Blio bets against e-reader devices

Software originally designed to help blind people read electronic books could turn the emerging e-reader industry on its head, according to its inventor.

Futurist and artificial intelligence expert Ray Kurzweil, famed for inventions like speech-recognition software, is the man behind Blio.

His vision is to use free software to turn any device into an e-reader, from a PC to a smartphone and from netbooks to tablet computers.

"We will run on all platforms," said Mr Kurzweil

"People don't want an extra piece of hardware. They want to take one device and do everything with it and they want colour screens," said Mr Kurzweil.

Blio is a joint venture between Kurzweil Technologies and the National Federation of the Blind, which set up a company called knfbReading Technology to create products for people with disabilities.

'Future gazing'

Currently, the biggest player in the e-reader marketplace is the Kindle. Online retailer Amazon, the firm behind the device, said that throughout 2009 it was the most popular present in its history.

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