A simple OCR tool for Androids

Over the years, I’ve written about a variety of tools for turning printed text into computer text. Some worked on a PC with a scanner. One was a cigar-sized wand that slides over a printed page. Some worked better than others, but none were as simple or convenient as OCR Instantly.

The Android app converts a photo of a printed page into standard digital text. Take the photo, adjust the exposure and tap the OCR button. How simple is that?

The app works with languages other than English, though results with Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean can be spotty. One user said he had good results with Hindi.

The basic app is free at the Google Play Store. A Pro version is ad-free and offers several enhancements, including better recognition of text on curved book pages, removal of line breaks, PDF creation and text to speech.

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.