Note from Day Undefined:
This product describes itself in the following way: "Be My Eyes connects blind and low-vision users who want sighted assistance with volunteers and companies anywhere in the world, through live video and artificial intelligence." (Be My Eyes Website)
In this review, Hannah focuses on the newer Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature of the app - not the feature to be connected with a sighted person via video call. Hannah finds that Be My Eyes is awesome for describing the world around you - from products and places to food and images - while the app Seeing AI is better for reading documents. Here you can read one of Hannah's chats with the AI Tool in Be My Eyes. The photos of this chat are also displayed with the images on this page.
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Where to find this product:
Be My Eyes Website - Available for iOS or Android
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Product Review by Hannah H.: (meet our team)
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How long I've been using this product: A few days
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How often I use this product: Multiple times a day
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My gut feeling: I really love Be My Eyes. I don't know what I would do without it. I took a picture of my bathroom from the doorway. The app uses artificial intelligence to detect and describe pictures, and here is what it said about my bathroom (...maybe, you'll be able to picture it in your mind): the floor has alternating tones of gray and brown, giving the appearance of having wooden planks; the walls are white; in front of the shower is a gray rug with a marbled design; in front of the sink is another gray rug. I even took a picture of my living room, and Be My Eyes noted the gray couch, the white coffee table in front of it, the gray plush armchair with storage shelves near the coffee table, and a window behind the couch with multicolored hearts above it, with natural light filtering in [see a photo of this living room in the photos!]. There is even a button where you can chat with the AI, and ask it to give you more detail about the picture. It told me that the hearts behind the couch were pink, orange, and yellow. Even though I am blind, and am unable to see colors, I like to know what color things are. So that I know more about what is around me.
- Why this product? This product helps me take pictures of things. I don't have to worry about asking people for help. Unlike Seeing AI, the app we discussed before, not only will Be My Eyes read documents or product labels, but it will even describe the designs on a product label. For example, Be My Eyes told me that my lotion from Victoria's Secret was in a pink bottle with a golden cap. With green pineapples and pink flowers on it. Also, my dad and I went out for dinner. I ordered a gyro, and me and my dad predicted that the app wouldn't know what a gyro was, or that it would give us an incorrect description. But Be My Eyes DID see the gyro, wrapped in white butcher paper, with cucumber sauce and lamb. I know...
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Pros: Be My Eyes helps me become oriented to a space, like my bathroom, my living room, and the lobby of the building where I live. In addition to product labels, Be My Eyes will even tell you about the designs or logos on the product!!! It told me that my toothpaste had a brown cinnamon stick on it, along with some white snowflakes!! No one would be able to see that unless they looked closely.
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Cons: Be My Eyes does not read documents as well as Seeing AI. Sometimes, the print is too small for Be my Eyes to read. Also, you have to go into the chat box, and correct the AI when it gets descriptions wrong. One time, the app described my shower as a construction site. With a plastic roof!
- This product might be relevant for: I think this product would really help people with low vision, vision problems related to ataxia, or vision problems stemming from aging. But since Be My Eyes has trouble reading documents, it might be a good idea to use another app, like Seeing AI or Envision, which is available on Android devices.
- I will keep using this product.
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Demo:
Check out one of Hannah's chats with the Be My Eyes AI Tool. The photos of this chat are also displayed on this page.
Video Review:
Hannah does not demonstrate the app, but tells you all about her experience using it.