Portable device takes pictures of text, reads aloud

Don Johnston Incorporated, provider of assistive technologies, has announced a VAR (Value-Add Reseller) agreement with Intel Corporation to distribute the new Intel® Reader. Announced today, the Intel Reader is a mobile device designed to increase independence for the more than 55 million people who have trouble reading standard print.

The product features a design that combines a high-resolution camera with an Intel® Atom™ processor to convert printed text to digital text and read it aloud to the user. This portable device can take pictures of any printed material including textbooks, novels, letters, magazines, or even bus schedules and automatically converts it into accessible digital formats. The device also highlights each word on its built-in LCD display.

Features include:

  • A high-resolution camera with flash for capturing text in low light
  • 4 GB Intel® Solid State Drive stores up to 600 pages (images and text)
  • Built-in speakers and headphone jack
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery plays up to 4 hours of text-to-speech audio on a full charge
  • 4.3” LCD display
  • USB connection to transfer files to or from a personal computer
  • Adjustable voice settings include options for gender, pitch, and speed
  • Supports DAISY 2.02, DAISY 3.0, NIMAS 1.0/1.1 MP3, WAV, ASCII text

For more information, visit http://www.intel.com/healthcare/reader/index.htm