Intel Reader Speaks Printed Words Aloud

On Tuesday, Intel launched the Intel Reader, a gadget designed to capture and then read electronic text aloud for the user.

Designed for customers with either vision problems or who have problems reading, the Intel Reader is a portable device that will be priced at $1,499 from a network of partners. A Portable Capture Station, essentially a mounting stand for the Reader to facilitate the capture of text, will cost $399.

The Reader was designed for the 55 million or so Americans that are unable or have difficulty reading, whether that be from dyslexia, vision problems, or some other cause.

Intel said that the idea behind the Reader came from Ben Foss, an Intel researcher who was identified in elementary school as someone with dyslexia. Foss himself filed many of the patents that formed the foundation of the Reader, he said. “When I was growing up, my ‘reading technology’ was my mom and my ‘accommodation specialist’ was my dad,” Foss said in a blog post. “I, like most students, was tested on my ability to learn to read, and I failed miserably.

Read more: pcmag.com