ZoomReader not only magnifies text, it can read it aloud
The owner of the restaurant down the street from me has to hold the menu about an inch from his eyes to read it. I think he?d love this iPhone app. It?s called ZoomReader, and that?s exactly what it does: zoom and read.
Like the Eye Glasses app we covered way back in 2009, ZoomReader uses the iPhone?s camera and screen to magnify text. But thanks to the iPhone 4?s hi-res camera and display, and some rather clever options, it manages to be a lot more than just a neat gimmick.
Aim the camera at some small text ? instructions, a medicine bottle label or a menu ? and it can be magnified up to 4x, showing up crisp on the retina display. Colors of both paper and ink can be changed to make them easier to read. And then things get really interesting.
Hit the camera icon and it will snap the image in front of the lens, perform OCR (optical character recognition) and then read the result out loud using speech synthesis. You can control the app with your voice, too, if the icons are tricky for you to see.
Clearly this is useful just as a magnifier for those with poor eyesight. And if the OCR works well (quality can vary wildly in these things) then it could work even for the blind.
The app is in the App Store now, and costs a reasonable $20, a price that gives me some confidence that it contains a decent OCR engine.
ZoomReader product page [iTunes]
ZoomReader App Released for iPhone ? the Ultimate Visual Assistance Tool [ZoomReader]
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