[Nfbmo] I-Phone could take the win out of KNFB Reader.
Debbie Wunder
debbiewunder at centurytel.net
Tue Jun 29 18:58:36 UTC 2010
Hello Fred, it would be a wonderful world if products for the blind were
more affordable, but in truth we are not the main stream of folks. It is my
understanding that to date the cost that has gone into the reader for its
invention, improvements and marketing t, has not yet made a profit. In fact
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there have been several
updates, with no charge to the blind consumer.
You published a Resource book for the blind and visually impaired, I do not
dsee you giving it away to the impoverished blind. In fact Fred it seems
that I heard you say that you did not want your book to be placed on Book
Share because the profit is how you earn your living.
The NFB has a wonderful3% technology loan program, one that loans too many
blind people who could not other wise borrow such an amount of money. I will
not pretend that the reader does not have a high price, but, nor will I
allow you to make it seem as if there is wrong doing on the part of KNFB
Reading System, or the NFB. Certainly you are able to say what ever you
think, but it will not go with out a reply back.
----- Original Message -----
From: <DanFlasar at aol.com>
To: <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] I-Phone could take the win out of KNFB Reader.
> This does not take into account the costs of the development of the
> hardware/software that made the reader
> possible. Remember the first KNFB reader? A palm Pilot combined with an
> SLR camera? It was bulky but
> it worked. Now it's software embedded in a phone. But it took a lot of
> time and money to get there and
> that money has to be recouped - like any product. There was nothing
> comparable to it.
> I'm sure the Apple application will be cool, but will the producers of
> the app provide support for it? Upgrades and fixes? There are further
> plans for the NFB Reader that may be more blind-friendly than those of
> the i-Phone apps. Given that there are a lot of people around the world
> working on text-to-speech and OCR
> applications, some within the open source world, there is a lot of
> cross-fertilization going on - including
> people who have looked at the work Kurzweil has done with the K1000
> software and Arkenstone and starting
> from there. Also, as with any new application, there are a lot of
> quirks
> and issues that need to be worked
> out with the product use. Can the new app handle all fonts and manage
> graphics and the structure of the
> page? That's a problem even K1000 and Arkenstone have issues with.
> At PowerUP, I learned that a lot of single-use adaptive devices can be
> easily adapted for use in an
> i_phone or for that matter, and i-Pod Touch, that cost degrees of
> magnitude
> less than the stand-alone device. Interestingly, the agencies that fund
> these devices for schools and personal use won't buy an
> iPod or iPhone, opting instead for the more costly single-use offering,
> because the iPhone, like computers
> in it's first appearance, could be used for games and entertainment.
> In essence, we are seeing the web offering a more dynamic, less
> gradual business plan than the trad-
> itional one of agencies paying for adaptive technology. It's happening
> all across the business spectrum and
> who knows where it will go? There is no need to ascribe negative motives
> to those who developed a tech-
> nology under an older business plan.
> And by the way, there is no reason why this application can't be used
> with an iPod - why would you
> need to connect to a phone data plan when the iPod Touch has wireless
> capability? There already is a great
> text-to-speech application for the Touch that I hear works great. In
> essence, the applications discussed
> here are stand-alone and have no need of being in a cellphone network.
> Cool stuff!
> Dan
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/29/2010 12:22:17 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> goodfolks at charter.net writes:
>
> You're certainly right, Shelia, remember when the KNFB Reader came out
> with
> a price-tag of $3,300 or more. And then they reduced the price to $2,800
> and
> now I believe the price is down to around $1,500. En lite of the fact that
> I
> heard an engineer at Kurzweil headquarters in 1988 say that the company
> could sell it's current product, the Kurzweil Personal Reader for $2,500
> which at the time the low-end unit with hand scanner was selling for
> $7,000
> and the top-of-the-line model for $12,00.00 and still make a profit, and
> since many blind folks consider the prices for Jaws and Window Eyes
> prohibitive the fact that the KNFB reader/phone sells for $1,500 plus
> makes
> this Apple application infinitely more affordable and the fact that the
> KNFB
> Reader/phone is priced nearly four times the price of the Apple I-Phone.
> And
> let's not use the argument that the KNFB Reader is not used in a
> main-stream
> product, because it is. The problem for me is that it appears that an
> organization of and for the blind has the appearance of making money off
> the
> blind when they give every appearance of acting in the best interests of
> the
> blind.
>
> Fred Olver
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Shelia Wright" <sbwright95 at att.net>
> To: "'NFB of Missouri Mailing List'" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 11:16 AM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] I-Phone could take the win out of KNFB Reader.
>
>
>>I am all for options and for affordability. If the Apple's OCR program is
>> comparable or even better than the KNFB Reader that is great. However,
> the
>> fact that the NFB and Kurzweill has developed the technology through
> many
>> years of work, has in and of itself led to making it possible.
>>
>> The tone of the posts that the KNFB Reader is a rip off is a bit niave
> and
>> annoying given the years of work I have witnessed. Bravo for the work
>> Apple
>> is doing; Bravo that technology is advancing and becoming more
> affordable;
>> Bravo to the pioneers who led the way!
>>
>> Shelia Wright
>>
>>
>>
>> --Original Message-----
>> From: nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf
>> Of Bryan Schulz
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 9:25 AM
>> To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] I-Phone could take the win out of KNFB Reader.
>>
>> hi,
>>
>> any chance these phones have an option for not having to pay 30-60 bucks
> a
>> month?
>>
>> Bryan Schulz
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Fred Olver" <goodfolks at charter.net>
>> To: <Blindad at babel-fish.us>; <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: <msb-alumni at googlegroups.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 7:17 AM
>> Subject: [Nfbmo] I-Phone could take the win out of KNFB Reader.
>>
>>
>>> the I phone will have an OCR app soon. thus no need to pay two grand
>>> for
>>
>>> the kurzweil reader , phone , and talks or moble speak. the 3 g as
> well
>>> as the new 4g phone will work with this OCR software. and the I phone
>>> has
>>
>>> it's own speech software which is FREE. So go and listen to the file
>>> below and see for yourself.
>>>
>>> SayText is an app designed especially for the visually impaired and by
>>> the
>>
>>> way, it's free! In a few words to describe it's use, you need to place
>>> the
>>
>>> iPhone on the center of a document. There's a big button for starting
> the
>>> tool, tap it. ?Slowly elevate the i Phohne upwards from the document
>>> until
>>
>>> you hear a beep sound - this indicates, that the document is now fully
> in
>>> frame and the camera will shoot automatically, when the picture is
> stable
>>> / focused. ?Now only thing you have to do, is to wait for a few
>>> seconds.
>>> (You can tap the screen to hear the OCR progress, e.g. OCR 35%). ?When
>>> the
>>
>>> OCR is ready you can start the voiceover to read the document out loud.
>>> The app should come to Appstore in a week or so. There is a website for
>>> SayText:
>>> http://www.docscannerapp.com/saytext/
>>>
>>> There's also a video, where Mr. Heikki Ekola, a totally blind person
> uses
>>> it. He's representing the Finnish Federation of the Visually
>>> mpaired -
>>> You can find the video here:
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlWJF27IdX4
>>>
>>> This video is also at the SayText homepage.
>>> http://www.docscannerapp.com/saytext/
>>>
>>>
>>> Fred Olver
>>>
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>> net
>>
>>
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