TextGrabber + Translator from ABBYY
A relatively new iOS scanning optical character recognition (OCR) app, TextGrabber + Translator, is available in the iTunes store. This mainstream app from ABBYY works very well with VoiceOver. It costs $9.99 and is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, 4, 4S, and 5 and also works with the iPad 3, 4, and Mini (in compatibility mode). For this article, an iPhone 5 was used for scanning.
According to the app description, TextGrabber + Translator turns your mobile device into a "multifunctional mobile scanner" with the ability to read text from a variety of print sources using your phone's own camera. With this app you can also translate the text into a variety of languages as well as edit it, share it via e-mail and SMS, or post it directly to your Facebook, Twitter, or Evernote accounts. TextGrabber + Translator is distinguished with being the winner of the SUPERSTAR Award in the "Text Input" category in the 2012 Mobile Star Awards.
Using TextGrabber + Translator
The first time TextGrabber is launched, it prompts the user to choose to either listen to Quick Tips or go straight to the app. The tips are very brief and are worth checking out. The "Done" button is in the upper right corner.
When the app loads, VoiceOver says, "TextGrabber. Viewfinder. Image: double tap to focus." Starting at the top left corner is a row of five labeled buttons. Flicking to the right, they are "Enabled Recognition Languages" (which by default is set to English), "Crop Photo," "Flashlight," "Settings," and "User Manual." The User Manual is the same information spoken the first time the app is opened. On the bottom of the screen are three additional buttons: "History," "Camera," and "Album." All buttons say a brief description of their function. In addition, all buttons can be located by swiping either right or left.
Settings
The first settings option is "Enabled Recognition Languages." Whichever languages have been chosen will be listed. Double tapping the name of the language will bring up the Enabled Recognition Languages dialogue. The next heading is Font Size for which the default selection is "Normal." Tapping the "Normal" button will bring up two additional choices, "Medium" and "Large." The next option is to choose a search engine, which is set to Google by default. The other items in the menu involve moving the scanned image.
Scanning a Document
This app does not come with any instructions regarding where to position the device's camera. The user manual does say that there should be good lighting when taking the picture, but if you are in doubt, activate the "Flashlight" button by double tapping it. The flashlight will remain on until it is manually turned off. Touching anywhere on the main screen will prompt VoiceOver to say, "Viewfinder. Image. Double tap to focus." Double tap anywhere on the screen, and either the camera will take a photo, or VoiceOver will indicate that the camera wasn't able to autofocus and to try again. For a standard letter-sized document, I held the iPhone 5's camera about 10 inches above the paper with the lens in the middle of the page. TextGrabber scanned the page, and although there were a few errors, the overwhelming majority of the scan was correct. TextGrabber works if the page is upside down, and it recognizes columns. Unfortunately, the app cannot store multiple pages as one document.
Using the Scanned Document
Once the photo is processed, VoiceOver will say, "Recognize text." The beginning of the text can be found near the top of the page and can be read with VoiceOver gestures. Double tapping anywhere on the page will bring up the keyboard for editing. This edit function works any time the page is on the screen. When you are finished, activate the "Done" button in the upper right corner.
When the "Camera" button at the top left of the page is touched, VoiceOver says, "'Camera' button: tap twice to take a picture." However, tapping twice, instead brings the user to the main screen where the Viewfinder prompt will speak. Double tap on the main screen to take the picture. At the top right of the page is the "Settings" button. On the bottom of the page are the "History" and "Translate" buttons, and the "Menu" button is at the bottom right. However, when flicking from left to right starting at the top left, the button's name will be said after the "Settings" button rather than after the "Translate" button. Once a page is scanned, activating the "Menu" button brings up a list of options, including e-mail, Facebook, and SMS. Activating any of the choices brings up the required dialogue for sending the page.
Translation
An excellent feature that TextGrabber offers is the ability to translate a document into 64 languages. To do this, activate the "Translate" button at the bottom of the page with the scanned document. Two buttons will appear on the screen. The first has the name of the recognized language, which is set to English by default. The second button is for selecting the translation language. Choices for both buttons are made via picker items. Simply swipe up or down to select a language. For example, if the document is in English and needs to be translated into Spanish, Spanish would be selected through the picker item of the second button. Once the selection is made, activate the "OK" button, which is between the two language selection buttons. The next time a document needs to be translated, the Spanish button will already be selected. A new language can be selected by activating the button and using the picker to make a new choice. If Spanish is the correct language, double tap the "Spanish" button and activate the "OK" button. The translated document will appear on the lower half of the screen. The "Menu" button on the lower right corner of the screen gives document options, including e-mail and Facebook. To go back to the original document, activate the "Back" button at the upper left corner. To scan a new page, activate the "Camera" button at the top right of the page. A test translation into Spanish worked very well.
History
All scanned pages are stored in the History section. To bring up the list of scanned pages, activate the "History" button on the bottom left of the screen. Each scanned page will have the date and the first line of the document. The most recent scan will be at the top of the list. To bring up the full scan, double tap anywhere on the listing. Once the scanned page is on the screen, it can be translated or sent. Activate the "History" button at the bottom left of the screen to get back to the list of pages. To delete an item from History, activate the "Edit" button in the upper right corner. Swipe left or right until the name of the page is spoken and the "Delete" option is presented. Double tap on the page and a confirmation dialogue will appear. Double tap and the page will be deleted.
StandScan
The StandScan is essentially a collapsible box with a hole on top of it. When a photo is taken with a document placed on the bottom of the box and the phone's camera placed over the hole with the lens pointing down, the result should be a high quality scan. There is also a StandScan Pro, which includes LED lights. This product can be useful for people who do not have light perception. Like TextGrabber + Translator, the StandScan and StandScan Pro are mainstream products.
The StandScan and StandScan Pro are not necessarily meant to take the place of a scanner. Instead, the developers indicate that they are good for travel and easily fit into a computer bag. According to their website, the StandScan works with any smartphone that has a back-facing camera as well as with the iPod touch. A camera with at least a 3-megapixel resolution is required. At the time of this writing, StandScan does not work with the iPad, but the developers are working on that. StandScan costs $19.95 while StandScan Pro costs $29.95. As of April 2013, there is a special promotion for people who are visually impaired. At checkout, enter the promotion code "VIPhone" and receive a 10-percent discount and a free battery holder.
Assembling StandScan Pro
When the unit arrives, it feels like a flat folder with a cable protruding from one end. There are instructions included on how to assemble the StandScan, but they contain diagrams. Lay the StandScan on the floor or table with the small flap facing up. Open the flap and fold out the sections starting with the left and, then, the right. (To disassemble the unit, fold the right side first.) On the first and third sections, there are tactile lines in the shape of triangles (four in all). Fold the flaps along each line to create four elongated triangles. The fourth section has a center hole and a row of LED lights. Fold along the tactile lines in that section. This is the top of the unit. To put it together, raise the flap to vertical and bring up each side. The box is held together with magnets. Next, bring the section with the hole up and place it on top. There should be one open side. The paper is placed on the inside floor of the box. The power cable is at the back left. Plug the appropriate part of the cable into the box and the other end into the wall.
The StandScan uses one 9-Volt battery. There is a tiny screw that holds the battery pack closed, and it can be opened with a tiny Phillips screw driver. It was somewhat difficult to get the battery to connect with the terminals in the battery pack. The battery pack attaches to the box in the same manner as the AC adapter.
TextGrabber with and without StandScan
The distance from the floor of StandScan to the camera lens is approximately 11 inches. When scanning without the StandScan, I held the iPhone at the same height. Several different types of documents were scanned with TextGrabber, first with the StandScan Pro and then without. When the document was scanned without the StandScan, another source was used to shine light down on the page.
Using both scanning techniques when only a few lines of typed print were scanned, the results were equally good. On several typed pages from a contract, StandScan was slightly better, but the scans with TextGrabber only were still very good. The scans of the instructions that came with StandScan were somewhat better with StandScan, but TextGrabber alone did a good job. A journal page with columns delivered similar results with both scanning techniques. Scanning with both methods was a bit difficult when scanning a hardcover book because the pages don't lay flat. Even with StandScan, TextGrabber gave error messages.
Conclusion
The ABBYY TextGrabber + Translator iPhone app is very easy to use, works extremely well, and is inexpensive.
StandScan Pro provides an excellent solution for people who don't have light perception or who want the convenience of having a guide for taking scans.
Try ABBYY TextGrabber + Translator and, then, decide if you want StandScan or StandScan Pro. It's nice to find mainstream products that can be useful for people who have visual impairments.
