What everyone should know about C-Pen Reader 2
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Here’s what everyone should know about C-Pen Reader 2, including whether you can use it to read printed text.
What everyone should know about C-Pen Reader 2
People with dyslexia and other reading or learning disabilities can consume written content as easily as everyone else with the right tools. Assistive technology can help them study faster, train their language comprehension skills, and achieve their academic goals.
The C-Pen Reader 2 is an excellent example of an assistive technology tool designed for users with dyslexia. It can help people decipher written words, learn different definitions, and prevent confusing similar words and characters when reading novels, emails, documents, educational materials, and more.
Here we’ll give an overview of this tool so you can determine if it’s suitable for your unique needs.
What is the C-Pen Reader 2?
The C-Pen Reader 2 is an assistive technology device no larger than a highlighter. It’s a helpful tool that can help users read and learn new words, thanks to its Optical Character Recognition or OCR technology.
Users can drag the digital stylus across printed text to scan individual words or entire paragraphs. From there, they can use the C-Pen Reader 2 to read scanned words aloud, play word association games, and improve their reading comprehension.
The C-Pen 2 Reader’s key features
The C-Pen Reader 2 scanning pen has many features that make printed text accessible.
- Multilingual support – This digital highlighter recognizes three languages: English, French, and Spanish. That’s useful when you want to learn words in a new language. For example, you may use the Spanish dictionary to translate and learn different meanings of certain words.
- Text to speech voice variety – The voices featured in the C-Pen Reader 2 come in various accents, like British English, American English, Indian English, Latin Spanish, European Spanish, etc.
- Interactive games – The scanning pen offers interactive word games for practicing definitions and pronunciations based on the scanned words.
- Portability – Not only is the C-Pen Reader 2 a mobile device, but it works without a Wi-Fi connection and has an Audio Boost feature for noisy environments.
The pros of the C-Pen Reader 2
A quick C-Pen Reader 2 review reveals several advantages of using the device.
Pro no. 1 – Accent variety
Reading difficulties are challenging to overcome if people can’t understand the voices generated by their reading tools. Fortunately, this pen scanner offers multiple accents like Australian, Indian, Scottish English, and others to accommodate dyslexic users.
Pro no. 2 – Readability
The reading pen has a decent screen size and a convenient graphical interface. This makes it easy to use for anyone experienced in using apps and mobile devices.
Pro no. 3 – Stress reduction
The ability to read scanned text aloud and look up words can make dyslexic learners less stressed when reading complex texts.
Pro no. 4 – Accessibility
The graphical interface enables people with various reading or learning challenges to navigate the menu easily and scan text from physical documents.
Pro no. 5 – Ample space
Users can store up to 600,000 pages of digital text on the C-Pen Reader 2. That’s almost three days’ worth of nonstop voice memos.
Pro no. 6 – Empowers users
It’s no secret that learning and reading disabilities can embarrass people. However, using the C-Pen Reader 2 can empower users by improving their language comprehension skills and making complex texts more accessible and legible.
The cons of the C-Pen Reader 2
Although there are many pros to using the tool, the C-Pen Reader 2 isn’t without its drawbacks.
Con no. 1 – Mechanical voices
Unlike scanning apps and text to speech readers, this reading pen doesn’t generate high-quality voices. They sound more mechanical, whereas TTS readers can deliver natural-sounding narrations.
Con no. 2 – Limited battery life
The battery life isn’t impressive and the device may need nightly recharging. That’s somewhat understandable due to the increased performance and more advanced CPU compared to the previous model.
Con no. 3 – Dependent on user dexterity
Dragging the pen across lines of text isn’t feasible for people with mobility issues or motor disabilities. It’s also not great for someone who lacks the time and patience to scan text one line at a time.
Use text to speech to make reading easier with Speechify
The C-Pen Reader pen is a helpful text reader designed for people on the move. However, it’s not the most accurate or high-speed solution for people with dyslexia. Speechify is a text to speech reader that can do much more.
Speechify is a Mac, Windows, and mobile-compatible app designed for text recognition and reading aloud. It’s one of the best reading tools for generating high-quality narrations from digital and physical text.
The reader uses advanced OCR software to unlock text from images and offers multilingual support as well as a wide range of new features most scanning pens can’t replicate. For example, you can use Speechify to record voice memos, narrate novels, learn new languages, and quickly go through chunks of text.
You don’t have to focus on single-word or single-line scans. Speechify snaps and processes entire pages. Listen to your text on speakers or earphones, depending on your device.
Try Speechify today and make your reading more accessible and interactive.
FAQ
What does the C-Pen Reader do?
The C-Pen Reader scans text from documents and books, then stores the words in its internal memory. It can also speak the words aloud using various voices and accents.
How does a dyslexia pen work?
Many dyslexia pens work similarly because they rely on the same foundational technology. These pens use Optical Character Recognition to scan and process written words and turn them into digital documents.
When was the C-Pen invented?
The first iteration of the C-Pen came into existence in 1998. It was the year when a company in Lund, Sweden, patented an innovative technology that could scan images with a sensor small enough to fit inside the pen.
How is the C-Pen Reader different from other pen readers?
The C-Pen Reader differs from similar dyslexia-friendly reading pens through its interactive features. The device can read aloud, store massive amounts of content, and offers an engaging user experience. Its word practice games simplify the language learning process in English, French, and Spanish.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.