Intel Reader - Mobile Device that Reads Print Aloud

A brilliant device that though not perfect is helping to transform everyday life. Being visually impaired I can see an A4 letter sheet but can't read any of it even with a magnifying glass. Instead of having to rely on my wife, in about 30 seconds, the Intel Reader will read it to me. It takes practice to get the distance and aim right. I find the lens(not the red light) should be just over a foot directly above the centre of the sheet. Pronunciation, expression and emphasis can be odd but you can pause to reread a word or telephone number or spell it out one character at a time. It will read cooking instructions off the back of a packet.
You need patience to read a magazine since it can take 30 seconds to read any page before you discover you don't want it.
It will read a paperback but it's not particularly pleasant because of the lack of human interpretation. Its better to get audiobooks from RNIB or CALIBRE.
The design is good as the buttons are easy to find by touch and the menus are simple to use and they are read to you. It takes a couple of days of practice to get the best results.

In short, for information it is superb, for pleasurable reading, not so good.
I look forward to a faster future development.

Any device designed to support disabled people deserves proper consideration and a chance to prove it's worth. The Intel Reader (IR), for all it's flaws, provides a useful service (in theory) to people who are blind, partially sighted or just busy. However, it would appear to be unsure of it's own identity. What exactly is it`s real purpose? Software to convert images to text already exists. Software to electronically read text already exists. Was it really necessary to combine both in a package at such a high end price and relatively bulky size? It is more reminiscent of 1980`s mobile phone than 2010 gadget. Although the Intel Reader (world's largest semiconductor chip maker)
is based upon the Intel Atom chip, this is not a fast, responsive gadget. Even button selection takes it's time to respond. There are many questions begging to be asked. For example:
- If a person is blind or partially sighted there is simply no way they could prepare the images, set it all up and then play it back without help.

- Why do some of the components have Braille stickers attached when the actual IR manual is not? A slightly tokenistic gesture perhaps? Essentially, you can locate the battery pack and a few other parts thanks to a Braille sticker, but to use the IR will require much help.

- Could the IR have been cheaper by allowing users to attach their own digital camera? The inbuilt cam is 5mp and the quality is not very different to most digital cameras on the market.

Performance:
This is where my disappointment kicked in fully. Taking the initial photographs was not plain sailing. The glare from the red focus beam helped to obscure text. Once in focus, beam off, the auto-flash was sensitive and kicked in for no apparent reason other than to flood the image with unnecessary white light and hence make it unreadable in some cases.
Having taken the photograph(s) and waited for the processing (a slightly sluggish process in which you may wish to have a cup of tea and come back later) the result was lacking in accuracy in terms of page layout. For example, it can't possibly know not to read out the text under an image or to ignore adverts in the middle of a magazine article. In fairness, the device is not necessarily designed to place on the table and listen alone. A suggested method is to sit with it and scroll through as you listen. Okay idea, in theory but the navigation was dreadful. Viewing a document and moving through it as you listen is a nightmare due to being slow and unresponsive There is a toggle facility to move between text and original photo image but this does not respond well to press. If it does respond at all, it takes several seconds.

Design:
The IR looks and feels more like a commercial device than something consumers will carry around. It is easier to imagine this item behind the counter in a library or high street printing shop where you might pay to transfer documents.
Unfortunately the size makes this feel more like a 1980's mobile phone than a neat modern piece of gadgetry. It's not exactly heavy and it does come in a quality case but it's more 'notebook computer' than mp3 player.
Build Quality: Excellent. Included is a sturdy carry case than allows the IR to be fully operational inside it's protected shell. The IR feels well made and robust.
Voice:
This is possibly the greatest flaw. Even after many years of improvements the world of 'talking computers' still has a long, long way to go. The voice, speed and pitch settings can be adjusted but it`s a pretty grim experience. The male voice, in my opinion, was clearer than the more robotic female voice. However, it becomes hard work to listen to after a short while. A few mistakes are forgivable but at this level it is a distraction that helps to ruin the listening experience. The constant need to try and decipher the audio is a problem compounded by the navigational slugishness. Even if you wish to go back and listen again, it's not simply a matter of pressing rewind.
As a final observation it is ironic that the one positive aspect to result from using the IR is to remind the user just how good an idea it is to take high resolution photographs of documents and then read them at your leisure.

POTENTIAL PURCHASERS; if you decide to purchase this product please make sure that you contact Amazon and ensure that you get the VAT exemption to which you are entitled.

AMAZON; please get your act together, give customers the correct information and figure out a way you can make the process more customer focused.

This product was purchased, along with the portable capture station, for my dad who is severely visually impaired and it has proved invaluable. It was really easy to set up and use straight from the box and results are impressive. Not only can my dad 'read' letters in private now he has also used the reader as a mobile device, enabling him to 'read' things like labels on museum exhibits etc.

It's great to see mainstream companies such as Intel entering into this market and my hope is that upgrades will be relatively easily available in time. It is also my hope that, in common with most other technology, products like this will become more affordable quite quickly.

The reason that I've dropped one star is to do with Amazon rather than the product itself. It is disappointing that Amazon do not have any mechanism for enabling purchase of this product minus VAT. Most products specifically designed to meet a disability related need are exempt from VAT but this is not mentioned anywhere on the page for this product or on Amazon's website.

Having contacted them prior to purchase Amazon did agree to refund the VAT on receipt of a signed declaration but only after purchase. Unfortunately this process was somewhat drawn out with Amazon claiming they had not received the declaration despite me having posted hard copies on three occasions. Following several phonecalls I did get them to agree to accept an electronic version of the form - amusingly one customer service rep told me I would not be able to e-mail Amazon (aren't they pretty much the largest online retailer in the world? And you can't e-mail them!!?).

Finally, having managed to send a scanned copy of the declaartion, (and after yet another phonecall from me) the refunds for the capture station and reader were arranged relatively quickly. However, the whole process took around two months in all, which falls far below the standard of customer service I have come to expect.