Tech News & Commentary
Mike in Hemet, California listens on Shortwave asked: “I lost my eyesight a number of years ago. I’m looking for a device that can scan reading material and then read it back to me in an audio voice. I’ve heard that something like the iPad can take a picture and then read it. It does not have to be a single device.”
We haven’t found anything like the iPad that can do what you need, but we have found a few devices that claim to do it. There are a few problems, though, the products we’ve found are called the Eye-Pal series, and they consist of a camera looking down at what you want to read, but it is a fair distance from the page, say about 2 feet. The whole setup basically looks like a slide projector, there’s a base where the printed material goes, and a camera at the top. They are considerably larger than an iPad.
The other problem is that, unlike an iPad, Eye-Pals will cost you between $1200 and $1800 depending on the model you choose. They will cost you some money and they will be harder to carry around.
The Eye-Pal is made by ABiSee, and the $1,295 basic version requires a computer and software like Kurzweil 1000, which sells for $995. If you were going to use the computer and Kurzweil 1000 system for other tasks, then the Eye-Pal makes sense because you don’t need a stand alone reader. But if you’re looking to set a book down on a platform, open it up, and hear a voice reading to you, that’s the Eye-Pal SOLO, and that’s $1,849.
There is also the HoverCam that we’ve talked about on the show recently – where the T5 model costs only $279. But again, you’ll need a computer and something like Kurzweil 1000 to read. And as a practical matter, the HoverCam T5 is a camera on a sort of tower, and there is no base, which could make positioning material difficult. The Eye-Pal, by contrast, has a base where your printed material fits.
The apps for iPad that read digital documents, by and large, require someone else to get that document scanned and formatted for you. They work, but they aren’t suitable for someone who is doing this on their own without the assistance of sighted friends.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Drew in Clinton, Missouri listens to the podcast asked: “I’m looking for a new laptop to play high-end games and use Photoshop. I need some pointers in the right direction.”
As long as you’re looking at modern laptops, Photoshop shouldn’t be a huge issue, high-end gaming on the other hand will require some power. There are a few companies, like Alienware that make some very powerful laptops for relatively reasonable prices. For example, a 14-inch laptop with a latest generation Core i7 processor, 12 GB of RAM and a 2GB graphics card will cost you $1500, for what you get, it’s not a bad price.
For about the same price you can buy an iBuyPower 17-inch laptop also with a Core i7, but with even more RAM at 16GBs. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, NewEgg.com lists an MSI laptop with 16GB of RAM, 1TB of HDD space, and 128GB of SSD storage for $2300.
Basically, you want to look for laptops with a lot of RAM and a solid graphics card, if possible not just a regular integrated one, higher processor speed will help you too. The rest is mostly about your budget.
If you’re talking price-is-no-object and you want to play the latest 3D games in full HD resolution at max video settings and a high frame rate, there are only two ways to go: NVIDIA GT680SM SLI or AMD Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire.
These are both dual GPU configurations and they will play anything made, maxed out, with buttery smooth frame rates. But they’re pricey. A computer featuring that NVIDIA setup, the Alienware M18x R2, will run close to $4,000. (You can ignore the $1,999 starting price for that model line, since we’re talking SLI here.)
For most people, the single NVIDIA GT680M GPU will produce adequate performance. You might have to scale back the video settings on some games, or live with a 40 to 50 frame per second (fps) speed. And you will drop the price of your computer dramatically. Now, obviously, any computer capable of running video games like this one will also run Photoshop without breathing hard.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Jackie in Grand Rapids, Michigan asked: “Are there any apps out there for the iPhone 4 that you could talk to, since Apple won’t let us have Siri on the iPhone 4?”
There are a couple of options out there for you. Apps like VLINGO, Google Search, and DRAGON GO, can be good options for you. All these apps are free from the App store, and do some of the things you are looking for.
Dragon Go is a cool app, that really works well with understanding what you are trying to say, and the intent behind it. Ask Dragon Go a question and it will take you online to the best web page to get your answer.
Google Search may not be exactly what you want, but it works very well. Now google search will allow voice search a question on google, but It wont talk back and give you an answer. It will just take you to the best possible website to answer your question.
Vlingo may be what you are looking for. Its the closest thing to the famous Siri available. just ask VLINGO a question, and it will talk back to you. Now Vlingo isn’t as polished as Siri but still offers really good features to what you need. Short of jailbreaking your phone and putting Siri on it, Vlingo is gonna be the way to go. Try it out and let us know how that works for you.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guests in this hour:
Kraig Lane, iolo Labs Director – iolo technologies
What causes your PC to slow down overtime? And what can you do to tune it up? Iolo Technologies has a simple solution for us.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT with Rob: M Projector Sleeve
– Product designed specifically for the iPhone. It’s a “dock-and-play” device.
– With this projector, you can display video or pictures on a wall, on the ceiling, on the side of a tent, on a car door, or … well, pretty much any surface. The screen size can go from 6-inches to as big as 60-inches diagonal with a resolution of 640 x 480.
– The sleeve is fairly thin and lightweight, so it can fit in your pocket or purse. And, you can still use the other phone functions while it’s in the sleeve.
– After you fully charge the Projector Sleeve using the provided USB cable, you dock your iPhone by simply sliding it in. Turn on the projector, adjust the focus using this dial on the side, and you’re ready for Instant Cinema!
– 3M says you can get up to 100 minutes of projection. That’s probably not enough time for a movie like “The Dark Knight Rises” which runs for 165 minutes. But, the projector still works if you plug it in to charge while in use.
– The sleeve can also charge your iPhone while it’s projecting.
– The 3M Projector Sleeve fits the iPhone 4 or 4S only and is available now for under $230. You can find it online at Amazon.com or buy it at Target stores.
– We hope they’ll release a version for the iPhone 5 in the near future – and maybe even for Android devices. We’ll keep you posted.
– If you don’t have an iPhone 4 or 4S to use this product, don’t worry. 3M has other mobile projectors you may be able to use with your device.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners:
Audiofly: Several AF33M in-ear headphones with microphone
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — A simple solution to tangled earbuds.
Magix: Copies of Music Maker 2013 Premium – Create your own cool tracks with more advanced tools, additional instruments, high-quality studio effects and more sounds & loops.
Microsoft: Copies of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2013 Software with GPS Locator – The maps software comes with a GPS locator (in the form of a USB stick) that plugs directly into your laptop and provides full-screen navigation, spoken directions, and automatic rerouting.
PNY Technologies: ThinkSafe Portable MacBook Locking System & Security Clamp Combo — The ThinkSafe Portable MacBook Locking System by PNY secures your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac via your device’s hinge or built-in slot. The Portable Security Clamp provides a secure anchor point for your Laptop, Ultrabook, or MacBook – keeping your device secured.