Audio Hardware issues

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Dana Mulvany

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Apr 8, 2013, 2:06:28 PM4/8/13
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Being able to obtain the best audio possible can be quite important
for people who have partial hearing loss (and/or for people who have
vision loss).

1) The Samsung Chromebook's speakers face downward from the bottom of
the device into one's lap or table. For maximum clarity, it seems to
me that the speakers ought to be located by the top corners of the
screen to be as close as possible to people's ears. (This location
would also minimize the dangers to circuitry from liquid spilling onto
the device.)

2) The audio jack on the Chromebook uses a single 2.5 mm headphone
and microphone jack that is similar to those used by many older
cordless phones, but which is not common, I think, on computers,
tablets and many smartphones. The use of a 2.5 mm jack without
providing 3.5 mm jacks makes it harder for many hard of hearing people
to use accessories with the Chromebook as most of these use 3.5 mm
plugs. My guess would be that most people with disabilities who use
accessories with computers also have separate headphone and microphone
cables with 3.5 plugs, not an integrated 2.5 plug.

3) It would be helpful to be able to choose whether to receive
monoaural audio rather than stereophonic audio through all physical or
Bluetooth audio outputs, even if a stereo accessory is being used.
Because many people do not have even hearing in both ears, or may hear
out of only one ear, it's important to have the option to choose
receiving all sound into one or both ears.

4) It would also be very desirable if there was robust equalization
available for all audio from the Chromebook, and wide dynamic range
compression as well.

5) Google Hangout has not been publicized as providing its users
access to wide band audio. Skype has provided its users wide band
audio if all parties use compatible hardware. Wide band audio
provides a much wider range of audio than traditional phones do, but
Chromebooks do not currently appear to provide access to the video
capabilities of Skype. I myself frequently use Skype because it
provides both video and wideband audio, but I can't use Skype on my
Chromebook. (While it would be very helpful for Google Hangout to
provide wide band audio, it also needs to be much easier to use, and
it needs its own app.)

Because most people who are hard of hearing are still able to hear the
low frequencies very well, and because a great deal of useful
non-verbal information in speech is generated at frequencies below 300
Hz (including indicators for some of the speaker's emotions), the
ability to hear low-frequency sounds can make a tremendous difference
in improving one's ability to understand as much as possible of what
other people are communicating (not just their speech). However,
phones and videoconferencing systems that use only the traditional
telephony system provide only the sounds between 300 Hz and 3300 Hz or
thereabouts.

Therefore, to obtain the best speech discrimination possible, hard of
hearing people benefit greatly from being able to use wide band audio
for real time communication while also using video for
lipreading/speechreading. (Lipreading helps clarify which consonants
are being used even if one cannot hear all of the components of
speech.)

(Wide band audio requires the use of compatible hardware capable of
transmitting lower and higher frequencies, whereas most consumer
microphones used for standard telephony are not rated as being able to
work with frequencies below 300 Hz (hertz, or cycles per second). For
maximum accessibility, therefore, it would be helpful if all companies
and organizations that wish to communicate as well with the public
would use wide band audio hardware and telephony along with video.)

Dana Mulvany, MSW
Consultant
dmul...@usa.net
dana.m...@gmail.com

Bryan J

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Apr 8, 2013, 8:04:43 PM4/8/13
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Hi Dana,

Which model Chromebook do you have? My Chromebook seems to have a standard 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack, not a 2.5 mm jack. It is located near the rear of the left edge of the laptop, just behind the door for the SD card slot. I use the standard earbuds that came with my iPhone and these work fine as earphones, though I haven't tried the microphone. My Chromebook is the Samsung Series 3 generously supplied by Google for the Trusted Tester program.

Cheers,
Bryan

Adam Campfield

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Apr 8, 2013, 8:06:14 PM4/8/13
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These are some interesting points, but i'm confused about one thing.
My chromebook definitely has a 3.5 MM headphone jack which I have
used, and no 2.5 MM jack that I can find. The Power cord plug in does
resemble this, admittedly, but is on the back of the device while the
headphone jack is on the left side.

Daniel Crone

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Apr 8, 2013, 8:31:27 PM4/8/13
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I find my chromebook has an earphone jack that works with a standard
headset.

Dana Mulvany

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Apr 8, 2013, 8:35:13 PM4/8/13
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Oops! When I had looked at the jack, I thought it was a 2.5 mm jack
because it had seemed awfully small. So I was wrong---it *is* a 3.5
mm jack.

My apologies!

Dana

Gary Morin

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Apr 8, 2013, 11:15:52 PM4/8/13
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My recommendation in terms of hardware would be to have more than one USB drive.  it's great having the other drives (though I don't believe I have use for them, yet).  But, many headsets these days have USB plugs, sometimes I use a mouse or an external split keyboard (things I've gotten from www.cap.mil/), and so more than one USB port would be great.  luckily, if I'm working at a table, I can plug in a multi-port and then use several USB devices.
--
Gary

Gary M. Morin
(301) 980-9649 Cell and Text Messaging

Joseph Karr O'Connor

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Apr 9, 2013, 12:41:57 AM4/9/13
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There are two USB ports on the Samsung XE303C12 I have here. On the back is the power port, working towards the center of the computer is an HDMI port, then there is a USB 2 port, next is a USB 3 port. Still on the back some distance from the USB 3 port is a USIM port with an integral cover. You can use the USIM port with a 3G data SIM to net access when out of range of a WiFi network.

On the left side there is a combo headphone and microphone port and an SD card slot, also with an integral cover. I understand that the SD card sticks out when inserted so be careful when throwing the computer in a bag.

Daniel Crone

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Apr 9, 2013, 5:17:40 AM4/9/13
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How do I open or remove the cover for the usim port?
On 04/08/2013 11:41 PM, Joseph Karr O'Connor wrote:
> There are two USB ports on the Samsung XE303C12 I have here. On the back
> is the power port, working towards the center of the computer is an HDMI
> port, then there is a USB 2 port, next is a USB 3 port. Still on the
> back some distance from the USB 3 port is a USIM port with an integral
> cover. You can use the USIM port with a 3G data SIM to net access when
> out of range of a WiFi network.
>
> On the left side there is a combo headphone and microphone port and an
> SD card slot, also with an integral cover. I understand that the SD card
> sticks out when inserted so be careful when throwing the computer in a bag.
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:15 PM, Gary Morin <garymich...@gmail.com
> <mailto:garymich...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> My recommendation in terms of hardware would be to have more than
> one USB drive. it's great having the other drives (though I don't
> believe I have use for them, yet). But, many headsets these days
> have USB plugs, sometimes I use a mouse or an external split
> keyboard (things I've gotten from www.cap.mil/
> <http://www.cap.mil/>), and so more than one USB port would be
> great. luckily, if I'm working at a table, I can plug in a
> multi-port and then use several USB devices.
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:35 PM, Dana Mulvany <dana.m...@gmail.com
> <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Oops! When I had looked at the jack, I thought it was a 2.5 mm jack
> because it had seemed awfully small. So I was wrong---it *is* a 3.5
> mm jack.
>
> My apologies!
>
> Dana
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:06 PM, Adam Campfield
> <shadow...@gmail.com <mailto:shadow...@gmail.com>> wrote:
> > These are some interesting points, but i'm confused about one
> thing.
> > My chromebook definitely has a 3.5 MM headphone jack which I have
> > used, and no 2.5 MM jack that I can find. The Power cord plug
> in does
> > resemble this, admittedly, but is on the back of the device
> while the
> > headphone jack is on the left side.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 4/8/13, Dana Mulvany <dana.m...@gmail.com
> >> dmul...@usa.net <mailto:dmul...@usa.net>
> >> dana.m...@gmail.com <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com>
> >>
>
>
>
>
> --
> */Gary/*
>
> Gary M. Morin
> (301) 980-9649 <tel:%28301%29%20980-9649> Cell and Text Messaging
>
>

Daniel Crone

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Apr 9, 2013, 5:35:16 AM4/9/13
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Hello. Well, I figured out there is a slot for the fingernail on the
machine right above the card. It opens with ease. Without your e-mail
I would not have known what that slot was for. I also would not have
known that the two usb ports are different. Wish that had been in the
braille material.
On 04/08/2013 11:41 PM, Joseph Karr O'Connor wrote:
> There are two USB ports on the Samsung XE303C12 I have here. On the back
> is the power port, working towards the center of the computer is an HDMI
> port, then there is a USB 2 port, next is a USB 3 port. Still on the
> back some distance from the USB 3 port is a USIM port with an integral
> cover. You can use the USIM port with a 3G data SIM to net access when
> out of range of a WiFi network.
>
> On the left side there is a combo headphone and microphone port and an
> SD card slot, also with an integral cover. I understand that the SD card
> sticks out when inserted so be careful when throwing the computer in a bag.
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:15 PM, Gary Morin <garymich...@gmail.com
> <mailto:garymich...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> My recommendation in terms of hardware would be to have more than
> one USB drive. it's great having the other drives (though I don't
> believe I have use for them, yet). But, many headsets these days
> have USB plugs, sometimes I use a mouse or an external split
> keyboard (things I've gotten from www.cap.mil/
> <http://www.cap.mil/>), and so more than one USB port would be
> great. luckily, if I'm working at a table, I can plug in a
> multi-port and then use several USB devices.
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:35 PM, Dana Mulvany <dana.m...@gmail.com
> <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Oops! When I had looked at the jack, I thought it was a 2.5 mm jack
> because it had seemed awfully small. So I was wrong---it *is* a 3.5
> mm jack.
>
> My apologies!
>
> Dana
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:06 PM, Adam Campfield
> <shadow...@gmail.com <mailto:shadow...@gmail.com>> wrote:
> > These are some interesting points, but i'm confused about one
> thing.
> > My chromebook definitely has a 3.5 MM headphone jack which I have
> > used, and no 2.5 MM jack that I can find. The Power cord plug
> in does
> > resemble this, admittedly, but is on the back of the device
> while the
> > headphone jack is on the left side.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 4/8/13, Dana Mulvany <dana.m...@gmail.com
> >> dmul...@usa.net <mailto:dmul...@usa.net>
> >> dana.m...@gmail.com <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com>
> >>
>
>
>
>
> --
> */Gary/*
>
> Gary M. Morin

Magi Shepley

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Apr 9, 2013, 6:52:25 AM4/9/13
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And, to put space between the ports. I have two ports, but can only use one because the profile of the USB is wider on the end. For at least one student this is necessary so he can grab the drive to pull out independently. For others, its a matter of expression and their drives are animal shaped, or a Star Wars character or sports themed. I suppose I could ask them to use ordinary drives, but that style is important & allows them to show who they are without verbal communication.

Magi

joseph.karr.oconnor

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Apr 10, 2013, 4:59:29 AM4/10/13
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quirky.wizard,

I had to look up the specifications of the Chromebook on the Samsung site, which is a mess. They tend to use pictures to show features but I found a list. I couldn't figure out what the ports were either, and I'd never encountered a USIM port before.

Others have commented on the closeness of the USB ports. As with everthing else I'm sure it all looked good to the engineers and assemblers but there are always consequences to design decisions. Sushi shaped USB drives were probably not on their minds. LOL

Joseph Karr O'Connor

Daniel Crone

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Apr 10, 2013, 1:17:40 PM4/10/13
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The power port is on the back at the left. Beside it are the two u s b
ports. The usim port is located to the right of the u s b ports. It is
covered and the cover may be lifted with a fingernail slot. The slot is
on the topside.
> <javascript:>
> > <mailto:garymich...@gmail.com <javascript:>>> wrote:
> >
> > My recommendation in terms of hardware would be to have more
> than
> > one USB drive. it's great having the other drives (though I
> don't
> > believe I have use for them, yet). But, many headsets these
> days
> > have USB plugs, sometimes I use a mouse or an external split
> > keyboard (things I've gotten from www.cap.mil/
> <http://www.cap.mil/>
> > <http://www.cap.mil/>), and so more than one USB port would be
> > great. luckily, if I'm working at a table, I can plug in a
> > multi-port and then use several USB devices.
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:35 PM, Dana Mulvany
> <dana.m...@gmail.com <javascript:>
> > <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com <javascript:>>> wrote:
> >
> > Oops! When I had looked at the jack, I thought it was a
> 2.5 mm jack
> > because it had seemed awfully small. So I was wrong---it
> *is* a 3.5
> > mm jack.
> >
> > My apologies!
> >
> > Dana
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:06 PM, Adam Campfield
> > <shadow...@gmail.com <javascript:>
> <mailto:shadow...@gmail.com <javascript:>>> wrote:
> > > These are some interesting points, but i'm confused
> about one
> > thing.
> > > My chromebook definitely has a 3.5 MM headphone jack
> which I have
> > > used, and no 2.5 MM jack that I can find. The Power
> cord plug
> > in does
> > > resemble this, admittedly, but is on the back of the
> device
> > while the
> > > headphone jack is on the left side.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 4/8/13, Dana Mulvany <dana.m...@gmail.com
> <javascript:>
> > >> dmul...@usa.net <javascript:> <mailto:dmul...@usa.net
> <javascript:>>
> > >> dana.m...@gmail.com <javascript:>
> <mailto:dana.m...@gmail.com <javascript:>>

Don Mauck

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Apr 10, 2013, 1:38:45 PM4/10/13
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Okay, what is the port to the left of the two USB ports?

Daniel Crone

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Apr 10, 2013, 6:46:10 PM4/10/13
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faces away from me, as if I am about to open it, then the power port,
usb 2 usb 3, and then the u s i m slots are from left to right.When the
machine is positioned so that the hinge

Dana Mulvany

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Apr 10, 2013, 7:28:59 PM4/10/13
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Don, the port between the power port and the two USB ports is an HDMI
port, with the smaller side being on the bottom.

If you have a Samsung Chromebook, the model number is probably 303C12.
The URL for Samsung's web page on this model appears to be this one:

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/chrome-os-devices/XE303C12-H01US?

although our model doesn't include the Verizon card described there.

Unfortunately, the images on the Samsung page are not described in
alternative text, from what I can see.

Dana

Daniel Crone

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Apr 10, 2013, 10:51:38 PM4/10/13
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Hello. Thanks. In my description, I may have forgotten the h d m i port.

Don Mauck

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Apr 10, 2013, 11:53:30 PM4/10/13
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Ah yes, I should have guessed that one DAHHH
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