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K-NFB Reading Technology has found something useful for a smartphone's camera to do besides taking pictures video. It has developed an application, in partnership with National Federation of the Blind and Kurzweil Technologies, that allows a smartphone to read text out loud.

Targeted at anyone who has difficulty seeing or reading print, including the blind and learning disabled, the software, called Mobile Reader, when paired with a Nokia N82 smartphone creates - in the words of K-NFB - "the smallest text-to-speech reading device in history."

Although Mobile Reader is a Symbian OS/S60 application, the software is only compatible with the N82 right now, making good use of the smartphone's 5-megapixels camera with auto focus and flash.

With the press of a button, the combined solution, called knfbReader Mobile, will read (in a synthetic voice) most printed materials back to the user as it displays the words on the N82's screen. This allows blind users to hear the contents of a document, while those who can see the screen and with learning disabilities to enlarge, read, track, and highlight printed materials using the phone's display.

"No other device in the history of technology has provided such portability and quick access to print materials," asserts National Federation of the Blind president Dr. Marc Maurer. "The NFB promotes equal opportunity for the blind, and this Reader will make blind people dramatically more independent."

Maurer adds, "This Reader will substantially improve the quality of life for the growing number of blind people and people who are losing vision, including seniors."

The combination Reader and cell phone weighs 4.2 ounces and can store thousands of printed pages on a memory card. Users can also transfer files to computers or Braille notetakers.

While this text-to-speech solution fits comfortably in the pocket and hand, it's interesting to note the first such device was approximately the size of washing machine.

And while the N92 sells for about $500 dollars and the Mobile Reader software $1,500, the combined solution reportedly costs less than anything like it before.

See the knfbReader Web site for additional information.