Audiobook for 85 yr...
 

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Audiobook for 85 yr old non-audiobookist

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My partner's Mum is 85 and can't see very well any more. Struggles to read.

She's a massive Barbra Streisand fan and I would have loved to get her a new Audiobook that's out by the aforementioned Streisand for her birthday.

Trouble is, she's 85, doesn't have internet at home. She has a cd player and a basic smartphone but struggles to use it without throwing her toys out of the pram.

I had thought that maybe I could buy the audiobook myself and then maybe get someone with the tech to rip it to cds, but for a start, it's 48 hours long! That's a lot of cds potentially.
Also, after looking into it a bit I don't think it's possible with the file format used by Audible (.aa I think).

So, can anyone think of a way to cleverly or blatantly obviously get around this?

Or maybe there is some kind of very simple device capable of playing audiobooks I've not come across?

I thought maybe I could buy a cheap mp3 player but I don't believe they play audiobook files.

Any other ideas or obvious things I've missed?


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 5:09 pm
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It's easy to convert Audible files to mp3 (or an other audio format) using audiamus.


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 5:38 pm
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Could you get her an mp3 cd player and put books as mp3s on a CD?
Edit: assumes you can still buy mp3 CD player.
Edit of edit:
Yes you can: https://www.currys.co.uk/products/oakcastle-cd100-bluetooth-personal-cd-player-black-10221207.html


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 5:57 pm
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It’s easy to convert Audible files to mp3 (or an other audio format) using audiamus.

Would it not have some sort of anti-piracy shizzle built in?

I think maybe that approach is out as 48 hours of cds is an awful lot of cds I'd think.


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 5:57 pm
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See if your local library uses the Borrowbox app. It is possible to download the entire audiobook and play on a free app like Sirin. The book is essentially yours until you delete it. I use this a lot and it works well.


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 5:58 pm
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See if your local library uses the Borrowbox app. It is possible to download the entire audiobook and play on a free app like Sirin

It's not the download that's the quandary. It's the playing it.

I can actually get the book free with an Audible free trial, but she's very non-tech literate, doesn't have internet, doesn't understand apps and never will I doubt.

Also, she lives in Manchester and we live in Warwickshire so can't simply pop round any time she can't work something.

Edit. Would a Kindle do it? Do they have physical headphone sockets?


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 6:01 pm
 5lab
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Kindles can either read (with text to speech) or play (via audible I want to say) audiobooks. Older Kindles (keyboard ones for sure) have headphones ports.

Alternatively, an echo device will play without a screen, plus a WiFi hotspot with a cheap sim card in?

Also looks like audible sinks to offline mp3 players.. https://help.audible.com.au/s/article/listen-with-audiblesync?language=en_AU


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 6:55 pm
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Would it not have some sort of anti-piracy shizzle built in?

It does but the software I mentioned fixes that. I've personally no problem with getting round restrictions on stuff I've bought to be able to use it in a more convenient way.


 
Posted : 26/11/2023 9:45 pm
kayak23 and kayak23 reacted

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