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Huawei's new app helps visually impaired read: Here's how
Last updated on Sep 10, 2019, 12:01 am
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This year at IFA, Huawei didn't put up as great a show as other technology companies.
The Chinese giant only unveiled a small set of products, leaving millions of its fans disappointed.
But, among everything the company did unveil, one thing drew most of our attention - an app aimed at helping the visually impaired read.
Here's all about it.
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App
PocketVision: Honor's solution to help people read
![PocketVision: Honor's solution to help people read]( "PocketVision: Honor's solution to help people read")
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People with limited vision often find it difficult to read documents, menus, road signs, and papers with small text.
The problem is pretty common, and now, Honor, the popular sub-brand of Huawei, is trying to fix it through an app called PocketVision.
It comes for free and leverages Huawei's AI smarts and camera tech to help with seamless reading.
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Working
How the app works?
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PocketVision comes with three modes to help people understand the text written on a piece of paper/board.
The first mode, dubbed Negative image, uses a series of algorithms to change the color contrast of a document and its text in such a way that the user could parse the content easily.
It could help people who struggle to see certain colors or are dyslexic.
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Other features
Then, it has zoom-in mode and OCR
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Along with contrast adjustment, PocketVision comes with a built-in OCR that works in conjunction with AI to digitize the text written on a book, document, or menu and read it out aloud. It's simple text-to-speech conversion, but is pretty accurate.
Also, the app leverages Huawei's camera tech to zoom in on the smallest text using volume buttons and make it bigger.
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Quote
What Royal National Institute for Blind said about the app
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"Using this app, people with low vision have the ability to convert any text into a readable format, making the world a more accessible place, giving a greater sense of freedom," UK's Royal National Institute for the Blind said, while praising the app.
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Availability
Not everyone can access PocketVision as of now
![Not everyone can access PocketVision as of now]( "Not everyone can access PocketVision as of now")
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Having said that, it is important to note that PocketVision is only available for people using Huawei Honor 20 Pro.
The program relies on the quad-camera setup of the phone and the company has not said anything about when other smartphone users will be able to download it.
Meaning, you'd probably have to wait a bit to use it on your phone.
