Mobile reads text for the blind

New mobile technology now allows the visually challenged to live their lives in a convenient way. The next generation Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth US$ 1, US$ 5, US$ 10 or US$ 20, it helps the users to read anything that is photographed, whether it's a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax. According to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the visually challenged to use cell phones and PDAs. Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.'s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages. It was Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device for visually challenged. It is now considered that future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted. College Park-based Applied Media Analysis is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired. Techshare India 2008, which is known as Europe's biggest technology event, will promote accessible technology for differently-abled persons at India Habitat Centre (India) from 4-5, February, 2008. The Royal National Institute of the Blind (United Kingdom) and BarrierBreak Technologies have partnered in order to bring the technology conference-cum-exhibition for the benefit of physically challenged persons. Source: i4D

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