NX70V and OCR

[ThomasK]

Hi everybody,

the NX70 has a much better camera than the previous model. So I want to use it with an OCR software to recognize numbers in the pictures.
Does anyone know about an OCR software for the NX70?

[Investa]

Now that is a truly interesting concept. Not sure if there is any app out there currently.

Reminds me of a friends $5000 Toshiba Tecra circa 1997 that had a small webcam you could use for OCR.

Mike

[UI018397]

Business card reader !!

[jwm]

An interesting concept indeed...incorporating a business card reader app on the NX which utilises the camera...I like it.

[sralmas]

If not OCR, then the response to a previous inquiry of mine suggested that you could use the voice recorder with voice recognition software to convert to editable text. You'd just have to  read the document into a voice recording. 

Hey, cut me some slack . . . it's something!

[JavierS]

Originally posted by sralmas
If not OCR, then the response to a previous inquiry of mine suggested that you could use the voice recorder with voice recognition software to convert to editable text. You'd just have to  read the document into a voice recording. 

Hey, cut me some slack . . . it's something!
That would be awesome! I just imagine talking to the clie instead of typing, entering appointments or memos... sweet! The OCR would be very useful too

[Donkeystyle]

these are great ideas! somebody get crackin! :)

[nextyoyoma]

I dunno....voice recognition would probably need a big database that would be to big for the clie...I would think, anyway.

[Donkeystyle]

the database could be on the memory stick

[Unregistered]

I am thinking of creating a voice recognition app for the CLIE.

HOWEVER, (it seems) Sony does not want any 3rd party developer to create high quality apps that make use of the microphone or the camera of the NX and NZ's.

I believe they are shooting themself in the foot by not letting developers creating apps that make use of the multimedia features of the CLIE's.

They are even CENSORING which apps can make use of playing sounds. If they dont like the app they wont let you receive the necessary Sound SDK which lets you play sound (other then the bleeps all Palms can play) on the newer ARM clies.

To put this all in one sentence, Sony has not released the SDK necessary to make use of the camera, microhone and sound playing capabilities of the NX and NZ CLIE's.

And they will not do it either.

What do you users think, do you want COOL and high quality apps for your CLIE's? Send an email to cliemrktg@am.sony.com requesting/demanding this info be released to us developers.

If enough people email them, maybe they will change their mind about this.


I have so many project ideas that could be done if SONY only released the SDK's.

[Donkeystyle]

thats rediculous! they wont release the sdk? we want software to USE our clie's features! i'll be emailing them....

[ThomasK]

Sorry for the late response,

I developed an application for the Clie's camera in the NR70. The SDK (several versions) are available at the SONY developers page http://www.us.sonypdadev.com/top.html. You have to register first to download the SDK. The camera function (SONY capture library) only is included in the version 3. The new version 5 doesn't contain anything. We have to wait for the next release.

I did not test anything with the new NX70 device. So it can be the capture interface is the same...

Of course in some cases it's a poor interface in the capture library (i.e. it takes a long time to get the captured image), but you can use it for several things. I made a barcode scanner that workes well.

[Alistar]

Originally posted by ThomasK
I made a barcode scanner that workes well.

Would you willing to share this program

[ThomasK]

Originally posted by Alistar

Would you willing to share this program
Sorry, it's a development for a customer...
But maybe I can help you with the know how to do so.

[Alistar]

Thanks.

I just started palm programming. Is it complicated.

[patrickl]

Can't you use the OS4 API for using the camera and playing sounds?

I guess Sony is unsure of the current API since most of this will probably be done differently in OS6 again, so perhaps they dont want people complaining that they change the API again.

[ThomasK]

I just read an interview with Todd Bradley (Palm-CEO) about the develpment strategy.
The OS6 schedule isn't ready yet. So it will take a while until the OS5 devices will disappear. I read, that Palm is thinking about launching a new OS4.x device below or beneath the Zire (low cost device).
So what Sony will do I don't know. I hope they will soon bring out a new version of the API (with the capture library).
Next time I will test the OS4 capture functions at the NX70.

[mowog]

The bar code app sounds create and it's just the sort of thing I would like to use. At the moment we use symbol PPC devices but it would be cool if I could use my Clie instead.

Was this difficult to code? What tools did you use?

[ThomasK]

Well, it was my first Palm program - so it was difficult to come into the philosophy of Palm applications. I used the Metrowerks CodeWarrior IDE, the program is made in standard C.
The things that have to be done were:
[list=1]
Captue the image with the Sony capture library
Convert the image from the internal Sony to a 'normal' format (I prefer black and white with 8 Bit per pixel)
Apply any filters to the picture
Now you can use the "standard" barcode routines on the converted picture
[/list=1]

[mowog]

Thanks for the details.......but what is the 'standard' barcode routines?

[ThomasK]

I mean the routines for getting a barcode out of a picture.
This has nothing to do with the Palm programming it's just software. But it depends on the type of barcode you will decode. There are many different types.
Maybe you find some routines for your barcode in GPL in the internet.

[Unregistered]

I'm also a victim of NX70. I got cheated :-(.

[nx70]

C'mon, OCR for a 300.000 pixels??
Maybe the NZ but the NX is far away from recognizing a page maybe in letter format everything else is too big for the camera or if you want A4(US: legal) you need to have a distance which make it impossible to read anything.
Also the library would be too big.

[ThomasK]

OK, you're right.
But I do not want to make the OCR for a whole page - I just want to read some numbers. So 0.3M Pixels will be sufficient.
The goal is the mobility of the Clie power combined with the price!

[nx70]

I see, I have read your barcode thing. Really nice use for it!!
Great job done.
I could imgaine other useful uses with the NX as well.

kai! aus Rostock

[jwm]

300,000 pixels may also be OK for business cards?

[hansschmucker]

About scanning big pages: you would have to move the camera across the sheet a few times from a small distance a good software could put the images together to one big one and then let OCR analyze that

[Grey]

Figured I'd reawaken this thread rather than start yet another...
Anyone found any OCR/barcode software out there for the NX? I've never found a thing and it's a bit beyond me to write something to do it :(