OCR

Galaxy S8’s assistant to be called Bixby, offer camera-based visual search & text recognition

Galaxy S8 is widely expected to include a new Siri-like personal assistant, called Bixby, which may let users search for objects identified in a photograph and recognize text on images. These features should be integrated directly into Samsung's standard Camera app via a dedicated Bixby button, SamMobile learned Thursday.

Aside from these rumored visual search features, Bixby is thought to let the user control all stock apps and conduct payments, similar to Apple's Siri, and more.

Declutter your life with the NeatConnect cloud scanner

In a recent attempt to go paperless, inspired by our own Jeff Benjamin, I began the search for a solid document scanner about this time last year. Thankfully, December is the month before CES and I hunted for a solution at the world's largest end-user computer conference.

Finding the right scanner was not particularly important, because I had no idea what should accompany a scanner purchase. What features does one need when it comes to scanning? Other than using primitive scanners back in college or a full blown office scanner, there is no personal benchmark for home-use that I could rely upon. In my quest through confusion, I stumbled upon the Neat team members, who promised a scanning option that did not require tethering to a computer. The NeatConnect is a powerful desktop tool without the requirement of annoying USB cables.

The iPhone Shows Us the Future of Translation

The global economy, and our subsequent interaction with various peoples from various backgrounds is making it more and more important to at least become familiar with another language. Technology has surely helped in this regard, with electronic translators, online babble fish, and even smartphone apps.

The way we use this technology hasn't change much over the years, as it still relies heavily upon text input of some sort. But that is beginning to change with apps like Pleco and Word Lens bringing cameras into the equation. Ladies and gentlemen, the world of translation has just taken a gigantic step toward the future...

Potential Game Changing App Update Coming “Out in a Few Weeks…”

Pleco Software, the masterminds behind the aptly named -- Pleco Chinese Dictionary -- announced today that after minor delay, the latest update to their Chinese language software should be out in a few weeks. Why is this news for iPhone owners, and why should you care?

Well besides the fact that it’s one of the best tools available for learning Mandarin, Pleco’s latest update features a potentially game-changing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature that undoubtedly has other developers taking note...