Here is a gadget that is useful but not exactly necessary. The Handheld Video Magnification devices are video cameras that have 3X optical zoom. But the main difference that these devices bring to the table are the big screens they feature. With these screens, it becomes possible for users with low vision to focus on objects like newspapers, documents, etc and magnify them to make reading them easy. For one of these, you will need to shell out anywhere between $700 to $1300 which makes them very expensive. Though these devices look functional enough as they come packaged in a handheld form, I still fail to understand why anybody would buy them when the cheaper, easy to use magnifying glasses are around. This makes Handheld Video Magnification devices more of a novelty than an everyday gadget. That said, these devices may become popular if the technology of the future allows them to rival the prices at which magnifying glasses sell.
Via: NY Times
