[MobileRatty] tag: document

Cell Phone that Reads for the Blind

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:26:42 +0000

knfb Reading Technology, Inc. have developed software that puts the functionality of a reading machine into a multifunction cell phone.

The Mobile Reader products, initially reported by us last January, can be activated and ready to use with the touch of a single button on the cell phone.

The user takes a photo of the print to be read and the character recognition software in conjunction with high quality text-to-speech will read the contents of the document aloud. At the same time, it can display the print on the phone’s built-in screen and highlight each word as it is spoken.

See the following videos of the Cell phone reading machine:

See Video #1 See Video #2

The Mobile Reader Product Line:

Reads most printed documents, from letters and memos to pages in a book
Reads address labels and package information and instructions
Easily recognizes U.S. currency
Displays each sentence visually and highlights each word as it is read
Stores thousands of pages using easily obtainable flash memory
Transfers text files to and from computers or Braille note takers
Adjusts reading speed to suit user’s preference.

In addition, with the use of a screen reader, the user can access the other functions of the phone device including making and receiving phone calls, personal information management such as contacts, calendar, etc. Also contains ability to run accessible GPS programs, access to Adobe PDF files, voice recorder, music player and much more.

Visit www.knfbreader.com for more information.

[IFA 2008] Samsung Soulb Cell Phone

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:35:14 +0000

Samsung unleashed the successor of its popular Soul handset, the Soulb, during IFA 2008. Inherits all the features of its predecessor, the 9.9mm thicks cell phone comes in an elegant metallic body, softly brushed with hairline pattern. It is equipped with a Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, an integrated 3 megapixel camera module with power LED and video recording capability, internet browser, office document viewer / editor, multimedia player, video editor, built-in FM radio tuner with RDS, a 1GB onboard memory and microSD media card slot.

Other features include a HSDPA connectivity and a changeable GUI theme.

HTC Touch Pro review: Heavyweight pro

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:33:00 +0000

Gsmarena have posted their review of the HTC Touch Pro. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final conclusion.

Key features:
•2.8" 65K-color touchscreen VGA display
•Five row full QWERTY slide-out keyboard of brilliant ergonomics
•TouchFLO 3D Home screen and gesture controls
•Wi-Fi
•Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB DDR SDRAM
•Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
•HSDPA 7.2Mbps
•Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
•microSD memory expansion
•Stereo FM radio with RDS
•3.15 MP auto focus camera
•Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
•Active magnetic stylus
•Touch-sensitive scroll wheel
•Standard miniUSB port and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
•TV out
•Teeter game aboard
•Cool YouTube client
•Excellent video playback performance
•MS Office Mobile document editor
•Opera 9.5 web browser

Main disadvantages:
•Rather bulky and heavy
•Fingerprint-prone front panel
•Average sunlight legibility
•No standard 3.5mm audio jack
•Back panel design hurts usability
•Limited scroll wheel usage
•No adequate storage memory out of the box

At the end of this review, we're back where we left off. The Touch Pro and the Diamond just go together. In the face of Touch Pro, the Diamond has lost some of its one-of-a-kind design-driven edge and gained elsewhere (beside the waistline). It's not the most obvious QWERTY add-on only: the TV-out port, better battery and microSD card slot sound just as sweet. It's not as simple as "we liked the Diamond, so we like the Touch Pro even better". It just so seems the Touch Pro comes closer to the definitive PocketPC concept.

Anyway, it's time to draw the line and, from what our experience shows, the Touch Pro quite deserves every penny you spend on it. The price tag is hefty but it's worth noting that HTC Touch Pro costs less than the TyTN II used to upon release. There is no better device on the market in this class (yet) and if this is the kind of phone you are after - just go for it.

The good news for all the rest is that there's choice. The HTC Touch Diamond and the Samsung Omnia make pretty good keyboard-less alternatives.

Needless to say, the Touch Pro is still to receive its trial by fire. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 will also have its say on the market success of the Pro. Now, that's good news for all of us: an exciting clash awaits.

Project Capuchin SDK available for download, bridging Java ME and Adobe Flash Lite

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:25:28 +0000

Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin SDK is a set of APIs, a packaging tool, documents and getting-started tutorials that enables developers to bridge the Java™ ME and Adobe® Flash Lite™ programming environments and is available for download from the dedicated Project Capuchin Docs & Tools web section.

•Download Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin SDK>>

To make the Project Capuchin SDK as accessible as possible to both Java and Flash Lite developers, the components are available for download as the following separate files:

Tools

•Swf2Jar 1.1, Project Capuchin packaging tool and user guide
•Sony Ericsson Project Capuchin APIs
Technical docs

•Project Capuchin Product Information document
•Project Capuchin API Java documents
•Setting up the Java environment for Project Capuchin Development
Tutorials

•Getting started with Project Capuchin for Flash Lite and Java developers - includes reference applications
This SDK package will be added to with more tutorials and developer tools over time.

About Project Capuchin
Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin allows developers to combine the richness of both Java ME and Flash Lite by encapsulating Flash Lite content in Java ME applications making content created by Adobe Flash technology appear as Java ME applications.

The Project Capuchin API and the Swf2Jar tool make it possible to use Flash Lite as the presentation layer and Java ME as the application logic, meaning that Flash tools can be used for UI design while still having access to all the phone services available to Java ME.

Project Capuchin takes advantage of Flash's strengths in fast UI deployment and well established designer tools, meanwhile Java's strengths are in services, security and a well developed distribution infrastructure.

"Sony Ericsson is dedicated to providing its customers with a best-in-class user experience, and our dedication to Project Capuchin marks yet another milestone to help developers bring the richest applications to users on a mobile device," said Rikko Sakaguchi, CVP and Head of Creation and Development at Sony Ericsson.

"Innovation is at its best with open development, and today we are proud to invite new and old developer partners to take advantage of the latest addition to the resources of Sony Ericsson Developer World."

Rikko Sakaguchi, CVP and Head of Creation and Development at Sony Ericsson.

C905: first Sony Ericsson phone with Project Capuchin
The Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot phone is the first phone to support Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin API. Developers who utilize the Swf2Jar 1.1 packaging tool will be able to test their applications on the C905 as it comes to market.

The C905 is a feature-rich, slider-style phone with an 8.1 megapixel camera and takes the number of phones supporting Sony Ericsson's Java™ Platform 8 (JP-8) and the Mobile Services Architecture (MSA) umbrella standard (JSR 248) to 15.

Samsung Mobile Linux Smartphones

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000

SCH-i859
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Distributor China Unicom
Release Date April 2008
Hardware
Network CDMA/ GSM Dual Network (900/1800MHz) /GPRS
CPU 624MHz Marvell Monahan-L PXA300
Display 2.8" 65K Color TFT LCD (320x240)
Memory 128MB ROM / 64MB SDRAM
Camera 3 Mega Pixel CMOS Digital Camera
Interface USB, Bluetooth
Dimensions 110 x 56 x 15.8mm
Language Chinese / English
External Memory T-Flash(MicroSD) Card Slot
Software
Telephony CDMA 1x/ GSM Phone Client
Network Services Message (SMS, MMS, E-mail), Messenger, Web Browser, WAP Browser, Java
PIMS Address, Scheduler, To-do, Memo, Personal Finance
Multimedia Camera, Media Player, Photo Album, Voice Recorder
Utilities Voice Memo, Search, World Clock, Contents Box, Office Document Viewer, Calculator, Alarm, E-Book, Sketch etc
Setup Network, Security, Personal, System, etc.
Games Fruits Cocktail, Puzzle, sudoku

SCH-i839
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Distributor China Unicom
Release Date May 2007
Hardware
Network CDMA/GSM Dual Network(800/900/1800/1900MHz)/GPRS
CPU 400MHz Intel PXA270
Display 2.4" 260K Color TFT LCD (320x240)
Memory 128MB ROM / 64MB SDRAM
Camera 2 Mega Pixel CMOS Digital Camera
Interface USB, Bluetooth
Dimensions 101 x 52.5 x 19.9mm
Language Chinese / English
External Memory T-Flash(MicroSD) Card Slot
Software
Telephony CDMA 1x / GSM Phone client
Network Services Message(SMS, MMS, E-mail), Messenger, Web Browser, WAP Browser, Java
PIMS Address, Scheduler, To-do, Memo, Personal Finance
Multimedia Camera, Media Player, Photo Album, Voice Recorder
Utilities Voice Recognition, Picsel Browser, Search, World Clock, File Manager, Text Reader, Calculator, Remote Control, Alarm, etc
Setup Network, Security, Personal, System, etc.
Games Fruits Cocktail

SGH-i858
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Distributor China Mobile
Release Date May 2006
Hardware
Network GSM/GPRS
CPU 416MHz Intel PXA272
Display 2.4" 65K Color TFT LCD (320x240)
Memory 128MB ROM / 64MB SDRAM
Camera 2.1 Megapixel CMOS Digital Camera
Interface IrDA, USB, Bluetooth
Battery 1050 mAH(140hours) / 2000 mAH(220hours)
Dimensions 107 x 52 x 22mm (150g)
Language Chinese / English
External Memory T-Flash(MicroSD) Card Slot
Software
Telephony GSM Phone Client
Network Services Message (SMS, E-mail), Messenger, Web Browser, WAP Browser
PIMS Address, Scheduler, To-do, Memo, Personal Finance
Multimedia Camera, Media Player, Photo Album, Voice Recorder
Utilities Picsel Browser, Voice Recognition, Search, World Clock, File Manager,
Text Reader, Calculator, Voice memo, Alarm, etc.
Setup Network, Security, Personal, System, etc.
Games Fruits Cocktail

SCH-i819
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Distributor China Unicom
Release Date March 2006
Hardware
Network CDMA/GSM Dual Network(800/900/1800MHz)
CPU 520MHz Intel PXA270
Display 2.4" 65K Color TFT LCD (320*240)
Memory 128MB ROM / 64MB SDRAM
Camera 2 Megapixel CMOS Digital Camera
Interface IrDA, USB, Bluetooth
Battery 1050 mAH(140hours) / 2000 mAH(220hours)
Dimensions 107 x 52 x 22mm (150g)
Language Chinese / English
External Memory T-Flash(MicroSD) Card Slot
Software
Telephony CDMA/GSM Phone Client
Network Services Message(SMS, E-mail), Messenger, Web Browser, WAP Browser, Java
PIMS Address, Scheduler, To-do, Memo, Personal Finance
Multimedia Camera, Media Player, Photo Album, Voice Recorder
Utilities Voice Recognition, Picsel Browser, Search, World Clock, File Manager, Calculator, Remote Control, Alarm, etc.
Setup Network, Security, Personal, System, etc.
Games Fruits Cocktail

SCH-i519
Manufacturer Samsung Electronics
Distributor China Mobile
Release Date Oct 2003
Hardware
Network GSM/GPRS
CPU 400MHz Intel XScale PXA255
Display 3.5" 65K Color TFT LCD (320*240)
Memory 64MB ROM / 64MB SDRAM
Camera 0.3 Megapixel CMOS Digital Camera
Interface IrDA, USB
Dimensions 132 * 72 * 16mm (183g)
Language Chinese / English
External Memory SD Card Slot
Software
Telephony CDMA 1x Phone Client
Network Services Message Box(SMS, E-mail), Messenger, Web Browser, WAP Browser, Java
PIMS Address, Scheduler, To-do, Memo, Personal Finance
Multimedia Camera, Media Player, Photo Album, Voice Recorder
Office Word, Spreadsheet, Office Viewer
Utilities Voice Recognition, Search, World Clock, File Browser, Calculator,
Remote Control, Alarm, etc.
Setup Network, Security, Personal, System, etc.
Games

Turn an iPhone into a just-works document scannerfor pennies

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:23:34 +0000

Delightful in its simplicity, Cincinnati designer Kyle A Koch's iPhone document-shooting rig cost pennies to build and could be easily modified to hold any similar device.

When I got my iPhone last year I loved having everything important in one place, and the ability to get rid of unneccesary devices, documents and information i kept with me. I would frequently snap photos of class assignments printed on copy paper so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing them. The documents normally came out pretty clear, but it was tough to keep still while taking the pictures. I set out to make something that would ensure clean, consistent pictures of documents taken with the iPhone that would be free and easy to make on your own. And so, here you will find pictures of and a link to a template to make your own iPhone document scanner.

The patterns and a gallery are on the Core77 boards: it should be easy to use wood or plastic instead, for something more permanent.

Forum post [Core77 via Make]

The My Document Laptop Bag: Honestly, Who Needs More Than One Document Anyway?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:33:13 +0000

Remember when the Macbook Air came out with that commercial of the computer fitting in an envelope and that singer that I think I want to have sex with singing that song that's really catchy? And then how people actually started making laptop envelopes like the one in the ad so they can make a quick buck to support their drug habits? Me neither, but apparently it happened. And now there's another novelty laptop carrier on the market -- the $30 My Document!

So, we figured, why not extend that already abused metaphor by storing the device that stores your "My Documents" folder in a "My Documents" folder of its own? Behold - this neoprene laptop sleeve is big enough to snugly house your laptop, up to 15.4 inches, inside. The inner fleece lining keeps everything shiny and scratch-free. Plus, we've included the pixilated cursor-pin to ram that concept home. Guaranteed to turn heads when you pull your laptop out!

Oh man, you will seriously turn so many heads when you pull your laptop out of this bag! Twice the number if you whip your pecker out simultaneously. Hit the jump for a few more product pictures.

Design for Poverty International Contest

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:55:04 +0000

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Design for Poverty International Contest hosted by Yanko Design in collaboration with Blog Action Day. Participation is open to applicants from every country in the world; professionals, students, and design enthusiasts.

Subject matter

Global issues like poverty are extremely complex. There is no simple, clear answer. By asking thousands of different people to give their viewpoints and opinions, Blog Action Day creates an extraordinarily lens through which to view these issues.

Yanko Design wants you to put on your thinking caps and use design to address poverty; a solution or artistic social commentary. We want you to show how the power of design can bring unity and speak up for the hundreds of millions that can’t. We’ve seen wonderful examples of this in the past; portable water bottle filters and lightweight shelter modules to name a few. What can you come up with?

Design criteria

Entries must address poverty in terms of a solution OR artistic commentary.
Entries must be submitted by individuals or teams.
Projects should not already be in production.
Previously published or exhibited projects are prohibited.
Sketches, renderings, and descriptions are required.

Timelines

All submissions must be received by October 10, 2008.
10 finalists will be announced to the world October, 15, 2008 on Blog Action Day.
The judges will announce the winners on October 20, 2008 here on Yanko Design.

Judging

Judging is private by select members of Yanko Design spanning many fields of design. Submissions will not be made public until the unveiling of the top 10 finalists. Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be given to the top three. Additional honorary awards will be given to select entries.

The judges will award designs and concepts which are innovative in terms of their formal / technological aspects addressing poverty. Both idea and presentation are key so no vague submissions please.

Prizes

There will be prizes thanks to our sponsors but will be kept secret until the winners are announced.

Copyright

By participating in the competition, all participants authorize Yanko Design and Blog Action Day to publish and exhibit all the designs including project data submitted - waiving compensation - at exhibitions and events and/or use them in any publication that the organizers may deem suitable. Yanko Design will not pursue production of any design submitted.

Eligibility

The competition is only open to humans, 18 years or older. Other than that, skies the limit.

Resources

Blog Action Day has a wonderful list of general web resources regarding poverty that may help in your research and design process.

Submit your entry

Only one entry per applicant regardless if you’re an individual or team.
All images must be 72dpi, no larger than 800 px in width. Hi-resolution assets will be requested if work is shortlisted.

Entry must include an explanation of idea no more than 1000 words saved as a text or word document.

By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to competition guidelines: projects submitted to the competition, must be ORIGINAL works. Projects must be free from copyrights and any kind of obligation. The design shall not infringe on any third party’s right, including but not limited to copyright, logos, trademark, trade names, or other proprietary rights of publicity or privacy. It cannot have been previously published in any capacity or used in a prior competition. Yanko Design has the right to disqualify any entry found violating any of these terms.

Please compress your entry into a zip file and email your entry to contest@yankodesign.com.

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DIY homemade iPhone document scanner

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:07:53 +0000

The iPhone as a document scanner? No way!

It’s nigh impossible to hold an iPhone still enough and at just the right distance from a document to take a clear picture of said document for digital safe-keeping. That is, unless you’re rocking this DIY (do-it-yourself) homemade iPhone document scanner.

Digital warrior and University of Cincinnati’s school of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) industrial design student, Kyle A. Koch, crafted the home-brewed iPhone document scanner that you see above out of corrugated cardboard.

Says Kyle:

When I got my iPhone last year I loved having everything important in one place, and the ability to get rid of unnecessary devices, documents and information I kept with me. I would frequently snap photos of class assignments printed on copy paper so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing them. The documents normally came out pretty clear, but it was tough to keep still while taking the pictures. I set out to make something that would ensure clean, consistent pictures of documents taken with the iPhone that would be free and easy to make on your own. And so, here you will find pictures of and a link to a template to make your own iPhone document scanner.

The cardboard rig isn’t a document scanner, per se. It’s more like a copy-stand for your iPhone. Regardless, with an iPhone resting perfectly still on top of his iPhone document scanner/copystand, Kyle can now go about his document scanning ways with ease.

If you’d like to take a shot at scanning those all-important documents for digital storage on your iPhone or iPhone 3G, head on over to this link and download the printable templates to make your very own DIY iPhone document scanner.

DIY iPhone document copystand template

[Via: core77]

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Motorola i365 Fact Sheet

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:26:28 +0000

i365 by Motorola

BASICS:
Form factor: Monolith form factor
Design: Mil-spec certified ruggedness
Dimensions: 5.3’’ x 2.1’’ x 1.2’’
Weight 6.7 ounces
Network: iDEN® 800/900 MHz for Nextel Direct Connect1, interconnect and data
Display: 64K colors; 130 x 130 monolith
Battery Specifications: Max Capacity Li-Ion
Talk Time: Approximately 300 minutes3

FEATURES:

Ultra-Rugged Design: The i365 is a rugged and durable monolith handset certified for military specification requirements including humidity, blowing rain, dust, shock and vibration.
Bluetooth®: Enables hands-free, short-range wireless communication using a Bluetooth headset and wireless uploading/downloading to or from a computer
Nextel Direct Connect1 Features:
Direct Connect® – Instant, one-to-one push-to-talk communication nationwide with any other Nextel1 Direct Connect subscriber. Ideal for quick, to the point conversations with families, friends, and co-workers.
Group Connect® – Communicate or coordinate activities with up to 20 other Nextel Direct Connect subscribers all at once – nationwide, quickly and easily. Create and manage groups dynamically on your phone. Group Connect participants must all have Nextel Direct Connect capable Nextel phones that have the Group Connect feature. 1
International Direct ConnectSM – International Direct Connect Calling lets you instantly connect from the U.S. to users in other eligible countries including Canada and Mexico. In addition, International Direct Connect Roaming lets you make and receive push-to-talk calls while traveling in those countries. 1
Direct TalkSM – The all-digital off-network push-to-talk service that works anywhere, anytime between compatible phones for short-range communications (range will vary based on terrain and conditions and in-building performance). Direct Talk provides a reliable back-up communications tool in times of emergency, network outage, or when working in or traveling to remote areas where coverage is not available. 1
Direct SendSM –Send pictures or contact information to other Direct Send-capable phones…with a quick push of the button! 1
NextMail® – Send a voice message to any email address anywhere using your Direct Connect button! NextMail lets you communicate with others via email on the go without typing. Additionally, you can incorporate NextMail into your daily operations to document and track activity; even use customizable subject lines to prioritize, sort, and file your critical communications. 1
Second Line Service: Second Line Service adds a second line to your phone. One line for business, one line for personal, or perhaps two business lines, with different area codes. Separate Billing for second line is also available. 1
Multimedia Messaging Service: Send or receive Multimedia Messages (either audio, images, text, or all three in the same message) to or from email addresses and other capable users. You can even wirelessly store multimedia on the Sprint web site.
GPS Navigation: Features an embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) chip necessary for utilizing the E911 emergency location services where available and receiving audible and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, mapping your location, or conducting local searches direct from your handset. 1 2
Time/Date: Current date and time information anywhere on the Nextel National Network.
VibraCall® Alert: Notifies you of incoming phone calls, Direct Connect® calls, messages and Voicemail without a sound. 1
Speakerphone: Safe, hands-free cellular conversations are always available with the built-in speakerphone.