How to help grandmas listen to audio books?

Question

Do it yourself

So, introductory: I have two grandmothers, both are well over 80, both have poor vision and are not at all friendly with technology.
In connection with shrunken eyesight, they cannot read books and miss them.
Of the alternative entertainment, they only have a zombie player left, and this is not buzzing.

Objective: enable them to listen to audio books (in MP3 and similar formats)
- Case 1: so that they can start and stop the audio themselves. (Play / Pause)
- Case2: volume control.
- Case 3: (ideally) self-selection of a book from a small list.

Wishes for the interface: rather large buttons than a touch screen (they are afraid of it)
The standard keyboard is not suitable due to the small size of the buttons.

QUESTION:
Have you met a ready-made solution?
If not, how would you go about solving this problem?

PS I personally look in the direction of a netbook + optimus mini three, but this does not solve the issue with Case No. 3. I think there is a better solution.
PPS Rewrite audio books on old audio cassettes and give grandmothers a tape recorder - do not offer :)

Answer 1

From personal experience:
- DVD player with track indicator (the most important indicator). Books either on disks or on a flash drive.
I understand that it looks like the last century and is inconvenient, but it is easy to learn - 5 buttons and the ability to count.

Answer 2

Install a Boxee/XMBC type media combine on a netboot/PC with a simple skin, set up large fonts, buy a simple remote control with large buttons for a PC - they will be able to control in a large interface on TV by selecting MUSIC> BOOK FILE LIST, listen through TV speakers (or acoustics).

Answer 3

How about the iPod Shuffle? There is VoiceOver technology - when you press the button, the player pronounces the name of the current record.

Answer 4

www.tinydeal.com/ru/fm-speaker-with-sd-usb-35mm-slots-blue-p-22708.html
An excellent, easy-to-control loud thing with high-quality sound. Grandmothers will never download audiobooks themselves. Download a few pieces to a flash drive and go.
There are only 4 buttons at the top, one of which (the first) is a flashlight. Next: the previous track, or if held down, decrease the volume. Next Play/pause and then next. track/volume
If plugged in and left on, you can only use the play/pause buttons. It has a built-in battery, so if something happens, if the outlet is far away, then you can do without it.
I took it to my grandmother. True, not books, but listen to Retro FM. This thing justifies the price by 100,500 times. Take a closer look!

Answer 5

Can I suggest something completely different? I understand that grandmothers are over 80, however, the progress of medicine is very serious. Maybe grandmothers should be taken to specialists in the field of eye microsurgery? If they say that some operations can be done and restore the vision of grandmothers at least partially? If this has already been done and there are no other options besides devices for reading books aloud, then I apologize.

Answer 6

You are a wonderful person, you are looking for everything right. Mine are over 80, they are on Skype, calling their relatives from a laptop and, in general, they are quite comfortable. I haven’t seen “one button” solutions myself, but I will carefully monitor your topic.