Notices

Hi,
There is a similar application available for the symbian devices. I used it a lot earlier. Recently I have started to miss that every time I have to look at the small prints on the food packings or brochures etc.

For those who have not heard of it before, I can quickly describe the application: Open the app on your device and slide the camera lens open. Your screen shows the magnified image! Why not use the camera and zoom for that, you might ask… Well, firstly the autofocus needs to be continuously adjusted and secondly the camera app goes to standby pretty soon. Zooming in takes several steps to go to a desired magnification. This app goes straight to the large zoom settings. You could also select to use the built in flash to provide extra reading light on the text you’re trying to read. I have been using it to do all kinds of things like reading small print to removing a small object embedded under the finger nail. This app also lets you take the picture if you like.

How hard is it to make a quick app of this kind? I’m not a programmer (at least for Maemo) so I have to humbly ask you gurus for a favor to us poor sighted users!

Hagar

PS: I did the search on the forums and came up with the font magnifier all the time. In case some one knows about similar app for maemo, please guide me to that thread. In case nothing such exists, I might create a brainstorm for this app!

I haven't heard of an app like that for Maemo, but it sounds like a good idea.

Android app, with Java code released in a file, but most likely proprietary.
http://apps4android.org/ideal-magnifier.htm

Nokia Magnifier. Most likely for Symbian. Where is the code? What is its license?
http://betalabs.nokia.com/apps/nokia-magnifier

Somebody could make such an application for Maemo. Everybody would be grateful.

Here is my attempt at it:
http://brainsignals.de/users/cristia....1-1_armel.deb

It works like that: open the camera cover and the camera application, and maybe prefocus, such that the autoexposure happens.
Close the camera application (but leave the cover open) and start the Magnus Plus Magnifier.
Find the best distance to the objects/written texts you want to magnify.
The focus is fixed, to the closest distance the camera on N900 seems capable of.

The step with using the phone camera for autoexposure is optional, you should only do it if what you get on the screen is too dark or overexposed.

Have fun with it, of course I would love to get some feedback.