Hi Everyone, There seem to be a bunch of different issues on this thread and I'll try to answer all of them, but if I miss something, please bring it up.
First, it is possible to use a laser scanner with the digit-eyes website if you have something like the metrologic. Second, if you have a specific laser scanner that you'd like to use with it (bluetooth or a sled or whatever), please contact me offlist and give me the specifications on the product because we would be interested in seeing what it might take to interface with it. I don't think such a solution would be for most of the people that have it, but it might be good for some and I'd like to see some specifica on what you are interested in . Third, the major reason to use Digit-Eyes rather than the PenFriend would be: a) convenience (handier to have a device in your pocket that records and reads your labels in addition to having the talking clock, talking calculator, and all the other functions you get on the iPhone) b) ease of use (DigitEyes is on yur phone, rather than being a separate device, it does not require you to use labels in sequence, allows long recording, should you wish them, allows thousands of labels and has other advantages) b) cost of ownership / cost of operation Fourth, I'm working with Deb to determine what the problem is with the combination of the labels, the printer setup and the way we are preparing the file. PDF's are extremely precise (1/72nd of an inch) and the labels are generally very precisely cut, but in the case of the labels she is using, we seem to have a mismatch between the specs and the results that we are working to resolve. Fifth, as noted here, there is a learning curve on the manufacturer's codes because the fact that the manufacturers do not locate them consistently or for human convenience. Of our 40 or so beta testers, virtually everyone ended up being able to use it on most UPC codes. The knack is in understanding where the manufacturer put the label, since it is not consistent and pausing long enough in the motion to allow the autofocus to capture an image. Please note that all our testing was done with the 3gs camera; we have been testing with the 4 and the focus is much faster and it has a longer focal length. In either case, moving the phone quickly confuses the autofocus mechanism. To scan (say) a shiny coke can, I've found the best strategy for me is simply to make sure the bottom of the phone is on a surface like my desk (my hands shake slightly) and then to put the can on its side in front of the phone and to turn it about 1/8 turn, pause a second and if there is no 'beep' for the capture, turn it again. When using the camera on the iPhone 4, the capture is about twice as fast. When we showed the product at NFB this weekend, we met a number of customers in person. Some were having no problem at all with finding the codes and some were having problems. I worked with those who had issues and pretty much without exception, the general issue was one of too much motion. Cordially, Nancy On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 9:07 PM, Carolyn <ch...@q.com> wrote: > Hey Scott:I don't know if this'll help at all, but I use an ID mate from > Nvision America. And I bring it up because from using it, I've learned that > the bar-codes on cans tend to be right around where the sceam of the label > is. Obviously, that doesn't work for canned pop. But, it's pretty flawless > with canned soups, veg, etc. This might help those using apps like > Digiteyes. > > Carolyn > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Scott Howell <scottn3...@gmail.com> > *To:* macvisionaries@googlegroups.com > *Sent:* Thursday, July 08, 2010 6:31 PM > *Subject:* Re: A warning about Digit-Eyes > > Bryan, > > I have used this application successfully with several types of packages. I > have found cans to be particularly tricky. I can tell you that my greatest > success seem to be starting out with my 3GS against the item, and once I > started the scan, slowly back the phone away from the item. Again, this > worked for me on several items. I have not run all over the house grabbing > everything with a barcode, so I can't say that I have encountered every > possible packaging type and this refers to shiny packaging, different color > combinations, etc. I don't even know for sure if these are factors. I agree > it would be nice if an external laser barcode reader could be used because > this would seriously speed up the process of scanning items in a store etc. > I put that suggestion out there and not sure if it will be considered or > not. I realize carrying such a device does defeat some of the purpose > perhaps, but it does allow for additional opportunities, such as someone who > maintains inventory etc. Perhaps you have and if not, share your experiences > and suggestion. > On Jul 8, 2010, at 6:03 PM, Bryan Smart wrote: > > > I'm writing to share my experiences with Digit-Eyes. > > > > I tried it on my iPhone 4, with several bar codes, and it didn't > recognize even one of them. I don't mean that the code was located, but not > recognized. I mean that the code was not even detected as being in the > image. I'd tap the scan button, and the constant clicking would begin to let > me know that scanning was in progress. I was scanning in a brightly lit > room, and the screen curtain was not on. Rotating the containers in front of > the iPhone camera, with it held about a foot away from them, produced no > results. I had a sighted friend deliberately place the bar code in view, > something that I would have not been able to do on my own, and it wasn't > recognized, either. We just kept trying different angles, and rotating, but > all we got was more clicking from the Digit-Eyes scanner. > > > > I had some experience with creating a system like this several years ago. > At that time, CCD cameras were not as accurate. Even so, for best results, > we determined that a 3D laser scanner would be required in order for bar > codes to be detected in the way that a blind person is likely to present > them to the scanner: at angles, in shadow, etc. This is the technique used > by other commercial systems like the ID Mate. I was lead to understand that > this wasn't a concern with Digit-Eyes, due to the higher quality camera in > the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. However, based on my results, I'd say that this > isn't so. > > > > Perhaps Digit-Eyes works better with dedicated labels, but, if I were to > make dedicated labels, I'd just create Braille labels. I realize that > everyone doesn't read Braille, and so audio labels still might be of use to > some people. However, the advertised function of being able to read bar > codes seems to not work, or else, it might work, but requires a level of > alignment precision that I've not been able to achieve. I'm usually quite > capable when it comes to reasoning through these types of situations, so my > conclusion is that I've either overlooked something profound, or else the > level of alignment that is required for a good scan is grater than most > blind people will independently obtain without assistance. If you need > assistance, you might as well ask the sighted person what is on the label. > *shrug* > > > > I'd like to hear the experiences of others. However, I can't personally > suggest that anyone spend the $30 that is charged for this app if they > expect to use it as a bar code scanner. > > > > Bryan > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionar...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<macvisionaries%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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