Submitted by Zivan Krisher on and last modified on 4 October, 2017
Category:
Description of App:
This app is meant to be an extremely simplistic audiobook player. It was written with the visually impaired in mind. Many audiobook player apps have small buttons which are hard to see and difficult to press accurately, making it easy for you to lose your place (and difficult to find it again).With Pastime, you simply pick a book to listen to from the easy-to-read list (which shows all audiobooks in your iTunes library), tap the screen to play it (or pause it), and fast-forward or rewind with simple swiping motions. Finding a specific place in the book is easy, and you can't accidentally skip to a place you didn't intend to.That's it! The font is intentionally large, the control is intentionally simple. To play/pause on the main screen, just tap anywhere.Update: Now there is improved VoiceOver support.
Apple Watch Support:
Version:
Free or Paid:
Device(s) App Was Tested On:
VoiceOver Performance:
Button Labeling:
Usability:
Other Comments:
As Pastime was developed with simplicity in mind and is first of all meant for use without voiceover, the developer omitted as many buttons as he could to avoid accidental presses. So the app lacks some advanced audiobook features:
1. There is no way to enter the track list and select a track.
2. There is no way to change playback speed.
In version 0.9.5 the developer has added a jump 15 seconds back and forward button in the middle of the right and left edges of the screen.
The book list VoiceOver navigation has been fixed, now it can bee scrolled using left and right flicks.
Accessibility Comments:
You initially select your book out of a color coded list, Black for unread, Blue for in progress and White for Read books.
Once in a book, a single tap on the screen will toggle Play and Pause, the entire App changes it's color scheme when Playing or Pausing.
When Using VoiceOver you will need to double tap to Play or Pause.
When a book is open, the display features from top to bottom:
1. The Book Title
2. The Author's Name
3. Your Current Position (in terms of time played).
4. To the left and right of the centered current position display, up against the screen edges, you'll find a jump back 15 second and a jump forward 15 second button.
5. A Progress bar that reports you progress in percentage, flanked by your current location on the left and the total length of the book on the right.
6. At the Bottom right is a Jump to Time button that allows you to set an exact location in hours, minutes and seconds.
7. At the Bottom Left is a Change Book button that will take you back to the book list.
The Progress bar cannot be used with the usual up and down flicks, you set the desired location via the Jump to Time button. I find this way of navigating a book much more useful than the hit or miss flicking gesture that never seems to jump in quite the right intervals.
As a legally blind user I find the the fonts are not quite large enough for me and at least on the iPad there is allot of empty space that can be used for larger text.