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Cell Phone Can Read to the Blind
4-ounce, $2K talking device is smallest reader ever made
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Jan 30, 08 7:19 PM CST
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(Newser)
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A new cell phone can read aloud to people with impaired vision—and at 4 ounces, it's the smallest such device ever made, NPR reports. The $2,000 phone can help with the myriad daily tasks that seeing people take for granted, like identifying a $20 bill. "All you have to do is snap a picture,” said a blind product demonstrator.
The phone, developed by Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation for the Blind, can also read pages of text. “No other device in the history of technology has provided such portability and quick access to print materials,” said the federation’s president. Readers have long existed, but not in this size—and integration with a high-tech Nokia phone adds to its appeal.