[Electronics-talk] Reviews and Some Suggestions for Two Accessible Apps

[Christine Szostak]

Hi All,
  I just thought I would mention two apps that I have found really helpful. Some here may be familiar with one or both so feel free to add your own comments about them or their accessibility.

The first app is Recognizer (note that to find this app in the app store, you may have more luck searching for LookTell than Recognizer).

-This app has two main components:

1)  Item entry/recognition.

a)  This allows you to take a picture of something and add an audio label. Then, in the future, whenever Recognizer is opened (on the main screen of the app) it  will immediately recognize that object when in comes in contact with the camera and will repeat the label.

b)  Think of this just like LookTell's Money Identifier app as it works pretty much in the same way except that you enter the labels.

2)  A barcode scanner.

a)  I have had little success using this to find the barcodes and would love any suggestions if people have used this and found it successful.

  The second app is Text Detective. They talked about this on SPN recently on the SeroTalk Podcast (I think it was either episode 203 or 205) and they did not have too much positive to say. 

  However, I have actually had pretty good luck with this and have thus far been able (in 1.2 days practice) been able to get relatively clear scans of several different things without  any vision such as a can label, a frozen food box label, cards such as grocery store cards, and mail.

  The main complaint that they were noting on SPN was that you need to figure out the orientation yourself. 

  I want to provide a quick tip that I have found to be useful in doing so:

  I find that if I tilt the camera just a couple of degrees (probably no more than about 3-5) I often get a clearer scan than when I hold it perfectly strait.

  Once you hit scan, the camera continues to re-scan the item until it gets an image it can identify and it lets you know this. It will tell you if there is no text or if it is processing and preparing the text.

  It is very fast (usually scanning in about 1-3 seconds).

  I have also found that using the helpful hints they provide in their help really do help a lot. As soon as I started reading through these, my scans got much clearer:).


  The primary reason I wanted to mention these two apps together in one email, is that I have found that they are incredibly helpful when used in conjunction.

  Something I have started doing so as to need less sighted assistance to add pics to my Recognizer, is to initially scan items that have text on them and if I can get a clear read, then I open Recognizer and add it to the library. this way, I can use Recognizer in the future to identify the item without having to wait for the scans since just like the Money Identifier from LookTell, the Recognizer app is instantaneous in its scanning and identifying.

  Sorry for the very lengthy email but I have just found these to be quite helpful as someone living alone with no vision.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Chris
Christine M. Szostak, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Shorter University
Rome, Georgia
szostak.1 at osu.edu

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