Digit-Eyes

Digit-Eyes have just announced some major changes to this app:

Many of our users have asked for more data about products - content, preparation instructions, etc.

We are delighted to announce several changes in Digit-Eyes:

a) After a successful scan, Digit-Eyes will now display the extended information about the product. Depending on what the manufacturer discloses, this may include ingredients, preparation instructions and more.  Furthermore, you still have the ability to search Google with a single click or to access price comparison engines with one click.

b) The product can now be purchased as separate elements.   If you only want to read code 3-of-9 inventory labels, the cost is just $1.99.  If you want to create and record audio labels (washable or printed), the cost is $9.99.  If you want just the UPC / EAN feature, that is $9.99 as well.

c) The price of the entire product suite is reduced to $19.99 for all features.

If you already own the product, the upgrade to include extended information is free.

We've also added the ability to use the "shake" gesture to start and stop recording and added an option to fast forward through a recording.

Is this useful?  Not all of the 26 million items in the database have extended information, but many do and the database grows daily!

Using the “more information” feature to scan our favorite object in the lab pool (a can of spam), we were able to find that the Spam is supposed to be cut into six slices.  Each slice has 180 calories, 140 of which are from fat.  The instructions from the folks at Hormel, however, seem a little incomplete.   Their preparation instructions recommend frying the Spam, but don’t say at what point in the process you should contact your cardiologist.  At any rate, it is nice that you can now find all this out with a single click after scanning with Digit-Eyes.

I don't use the app myself, so I will be very interested to hear what others think of these changes. So, if you are a Digit-Eyes user, please add a comment letting us know what you think.

What's New in Version 1.3

The audio feedback that tells you that a code is nearby has been improved. You can now record audio content for all types of labels: UPC, code 128 or code 3 of 9.

This version of the Digit-Eyes software can read business cards in the v-card format.

Minor new update. Now contains an option to retrieve vCard information from an QR Code. Plus, the new Search ability on the UPC Code.
 
What's New in Version 1.3.11

This version of the Digit-Eyes software reads QR codes that contain vCard information and gives you the option to add the vCard information to your contacts.
Additionally, when a UPC / EAN code is scanned and not found, you can use the "web search" button to try and find the code on the Internet.

Trying to find a good app to identify things. Only thing that seems to work is VizWiz but it can be slow. Heard a lot about this product but never bought because didn't really wan a spend $20. Went to the app store tonight and saw it was only $9.99. Didn't seem like a bad deal and heard a lot about it. I have tried scanning several things and can't get any bar codes found. Tried reading website with no luck. I got two bar codes somehow but said not found on a box of zip lock baggies and a container of mints. Kind of sad to waste a lot of money that I didn't really have at the moment. Any suggestions? Right now I"m using IPhone 4s. Getting new IPhone hopefully next week, and have newest IPod but don't want to use. Thanks and take care.

the problem I have found with digiteyes is that I am in the UK and to date I have only had it identify two or three food items correctly for me, one being packet microwave rice and I am not sure what the others were. when the rice was identified there were no cooking instructions available, which was fine because I new how to cook it, but still I do think UK coverage is poor as I have scanned a lot of ready meals with this app and found nothing. I find tap tap see is much better for identifying those kind of food items. Hopefully tap tap see combined with the use of KNFB reader will prove much more useful for me.

Thanks for the help. Any more is appreciated. Off-topic but what is knob reader? Hear about it all the time but don't know what it is. I think my problem is I just don't know where bar codes are. I did get one thing to scan and it found the item but it took like 10 minutes and then again 10 minutes the second time. So if I could find where the codes are that might help. I might try with a sighted person. I am told digit-eyes can help you, but I don't know how they can help you without seeing you scanning. I was really hoping this app was my answer because all the apps that used to work good don't anymore. Thanks, Sarah

Lol, KNFB reader or knob reader as ios likes to correct the spelling is an OCR app for scanning and recognising printed text that is coming out in a matter of weeks. The app is specifically designed for the blind unlike most other apps of its kind. Although some mainstream apps do try to help taking a picture if your blind they don't work well as accessibility is an after thought rather than the goal.

The Digit-Eyes database engine is smart and it learns from failures. So when an item is not found, that causes our search engines to go and see if we can find a data source for that code. And if we do, then all codes from that site are added. This is because people often buy many things from a single shop. And if you've scanned one item of a type, it is very likely that you will scan more.

This is one of the ways that we try to make sure we have the information our customers need.

Thus, if you are scanning something and it is not found, it is extremely helpful if you can use the feature to add information if you have any idea what the item is (even just "cookies" or "CD") if you don't know the flavor or the exact content. That helps our data curator zone in on the information so we have it for you next time you scan.

The information you enter, incidentally, is saved and will come up for you automatically. So even if we don't have the item in the database, you can get it there by adding it.

The information we have about items comes from what the maker or seller listed on the Internet. We've got some fancy algorithms that continue to search items and improve the listings, but the bottom line is that the data comes from what is disclosed about the item. And this can vary a lot. In the UK, for instance, Tesco does a great job publishing information and, as a result, we have good coverage of their items. Sainsbury's, on the other hand, makes their information very difficult to obtain. So if you shop at Tesco, you'll find more instructions and ingredients information than if you shop at Sainsbury's

The advertising is not exaggerating. This the the kind of $10 app that starts to make the $650 phone worth the outlay, at least for those of us who remember what stand-alone assistive devices used to cost. I stayed away from it when it came out because of the lack of a free preview, then-higher price, and availability of free alternatives. OMoby has apparently been harpooned now, but both it and other similar apps were always cumbersome in some usability aspects. I should have purchased Digit-Eyes even then, however. Audio feedback tells you when the app is looking, alerts let you know when the code starts to come into view so you can hone in on it, and you can add your own labels for the rare codes that aren't in the database (or add physical labels to things without them). The first time I ran the app, I successfully identified three products in three minutes, including one lumpy sauce pouch. I keep things like Tap Tap See on the phone as well, but for groceries, I don't want it to say "red labeled can," I want it to keep looking until it gives the complete information I need. So, both kinds of tools belong in the kit.

No it always has been slow. the dev said i just takes practice but beeing that she's partually sighted, yeah she probably has never tested this with shades.

Actually, that would be incorrect -- we test with shades and also the the screen curtain on as a matter of course.

However, your point is interesting about the scanning speed. We are using an algorithm that can recognize a bar code on any orientation because it seems unreasonable to expect someone who is not sighted to line up a code in a box. But it is slower than the algorithms that can only recognize on the horizontal and vertical axis.

We'll have to take a look at the relative speed and the tradeoff of recognition v alignment.

But do give us credit for being good enough engineers to do a reasonable job of testing.

After the above comments, I became curious and installed Red Laser, which I had tried once before on a much earlier version without any success at all. However, yeah, it does work very well and very fast. I also like the way that app shows the (online) price. Other aspects of the interface remain annoying to me--the rest of the screen trying to sell me stuff, etc. But it certainly gets the job one on cans/jars. A couple of points in Digit-Eyes' favor: the "you're getting warm" sound is very helpful on an item where one doesn't already have a good idea where the barcode will be. Cans are easy, for instance (to the left of the seam, near the bottom), but sometimes I don't know if it's right-side up, or where it will be on a box. The Dev's note on orientation also seems valid. Maybe a user preference or on-screen button to turn the orientation correction algorithm on or off to provide the option of speeding it up on the fly?

Hello all. Nancy, first of all, you do get credit for testing in shades and with the curtain on. Second, my only problem is not being able to be patient and wait long enough. That being said, I went through my cabinets to find some herbs and spices to add to the beef stew i'm tossing together next week. I know, be afraid. :) Anyway I tested spice jars with both apps, and some digit found, others laser found and a couple neither did. Is there a way someone could put up a short demo fo the ping sounds that say hey, you're almost there, no left, right, just because I've heard them, but it would be helpful to have a quick tutorial on what is a close scan versus the obvious, you got it! result. I know podcasts are up, but I was thiking a quick thing on the website might help? If the scanning were sped up that would be ok, but i think I understandwhy it does take long.

Hi again. Glad a few of you want the tutorial as much as me. I have a metro logic scaner from www.atguys.com and I love it. Only down side is the nonportability if that's a word, it is now. That seems to find barcodes very fast but i'm curious is it because the field of view is so much larger? Think about it, you have a fingertip size camera, or a window of I'm not good with estimation of distance, two or three inches? I like both solutions and if the app is improved, I don't know how much better it can get other then the database's continued updates which is a given. Btw, the totorial I mentioned assumes you know somewhat of where a barcode can be found though my personal hangup is bags of things, chips and the like. I think so much time is explained on thepodcasts of why it is so important that I don't feel the appis just put out there. It's great we need it, it's great it was developed, but I'd like to see, here's what it is, quick explanation, right into the app. My own oppinion as i said the longer podcasts are there for a reason, I would like a more in dept here's how this works demo.