on a single battery was a lie?

[@andysmith1996]

Used to love listening to Alistair Cooke's _Letter from America_ on the radio. I was sad when he retired and then that awful business about his body after he died.

[@OtioseFanatic]

Damn, lucky. I’ve been trying to find the small selection of Battletech titles they offered. The Blood of Kerensky trilogy, Wolves on the Border and Double Blind. But Battletech is already a niche property so it looks like no one bought them, ever.

[@NewFalconerRecords]

@@startedtech Certainly by my experience. Someone else in the comments said that the battery life is five hours. I'd say that's much more accurate.

[@madeintexas3d442]

I came here to comment that I used to check out a few of these from my library back in the day and I saw this. I bet they got rid of them because they got sick of providing batteries. I remember the first time I checked out I got 2 chapters in before the battery died. It definitely depends on the quality of battery though. They would usually come with a no name alkaline that the library probably switched when they were dead. I remember switching them out with Energizer max and those would not even play a full book but would get through most of it. I'm not sure how long the books were though. Edit: I would estimate around 7 hours using an Energizer max but this was quite awhile ago lol.

[@oc2phish07]

You can always rely on Matt to show us something new and interesting. Add to that his in-depth coverage, relaxed style and total honesty, and you can understand why he has such a large and faithful following. Loved it Matt. Thanks.

[@elliotlee233]

I would have loved these as a kid, being dyslexic I didn't learn to read until I was 13, these would have also been of great help in my overcoming my dyslexia, I would have been able to listen to the recording while following the text in a physical book, and that's where the speed control would have very useful indeed :)

[@jeffreywoods4040]

Hey congrats on beating it!

[@Voltaic_Fire]

An interesting use case, now that I think about it I've seen a few children doing as you described so maybe it really is a good tool for helping dyslexics.

[@Milamberinx]

I don't know how old you are, but audiobooks have been around for a long time now. I was born in the 80s and had a box of compact cassettes with stories, that I could follow along in the printed book that came with it. I could play the cassettes in my brown/beige Fisher Price tape player.

[@elliotlee233]

@@Milamberinx I was born in the 60's and already working my first jobs in the 80's, there were a few audio books around in the 70's, but nothing like what's available now, I did however learn to tie my shoelaces with the help of an old 45 vinyl record that had a sleeve with simulated shoes, with pink and blue laces and eye holes, the very hight of educational technology in the 60-70s lol.

[@Milamberinx]

​@@elliotlee233 ah yeah, my mum was born in 61, she's really smart but the education system at the time completely failed her so she's convinced she's dumb. Your shoelaces record sounds like a really good practical learning tool.

[@MrSchimpf]

Outside the other good reasons, one of the most important reasons this sticks around is because it's hard-coded DRM where as the tear-down demonstrated, you cannot extract the files easily. The publishing industry loves it because a common way of piracy (lending a CD audiobook out, ripping it, and the files are easily distributed) is defeated. It's just much easier for a regular person too who doesn't want to hassle with compiling an audiobook off CD's to play on their phone or iPod.

[@Milamberinx]

DRM only ever makes it more difficult for legitimate users to use a product. Outputting the audio from this and recording it on something else is trivial, and thanks to the speed++ mode can probably be done relatively quickly.

[@lartrak]

@@Milamberinx DRM is like drug testing to big businesses. Experts will tell them it costs more money than it saves, but they want them to do it anyway so they feel like they did SOMETHING to fight piracy.

[@dlarge6502]

I don't think that would even work. It has a 3.5mm jack on it, give it a good battery, pless play, press record on the recorder and go off to do the shopping and hoovering etc. You only need to record the audio once. Or you could buy the higher quality CD version and rip that...

[@pnpplpnppl]

Unfortunately, this also dooms them to e-waste status. They can't be repurposed, although it looks like they have reusable ones now.

[@EyMannMachHin]

The fun part is, if you checked out the teardown, the only DRM it has is physical, you only need to tear it down, solder a USB cable to it and voilá, you can read out the files an any computer. I wonder if you can also add new content to it :)

[@Mattfromthepast]

My local library here in Delaware USA had a ton of these starting around 2008 and I found them to be both better and worse than CD audio books. They were better in that they couldn't get scratched up as library CDs tend to do, but they were also worse because the audio quality was nowhere near that of a CD. So a mixed bag in my book.

[@Keepskatin]

Audio booklets should come with e- book and audiobook on micro sd, maybe an option to include the physical book too.

[@vystorm]

Zoomer opinion here but I'd have preferred then for portability!

[@Mattfromthepast]

@@vystorm Over all I like them better, I am just saying when they first came out I noticed the difference, but now the HD ones match the quality of CDs so there is no real drawback.

[@TheBaldr]

@@vystorm There was a ton of portable CD players in the late 90s. Like the CD-Walkman. However the audiobooks themselves were split on to multiple disks and could be a little cumbersome to take around, so you may have a point.

[@unduloid]

One wonders why they simply don't use a lossless format, like FLAC or APE.

[@rustkitty]

I suppose the large box was an anti-theft measure, especially if this was sold anywhere else where you don't need to check-in. (Guess it'd work just as well for train stations.) Nowadays stores can use those clear plastic lock boxes they put the smartphones and other gadgets in, but I think those are relatively new.

[@MrSheckstr]

It reminds me more of the packaging that Music CDs first came in. In addition to the Jewelbox the CD came in a slim cardboard rectangle box that was as tall but half as wide as a record album so that music stores could stock them in the same retail shelves. This packaging is not unlike the dimensions that Audiobook CD are sold in

[@Techmoan]

That was a US thing - the retailers wanted to be able to display CDs in their existing Vinyl record stands - so the CD had to be raised up with a long box. Of course it was also a theft protection measure. They didn't have these boxes in the UK...they just bought new CD shelves. My US imports from specialist record shops sometimes came in these boxes through - some of the long boxes are quite collectable now because everyone just thew them away.

[@Charlesb88]

@@Techmoan Over here in the U.S., due to complaints about the amount cardboard wasted by the original cardboard design of these boxes, they replaced them with reusable plastic holders that served the same functions as the previous cardboard case (and which the cashiers could unlock/remove from the CD using a special unlocking device the cashiers had at their registers).

[@AaronOfMpls]

@@Charlesb88 Yup, and some used record stores still have those holders. Meanwhile, for new music most stores eventually got CD-sized racks.

[@whitb003]

@@Charlesb88 you unlocked a memory for me. I remember those plastic holders some stores had.

[@Pepe_Le_Pew_Pew]

When I was in Afghanistan we had a squadron library set up with a bunch of these things. I was pretty good to throw in a pack for listening to during down time.

[@qqq1701]

This would be great with separate books available on SD cards. Nice and simple for the grandparents or whoever just doesn't do tech.

[@DonOblivious]

In the US they use a larger proprietary cartridge as SD cards are far too small. The playback device is provided as a free permanent loan until the person stops using it (aka, death or incapacitation). I can barely keep track of SD cards and my sight is ok. The National Library System carts are like the size of 3-4 credit cards stacked on top of each other with a larger carrying case.

[@fixman88]

@@DonOblivious I assume you're talking about the Digital Talking Book Reader Cartridges. The cartridge shape is unique but it uses a standard USB-A connector and interface (the Talking Books themselves are specially made for the player). The player itself can also play Mp3 and WAV files.

[@klausstock8020]

@@DonOblivious I was building a similar device, using tiny cheap USB thumb drives for storage. To correct the size issue, I had planned to attach the thumb drives to cardboard cards (with holes, so they could be filed). Sadly, the target audience died too early.

[@andygilbert1877]

My wife usually has one of these on the go from the local library. (UK) Over the years she’s moved from cassette to CD to these. They’re definitely the most practical way of listening to an audiobook, especially as we don’t have a cassette or CD Walkman anymore! Cheap enough too, under £3 to borrow.

[@summonfish]

Do you have to pay to borrow from the Library in the UK? Genuine question

[@georgeyreynolds]

For some items like movies CDs etc yes

[@ziggarillo]

@@summonfish yes, for this kind of thing, books are free.

[@Jehty_]

Why does she use these, if I may ask? Paying £3 for an audio book that you could also get for free seems strange. All she would need is an old smartphone (most people probably have one lying around or you could probably find one for free) and your local library has to be part of Libby.

[@andygilbert1877]

@@summonfish At ours these are audiobooks, CDs & DVDs have a small charge, books are free. They’ve just started an online audiobook site which is free, but at the moment doesn’t have much choice, and there’s a limit on the number of people that can have the book downloaded at any one time, so it’s better to go to the library and see what’s actually in!

[@cjt519]

Finally something I've used myself! My local library uses these in conjunction with an online library. The ones there must be a more current model because the screen is bigger and the interface looks much different, though that reset pattern is the same if memory serves me right. The last one I listened to on this device would have been "Anxious People" by Frederik Bsckman. The library got it pretty much within the week of that book's release in the USA

[@charlesjmouse]

I could wax lyrical about many reasons why I like this channel so much. Today it's how often I've been entertainingly educated about interesting devices and formats I knew nothing about. Thank you! PS ...A good way to 'read' a book anywhere a real book isn't convenient or you don't want to risk your phone - eg: by the pool, on the beach... ah, MONEY!!!

[@Techmoan]

Thanks old chap - much appreciated and I agree with the 'use it anywhere' aspect.

[@MDMajor]

My mom is a librarian and her library still lends these things out all the time. They're great for people who don't want, can't use, or can't afford smartphones.

[@TerryClarkAccordioncrazy]

Great for libraries and thus multi use. It seems so sad for people to buy them then throw away after one listening.

[@andysmith1996]

5:28. "The pier at this hour was always deserted. The headlights of an occasional car flickered along the shoreline but the headlights never stopped at this hour." How did that get past the editor?

[@stevenwright3557]

I used to volunteer for a local charity for bind and partially sighted people in Essex and we had several of these we lent out and our local library had some. They were quite popular with blind people for a while until smartphones came along

[@Kumimono]

One would think, smartphones being non-tactile, and thus possibly harder to use with impaired vision, these devices, with big buttons would still be very handy. I wonder if they come with Braille, or other indentations on the buttons....

[@stevenwright3557]

All smartphones come with accessibility options now, most on screen options are audio described now so smartphones are very accessible to blind people. When we lent out playaways we could put tactile markers on the buttons, as we did with any piece of electrical equipment.

[@chaos.corner]

@@stevenwright3557 Not being blind, I can't say for sure but whenever I've accidentally activated accessibility options, it always seems that it's far inferior to tactile buttons.

[@chaos.corner]

@@candynkudo Sure but compared to just pushing a button...

[@richards1708]

This would be perfect for the blind if they also added braile for the title and maybe embosses each button with its function. Right?

[@e.kauffm2972]

First time watcher, clicked on this because I recognized the playaway! Currently working at an elementary school, where these things are part of the library’s audiobook collection. The kids love them.

[@TheEpicOne007]

as a kid I listened to tonnes of books on these ! I used to borrow them from the library. although the library ones had much simpler controls (no eq as far as I recall)

[@DMadHacks]

I had some at my library as well, but those ones were the same model from this video with the orange box.

[@brainwashingdetergent4322]

Well, you have me beat, I only listened to tons of these…

[@John_Notmylastname]

Hey our library had a lot of these too! Which is a Texas library. Neat

[@John_Notmylastname]

About what time period did you listen to them? I’m guessing the eq went away because storage became cheaper and offered a higher quality recording for cheap.

[@Milamberinx]

@@brainwashingdetergent4322 it certainly is better to listen to a Playaway in metric.

[@MarkAHoltz]

In response to your comment at 9:48 , the idea behind the "large package size" had everything to do with theft prevention. As you noticed, the actual player fits in the palm of your hand, but can easily disappear in a pocket, purse, or backpack. The large package size also allows you to put in a hidden "inventory control" sticker between the paper cover and the clamshell case that, if not deactivated, will set off the anti-theft alarms.

[@scottcol23]

Same reason cassette tapes came in those huge plastic frames, but with those the store usually kept the frame to re use. That could have been an idea for these also.

[@davidwilliams5497]

I spent quite a while working for a public library where we had these, and we were still acquiring them as recently as a couple years ago (I can say for certain they still have them, but I don’t know 100% if they’re still buying them. They’ve talked about going all digital through a couple apps for years). As for use, part of the appeal is that they’re almost idiot-proof. Very important for public library distribution. Part of the problem is that they’re not **entirely** idiot-proof. Those smaller boxes came with a magnet-activated lock through the distributors, and they just lived on the shelf in those bright orange acrylic. Functionally, the most common failures were the battery cover and the headphone port. It was part of my job to try and fix these when they came back not working, and 90% of the time if the headphone jack was cutting out, it was as good as dead. The other 10% of them just died and refused to turn on at all, probably something fried on their board. I did see a handful over the years with a cracked screen, but they always seemed to work just fine, as long as you didn’t care to see the track number or timer too well. As far as the observation about low bitrate, I can confirm almost all of them are pretty meh in recording/playback quality, especially older ones. Even the newer ones, though of higher bitrate, typically aren’t the best quality compared to the same book on CD or digital. Also, the volume is typically not loud enough even at max volume for extremely loud environments (like if you’re running a lawn mower or something) and distorts in the top 4-5 levels even though the headphones can get much louder. For what they are, there are specific use cases for them where they really work well for people. But, especially because they require a corded headphone, they aren’t nearly as good as just checking out a digital copy of an audiobook and listening on a smartphone with Bluetooth headphones. Granted, not everyone has a smartphone or Bluetooth headphones, but those are common enough now that most people who checked out playaways regularly were already migrating to the apps when I left. From my experience, there were a handful of people that swore by these things because they could use them at work when they couldn’t use a smartphone or something, and most everyone else kinda hated them. Nobody was really ever thrilled to learn that the only copy we had for an audiobook was a playaway copy when they came and asked for help looking something up.

[@Wholiganify]

Thanks for all content. Love it.

[@Techmoan]

Thanks Rob - I'm surprised at your generosity as it seems that this particular video is somehow is a cause of confusion for a lot of people. Regardless, thank you for your contribution it's much appreciated.

[@Commanderconklin]

We have these at the ocean county library here in New Jersey, I concur with the other comments, they are better then cds for circulation purposes, and we don’t have to include a battery or headphones! Great channel as always, been watching for years

[@mxjosie]

Having worked at an audiobook publisher around that time, those kinds of plastic packs were the norm, but usually just for our library clients because they were durable and just large enough to not be misplaced. Those packs were often either molded specifically for something like cassettes or have a blank space inside so some kind of tray or foam could just be popped in for whatever media type the company wanted. This was likely a cost-cutting measure because getting a fancy paper box printed up and made may have been a bit pricier than just grabbing those kinds of plastic cases and printing some flat sleeves, and why have multiple kinds of packaging for retail and library customers? edit: hah, I had paused the video to write that and then I see the more updated packaging and the audiobook producer (Blackstone Audio) is indeed the company I worked with years prior.

[@OrinSorinson]

I've found two of these in a thrift store and I took them apart out of curiosity. They have working USB pins on them and it shows up as a storage device. One was 512MB and the other one was 256MB. The audio was 64Kbps ( mono ) and I don't remember if it was mp3 but I converted a DOOM song and it worked, showing up as another chapter. You could have these as stock, blank audio book players and just write the book on them when it's borrowed. It's weird that this wasn't the chosen way of doing it. The case even has holes underneath the sticker where pogo pins can acces the USB pads.

[@IncoherentMoron]

It's far simpler and easier for there to be one audiobook locked to each device. Making the devices a platform that can be loaded with content at the time of borrowing means there has to be a system to load and verify the files, as well as keep track of how many copies of each book are loaned out at a time and that the number of copies does not exceed the agreement they have with the publisher they bought the audiobooks from. Having one audiobook per device means libraries don't have to worry about the absurdity of a limited number of digital copies, and it can be treated as any other book. Plus, having the storage accessible by the staff means that it's accessible by the borrower, which can lead to problems if the borrower rips the book from the device, or even potentially puts malware on the device to infect the library systems.

[@EvilNeuro]

@@IncoherentMoron are u still here?😊

[@Y0Y0Evan]

I remember seeing these devices all the time at my local library when I used to live in North Carolina (I don't live there anymore). These were my favorite things to take a look at whenever I was bored at the library but as of late I couldn't remember what these were called. Thanks for bringing back the memories!

[@eliashan]

I've never seen such a device before. Seems to be a museum guide repurposed for retail. Thanks for the informative video!

[@petershillito]

The presence of a lanyard or holes for a lanyard gave me "museum guide" vibes too.

[@jamesoverholt878]

They're found in many libraries. It's content for the vision impaired or people who don't like to read.

[@MrSheckstr]

I would disagree given that it’s battery case is not screwed down. That’s and if it’s internal capacity is the size of an entire novel, that’s well in excess of any museum tour duration

[@ogjbot]

@@MrSheckstr and the build quality is pretty poor, wouldn’t last long!

[@razerow3391]

I mean it isn't but okay. It's actually based on early audible players... Such ignorance here. I suggest you go watch LGR to see where these came from them realise how dumb those comments are. PS the lanyard is cause iPods and phones used lanyards. It was the style, idiots.

[@fraggit]

What a great device, especially back in the day. It might have been mentioned, but Playaway means a totally different thing to me, a child of the 70s. I thought your channel was diversing into nostalgic kids programmes when I saw the title. I loved Brian Cant and Playaway, I'm singing the theme tune right now lol. 🎵 It really doesn't matter if it's raining or it's fine, just as long as you've got time, P-L-A-Y...Playaway way 🎵 Thanks for the video and for bringing back memories of a great kids programme.

[@jmorales09]

I remember when my middle school library first introduced these. Everyone loved them in the beginning but they faded out in popularity pretty quickly, and the only reason anyone would get one would be when they had a book report due the next week and needed to get through the book fast.

[@felixmarvin1199]

In the mid-90s I worked at McCarren airport in Las Vegas and observed that some people who bought these would throw away the box. More recently I have purchased 30+ from public libraries for $1 each at the Friends of the Library used book stores.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

They could do one with books on microSD cards that can be swapped out. It'd save on packaging, and would be ideal for those either unable, or unwilling, to use the internet such as the elderly or hospital patients.

[@lartrak]

Good idea, but they should do it on standard SD cards, maybe even a custom larger, thicker format (just extra plastic around the electronics). Micro SDs are too small for me to easily handle and I'm under 40, elderly people would very easily lose them. They're also way too fragile for institutional use.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

@@lartrak Fair point.

[@DonOblivious]

@@lartrak They literally do. It's a big plastic shell around a usb stick with audio books and magazines on them. Provided for free to people in the US that are blind, have low visual acuity, or has a physical disability that prevents them from reading paper books. The playback device and the books are free.

[@jbuchana]

We used to borrow these from the library for our kids to listen to on car trips. they were great. It's good to see that they still make them.

[@flamezombie1]

I work maintenance at my local library in the southern US - we still have audio books, and lots of people check them out actually. We have a lot of elderly folks who like the ease of use. They don't have to fiddle with an app or downloads or anything, and most of the younger people in town go to the university's library, not the public library, because roughly half the town is the college. As an aside, we have a ton of old electronics in a storage room that we're trying to figure out what to do with, so if I manage to snipe some of that I'll see if there's anything interesting...

[@pinakinkale]

My local library had these growing up, and they were honestly fantastic. I remember taking these on road trips and car drives listening to audiobooks all the time.

[@joeblow8593]

That Kevin Mitnick audiobook 'Ghost Wires' sounds like an interesting listen. I'll have to go look for it.

[@georgecunningham9175]

Oh! The things I learn about on this channel! This will be the third item I will/have recommended to a "new mother" of a particularly precocious toddler...............trying to provide him with a continuous stream of tech that interests, amuses, and "educates" him is becoming expensive................Thank you!

[@Protecter117]

Never heard the second book before but I'm certain the narrator is Ray Porter! He's such a good narrator, especially with the Bobiverse series and a bunch of Peter Clines books.

[@rivsrivers]

very cool to see a techmoan video on something I've actually used! we used to have these able to rent at the public library, I remember bringing them on long car rides and listening to a lot of books like that. haven't seen them in a long time though

[@dant5464]

16:33 My local independent video shop back in the day definitely got the £90 rental version of movies and wasn't renting out the "not for rental" editions 🤫

[@BucolicDeflagration]

My library had these up to about 5 years ago. I loved using these things but they've stopped carrying them. Thanks for featuring them!

[@drewpace]

These are still all over the US at freeway truck stops. I've never seen one opened and didn't realize it was its own player!

[@OTownBandit]

YOOOOO OH MY GOSH!! I remembered my elementary had these and I remember thinking I was so cool checking those out from the library, I was thinking about these awhile ago but couldn't remember the name. I'm so glad you posted this!

[@CTxCB]

I thought the voice of that first audiobook sounded familiar! Lorelei King provided the tutorial voiceover for the 2005 Lionhead Studios video game, 'The Movies', which is a movie-making game that meshes elements from The Sims and Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair.

[@rich_edwards79]

She seems to do a lot of voiceovers and similar. Nice work if you can get it!

[@foomples]

I work at a library, and honestly people do not check out playaways much at all. 90% of the time people are checking out the books on CD (and just a week ago someone checked out our cassette copy of "Dune"). This is surprising to me, as people of all ages are checking out these books on CD. It is most likely because playaways are just so darn expensive, so we don't have a lot of them. There is much more variety in our CD collection, and we have much older books avaliable on CD as well. Plus there are services like Hoopla that libraries offer that let you check out audiobooks and ebooks for free on your smart device if you have a library card.

[@Silencedlemon]

My local library has a bunch of these and I loved them, they worked quite well.

[@LIL-MAN_theOG]

I am from the area where these are made...and I have talked to Playaway in the past and they can make these for anyone who wants them for whatever application you want , not just for book publishers

[@Zhixalom]

I remember buying a SanDisk Sansa e100 MP3 player back in 2006, and the reason why I remember it (had to look up the model number though) was because it came with a small coupon card from Audible in the box. So, this also became the year that I began using Audible. This was before they got bought up by Amazon. It turned out that the MP3 player I had bought had build-in decryption, which meant that the audio-books that I downloaded from Audible got uniquely encrypted in such a way that they could only ever be played back on my device. It could obviously also play normal MP3s. Anyway, I just wanted to point out that there at least was one other way of listening to audio-books in between cassette tapes and modern smart phones.

[@wurmsrus2]

oh cool I had a Sansa as well,(actually I had several of them over time since I kept losing them) though I just used them for music. (to be more specific on the models Clip+ and Clip zip) this was between 2010 and 2013 ( I was a very late adopter on smartphones)

[@AaronOfMpls]

Yup, though Audible eventually switched to unencrypted files, iirc.

[@MrNerdHair]

@@AaronOfMpls Audible files are still encrypted last I checked (which was about a year ago), but the key for each file is only 32 bits long, so you can crack it in about 4 seconds with the right software.

[@andyjdhurley]

Yep, been there and done that (also with the Sansa). It was a very long time before I started using my smartphone for audiobooks or music, partly due to the memory they take up but mostly due to the fact that I lost so many of those Sansa's in one way or another (dropped into ponds, train tracks, through the wash etc, this was before wireless headphones and it was so easy to catch the cable on something and bye bye player - fortunately they were cheap to replace).

[@JordonBeal]

Nice hearing Ray Porter’s voice on the second one. He’s one of my favorite audiobook narrators.

[@Ozzy_2014]

Interesting little piece of tech. And yes I did rent audiobooks from my library on cassette back in the day.

[@mordaeu1411]

Pretty neat little devices. Never knew these were a thing. Honestly, I've been thinking about gling back to an MP3/4 device because I keep getting distracted by my phone and all the apps. Great video!

[@bardofhighrenown]

The concept of this is still good I think. I would really like a standalone audiobook player that doesn't connect to the internet and runs off a replaceable battery. I just wish it could hold several audio books out and I could swap them when I was done. The 'HD Audio' player did have significantly better audio quality. I thought the first one was actually pretty rough sounding, very crispy. The low bit rate almost made it sound like it was a text-to-speech program.

[@tvctaswegia497]

Yes I have a Phillips mp3 player and a Kobo ereader that can both do that, with the advantage of multiple roles and way longer battery life than a mobile phone.

[@DonOblivious]

The physical system still exists in the US to provide audio books to blind, visually impaired or physically impaired people books and magazines for free. It uses a thick, credit card "SD card" physical cart.

[@0106johnny]

Just get an MP3 player then

[@danthemainman1]

Oh boy, I know these all too well! I worked at a library from 2012 to 2017. We still had a few older audiocassette based audiobooks, most of which were abridged in some way. The vast majority of our audiobook collection was on CD, which is probably what our patrons liked most. (Many of our audiobook patrons did a lot of driving, and they’d listen to audiobooks in the car.) Some of them, and some of the ones we’d borrow from other libraries, were on MP3 CDs, which disappointed the people who listen in their cars. We did have a selection of these, there were a few patrons who appreciated them. (And you could always patch the audio into your car if you had a cassette adapter or an aux in and an aux cable.) Most of the time I worked there, our primary audiobook vendor also had a streaming service libraries could participate in. It let users borrow audiobooks from their collection. Our library participated in it, but our clientele generally wasn’t too tech savvy, so it usually was my job to teach patrons how to access our online eBooks and audiobooks, in addition to my designated job. It also fell on me to be tech support for patron tech questions in general, not just with the online materials.

[@strangulator42]

Great video as always! I love hearing about these formats that I would never have heard of otherwise! I wish you had made the teardown part of the video as well though. That's usually my favorite part!

[@Techmoan]

I don't want to snap open my players - especially when someone else has already done it for me.

[@strangulator42]

@@Techmoan ah, fair enough! I was worried you might be phasing out that part of your videos!

[@Techmoan]

I only open things that might provide some interesting information - without looking at this you just know it's gong to be a couple of chips on a circuit board and that wouldn't tell me anything as I'm not the kind of person who could delve any further into the electronics - I have to leave that to the pros.

[@apl175]

I have to admit, I added "Ghost in the Wires" to my Audible wish list after watching this video.

[@justinh3741]

I wonder if there are people who collect these? I can imagine a bookshelf or display case full of these with the artwork on display. Perhaps hunting for 'rare' ones, if that would be a thing.

[@pe4194]

This is awesome! My blind grandpa used to listen to audiobooks and these would've been perfect for him. I see the niche.

[@VeeTwoPointOh]

It looks like the book! Omg this is CUTE. I could see myself having a shelf with just these

[@thebroyosgaming]

My local public library has some shelves dedicated to these and they happen to be for new best-selling titles as well as many classics and they're all portable audiobooks with their own orange case.

[@PoshMurder]

That's an absolutely brilliant idea to be honest, and keeps people visiting libraries (I hope)!

[@lmvirella1904]

I've gotta say, i love this piece of tech. I know it might be outdated, but this is like buying a book and seting it on a shelf. You read books, you keep books, if you drive a lot and don't have a chance to read you could have a collection of these and listen while you work (no commercials, no advertisements)... if they had this in libraries I'd rent/borrow them, or borrow the book and this and have my kid listen and follow along with the book. I think this is really cool. I'm definetly going to buy some.

[@jennythescouser]

I think the speaker connector looked like it never went all the way in and sounded mono - maybe it was doing some cancelling out. I love the idea that a device has survived tech evolution and is still around. But..... now I'm hearing Brian Cant, Derek Griffiths and Jeremy Irons singing the theme tune of "Play Away" in my head ;).

[@300DBenz]

They’re all mono, to keep the file size small enough to fit on the memory chip.

[@ethelryan257]

You find the neatest things to review! Thank you!

[@potmej1]

I have one of those devices. It's from local library. They used them a lot. I always felt it was really wasteful to have a device like this that can only ever play one thing...

[@300DBenz]

As opposed to a Books On CD set ....which could only play one thing?

[@ziggarillo]

But played by 100s of people

[@Blitterbug]

@@300DBenz Single use CDs are obviously less wasteful than a bucket of single-use electronics

[@davefink2326]

@@Blitterbug wasteful. . . Why, exactly? They’re being used and returned for others to use, just like CDs. Hardly seems “wasteful.”

[@Blitterbug]

@@davefink2326 Was replying to a sarcastic comment at the top of this response thread about how CDs are really wasteful. I was comparing CDs in a landfill to ewaste in the same landfill. I'm not claiming these devices are wasteful - far from it. Please read the response I was replying to.

[@redlofi9210]

we had these in my middle school about 10 years ago and I remember loving these, I had entirely forgotten about them until I saw this video. thinking on it more, I remember when these first started showing up in my elementary school in 2010

[@DeathInTheSnow]

Actually you very much can still get physical audio books on CDs and the like. All books are catalogued via their ISBN, which means as long as the print is still in existence, you can borrow it from the library. That's how I picked up my copy of Money Land by Oliver Bullough, a fantastic book.

[@hicknopunk]

Lets assume for a moment you live in the country and have no library as you are not cityfolk.

[@DeathInTheSnow]

@@hicknopunk Hey, we're not here for negativity. Besides, the whole point is what is available via a _library._ If you don't have one then that's an entirely different problem and one you need to raise with your council. Or maybe even start one! Or there are book share and mobile library programmes. The world isn't stagnant and just because you don't have something now doesn't mean you can't have it later.

[@hicknopunk]

@@DeathInTheSnow it's more likely that it is 4 am and I have not slept in 5 days. I did want you to know that not every one has access to a library...we just have to pirate media a lot. 😅

[@rhondawest6838]

@@hicknopunk I live in a rural area and my visually impaired neighbors get their audio books (and braille books) in the mail. I know this because I've had them delivered to me in error

[@hicknopunk]

@@rhondawest6838 I'm not blind. There is a TON of media services for the blind

[@gdp3rd]

Our public library system has a bunch of these, in addition to older CDs and newer downloadable files. I've also seen them at museums, etc. for use as a self-guided tour.

[@bobjones5166]

Our local public library uses something similar to those now, for audio books you can check out. A lot nicer than a bundle of cassettes that have sat in someone's HOT car for way to long. Just my $0.02

[@charlesstauffer9831]

Another great show Sir! I think this is one clever idea, perfect for use on public transport, walks, and the gym. Smaller , lighter and cheaper than a phone, and none of the hassle of playing with memory cards on an MP3 player. Too bad they are a bit pricey for a casual user but if they were marketed at let's say $15 dollars each or so I would probably buy a couple of them a month. Thank you for bringing this nifty device to our attention.

[@ShannonFerguson]

My local library uses these today. Great for older people who aren't comfortable with downloading mp3s.

[@tehlaser]

The big ol' 2008 package looks to me like it was meant to be the same size as audiobooks sold in multi-disc CD packs. If so, I imagine that would've been for compatibility with retail displays and the like.

[@RandomPlaceHolderName]

Could also be that someone still looking to buy physical audiobooks in 2008 is going to be older and possibly believe "bigger is better" or that smaller things are cheaper, flimsier, etc. My grandma's oven sized microwave for example ...

[@trublgrl]

I checked with audible to compare prices and noticed their version of The Pelican Brief is only 5 and a half hours long, compared to eleven plus hours on the Playaway. The Audible listing does not say "Unabridged." I wonder if these Playaways are the only source for some unabridged versions?

[@ApisRufus]

Could be a mislabelling & regional differences-my Audible listings (in the UK) have a couple of abridged versions at around five and a half hours and an unabridged at 10h38.

[@0106johnny]

They definitely aren't the only source because you can just get the CD version

[@mjmccaffreyyt]

Thanks!

[@Techmoan]

Hey thanks Mike - I'll put this towards some new (or old) tech to show on the channel in the future. Your generosity is much appreciated.

[@richardcastro-parker3704]

Interesting to see that findaway the company behind the playaway also makes the wonderbook, a picture book with a playaway built-in.

[@Hackercat77]

So cool to here about these! I have been borrowing them from my local library for years! Have a nice day!

[@deedd4401]

big ups to Big Finish .. for still making the most awesome full cast audio adventures out there :)

[@fixman88]

And Tom Baker is *still* The Doctor on there, last I heard!

[@brantisonfire]

The picture of the Hudson shop is from RDU international airport. I worked there for Delta Air Lines for three years- two of those were during the COVID psyop project from January 2020-December of 2021.

[@SupaPhly0]

curious about the battery life on one of these

[@TheBearInTheChair]

it was decent for one AAA battery, I could get through a book on that

[@katbryce]

30 hours apparently.

[@Mattfromthepast]

Well back when I got these out of the library I was able to listen to the whole of a Lee Child book on one triple A battery and those run between 12 and 16 hours long.

[@koghs]

Should be good. Audio playing power usage is exceptionally low and there's nothing else to it so should have a good runtime even on zink battery.

[@davidwilliams5497]

Depends on the battery age, volume, and whether or not the model has a backlight or not (newer ones have a blue-ish backlight for the screen). But previous comment of “30 hours” tracks for a new, high-quality AAA.

[@fredgotpub871]

Thanks for the teardown link, it 's perfect !

[@Nedula007]

I have fond memories of traveling with my family in a 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager LE listening to audiobooks on cassettes.

[@pvman2]

In 2007 I was using my Palm Treo 680 to listen to audio books in MP3 format. I would get them from my local library through a service in the U.S.A. named OverDrive. Still doing it today on my Andriod device. Prior to the Treo, I would check out CD's from the library and play them on either a portable CD Player, a computer, or the CD Player built into my car. The Treo was a huge revolution for me.

[@hicknopunk]

As someone who used to "back up" audio books on tape to lp4 MD, the audio quality of these devices would honestly drive me bonkers. The ultra low bitrate male voice was just the worst. I bet the male voice gets a lower bitrate than the female one, so little the artifacts on the audio exceed one's ability to make it past chapter 3. I bet I would have bought one, listened to a couple of chapters and then found someone on the airplane to gift it to.

[@darrenerickson1288]

My guess, and only a guess, is that the box size was an antitheft measure. But anyway, left this mainly to boost your aearch. As always, thanks for making!

[@russellhltn1396]

Seems like a nice form factor for the traveler. Put on some headphones, hang it on the lanyard around your neck, and you're ready to walk to the gate and board your flight. Both hands are free and the chances of problems with the headphone wiring are minimized.

[@NaeMuckle]

I looked on eBay and there's a playaway view with a screen. Could you look at one of those?

[@ThatOneTruckGuy]

I used to rent these from the library at school back in the day....seeing this gave me nostalgia lol.

[@TheBearInTheChair]

lol, you and me both m8, just mentioned that myself.

[@JamesLawner]

I love learning about obscure media formats and the players they’re used with, so fascinating. From my experience, I’ve never seen audiobook players like this, but I do remember seeing audiobook CDs on sale in gas stations in Europe.

[@domramsey]

Waiting for some uber-cool indie band to release an album on one of these in 3... 2... 1...

[@albinklein7680]

I have to admit; those things are totally new to me. I didn't know they existed. Thanks a lot for showing it!

[@Mattfromthepast]

In the US I never saw these for sale, but every library is full of them. I think that is the real market they were going for, public libraries that were sick of people scratching up CDs, not individual users. These are kind of perfect for libraries because they are hard to damage and take up a lot less space on the shelf than a stack of ten to twenty CDs that is takes to hold a lot of longer audio books.

[@Techmoan]

This is what the video is about. An unsuccessful 2006 consumer product which lost its reason to exist - becoming a successful product for libraries to loan out.

[@Mattfromthepast]

@@Techmoan Yeah, I was just confirming that what you said in the video was correct, at least here in Delaware it is now more common to see these in libraries than CDs. They really work well for that. I was just confirming that I have seen this in the real world.

[@MrSheckstr]

@@Mattfromthepast it’s often interesting when “industry products” find their way into private ownership

[@SlowPCGaming1]

I was thinking the same thing about these being useful in libraries. Fill up your bookshelf with dedicated .MP3 players. But it can also be used in self-guided museum tours. A chapter entry would correspond to a certain numbered part of the tour. A simple control panel with big enough buttons easy to read and use by almost any age.

[@wonderfuljoey23]

I want somebody to release a prerecorded album on this thing!

[@fixman88]

Ironically, that's what SD Cards were originally meant for.

[@kernelpickle]

I wasn’t paying close attention to the second book until you played a sample from it, and the topic being discussed piqued my interest-then I made sure to get a closer look to see that it was Kevin Mitnick’s book. I’ve never read it, but he is a fascinating guy, and now I’m thinking I might have to check it out.