Intel’s Reader is a book reader of a completely different kind. It’s designed for those who have trouble reading the printed word. It doesn’t matter whether the reading problem comes from low vision or a learning issue, the Reader handles both.

While it’s a far cry from pocket-sized, the Reader is a two-handed device that’s about the size and thickness of a hefty paperback. The body houses a high resolution (5-megapixel) camera with autofocus and a full-powered Linux-based PC with the Intel Atom processor.

The user aims the camera at the printed page and snaps a picture. The picture is then converted into the spoken word and played back via the internal speaker or headphones. Or the printed page can be converted into text and magnified on the unit’s built-in 4.3-inch monochrome screen. There’s sufficient on-board memory (4GB of solid state memory with 2GB for user storage) to house one-half million text-only printed pages.

Going far beyond traditional books, the Intel Reader can magnify or translate things that hold folks back from having a normal life: monthly bills, instruction manuals, a recipe from the paper, an offer in the mail, even labels on pill bottles.

The Reader cannot display graphics, just text. The price tag, $1,499, is a bit of shocker, but if you compare it with other low-vision solutions, it’s actually on par. Perhaps the biggest downside is that photographing an entire book, page by page, to turn it into an audio book or a large magnification screen seems like a lot of work. The unit has an optional stand that holds the camera in place ($399) and helps when photographing multiple pages.

I don’t expect the 55 million people who could be helped by the Reader to charge out there and buy their own. I suspect that institutions such as schools, libraries, and other public places may lead the way. But one thing about Intel, when they enter a market, they’re usually in it for the long run, and that’s a good thing.