The camera on the iPhone is not powerful enough to do O/CR. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ryan Dour To: MacVisionaries Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 3:49 PM Subject: iPhone like KNFB?
Hello, What apps could be added to an iPhone at this point to provide similar functionality to a KNFB phone? The key featuresthat could help are: * OCR of documents, signs, product boxes, etc. * Talking pedestrian directions such as "You are approaching the corner of North Michigan Avenue and East Heron." When you get to the corner, "Turn right." and in a few more feet "Continue to the next corner, St. Claire and E Heron." * Color detection, providing reasonably good color matching or description. * Barcode reader with the ability to detect the barcode anywhere in the picture frame, not just across a red line on the screen that makes use difficult when you're only sure of the general location of the code. Ability to pair with external BlueTooth barcode scanner as an alternative could be sweet. * Talking compass, something very similar to the built-in feature, but with names of directions quickly spoken. Here's the great part, some of the apps exist, but don't offer full functionality. * A Voice Compass - Literally a talking compass with great accuracy. It even cuts itself off if you turn it really fast, listen to the directions in an audio blur if you so choose. * Around Me - Great for POI, but that's where the fun ends. Also, great for getting phone numbers to places quickly. * Maps - Great for finding out where you are, and general directions. However, no warnings about distance as you move. I've found apps that offer functionality beyond the typical blindness offerings that make life just sweet. For me, local apps can be fantastic: * CTA Tracker - Easily the most accessible CTA tracking app. If you live in Chicago, this app provides complete details of busses at your local bus stops. Find a bus, wait for it to pull up and announce itself, then track your way to your destination with time estimates. Simply awesome for commuting. If you leave the VO cursor on the next stop in the list, and turn Auto Lock off, VO will announce the stop the bus is approaching once a minute. Turn on your iPod, and let VO be the Dj telling you where you're at as you travel without having to keep one ear open for the bus PA system. * Chipotle - Order some yummy food while you're on your way home. You can put together your order, choose toppings, sides, and a drink. You can then place a note on the order to let the great staff know you're blind, and to look out for ya when you get there. It has been a really amazing experience using this app. My reason, sometimes the restaurant is so loud that the staff start simply pointing at the toppings and looking for feedback from the customer. When you try and explain that you're blind, they don't speak up enough, or it really throws them off and they start missing toppings. Using this app, you get exactly what you wanted without the confusion of the Chipotle assembly line. Even better, your credit card never comes out of your wallet. I've got many other apps, but these are some that I've used in the last few days. They provide me with tools that enrich my life. There are others out there I know I'm missing, as the app store is the hottest most crowded marketplace for software I've ever seen. If anyone else has ideas for apps that make the iPhone specifically a brilliant tool for a blind user, please let us all know. Beyond the Twitter and Facebook apps we all love, I'm looking for apps that help enhance real life activities happening in the real world. Thanks, Ryan Dour --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
