Review on OrCam Read Smart First Its Kind by Deejay Allard

I was very impressed with this little device. I've tried various software applications for scanning and reading text, but they all had two limitations. First, they tended to misread text in multiple columns, but simply read the entire page as if those columns didn't exist. Second, they were too complex for my visually impaired wife, who was technically incapable, to use. On the other hand, Orcam is incredibly simple and lightweight. Hover over the page and click the button. That's all. Within a few seconds, the device will start reading the page. There's a more advanced smart mode that's about $200 more and we bought it, but I'm not sure it was worth it for basic reading. The only tricky part is knowing how to aim the camera. The reader projects a box around the nominal reading area, but not before you actually press the button. However, it appears to be read at a distance from the screen, so positioning isn't critical. The bezel can be difficult to see even for the visually impaired (my wife can't see it). Reading accuracy is excellent. Notably, all processing, for better or for worse, is done within the device itself, and no online connection is required. You can't customize any of the OCR or text-to-speech options, but it's true to the goal of total simplicity. Of course you can adjust the speaking speed. Whether it's worth the cost depends on your resources and alternatives. If you're savvy with phone apps or any other solution, this might be overkill. But for those who want maximum functionality with minimum complexity, this is the best I've found.