Intel designs device that reads to you

The idea is so simple and obvious, it’s a wonder no one thought of it before: a device that scans book pages and then reads them out loud. Sounds like a perfect marriage, and a must-have gadget for the visually impaired. The problem? Intel’s insane asking price.

The Intel Reader is a very smart idea. The paperback-sized device takes 5 megapixel images of any printed text and then reads them out loud. It runs on Intel’s Atom processor and is said to operate as simple as point-and-shoot. It’s designed for use by not only the visually impaired, but anyone with a reading-related learning disability, such as dyslexia. It was even conceived by a researcher at Intel named Ben Foss who grew up with dyslexia himself.

The Intel Reader features adjustable reading speeds, 2GB of storage that translates to 600 pages of scanned books, and weighs about a pound. It has two USB ports, a standard headphone jack, and supports common audio file formats like MP3 and WAV. It can even create MP3 audio books for you to download and save, and will read some existing audio books that can be purchased.

So why is Intel sabotaging such a great idea with a stratospheric price point of $1,500? Probably because Intel’s targeting the healthcare industry with this device, though it will also be available to individual consumers.

Image: Intel.