Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has launched an app named PocketVision powered by AI at IFA 2019 in Berlin that lets visually impaired users read text content using the camera of smartphones.
“Harnessing the power of the HONOR 20 PRO’s next-generation AI capabilities and pro-grade camera technology, PocketVision aims to level the playing field for the visually impaired, giving this community a portable, affordable solution to other reading aids on the market.”, said George Zhao, President of Honor at the event.
1.3 billion people live with some form of visual impairment. Our new AI-powered app #PocketVision allows them to read and text more easily. @RNIB and @TechTalkUK1 explain more in the video. #CaptureVision #IFA2019 #HONOR20Series pic.twitter.com/GsXq4lWYTv
— HONOR (@Honorglobal) September 6, 2019
The app is developed in partnership with Eyecoming, a Chinese company providing solutions for visually impaired people. Coming to the features offered, there are three modes in the app – Negative Image Mode, Text-to-Speech Mode, and Zoom-in Mode.
Negative Image mode allows you to change the contrast by letting you pick a color filter you like. This feature will be helpful for people having trouble viewing specific colors. Text-to-Speech mode uses Optical Character Recognition(OCR) to identify pieces of text that appears in front of the camera and provides speech output.
Zoom-in Mode, on the other hand, makes use of the quad cameras present in Honor 20 series to seamlessly zoom in for better visibility. You can also adjust the level of zoom by using the volume buttons.
As you might have guessed, PocketVision is mainly focused on Honor’s smartphones, especially the Honor 20 series. The app is live at Huawei’s App Gallery for all Honor smartphones and there is no information as of now if the app would make its way to the Google Play Store.
The chances for Honor to bring the app to Play Store are quite slim since the app relies on hardware-specific features that come packed in Honor devices. We will have to wait to witness if Honor manages to overcome the hardware hurdles to make the app available for a wider audience.
