Word Lens does. It is an augmented reality app, and quite a clever one too. It is a translation tool, but one that is quite different from the likes of Google Translate.
Forget typing anything. Point your iPhone camera at some foreign text (Spanish is the only language currently available), and the image on the screen will translate the words almost magically. It has to be seen to be believed, but trust me, it does work.
Have you tried Word Lens? Did you like it?
More versatile and more user-driven; that’s where the web is heading. The focus is no longer on the website, it’s on the users themselves. It’s not about what you’ve got to say, it’s all about what they want to know. And they don’t want to wait for it. They want it now and on whatever device they happen to be using – iPhones, iPads, you name it. What’s more, people expect websites to work perfectly on these devices. A few years ago, they didn’t. Now they do.
And it’s not only about written content – video rules. In 2009, YouTube racked up over 1 billion views per day. In 2010, that doubled to 2 billion, over 250 times the number it was getting six years ago. By 2013, Cisco believe 90% of web traffic will be video.
So what now for enterprise? The majority are following the consumer trend and gearing up to deliver video on the web in the shape of product demos and presentations. We’ll see more video, with higher production values and higher-bandwidth. There’ll be more interactivity too, with branching video content that gives users seamless access to the information they need.
That’s what is coming up. What’s your plan?
Darren and Lisa are our latest experts to express their point of view – and it just so happens they’re on opposing sides of the aisle. Darren believes that ideas are everything, Lisa believes it’s all in the data.
Watch Darren and Lisa go head to head as they discuss the relative merits of creativity and science. Then cast your vote in our online poll and join the debate.
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I havent tried it, but i really have my doubts about any instant ‘computer’ translation. Different languages present a diverse set of rules of how their own grammar, syntax and semantics work. This is why such translations quite not work out… even worst if the content would be ‘grabbed’ over a screen or lens. Hard to believe that it would be effective.
Really useful tool but after a few tries it never quite gets it right?! still… best translation app I have seen so far – can only get better
Great idea and even better if it works. But will this just make us as a nation even lazier?
Surely the British way is to just speak more slowly and at a greater volume.
I tried this and thought it worked really well! especially as it seemed to grab the exact font as well (still trying to work out how it does that). I don’t think anyone would use this for a serious translation though.
Most augmented reality apps at the moment are experimental but here’s some really interesting ones:
http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/best-augmented-reality-iphone-applications/
I like SnapShop Showroom which lets you invisage furniture in your living room before you buy.