Fred, love the info. Keep it coming please.
Sent from my iPad
On Nov 18, 2015, at 9:35 PM, Fred Wurtzel <f.wurtzel@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello Everyone,
Well, I did say that the KNFB reader will read round containers. It will
even quite often read those small containers in motel rooms, but not always.
I must quickly say that experiences vary widely from container to container
and often take several attempts. The larger the container, the better, since
more print is directly in front. Large sized
excedrin bottles read really well. Soup cans and the like do pretty well,
including directions and nutrition. Again, label design, font and lighting
can affect outcomes. For some name brand things like Diet Coke versus Regular
Coke, Tap Tap See works faster, most often.
I have not done any comparisons of OCR apps since I got my new phone. I do
know that on my old 5 the KNFB Reader worked significantly better than some
other apps. The camera in the 6s is far better and may level the field some.
I built my own stand from PVC pipe. It is bigger and heavier than the
commercially available models. I did it as much for fun as anything. I like
the results. I did not save money, since I bought the parts at a hardware
store and it is quite over built. On my side, though, it is strong and
disassemblable and works.
Regarding speed and accuracy compared to a flatbed scanner, the KNFB reader
is way faster, especially on the 6s. Regarding accuracy, with a stand and
good light, I feel the accuracy is quite comparable. This is a subjective
judgement on my part, I have not done a scientific multi page study with
various fonts. If you receive a letter from Social Security which was
printed with an office printer, I cannot believe that any other OCR option
will beat the KNFB Reader. For more obscure fonts, colors and paper types,
there may be a difference when compared to a flatbed scanner. On the other
hand the flatbed scanner will not go to Granger Meadows park and read the
signs out there.
Access technology always has tradeoffs. I still have my flatbed scanner. I
have not used it since I got my KNFB reader.
I also recommend the barcode scanner from ATGuys connected to my PC and using
the free BC Scan app for the computer. This will often provide cooking
directions. Alternatively, Red Laser on the iPhone will give prices and
nearby stores. The Computer scanner will work with the Product lookup app
for the pc, so you can scan a barcode and get an Amazon or other store price
for it.
The KNFB reader is, in my opinion, a good value. I suspect it will go on
sale like it did over Halloween. Black Friday would be a good guess. I have
no inside info, but there seems to be kind of a pattern for these sales.
You can often find iTunes cards on sale, also. So if you get a discount card
and a sale you may be able to score a KNFB Reader for $50 or $60.
Hope this helps.
Warmest Regards,
Fred
From: msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:msb-alumni-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 5:53 PM
To: msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [msb-alumni] Re: KNFB Reader?
Lori,
It is nice; not sure if it is worth the $100 since I get nearly as good
results with Prizmo.
But, the fact that you can scan multiple pages and add them to a file that
you can save in Dropbox etc. is real nice. It is the best OCR app out there,
but still doesn't reach the accuracy of a desktop scanner.
If you are not good with spatial orientation i.e. you have trouble holding
the phone exactly paralellel and lined up properly, I'd recommend getting a
stand that you can put your phone in to get the consistently correct distance
and orientation. I really like the Fopydo stand that you can get on Amazon
for $14 or so, and Tom is coming out with a bookreading attachment for it
that holds the book in place. The bookreading attachment has been funded
through Kickstarter; the last I got from Kickstarter is he is setting up
manufacturing to produce the attachment. After they are produced then other
people will be able to buy the attachment for $about 30 including shipping.
I saw Fred's comment about reading round containers. I don't find the
accuracy on round containers to be real good; it will only read part of the
continer--not even a whole line. This is a limitation in any scanning
device. To read round containers, nothing beats the old technology of the
Optacon, in my opinion.
Steve
Class of '72
On Nov 18, 2015, at 11:47 AM, Lori <byrdmaniac@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
I'm thinking of downloading the KNFB reading ap. But, before I do so, I
thought I'd ask if anyone in my MSB family has it. If so, how do you like it?
Thanks in advance,
Lori, 1981.
