Review of KNFB Reader Mobile in Braille Monitor

Thanks to the
Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday
newsletter for letting me know about the review below.

There is a very good and informed review of the
KNFB Reader Mobile
in the May, 2008 issue of the
Braille Monitor.

In the review, Michael Barber discusses features of the KNFB Reader Mobile that he likes and also offers up some input on aspects he wishes the unit had. He gives a descriptive and detailed account of how easy it was to use and what he learned via the portable talking OCR device upon arriving at his hotel room. He also gives a quick comparison of the handheld reader against the two big names in computer-based OCR programs.

While Barber does note some shortcomings, the review highlights the key points that are, what I believe, the device’s strong points.
* OCR in a device that has complete portability
* User adjustable settings
* Its lightweight and compact design.

From what I discern in Barber’s review, it appears that one of the biggest hang-ups I had with the original product – bulky design that didn’t really lend itself to being convenient – has been totally eliminated. On the flipside, though, there is still a significantly noticeable delay in processing time, even though this sounds like it is quicker than its predecessor.