Listen, Watch, Read: Computers Search for Meaning Nov 17, 2009
The platform can search annotated files from any type of media -- photographs, videos, sound recordings, text, document scans -- using a host of techniques including optical character recognition, automated speech recognition and automatic annotation of movies and photographs that track salient concepts. Technology shift. (Science Daily)
* Technology: Taiwan Oct 25, 2009
The device and software use optical character recognition technology, or OCR technology, to scan and read text ... The WorldCard system uses optical character recognition technology, or OCR technology, to scan business cards and extract the information to create a personal contact database that can be searched or converted into different formats. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Epson Perfection V500 Office Color Scanner Review Oct 21, 2009
"Text enhancement" will darken text in a document, so that it can be easier to parse by OCR (optical character recognition software). The "Auto Area Segmentation" mode will attempt to automatically distinguish between text and image areas of a document, scanning the text in black and white (again, for optimal OCR performance) and the images in grayscale (for quality). (HardwareCentral)
Officejet Pro 8500 Oct 14, 2009
The scanner also has an OCR (optical character recognition) feature if you literally want your pictures to be worth a thousand words. Copy and fax. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Technology)
Technology to Assist Visual Impairm... Sep 20, 2009
Video magnifiers are similar to Optical Character Recognition systems but less versatile ... Optical Character Recognition or OCR is that combines elements of video magnification and speech recognition software. (Suite101.com)
Google buys outfit that makes those squiggly word boxes for Web sites Sep 18, 2009
This technology, known as optical character recognition, already powers huge text-scanning projects like Google Books and Google News Archive Search. Google explains. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Technology)
Google acquires CMU-based reCAPTCHA Sep 17, 2009
-based Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) plans to use the technology developed by reCAPTCHA to help with optical character recognition, which allows plain text versions of scanned documents to be easily rendered on mobile devices and for visually impaired users, according to the blog post. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed Wednesday. (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)
Google buys anti-spam service to help digitize books Sep 17, 2009
The books are often photographically scanned, with images of words then mechanically transformed into text by a technology called optical character recognition (OCR). The problem is that OCR is not perfect and sometimes is unable to read the words on the images. (Xinhuanet, China)
Google Inc. acquires Carnegie Mellon spin-off ReCAPTCHA Inc. Sep 17, 2009
But reCAPTCHAs are created using words from printed texts that current optical character recognition programs are incapable of reading. So when humans solve the puzzle, they also help digitize pre-computer-age books, newspapers and other printed materials. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Google acquires Web security firm reCAPTCHA Sep 17, 2009
Google is scanning millions of books as part of its controversial book project and it said reCAPTCHAs Optical Character Recognition technology "improves the process that converts scanned images into plain text.". CAPTCHAs can be read by humans but are difficult for computers to recognize and are used on registration forms by many websites as a security measure. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Oce Helps Customers Capture More Opportunities for Applications Requiring State-of-the-Art Digital Security Features Sep 16, 2009
From healthcare firms producing explanations of benefits, to marketers like Direct Group creating promotional checks, companies are benefitting from secure document printing on Oce JetStream systems with integrated Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR), and security features provided by Arcis Digital Security, Inc.. "Oce has been an industry leader in producing secure document solutions for some time. We've already moved beyond the potential to the practical, with customers benefitting today... (PR Newswire)
Oce JetStream 1000 and Oce VarioPrint 6320 Ultra Systems Win MUST SEE 'EM Awards in Color and Monochrome Production Printing at Print 09 Sep 13, 2009
The compact Oce JetStream 1000 high speed inkjet system offers a unique combination of CMYK printing, integrated Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) capability and the smallest inkjet footprint in the industry. The Oce JetStream 1000 system is the first continuous feed inkjet printer in its speed class offering full width single engine perfecting press capabilities, printing both sides of the paper using one engine. (PR Newswire)
S3 to Demonstrate at CableLabs?? Summer Conference Aug 10, 2009
In addition to being able to provide all of the features you would expect to see in such a testing product, such as video analysis, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and motion detection, StormTest offers cable operators configurable, repeatable and reliable testing, a universal test infrastructure, support for black-box and white-box testing and a single platform that meets different test case needs from development right through to legacy set-top box maintenance and repair. S3 is a... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
License Plate Scanners: Fighting Crime or Invading Privacy? Jul 30, 2009
The scanners, which cost about $20,000 each, are mounted on a patrol car and use character recognition software to read numbers and run them through databases. The LAPD has 26 scanners all over the city searching for stolen autos, cars associated with crimes and Amber Alert vehicles. (Time.com)
Lexmark's X7675 Misses the Mark Jul 30, 2009
The software's user interface could use some editing, too: Software in a consumer product shouldn't contain industry jargon like "Scan and Get Text (OCR)," which stands for "optical character recognition," a way to turn scanned text into a computer file. Placing an item to be scanned on the printer's glass didn't go any better; the Lexmark's display screen said "requesting scan," and then the machine did nothing. (BusinessWeek)
Bay area town considers license plate cameras Jul 11, 2009
The images are processed through powerful optical character recognition (OCR) engines that convert the images into data. The data is then checked against a real-time database of vehicles wanted for repossession by finance companies. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Tiburon eyes cameras to scan license plates Jul 10, 2009
The readers, which use character recognition software, can compare plates to databases of cars that have been stolen or linked to crimes, then immediately notify police of matches, said Police Chief Michael Cronin. If someone burglarized a Tiburon home at 3 a.m. one morning, he said, detectives could consult the devices and find out who came to town in the hours before - and who rolled out soon after. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
SA patents get global clout Jun 23, 2009
In return Wipo would perform an Optical Character Recognition (OCR), index the bibliographic information and make the South African patent collection available on its electronic patent search facility "PatentScope". "As Cipro is mandated to register and maintain the respective documentation of companies and intellectual property under the applicable legislation, Cipro is the custodian of the South African patent documentation," Sendwe noted. (Business Report, South Africa)
Plain-Paper Disappointment Jun 20, 2009
The otherwise first-class scanning is let down by the bundled NewSoft Presto Page Manager software, which does a nice job of thumbnailed document management but gives poor optical character recognition (OCR) results. Double-Barreled Black. (HardwareCentral)
Shakedown time for Palm Pre Jun 16, 2009
You could buy optical character recognition (OCR) software, which would let you convert scanned documents into editable files in familiar formats such as Microsoft Word's. doc. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Scanner Review: HP Scanjet N6350 Jun 16, 2009
HP also delivers the excellent Nuance PaperPort desktop document-management application and IRIS Readiris Pro OCR (optical character recognition) software for turning scanned documents into editable files. Easy Setup and Maintenance. (SmallBusinessComputing)
Writing In Air Not Pie In The Sky: Student Device Turns Phone Gestures Into Email Jun 16, 2009
"We plan to further augment the pen with real-time feedback, character recognition and better support for drawing diagrams.". Roy Choudhury expects that the PhonePoint Pen prototype will be available for download within the next few months. (Science Daily)
Newspapers online a 'fast track' to history May 21, 2009
Firstly, the microfilm had to be scanned and sent overseas where optical character recognition software converted the image to text - essential for enabling keyword searches, she said. With the NLA's core focus on material that is out of copyright, newspaper print quality can vary dramatically, often yielding less-than accurate results from character recognition software. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
> The Pitch: PenData knows your writing May 14, 2009
The company s software enhances pen technology and character recognition from third-party providers, aimed at organizations of any size. HOW THE COMPANY WILL MAKE MONEY: Provide customers with pay-as-they-use paper forms; this minimizes up-front capital investment while ensuring a long-term annuity stream for PenData Solutions. (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
Income-tax returns now in 4 months May 11, 2009
Taxpayers who have filed their returns for the assessment year 2008-09 should now write to their area Income-Tax Assessment Officers quoting their magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) codes (used in the banking industry to facilitate cheque processing) and vital bank account details. This will help the department to send refunds quickly in any part of the country, the official added. (India Times)
Be kind to Kindles May 9, 2009
Hawthorne has a Plustek BookReader V100, a reading device that has both text-to-speech and optical character recognition. She was impressed with the dramatic results she achieved even from her very first attempt. (EETimes)
Left-side Bias In Visual Expertise Apr 30, 2009
The authors note that when we see a face, we may group the features together because of the uniform configuration of faces, whereas when experts view Chinese characters they may show reduced holistic processing because they have learned to isolate and identify components that appear repetitively in different characters to facilitate character recognition ... Hsiao et al. Not All Visual Expertise Is Holistic, but It May Be Leftist: The Case of Chinese Character Recognition. (Science Daily)
Library Digitizes Local Daily Apr 29, 2009
Owner of paper copies of the Daily Times from 1936 through 1979, the library is having the 430 volumes, approximately 18 pounds each, digitized and made searchable through optical character recognition. When the process is complete, patrons will be able to search keywords for relevant Daily Times pages. (MediaWeek.com)
Mariner rebrands ReceiptWallet as Paperless Apr 18, 2009
Paperless lets you scan or import receipts and other paperwork, using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and other data entry aids to help recognize and categorize receipts and documents as PDF files. The software features built-in search capabilities that help you find and organize receipts and documents into collections. (Yahoo News -- Technology)
Gwabbit, Xobni add-ons work nicely with Microsoft Outlook Apr 16, 2009
It uses character recognition (knowing the @ is part of an e-mail address) and mathematical probabilities (the job title usually comes after the contact's name but before the company's name). Gwabbit invites feedback to bolster the results. (USA Today -- Tech)
In Cash-Is-King Economy, Companies Pursue Better Ways to Manage and Preserve Cash, Lower Costs Apr 1, 2009
" One opportunity is the ability to negotiate favorable payment terms, according to Walker. With paper-based systems, typical invoice processing time is about three weeks. In contrast, the typical processing time with an invoice management solution is just one-to-two days. This means that the company now has the option of negotiating lower rates in exchange for rapid payment. For a $5 billion corporation, a 2 percent discount could translate into several million dollars in cash savings over the... (Canada Newswire)
Pixily Moves Your Paper Documents Online Mar 9, 2009
Better than just taking a photo of the documents you send, your documents are be subjected to something called optical character recognition, which means that as the picture of the document is created the words it contains are, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, captured as well. The result: Once the documents are in your account, you can search through the results. (BusinessWeek)
Don't have a Kindle 2? Try these online book sites Feb 25, 2009
Project Gutenberg also represents a less commercial side of the Web -- it operates largely via the work of volunteers, who either submit the scanned documents or proofread them (comparing the scanned page image with the text produced by optical character recognition). In short, I was a regular visitor to the site 10 years ago when I was downloading books to my Psion 3a handheld, and it's still one of my favorite sites. (Computerworld)
99¢ Shipping for TonerBoss MICR Toners, Fuser Assemblies, Maintenance Kits and Inkjet Cartridges Feb 24, 2009
Magnetic Imaging Character Recognition or is a specialized toner cartridge used for printing checks. The fuser assembly and maintenance kit are printer parts that need to be periodically replaced to retain the quality of your prints. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Let the war begin: iPhone/Google vs. Kindle Feb 10, 2009
Somehow the Google team managed to OCR (Optical Character Recognition) 1. 5 million books and get them on the net the week before Kindle 2 released. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Google Brings Books To iPhone, Android Devices Feb 8, 2009
"Our solution to make these books accessible is to extract the text from the page images so it can flow on your mobile browser just like any other Web page. This extraction process is known as optical character recognition, or OCR for short," Google's team wrote. "Getting this right allows us to render the book in a way that follows the format of the original book.". (Yahoo News -- Technology)
Preparing for the robot takeover 101 Feb 7, 2009
A spate of innovations ensued during the following decades, including Kurzweil's creation of "optical character recognition," allowing computers to read written text in several typefaces. Since the late 1980s, however, Kurzweil has turned much of his energies to future-gazing and writing books about what he sees ahead. (Toronto Star)
