Prizmo(new window) is an app that is being used more and more in schools and in the workplace. It is an easy to use photo-based scanner for your iPad/iPhone – you can scan a document simply by taking a picture.
What sets Prizmo apart is that it recognizes any text within an image by using optical character recognition (OCR) and turns it into editable text that can also be read out loud. This app gives you to the option to export your images as PDF/Text, vCard, or JPEG/PNG files or send it to Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive. Prizmo comes with built in tools to fix common OCR problems. Keep in mind that it works best if you get a clear shot – place your document flat and take the picture from directly overhead and not at an angle. Don’t worry too much about being perfect as the app will figure out the text orientation automatically even if it is sideways or upside down.
Prizmo can be a great tool in both the classroom and the workplace. At school, when students receive a handout from their teacher, or experiences difficulty reading a particular page in their text book, they can use Prizmo to take a picture and listen.
In the workplace, this app works great for documents you may not have in digital copy. It can also capture and store all those business cards you receive. Although this app is not free and can be purchased at a price of $11.99, it is very multifunctional as it can also be used for those small scanning jobs as opposed to purchasing a scanner.
