Word Lens, Real-Time AR Translation App, Comes to Android
Ever wish you could just glance at a sign and know what it says? Word Lens makes that possible, and it has finally made its way to Android.
Word Lens is, at its core, a translation app. But really it is so much more than that. It works like this: take out your smartphone and point it at a sign. The app shows the scene you are shooting, but with one critical change: foreign text is translated into your language. It really feels a bit like magic, watching the foreign language become your own.
And now, after a long period of iOS exclusivity, the app is now available for purchase on Google Play.
The demo doesn't have translation capabilities, unfortunately. Instead, it demonstrates it AR prowess by flipping words and digitally blanking them out. You can purchase languages from the Play Store, however, or just opt for the $5.00 full app.
The app is hardly perfect. The framerate of the capture is quite terrible, though that might have more to do with my two year old phone than the fact that the app is just slow. but other reviewers using more up-to-date phones have noticed some strobing, too. But considering what the app is doing, a little wonkiness is to be expected. This app is, after all, translating text and marking up reality at the same time. I'm sure the app will be improved as time goes on, too, making the recognition better and better.
If you want to see the app in action and figure out what all the fuss is about, watch the video we've embedded below.
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