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Tag: KNFB Reader

  • App Rapidly Turns Text To Speech

    App Rapidly Turns Text To Speech

    An unknown app named OneStep Reader mysteriously appeared in an iOS app update. It became clear upon opening it, this was an old app with a new name. The app, formerly known as KNFB Reader, was taken over from the National Federation of the Blind by Sensotec. Beyond the name and the ownership change, not much else is new, even the $100 purchase price remains the same, which is likely to be its greatest barrier to growth, considering there are many good alternatives at fractions of that cost. It will be interesting to see what Sensotec has in store. Perhaps the most impressive note to this story is how far the OCR technology has traveled to arrive at this place, and how far we’ve come in our expectations. 

    The article below, published in 2018, provides a brief history of KNFB Reader. 

    Do you need help reading mail, package info, handouts, cooking directions, price tags, signs?  There’s an app for all that. The KNFB Reader converts text to speech, instantly.

    It is worth noting: this is technology with a pedigree. Developed by Ray Kurzweil, currently Director of Engineering at Google, he is the father of OCR (Optical Character Recognition). In its original form, it took shape as the Kurzweil Reading Machine for the blind. The year was 1976, the machine was the size of a dishwasher and the cost: $40,000.

    In 2008, Kurzweil and the National Federation of the Blind joined forces to introduce the first mobile version of the reading machine. It ran on a Nokia phone and was priced at a shocking: $3,000.

    Just a few years later, the much anticipated KNFB Reader App for iPhone (and iPad) was delivered to the App Store. The Android and Windows apps followed, and they’re all compatible with their respective screen readers.

    The KNFB Reader app opens the camera.  The right side of the screen offers a “field of view report” to assist alignment of the picture. Tap the left side of the screen to snap the photo. In seconds, the text appears and the reading aloud begins. It’s fast, accurate and relatively easy to use.

    The app includes a quick start guide and manual. Read and save multi-page documents.  Multiple languages are supported. Set to automatically save files to Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Google Drive. In recent updates, you can make calls, send emails, and open links directly from documents. You can even contact someone from a business card. 

    This is relatively easy to use, but like all new things, it may require a bit of acclimating. Practice makes perfect! The incredible benefit is well worth the effort.

    You just might start wondering how you functioned without it.

    The KNFB Reader App is available on the App Store, on Google Play, and on the Windows Store.

    Resources

    Watch instructional video from Hadley’s iFocus.

    Please note that this article was not paid for, affiliated with, or endorsed by any third-party companies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s.

    Originally published on August 3, 2018 and updated on April 14, 2022.

  • Seeing AI Is A Gift From Microsoft

    Seeing AI Is A Gift From Microsoft

    We love technology that empowers… especially when it gives us back something vision loss has taken. Microsoft’s Seeing AI app is all that. It is an intelligent camera that reads text on the go and tells you who and what is around you.

    Seeing AI is a sweet surprise of a package filled with stuff you’ll want. Get back to reading signs, documents, and products on the go.  And get more detail about the people and scenes you’re not seeing clearly.

    The interface is clean and nicely designed. It’s relatively easy to acclimate to, but the more you use it…the better you get. There is a Quick Help Guide in the upper right of each channel, with both text and a video tutorial.

    Here’s a rundown of the Seeing AI channels…

    • Short Text – hold the camera over text and it reads, just like that. Use it on signs, price tags, tickets, mail, packages, etc. Start reading everything in and out of sight.
    • Documents – the camera guides you to photograph the entire page and reads back. Navigates headings in documents with VoiceOver, particularly useful in reading restaurant menus. (Similar to the KNFB Reader app.)
    • Product – a bar code reader with audio guidance. In the grocery store, for example, you’ll be able to identify the brand and flavor on the ice cream container, or the fat content of the milk, or if the bread is wheat or white.
    • Person – use the camera to scan and tell you about the people around. Facial descriptions include an estimate of age and expression. Set face recognition to announce the name of someone you know when they come into view.

      Microsoft Seeing AI app describing a person sitting outside.
      Microsoft Seeing AI app describing a person sitting outside.
    • Scene – take a photo and hear the description of the scene. 

    The accuracy is very good, but not perfect. Like you, it is still learning. Help the process by sharing your thoughts and experience with the developers. There’s a link to send feedback directly from the Menu.

    The Seeing Ai app is free, available in the App Store. This is by no means a small token, it is a meaningful gift. Not long ago, technology designed for people with visual impairments was available only at very hefty prices. 

    The best is yet to come. Microsoft says this is just a glimpse into artificial intelligence.

    For latest updates to Seeing AI, read our full article here.

    Microsoft’s “Seeing AI” Video

    Please note that this article was not paid for, affiliated with, or endorsed by any third-party companies. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s.


    Originally published on August 11, 2017 and updated on August 3, 2018.