Intel announces a digital camera that can read to you

Electronic book readers like the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook may be poised to take the holiday shopping season by storm, but the new Intel Reader (announced earlier this week) promises to give the gift of reading to those with vision- or reading-related disabilities. Essentially a digital camera combined with an Intel Atom processor, the Intel Reader allows users to photograph printed text and then listen to the words read aloud by a computer-generated voice. Developed by by Intel's Digital Health Group (the original concept came from an Intel researcher with dyslexia), the new reader costs a steep $1,500, so it's obviously not meant to compete with the mainstream e-book readers.

Check out a detailed demo video from Intel below, and read more about the device from fellow ZDNet bloggers, Christopher Dawson, Tom Foremski, and Rachel King.