ReadIt Air

ReadIt Air connected to laptop computer displaying captured text in large print and hight contrast.

What is the ReadIt Air?

The ReadIt Air is a portable USB camera that when combined with the included ReadIt software turns your PC or laptop into a feature rich reading and magnification system.

Connect the lightweight ReadIt Air to your computer, place your print materials under the camera, and press Enter on your keyboard to begin. In just seconds, the text is being read aloud to you with a life-like voice, in your chosen size, color and formatting.

Who is the ReadIt Air for?

ReadIt Air is for any visually impaired or blind computer user, who wants near instant, easy and accurate access to printed or electronic format documents.

ReadIt Air has been specifically designed for the requirements of students, business professionals and anyone on the move with a laptop PC.

However, the ReadIt Air also makes an ideal desktop solution that can easily be moved between locations (e.g. home and work).

The ReadIt Air's attachable positioning guide and custom designed positioning mat also allows users with no vision at all to perfectly place and capture their documents.

Readit Air could be the ideal system for you if you:

  • Are looking for something light weight and portable to enable you to read documents with the added ability to store them on your computer once captured.
  • Are used to using a standard magnifying system but find the constant movement of text on the screen and the continual repositioning of your documents make you tired, nauseous or just frustrated.
  • Would like to be more independent and read your own documents.
  • Have a learning disability or struggle with reading tasks.
  • Find reading with a video magnifier too difficult because you can't fit enough characters on the screen to read at your desired speed.
  • Have a deteriorative eye condition and would like a system that is suitable both now and for the future.

What are the Readit Air's benefits?

Readit Air features many benefits over standard video magnifiers and digital capture systems including:

  • Users Read Faster: This is Readit Air's number one benefit. With digital capture and OCR of documents, the spoken and reformatted large print text can be read over twice as fast as traditionally enlarged text from standard video magnifiers. It also allows you to read for longer periods with much less eye strain.
  • Read back of your documents: Users get the benefit of both automatic scrolling AND speech output of their document if they wish, further helping to increase reading speed and document comprehension.
  • Fast multi-page capture: 20 pages per minute capture means you can capture and store entire text books or long documents in minutes, not hours. Once they're captured, you never need to carry them with you again! Readit even remembers your position in each document when you re-open it!
  • Ease of use: Readit Air is so easy to use. Just place your documents, press "ENTER" and your document is being displayed to you and read aloud seconds later.
  • Incredible accuracy: Readit Air uses the latest camera and recognition technology to ensure it is as accurate as possible, even on complicated documents newspaper layouts or cans of food.
  • Glossy document capture: Many camera systems have difficulty with glossy documents but this is not the case for the Readit Air! Although it has integrated lighting, the camera and software have been optimised to capture without the lights being required, meaning even glossy magazines can be captured without difficulty.
  • Licenses for 3 installs: Install the Readit software on up to 3 machines with every purchase, allowing the user to read in multiple locations. Site licenses of the ReadIt software are available for larger organizations who require more than 3 installations.
  • No X/Y table required: Readit Air's virtual X/Y table with word wrapping means once you've captured a document, you'll never again accidentally miss a line when reading.
  • Multi-touch support: Readit software is the first low vision product to fully utilize the power of multi-touch on Microsoft Windows 7 and higher to make the software more user friendly with intuitive touch gestures.
  • Import and Export your documents: Entire books can be stored and retrieved with the press of a button so they don't have to be carried! Import any document - PDF, Word, Email etc & read it directly in Readit. Export your documents to Word, TXT, RTF, MP3. MP3 export is very useful as a revision aid.
  • Fast Set Up time: Readit Air has been specifically designed to be as fast to set up and take down as possible - it takes less than 10 seconds. Just unfold it, plug in one USB connector into your laptop or PC and you're ready to go!
  • No Batteries: All Readit Air needs is one USB 2.0 port - no need to worry about keeping a separate battery charged.
  • Quality of speech: Using the latest natural sounding voices, Readit Air is clear and easy to understand.
  • Automatic language switching: The Readit line of products are the only ones currently available that feature the revolutionary automatic language detection and switching. This makes them ideal for users wanting to read more than one language - even on the same page!
  • Speed: with any modern computer, Readit Air begins reading your document to you just a few seconds after it has been captured, so there's no waiting.
  • Stylish and practical design: A stylish, light weight, folding camera, ensures that Readit Air is a pleasure to use in any location.
  • Small Footprint: Occupying just 2.6 in x 2.4 in, of table area, Readit Air takes up very little space.
  • Weight: Readit Air weighs just 500 grams (1.1 lbs) making it easy to take with you wherever you go.
  • Versatility: Read almost any surface, flat or round. Readit Air's camera allows it to capture deep into the spines of books without flattening them, as well as read 3D objects like cans of food.

Read Faster & More Easily with 6 Enhanced Visualizations:

Use the powerful ReadIt software to view your captured documents from 0.2X to 80X magnification in any one of 6 customizable visualizations. Text automatically flows from one line to the next and can be read aloud at any time. Automatic text formatting and enhanced visualzations make reading with a conventional CCTV a thing of the past.

Image visualization screen shot

Image View - preserves the original formatting of your book or document and is also ideal for viewing handwriting. You can double-click on any word to start reading your document from that position.

Overlay visualization screen shot

Overlay View - allows you to retain your document layout and full color images while fully enhancing the text. You can simply click on a word to start ReadIt reading your document to you from that point.

Column visualization screen shot

Column View - displays as many words as possible on each column line based on your screen size and magnification level. The text will flow automatically from line to line down the column as you read continuously much like reading from a teleprompter.

Horizontal visualization screen shot

Horizontal View - displays all of the document's text in a single continuous row, reducing visual interference caused by multiple lines. The text will automatically advance across the screen as you read just like reading a stock ticker or marquee bar.

Vertical visualization screen shot

Vertical View - displays one word on each line in a continuous column and is ideal for users with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) or other eye conditions that affect peripheral vision. Select your preferred speech rate, sit back and enjoy your reading experience as the text flows automatically from line to line.

Word visualization screen shot

Word View - displays all of the text from your document one word at a time. Word view is ideal for students who are just learning to read and for users with learning difficulties.

Minimum Computer Requirements

  • OS: Windows XP, Vista 32 & 64 bit, Windows 7 32 & 64 bit, Windows 8 32 & 64 bit (Windows 8 RT not supported)
  • CPU: Intel Atom Dual Core 1.6 Ghz or equivalent
  • RAM: XP - 512 MB, Vista - 1.5 GB, 7 - 1 GB
  • HDD Space: Language dependent, minimum 400 MB

Recommended Computer Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 32 & 64 bit or Windows 8 32 & 64 bit
  • CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz or faster
  • RAM: XP - 1 GB, Vista - 2 GB, 7 - 2 GB
  • HDD Space: 5 GB (to include document storage)

Specifications

  • Magnification Live: Up to 32x (on a 22" screen)
  • Magnification Captured: 0.2 - 80x (effectively unlimited)
  • Camera Resolution: 5 megapixels
  • Capture Area: 8.86 in X 12.01 in (22.5 cm X 30.5 cm)
  • Maximum Height of Text to be Captured (thickness of book): 4 inches (8-10 cm)
  • Capture Speed: Up to 20 pages per minute
  • Time to Read: 2 to 15 seconds (hardware dependent)
  • Dimensions WxDxH:
    • Inches: 2.5 x 2.4 x 10
    • Centimeters: 6.5 x 6.2 x 25.5
  • Weight: 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs)
  • Power: USB only, less than 500 milliamps at 5V
  • Connectivity: 1x USB 2.0
  • Import formats supported: Adobe PDF, Image (BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF), MS Excel (XLS and XLSX), MS PowerPoint (PPT and PPTX), MS Word (DOC and DOCX), OpenDocument Formats (ODF), plain text (TXT), Rich Text Format (RTF)
  • Export formats supported: Adobe PDF, Image (BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF), Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX), MP3, Open Document Format (ODF) plain text (TXT), Rich Text Format (RTF)

Warranty

GW Micro offers a two-year warranty on the ReadIt Air, starting from the purchase date. The warranty covers parts and labor.

ReadIt Site Licenses

The ReadIt site license is designed to accommodate the needs of a school or organization that creates and distributes accessible materials to multiple users. In order to be able to convert print materials into an accessible digital format, you will also need to purchase one or more ReadIt Air camera only units. A ReadIt Air site license when combined with one or more ReadIt Wand cameras creates the ideal solution for schools and other organizations who have a team responsible for creating accessible materials and multiple users who need to access the digital content in a classroom, computer lab or across a network.

Pricing and Ordering

For pricing information or to order the ReadIt Air or a ReadIt site license, please call GW Micro at (260) 489-3671 or visit our Reading Systems product catalog page. To check for a local distributor in your area, please use the Find a Dealer locator.