New Portable Scan and Read Device

Press Release: New Portable Scanner 5/1/2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Assistive Technology Center in Sacramento has announced the release of the first complete portable scan-and-read system for the blind and print challenged.

The system, named the "AdvantEdge Reader", combines several mainstream and adaptive technologies in order to achieve the goal of a pocket scan and read solution.

ATC founder Robert Leblond defines the company's mission as searching for off-the-shelf applications that can be made to work for the blind and visually impaired. Leblond has held this philosophy for nearly 2 decades, and in the 1980's pioneered the concept of Braille transcription through scanned and faxed documents.

Today's release is promised to be a breakthrough in reading technology, combining powerful applications with ease of use.

"There is another company working on a similar solution", Leblond says, "but the thing is so hard to use as to be impractical." The AdvantEdge Reader, on the other hand, is the essence of simplicity. The user merely inserts the material to be read into the scanner. The material is scanned, recognized, converted into readable format, and read automatically. There are no other steps.

ATC has, for several years, been adapting scanners for use by the blind. Most recently, ATC has adapted the Visioneer strobe scanner. This is a tiny, portable scanner. The problem has been finding a small enough device to host the conversion and speech programs. This is where the SmallTalk computer comes in. SmallTalk is a hand held uPC enhanced with the screen reading software "Window Eyes", by GW Micro, an Indiana corporation of some stature in the blindness field.

Assistive Technology Center took the modified Strobe Scanner, figured out how to install it onto the SmallTalk, and then added the proper recognition program and hardware driver to create the AdvantEdge Reader.

While other companies have tried to devise portable readers from the ground up, Leblond frowns on this approach. "The trick is to make yourself aware of the technologies available, and to merge them appropriately, and to add a bit of your own, if necessary." He says.

The best part is that, in addition to being the first portable scan and read system, the AdvantEdge Reader is also a full Windows XP computer. The Reader has a docking cable that allows it to be used as a desktop computer replacement. The docking cable connects to an external monitor, printer, network, keyboard, firewire devices, and more. Additionally, the Reader features internal Bluetooth and Wireless LAN technology.

To order, or for more information, please contact the Assistive Technology Center via phone at 916-381-5011, or e-mail

Updated on ... December 05, 2006