macular degeneration, macular, diagnosis Battle of the Apps: Part 3 – My Macular Degeneration Journey/Journal

Battle of the Apps: Part 3

Waiting for exercise class after a very busy day. You would think things would calm down but they haven’t! I got lunch at 3:45.

Back to Seeing AI while I have the chance. I tried the currency reader next. Right now all I have is U.S. and Canadian. I cashed in all of my Euros when we traveled the last time.

Seeing AI identified $1, $5, $10 and $20 from both sides of the bill with no problems. ( I don’t often have $50s or $100s. Sorry!) That is no problems as long as the bills were fairly flat. Crinkles were not read well. Sort of like a money reader in a vending machine.

The Canadian bills I have are probably twenty years old. They did not read at all. It would appear the currency reader only works with more recent issue bills. Anyone in Canada want to check it out?

Same request for pound notes and euros as well as any other currency the system is said to support. I am curious how it might do.

The barcode reader gave me the same problems as the currency reader. Just like the barcode readers at the store. Basically folds and crinkles stopped it cold. Flat, clean barcodes were read beautifully.

The other barcode reader I have is Digit Eyes. Digit Eyes does have more features than the barcode reader on Seeing AI. For example, there is an option for product information such as ingredients and nutritional value. You can also make a shopping list from what you are scanning. Digit Eyes appears to be more oriented towards the whole shopping experience.

It would be cool if it would send you to a website selling the scanned product so you could reorder but I did not see anything like that. Software designs? You can have that idea for free! Go at it!

Remember Digit Eyes also has a feature that allows you to make and read audio labels for things that do not come with a barcode. So, for example, if you made too many cookies and need to freeze some, an audio label and Digit Eyes can later help you distinguish the molasses from the peanut butter. No actual reading needed.

Next up is the Seeing AI handwriting reading option. I took a photo of some conference notes. It was my printing, which is highly legible according to most people. The notes read:

(page) 4 visual images on the brain
Mirror neurons
Memory consolidation- memory brought from various parts of the brain. Recall is reconstruction. “Process of Light” – book
Mix new neurochemicals with it to create memories, etc.

Yes, I agree my notes are not exactly English. The Seeing AI version was not exactly English either. I apparently centered it badly because only the left half was scanned. There were lots of half words. The read text was gibberish. The visual image created from my printing was not bad.

Maybe a better centering option? If I cannot center it easily with the functional vision I have, someone with a more serious disability could have more problems.

It is nice to see this technology, even in its nascent form, getting into the hands of needy consumers for exactly the right price. Free. It appears Microsoft is intent on bringing these apps, in regularly improved forms, to those in need. Kudos.

Written December 29th, 2017

Next: Optimistic for 2018

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