The Intel Reader

 

On November 10, 2009, Intel’s Digital Health Group launched a device known as The Intel Reader. This device is a faceup OCR solution that integrates a camera into a small, hand held computer that can optionally be placed into a docking station when reading large quantities of material.

The Intel Reader
(author unknown)
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

HumanWare Allies with Intel® Corporation on Distribution of New Intel® Reader

	(a larger text-only version is available at http://www.humanware.ca/web/en/newsletter/75-t.htm) Longueuil, QC, Canada and SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 10, 2009– HumanWare, the global leader in assistive technologies for the print disabled, announced today a distribution agreement with Intel for the Intel® Reader, a mobile handheld device designed to increase independence for people who have trouble reading standard print. The Intel Reader, which is about the size of a paperback book, converts printed text to digital text, and then reads it aloud to the user. Its unique design combines a high-resolution camera with the power of an Intel® Atom™ processor, allowing users to point, shoot and listen to printed text. When the Intel Reader is used together with the Intel® Portable Capture Station, large amounts of text, such as a chapter or an entire book, can be easily captured for reading later. Users will have convenient and flexible access to a variety of printed materials, helping to not only increase their freedom, but improve their productivity and efficiency at school, work and home. “We are excited about the alliance between HumanWare and Intel for the distribution of the Intel Reader, said Gilles Pepin, CEO of HumanWare. “This new innovative reading system is a welcome addition to our line of reading solutions as it addresses the needs of print-disabled customers, allowing them to read printed materials anytime, anywhere.” “For someone who has difficulty reading standard print, the ability to quickly and easily access information, such as a job offer letter or even the menu at a favorite restaurant, can improve quality of life and help them reach their full potential,” said Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Health Group. “We are excited to work with HumanWare to offer the Intel Reader as a new tool for people with vision problems and learning disabilities.” About Intel® Reader · Mobile handheld device that you can carry anywhere; ideal for reading on the go · High-resolution 5 megapixel camera · Provides users with an intuitive speech interface that reads aloud the text displayed visually on the device screen · Easy to use, even for those who are new to technology: point, shoot, and listen · Large amounts of text can be conveniently captured and stored when used with the Intel Portable Capture Station · Available in US and UK English, with choice of male or female voice · Upcoming support for other languages For more information on the Intel Reader, visit www.humanware.com/intelreader About HumanWare HumanWare (http://www.humanware.com/) is the global leader in assistive technologies for the print disabled. HumanWare provides products to people who are blind and have low vision and students with learning disabilities. HumanWare offers a collection of innovative products include BrailleNote, the leading productivity device for the blind in education, business and for personal use; the Victor Reader product line, the world’s leading digital audiobook players, and SmartView Synergy, the first fully modular and upgradeable CCTV-based video magnifier.

©2009 HumanWare. Unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Source: Email

The Intel Reader Photographs Text and Reads it Back to You [EReaders]

 

Intel’s Reader for the visually impaired isn’t a concept; it goes on sale today. Using an Atom processor, 5-megapixel camera, and Intel’s Linux-based Moblin OS, it turns book pages into digital text and MP3s…then reads aloud in a synthesized voice.

Ben Foss, Director of Access Technology at Intel’s Digital Health group said the device is also intended to assist those with severe Dyslexia, an impairment he himself grew up with. "We want people to experience the independence of being able to read on their own in a public place or anywhere they want to."

Prototypes of the paper-back sized device were tested with more than 400 visually-impaired users, including some who were completely blind. The reader can adjust the speed of reading, and it’s 2GB of storage can hold about 500,000 pages of text; roughly 600 pages of scanned books.

At $1500, it’s not cheap. But compared to even more expensive Braille readers, it has a shot as a specialty device. [Intel via VentureBeat]

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The Intel Reader Photographs Text and Reads it Back to You [EReaders]
Danny Allen
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:29:55 GMT

Apple security updates address domain spoofing and other attacks – CNET News

 

guardian.co.uk

 

Apple security updates address domain spoofing and other attacks
CNET News
Apple on Monday released a large security update for Mac OS X that fixes dozens of vulnerabilities and provides protection against potential …
Mac OS X 10.6.2 out now along with Leopard security updateArs Technica
Mac OS X security update addresses list of vulnerabilitiesMacNN
Mac OS X 10.6.2 Addresses Myriad Bugs and Security IssuesTidBITS
tuaw.com (blog)
all 39 news articles »

Apple security updates address domain spoofing and other attacks – CNET News
(author unknown)
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:45:30 GMT

Ubuntu 9.10 upgraders report frustration

 

By Katherine Noyes, LinuxInsider

Following the Karmic Koala’s joyful reception last week, sentiments toward the FOSSy marsupial have become distinctly less enthusiastic in recent days — at least for some.

"Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu’s Karmic Koala" was the headline on a piece that ran in The Register last week, which chronicled multiple cases of frustration among some users upgrading to the new version.

"More than a fifth of people upgrading to Ubuntu 9.10 have reported issues they can’t fix, according to an Ubuntuforums.org poll," The Register reported. "Only around 10 percent of those upgrading or installing reported a completely flawless experience."

A biased snapshot

Of course, the opinions represented in said poll aren’t exactly representative of the population at large, as Slashdot bloggers quickly pointed out, biased as it is toward those with problems.

In fact, at the top of the poll, the following red-ink warning is given:

*** Disclaimer for those willing to analyse this poll *** Most of users voting here are users with issues. Users with painless experience are not likely to come here."

Nevertheless, word of The Register’s report quickly spread, and bloggers far and wide didn’t hesitate to register their own reactions.

"I upgraded to Ubuntu 9.10 and it is quite buggy," wrote MichaelSmith on Slashdot, for example. "Much more than previous releases. I have had to go back to the NDIS wrapper to use my WG511 PCMCIA wifi adapter. I haven’t had to do that in years."

On the other hand: "The statistics derived by The Register are invalid, and probably quite wrong, being from a non-representative self-selected subset of Karmic installations or upgrades," countered AliasMarlowe.

"Here’s another non-representative data set: I have installed or upgraded 4 PCs from Jaunty to Karmic at home (2 upgrade 32-bit, 1 upgrade 64-bit, 1 conversion 32-bit to 64-bit)," AliasMarlowe added. "All went flawlessly, even the migration of user accounts and reinstallation of applications (including commercial paid-for apps) on the 32-bit to 64-bit reinstallation."

Over on LXer, meanwhile, HoTMetal warned, "I’ve said it before and here it goes again: never, ever upgrade. Clean installs are the only way to go."

Then again: "Never upgrade? Clean install only? That’s Windows-think," shot back tuxchick. "I have Debian boxes that have gone for years without ever needing a reinstallation, upgrade and dist-upgrade all the way. Though with Ubuntu upgrading to a new release has always been a roll of the dice."

Bottom line? If you’re upgrading, be prepared at least for the possibility of a bumpy ride early on.

Does Wine make Linux too loose?

The problems one is likely to encounter with Linux tend to pale by comparison with the security problems one is likely to have using Windows. Unless, that is, you’re using Wine.

Indeed, alert blogger fsufitch recently uncovered a situation in which Wine allowed Linux to get infected by a virus targeting Windows.

"Wine emulates Windows well enough to get infected by a Windows virus," fsufitch wrote — noting, however, that the observed virus didn’t work as intended.

"So WINE can get a virus intended for Windows, if you jump through some hoops to help the virus along," wrote AliasMarlowe on Slashdot, where bloggers took quick notice of the news. "Color me unworried."

Then again: "Linux is by no means impervious to infection, but you would need to really put an effort into getting and staying infected," wrote Jeff901 over on Digg. "Things just don’t run without your knowledge or control."

And an anecdote: "Using Linux, I’d gotten into the habit of ignoring warnings about all the Web sites I knew spread malware and viruses — sometimes because I was looking for something, and sometimes just because it’s fun to walk through a battlefield with godmode on," JanusTheDoorman began.

"Then, because I needed to run certain software for school, I reinstalled Windows onto my laptop, and absentmindedly continued my usual browsing habits for about a week without so much as spybot to keep me safe," JanusTheDoorman added. "The moment of realization was a bit like what I imagine it’d be like waking up in a doorway, noticing a syringe on the ground next to you, and feeling an itch in your arm…"

Just how big a security concern is Wine? Linux Girl felt it her duty to ask around.

"As long as said virus can’t punch through my web browser and install itself, I’m fine with it," Montreal consultant and Slashdot blogger Gerhard Mack told LinuxInsider. "As long as viruses need user intervention to install, we can keep it down to a user education problem."

Indeed, "unless there is an inside job like Wine, it is very difficult to get a virus in GNU/Linux," blogger Robert Pogson agreed. "The GNU/Linux ecosystem is so diverse, hackers cannot build their stuff for all the varieties of drivers, kernels, GUIs, apps and builds to make overflows and such to work. They would rather compromise millions of willing zombies running that other OS — it’s just too easy."

The result is "1000:1 more security against malware with GNU/Linux these days," Pogson noted. "I love it."

"Reading the anguish of users of that other OS struggling for days to cleanse their systems only to reinstall after nothing works brings tears to my eyes," he added. "I just have to tell them about running malware free for eight years without a scanner."

Is the Linux user simply more educated?

A bigger question lies behind the current news, however, and that’s, "Why does Linux not get viruses?" Slashdot blogger hairyfeet told LinuxInsider.

"Ultimately, I believe it comes down to the fact that the malware writers know that Linux users are generally more savvy, less likely to fall for tricks, and less likely to fall for the really dumb attacks," hairyfeet said. "Which is why I say, ‘Linux users: hope and pray to Linus and RMS you never have a year of a Linux desktop.’"

With mainstream users comes "’the Velma problem,’" hairyfeet explained. "Velma is sweet and nice and always remembers your name and all about your family, but Velma has a darker side: she is what we in the repair biz call … DUM DUM DUM … the disaster area."

Specifically, Velma is a user who "followed step-by-step instructions to turn off her antivirus and put the password in a password-protected .zip file," hairyfeet explained. "For what? It was supposed to be a ‘happy puppy’ screensaver."

Then there’s the user who "would run anything — .exe, .vbs, you name it — as long as it had the word ‘lesbians’ in it," hairyfeet added.

"So WINE running a Windows virus is nothing more than a ’stupid Linux trick’… for now," he said. "What will be ultimately more interesting is whether the volunteer nature of Linux will hold up to a tidal wave of stupidity if the year of the Linux desktop ever comes to be."

The minute they find out the "Velma problem" has come to Linux en masse, hairyfeet predicted, "your old friends in the Russian Business network and their friends in Nigeria and China will be happy to cook up ‘Happy_Pup.sh’ and ‘lesbian_video_player.deb’ and nicely provide step-by-step instructions that Velma and all her friends will follow to the letter."

Of course, whether those "Velma" users will all be using the same distro is another question entirely, as is whether hackers will be able to do significant damage amid the formidable strength that lies in Linux’s diversity.

Then, too, there’s the fact that any mass migration to Linux will surely have to involve at least some learning and education on the part of all those new users.

Dare we hope that the Year of the Linux Desktop — whenever it happens — may also bring about the Era of the Educated User? Now that would be a milestone in computing history.

Originally published on LinuxInsider

© 2009 ECT News Network. All rights reserved.

© 2009 BetaNews.com. All rights reserved.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2009 

Ubuntu 9.10 upgraders report frustration
(author unknown)
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:16:52 GMT

SeroTalk Podcast 27 – Open Source Software, Computer Back Ups, and Two Blind Pastors

 

In SeroTalk Podcast 27, Ricky Enger and Michael Lauf talked about Google’s release of the

Android 2.0 Operating System for Cell Phones.

We discussed a review of the

Motorola Droid.

Most exciting, is the inclusion of the free open source

TalkBack Screen Reader.

Also discussed, was the ability to play WAV, 3GP and MP3 podcasts and stereo audio files on NLS Digital TalkingBook Players by creating a directory on a USB stick called “audio+podcasts”

Apple to launch smaller iPhone to support both Verizon and AT&T in Q3 2010,

and WhiteHouse.gov switches to open source Drupal web site creation software.

www.WhiteHouse.gov

Michael Lauf reviews

Casper 5.0 Software to Back Up windows Before Its Too Late!

And we finished with an interesting interview with two blind Pastors:

Richard Wells in Simpsonville Texas,

John Dietrich in Arnold California.

Listen to SeroTalk Podcast 27 – Open Source Software, Backing Up Windows Before Its Too Late, and Two Blind Pastors.

SeroTalk Podcast 27 – Open Source Software, Computer Back Ups, and Two Blind Pastors
mlauf
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:41:49 GMT

HD Radio Coming to the iPhone

 

The iPod Touch & the iPhone will soon get HD radio thanks to the new application from iBiquity Digital

HD Radio Coming to the iPhone
(author unknown)
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:26:33 GMT

Mac OS X 10.6.2 out now along with Leopard security update

 

Apple released several updates Monday afternoon, including the second point release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Updates move the version of Snow Leopard client and server to 10.6.2, while the security fixes that are part of that update are packaged for Leopard (10.5.8) as Security Update 2009-006.

Mac OS X 10.6.2 includes over a hundred fixes in all, including a known issue with guest accounts and deleted home folders. The update brings tweaks to Spotlight indexing of Exchange accounts, reliability of menu extras, problems with using four-finger swipes, Front Row video performance, VoiceOver improvements, and video performance for the newest iMac models. There are also fixes and improvements for handling fonts, graphics—especially when using DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapters—Mail, MobileMe, AFP networking, printing, and improved plug-in reliability in Safari.

 

Mac OS X 10.6.2 out now along with Leopard security update
chris.foresman@arstechnica.com (Chris Foresman)
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:52:37 GMT

Docs Faceoff: Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs

 

We’ve been witnessing some blockbuster fights in our Web Faceoff series. For last seven weeks, we’ve pitted two popular web or tech apps against each other and allowing you, the reader, vote on who is more worthy of the title of Web Faceoff Champion.

Two weeks ago, Windows 7 managed to outgun Mac OS X Snow Leopard, and just a week ago, TweetDeck took down Seesmic. It’s a new week though, meaning that we have a fresh set of competitors: Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs.

We’ve been curious about what Mashable readers think about the two. On the one hand, Microsoft Office has been around for ages (in Internet time) and has an array of features that has built it deep loyalty. On the other hand you have Google Docs, which takes document-building to the cloud and makes it easy to collaborate with colleagues on almost any project.

Therefore, it’s time for these two document-building tools to duke it out. The polls close at 12:00 PM PT on Friday, so made your voice heard before it’s too late. And as always, we welcome you to defend your pick in the comments.

Who would win in a fight: Microsoft Office or Google Docs?(poll)

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Web Faceoff: Overall Results

---

Week 1:
- Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome
- WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 votes)

Week 2:
- Tumblr vs. Posterous
- WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes (Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes)

Week 3:
- Pandora vs. Last.fm
- WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 votes)

Week 4:
- Twitter vs. Facebook
- WINNER: Facebook, 2484 votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: 588 votes)

Week 5:
- WordPress vs. Typepad
- WINNER: WordPress, 2714 votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: 357 votes)

Week 6:
- Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard
- WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 votes, Tie: 121 votes)

Week 7:
- TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Desktop
- WINNER: TweetDeck, 3294 votes (Seesmic Desktop, 1055 votes, Tie: 260 votes)

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Docs Faceoff: Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs
Ben Parr
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:21:17 GMT

20 Essential Tweaks and Tips Every Firefox User Should Know

 

Add-ons, style scripts, and hidden preferences let you personalize your Firefox experience to meet your tastes and needs. Sure, you may know about hidden easter eggs like the about:robots page, but we’re going show you the 20 most essential tips, tricks, and tweaks to this super browser.

20 Essential Tweaks and Tips Every Firefox User Should Know
(author unknown)
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:10:02 GMT

Assistive Technology Training Programs

 

Information on assistive technology (AT) training programs sponsored by the Center on Disabilities at California State University Northridge that help participants understand the full impact of all forms of AT and their potential areas of application. FastTrax Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Programs (ATACPs) to be held December 2-3, 2009 – Fresno, CA, January 18-19, 2010 – Washington, DC and March 22-23, 2010 – San Diego, CA.

Assistive Technology Training Programs
(author unknown)
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:46:08 GMT

Gigabyte Fixes Windows 7/iPhone Sync Issues

 

Last week we posted about syncing issues some Windows 7 users were having with their iPhones.

The problem seems to revolve around the Intel P55 Express chipset, which is apparently not reporting or outputting the right amount of power needed for the iPhone to complete a sync.

Engadget reports that motherboard maker Gigabyte has issued a BIOS update, solving the problem on those machines.

ASUS and MSI, two other motherboard makers who have also had problems with their P55 boards and iPhone syncing haven’t released any official updates, but we expect that they will be out soon. Although this problem only affected a small portion of users (users of a specific chipset and the 64-bit version of Windows 7), we’re sure those that are affected have solutions on the way.

Have you had any issues with Windows 7 and iPhone synching? Let us know!

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Gigabyte Fixes Windows 7/iPhone Sync Issues
Christina Warren
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:29:33 GMT

Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80

 

Up until now, there have been just two ways to get HD Radio in a portable, handheld solution: buy a Zune HD, or opt for Insignia’s NS-HD01. As of today, Gigaware is changing all that, and it’s hoping to give HD Radio a kick in the pants by opening it up to every single iPod touch and iPhone user in the US. iBiquity’s own HD Radio module has been tucked neatly inside the clickwheel dongle you see above, giving any iPhone / iPod touch with iPhone OS 3.0 (or greater) the ability to listen to HD Radio and FM stations in their area. The (now available) adapter itself sells for $79.99 exclusively at RadioShack, while the accompanying app — which sports a manual tune wheel or auto-seek option, social network integration, bookmarks and iTunes Tagging — is available to download free of charge. It’s a novel idea, sure, but something tells us the limited availability and lofty price tag will keep it from selling like gangbusters.

Gallery: Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80

Continue reading Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80

Filed under: Portable Audio

Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigaware dongle brings HD Radio to iPod touch and iPhone for $80
Darren Murph
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:29:00 GMT

Vinux 2.1 Leviathan Edition!

 

I am happy to announce the release of Vinux 2.1 Leviathan! This is a monstrous hybrid of the Vinux CLI max edition, the standard GUI edition and a wide range of additional applications including Open Office 3.0, the Evolution mail client, the Inkscape vector graphics package, the Scribus desktop publishing tools, the Bluefish webpage editor, the Gambas 2 IDE as well as much more. Obviously not all of these extra tools are accessible to speech/braille users, but partially sighted users can access them with the screen magnifier. This is a very large iso (1.7GB) so you will need a reasonably fast broadband connection to download it. The URL’s are:

http://vinux.org.uk/latest/Vinux-GUI-leviathan-2.1.iso
http://vinux.org.uk/latest/Vinux-GUI-leviathan-2.1.md5sum.txt

I didn’t originally intend to release this for public use, it started out as an attempt to create a personalised version of Vinux for my own use. Then as it came together I began to think that other people may want to use it as well! I created it using a hastily modified version of the CLI build script which starts with the standard 2.0 GUI version, adds all of the CLI tools and utilities included in the CLI ‘max’ version and well as a large number of useful GUI applications that I use on a regular basis. I then had to do a little manual configuration before remastering it to DVD. It turned out to be an interesting little project that I managed to complete in one weekend. Now the hard bit – merging the CLI and GUI build scripts so that it is possible to make either version or even a hybrid GUI/CLI edition using the same script…

Source: Dr Bongo’s Vinux Development Blog

GetDeb.net Repository Makes Newer Ubuntu Apps Easily Available [Linux]

 

GetDeb’s web site has long been the go-to spot for Ubuntu (and Debian, and Mint) users to grab the latest copies of software not yet released by their official repositories. Now GetDeb makes it even easier with a repository.

By adding GetDeb’s repository to your Linux system, you’ll get access to pre-compiled .deb packages as soon as they’re available on GetDeb’s site. That means apps like the GIMP graphics editor, Songbird, and other software that hits a major release between Ubuntu’s six-month release cycle are available to you just as soon as someone’s nice enough to compile the newest code.

GetDeb’s repository is free to use and install. Hit the link for instructions on adding it to your 9.04 or 9.10 Ubuntu system; users of older Ubuntu systems can still grab packages at GetDeb’s legacy web site.

GetDeb.net V2 Beta [via I'm Just an Avatar]

 

GetDeb.net Repository Makes Newer Ubuntu Apps Easily Available [Linux]
Kevin Purdy
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:30:00 GMT