Cell phone lets disabled read small print

This week at the Learning Disabilities Association of America Annual Conference in Chicago, KNFB Reading Technology will launch its Reader Mobile device, a cell phone that lets users take pictures of and then read printed materials at the push of a button.

The device, a Nokia N82 cell phone with a high-resolution camera, lets users hear documents, signs, menus, receipts and currency as its read aloud in synthetic speech, with adjustable speeds, the company says. Renowned author, scientist and futurist Ray Kurzweil, the president of KNFB, says the tool will give people with learning disabilities "a mobile tool to cope with the large amount of reading required in business and every day life."

The kReader application on the device uses intelligent image-processing software with text-to-speech and text-tracking technology. Users can also enlarge, read, track or highlight text on the phone's display. More details on the device and company are available at the KNFB Reader Web site.