The application uses augmented reality to translate text from one language to another. As of now you can go from Spanish to English and vice versa.
Augmented reality is a term for a graphical display that is laid on top of real imagery. In this case, the translated text appears on top of the original speech.
I haven’t had a chance to play with the translation side of things, but I did download the free version. It was created simply to show off the software and prove that it works.
The free version doesn’t translate anything, but reverses words. It has worked really well for me in limited testing.
I’m not quite ready to drop the cash on the translation software just yet, but I’m excited about the potential future of this app.
Imagine going to Mexico or Spain with this on your phone. Every sign would instantly become readable with no Spanish language lessons needed. That makes a trip to one of those countries much more attractive.
Quest Visual is poised to add more language support to “Word Lens” over the next few months. I hope they will bundle all the language packs together for an affordable price.
Learning multiple languages isn’t a viable option for many people these days, and this application doesn’t instantly turn you into a Spanish master, but will certainly help when needing a quick translation.
This is the future, folks.
I’m extremely excited to see the direction that “Word Lens” takes in the new year.
It’s time for tablets
2010 was billed as the year of the tablet. Sadly, Apple and Samsung were the only two that made any noise in the arena.
The upcoming year looks to be more fitting for tablet domination.
Apple will likely announce the next iPad revision and could do so in early January.
The likely changes will include a front and rear camera, SD slot and a higher resolution display. A USB port could also come into play, but those are becoming more and more obsolete as companies move storage into the cloud.
I’m hoping the company begins offering several sizes of their tablet computer. I enjoy the seven-inch screen of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab. I can put it in my coat pocket, which makes for easy transportation.
A retina display would be an incredible addition to the device. I have a feeling we might be a generation away from one of those, though.
The Galaxy Tab was really the only comparable tablet to the iPad this year.
It turned out to be a pretty swell device that was a bit ahead of its time. Well, ahead of Google’s time, at least.
The biggest flaw was the lack of specific tablet applications in the Android Marketplace. That’s quite disappointing to say the least. Apps are the content drivers of portable computing, after all.
The device does do several things right. It features all of the rumored iPad revision additions. I think that proves that Apple sees competition in Samsung’s device.
Motorola will be announcing its tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show in a couple of weeks. They released a teaser video this week that featured a bee at the end, which means it will likely run on Honeycomb. That, combined with a better Android Marketplace, would give Apple some serious competition.
