Word Lens
{{Short description|Augmented reality translation application}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Word Lens
| logo = 200px
| screenshot =
| caption = Word Lens logo
| author = Otavio Good
| developer = Otavio Good, John DeWeese, Maia Good, Bryan Lin, Eric Park
| released = {{Start date|2010|12|16}}
| latest release version = 2.2.3
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2014|04|18}}
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date =
| frequently updated =
| programming language = C++, Objective-C, C#, ARM Assembly, Java
| operating system = Apple iOS 6.1+, Android 2.3.3+
| platform = iPhone 3GS+, iPod Touch 4+, iPad 2+, Android phones, Google Glass
| size = 43.3 MB
| language = English ↔ Spanish,
English ↔ French,
English ↔ Italian,
English ↔ German,
English ↔ Portuguese,
English ↔ Russian
| discontinued = yes
| genre = Translation software
| license = Proprietary
| website = http://questvisual.com
}}
Word Lens was an augmented reality translation application from Quest Visual.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-entrepreneur-wordlens-idUSTRE73I63P20110419?type=smallBusinessNews|last=Armstrong|first=Natalie|title=Word Lens app developer builds on social media buzz|work=Reuters|date=April 19, 2011}} Word Lens used the built-in cameras on smartphones and similar devices to quickly scan and identify foreign text (such as that found in a sign or a menu), and then translated and displayed the words in another language on the device's display. The words were displayed in the original context on the original background, and the translation was performed in real-time without a connection to the internet. For example, using the viewfinder of a camera to show a shop sign on a smartphone's display would result in a real-time image of the shop sign being displayed, but the words shown on the sign would be the translated words instead of the original foreign words.
Until early 2015, the application was available for the Apple's iPhone, iPod, and iPad, as well as for a selection of Android smartphones. The application was free on Apple's iTunes, but an in-app purchase was necessary to enable translation capabilities. On Google Play, there were both the free demo and the full translation-enabled versions of the application. At Google's unveiling of its Glass Development Kit in November 2013, translation capabilities of Word Lens were also demonstrated on Google Glass.{{cite web|url=http://allthingsd.com/20131119/new-google-glass-apps-will-translate-the-world-from-your-eyes-and-other-tricks|last=Gannes|first=Liz|title=Next Google Glass Tricks Include Translating the World From Your Eyes|work=All Things Digital|date=November 19, 2013}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/11/google-glass-sdk|last=Honan|first=Mat|title=Google's New Tools Show How Deep Glass Will Embed in Our Lives|magazine=Wired: Gadget Lab|date=November 19, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57613010-93/google-glass-throws-open-its-doors-to-developers|last=Rosenblatt|first=Seth|title=Google Glass throws open its doors to developers|work=CNET|date=November 19, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/11/24/glass-just-got-way-more-interesting|last=Lardinois|first=Frederic|title=Glass Just Got Way More Interesting|work=TechCrunch|date=November 24, 2013}} According to the January 2014 New York Times article, Word Lens was free for Google Glass.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/travel/google-tools-for-globetrotters.html?_r=1|last=Rosenbloom|first=Stephanie|title=Google Tools for Globetrotters|work=The New York Times: Travel|date=January 23, 2014}}
Google acquired Quest Visual on May 16, 2014 in order to incorporate Word Lens into its Google Translate service.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/google-has-acquired-quest-visual-the-maker-of-camera-based-translation-app-word-lens|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|title=Google Has Acquired Quest Visual, The Maker Of Camera-Based Translation App Word Lens|work=TechCrunch|date=May 16, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-buys-word-lens-maker-to-boost-translate/|last=Rosenblatt|first=Seth|title=Google buys Word Lens maker to boost Translate|work=CNET|date=May 16, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/16/google-acquires-word-lens-app-recently-featured-in-apples-iphone-ad-powerful|last=Hall|first=Zac|title=Google acquires Word Lens app recently featured in Apple's iPhone ad "Powerful"|work=9to5Mac|date=May 16, 2014}} As a result, all Word Lens language packs were available free of charge until January 2015.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/05/16/google-tries-another-reality-with-purchase/|last=Winkler|first=Rolfe|title=Google Tries Another Reality With Quest Visual Purchase|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 16, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-google-word-lens-translation-app-free-20140521-story.html|last=Tschorn|first=Adam|title=Say what? Word Lens translation app is easy and free (for now)|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 22, 2014}}{{cite web |url= http://questvisual.com |title=Quest Visual is joining Google! |work=questvisual.com |year=2014 |accessdate=May 26, 2014}} The details of the acquisition have not been released. Word Lens feature was incorporated into the Google Translate app and released on January 14, 2015.{{cite web|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/hallo-hola-ola-more-powerful-translate.html|last=Turovsky|first=Barak|title=Hallo, hola, olá to the new, more powerful Google Translate app|work=Google: Official Blog|date=January 14, 2015|accessdate=January 14, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/google-translate-app-gets-an-upgrade/|last=Dougherty|first=Conor|title=Google Translate App Gets an Upgrade|work=The New York Times: Bits|date=January 14, 2015|accessdate=January 17, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/updates-for-google-translate-just-hold-up-your-phone/|last=Rosenbloom|first=Stephanie|title=Updates for Google Translate (Just Hold Up Your Phone)|work=The New York Times: In Transit|date=January 14, 2015|accessdate=January 18, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2015/01/14/hands-on-with-google-translate/|last=Ulanoff|first=Lance|title=Hands on with Google Translate: A mix of awesome and OK|work=Mashable|date=January 15, 2015|accessdate=January 18, 2015}}
Application
Word Lens is an augmented reality application that recognizes printed words using its optical character recognition capabilities and instantly translates these words into the desired language.{{cite web |url= https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/word-lens/id383463868?mt=8 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101221075442/http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/word-lens/id383463868?mt=8 |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 21, 2010 |title=Word Lens on the iTunes App Store |work=iTunes |year=2012 |access-date=July 11, 2012}}{{cite web |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.questvisual.wordlens&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEwMiwiY29tLnF1ZXN0dmlzdWFsLndvcmRsZW5zIl0.|title=Word Lens on the Google Play Store |year=2012 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}} This application does not require connection to the internet. In its default mode, Word Lens performs real-time translation, but can be paused to display a single frame or to look up alternative translations of each specific word in that frame. It is also possible to use the built-in dictionary to manually type in words that need to be translated.
Word Lens 1.0 was released on December 16, 2010,{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/16/world-lens-translates-words-inside-of-images-yes-really|last=Tsotsis|first=Alexia|title=Word Lens Translates Words Inside of Images. Yes Really|work=TechCrunch|date=December 16, 2010}} and received significant amount of attention soon after,{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/12/iphone-app-word-lens-quest-visual.html|title=Word Lens enables iPhone users to instantly translate Spanish to English|last=Hennigan|first=W.J.|publisher=Los Angeles Times: Business/Technology|date=December 17, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20026041-233.html|last=Broida|first=Rick|title=Word Lens for iPhone translates Spanish to English—in real time!|work=CNET|date=December 17, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2010/12/19/word-lens-translation-app-planned-for-android-and-more|title=Word Lens translation app planned for Android and more|last=Darren|first=Allan|work=Tech Watch|date=December 19, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tomsguide.com/us/word-lens-babel-fish-translation,news-9432.html|last=Yam|first=Marcus|title=Word Lens App is Like a Magical Visual Babel Fish|publisher=Tom's Guide: Software|date=December 19, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/mobile-phones/1281727/word-lens-instant-translation-app-launching-on-android-plus-global-languages|title=Word Lens instant translation app launching on Android, plus global languages|work=Expert Reviews|date=December 19, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.afcea.org/signal/signalscape/index.php/2010/12/cool-app-titude-word-lens|last=Eisenhower|first=Rachel|title=Cool App-titude: Word Lens|work=Signal Scape|date=December 21, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-gadgeteer/instant-word-translations-without-an-internet-connection-with-word-lens/4243|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222072409/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-gadgeteer/instant-word-translations-without-an-internet-connection-with-word-lens/4243|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2010|last=Evans|first=Joel|title=Instant word translations without an internet connection with Word Lens|work=ZDNet|date=December 21, 2010}} including Wired,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/12/word-lens-augmented-reality-app-translates-street-signs-instantly/|title=Word Lens: Augmented Reality App Translates Street Signs Instantly|last=Sorrel|first=Charlie|magazine=Wired: Gadget Lab|date=December 17, 2010|accessdate=December 20, 2010}} The Economist,{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/12/instant_translation|last=B.|first=N.|title=Word Lens: This changes everything|publisher=The Economist: Gulliver blog|date=December 18, 2010}} CNN,{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/gigaom/mobile/mobile_augmented_reality_translations_word_lens_vs_google_goggles.html|last=Kim|first=Ryan|title=Augmented Reality Translations: Word Lens vs. Google Goggles|publisher=CNN Money: Fortune Tech|date=December 17, 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/12/20/word.lens.iphone.app/index.html|title=New iPhone app translates foreign-language signs|last=Milian|first=Mark|publisher=CNN: Tech|date=December 20, 2010|accessdate=December 20, 2010}} the New York Times,{{cite web |url=http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/word-lens/?src=busln|title=Word Lens: Una App Loca|last=Grobart|first=Sam|publisher=The New York Times: Technology|date=December 17, 2010}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/technology/personaltech/30pogue.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=word%20lens&st=Search|title=The Pogies: Best Tech Ideas of the Year|last=Pogue|first=David|publisher=The New York Times: Technology|date=December 29, 2010}} Forbes,{{cite web|url=https://blogs.forbes.com/parmyolson/2010/12/22/hot-new-word-lens-app-is-founders-first-project-in-augmented-reality|title=Hot, New 'Word Lens' App Is Founder's First Project In Augmented Reality |last=Olson |first=Parmy |work=Forbes|date=December 22, 2010}} the Wall Street Journal,{{cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2010/12/29/apps-we-use-word-lens-ios|title=Apps We Use: Word Lens [iOS]|last=Rooney|first=Ben|publisher=The Wall Street Journal: TechEurope|date=December 29, 2010}} MIT Technology Review,{{cite web|url=http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/37354|title=A New Reality: Applications that overlay information on smart-phone screen views will change the way we interact with the world around us|last=Boutin|first=Paul|work=Technology Review|date=May–June 2011}} and ~2.5 million views on YouTube in the first 6 days. Since the application held a No. 1 position on the lists of Top Free Apps and Top Grossing Apps on iTunes for the few days following its release, it is currently described as Top In App Purchases. In 2014, Word Lens was featured in the Apple ad for iPhone 5S [https://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/powerful/ Powerful]. This application is currently available as Word Lens 2.2.3.
Supported devices
Word Lens requires iPhone 3GS+, iPod Touch with a video camera, iPad 2+, or any iPad Mini . In 2012, Word Lens was released for a selection of Android smartphones. In 2013, Word Lens became available for Google Glass, even though Google Glass itself is not yet freely available.
Supported languages
At the release, only English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English were supported, but other language dictionaries were planned, with European languages expected first. English-to-French and French-to-English were released on December 14, 2011.{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/Word-Lens-Introduces-French-iw-4102853378.html|title=Word Lens Introduces French Language to Its Augmented Reality-Based Translation Capabilities|last=Wise|first=Harrison|work=Yahoo Finance|date=December 14, 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/12/19/bonnes-nouvelles-word-lens-parle-francais|title=Bonnes Nouvelle! Word Lens Parle Français|last=Perez|first=Sarah|work=TechCrunch|date=December 19, 2011}} In 2012, English-to-Italian and Italian-to-English were added, followed by English-to-German / German-to-English and English-to-Portuguese / Portuguese-to-English in 2013, and English-to-Russian / Russian-to-English in 2014.
Since the acquisition by Google in May 2014, all previously released language packs can be downloaded for free. It was also speculated that through incorporation into Google Translate, Word Lens would be extended to "broad language coverage and translation capabilities in the future".{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/05/16/google-acquires-quest-visual-word-lens/|title=Google acquires Word Lens makers to improve Translate|last=Velazco|first=Chris|publisher=Engadget: TechEurope|date=May 16, 2014}}
Accuracy
According to its description, Word Lens is best used on clearly printed text and was not designed to translate handwritten or stylized fonts. This application was created to help tourists understand signs and menus, and it is not 100% accurate. The developer Otavio Good commented: "I will be the first to say that it’s not perfect, but perfect was not the goal". However, testers who took the app to other countries said it had been useful. Further, even though the application was not designed to read books, the Wall Street Journal journalist Ben Rooney managed to understand a page from Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban.
Developers
File:WordLens Screenshot French.jpg
Word Lens was developed by Otavio Good, a former video game developer and the founder of Quest Visual, John DeWeese, who previously worked on the Electronic Arts game Spore, and programmers Maia Good, Bryan Lin and Eric Park. A U.S. patent application on the technology was filed by the company in 2010 (based on a year-earlier provisional patent application), naming Good as inventor, but went abandoned for failure to respond to a Patent Office action. The application was published as [https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110090253 US20110090253].
Competition
The Google Goggles application for Android and iPhone has the capability to translate text or identify objects in an image, but it requires users to take a picture with their phones, and an active internet connection. Word Lens does it on the fly, meaning it's interpreting frames in video, almost in real time. A similar app called LookTel, designed to help blind people, scans print on objects such as packages of food and reads them aloud."
Reviews
Articles in the Wall Street Journal and Tom's Guide cited Clarke's third law describing Word Lens: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
The New York Times journalist David Pogue included Word Lens in his list of "the best tech ideas of the year" 2010 (10 ideas total).
In the Wall Street Journal article by Ben Rooney, Word Lens received a rating of 4/5 and was described as "a sort of magic".
Word Lens was chosen as a finalist for the 2010 Crunchies [http://crunchies2010.techcrunch.com/vote Best Technology Achievement award].
Ellen of The Ellen DeGeneres Show demoed Word Lens and referred to it as "amazing" in her segment [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkRC-B3dfmU&feature=player_detailpage#t=148s Ellen Found the Best Apps!]
Otavio Good won the [http://en.www.netexplo.org/laureat/wordlens 2012] Netexplo award in the category Innovation & Technology presented at the UNESCO headquarters for the creation of Word Lens.{{cite web|url=http://themyndset.com/2012/03/mde23-interview-with-word-lens-founder-otavio-good-at-netexplo|title=MDE23: Interview with Word Lens founder, Otavio Good at Netexplo|last=Dial|first=Minter|publisher=The Myndset: MDE23|date=March 16, 2012|accessdate=May 20, 2012}}
The New York Times App Smart columnist Kit Eaton included Word Lens into his list of favorite apps.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/technology/personaltech/favorite-apps-from-a-photographer-and-columnist-kit-eaton.html|title=For Starters, These Are a Few of My Favorite Apps|last=Eaton|first=Kit|work=The New York Times|date=June 13, 2012|accessdate=June 15, 2012}}
History of updates
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Program Features |
| Version
!Release Date !Size !New Languages !New Devices !New Features |
|---|
| Word Lens 1.0
|December 16, 2010 |3.6 MB |English ↔ Spanish |iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch (4th generation) |Snapshot or real-time video translation in color |
| Word Lens 1.0.1
|March 22, 2011 |3.9 MB |None |iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G |Localized user content |
| Word Lens 1.1
|December 14, 2011 |13.8 MB |English ↔ French |Improved OCR and accuracy of translation |
| Word Lens 1.2
|July 5, 2012 |18.0 MB |English ↔ Italian |Android phones, iPad 3 Wi-Fi, iPad 3 Wi-Fi + 4G |Faster translation, improved user interface and program stability, retina display support for iPad 3 |
| Word Lens 1.2.1
|July 22, 2012 |18.0 MB |None |None |Fixed crash for customers using iPad in French |
| Word Lens 1.2.2
|September 20, 2012 |19.4 MB |None |None |
| Word Lens 1.2.3
|November 21, 2012 |19.5 MB |None |iPad 4 Wi-Fi, iPad 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Mini Wi-Fi, iPad Mini Wi-Fi + Cellular |Tutorials for new users, improvements in the "reverse words" demo mode |
| Word Lens 1.2.4
|November 27, 2012 |19.5 MB |None |None |Improvements for British users |
| Word Lens 1.2.5
|November 28, 2012 |19.5 MB |None |None |"Dark screen" fixes |
| Word Lens 2.0
|February 20, 2013 |31.4 MB |English ↔ German |None |Motion tracking to reduce flicker, bug fixes |
| Word Lens 2.0.1
|February 27, 2013 |31.4 MB |None |None |Bug fixes |
| Word Lens 2.1
|May 29, 2013 |36.6 MB |English ↔ Portuguese |None |Ability to take screenshots of translations and share those online |
| Word Lens 2.1.1
|June 11, 2013 |36.6 MB |None |None |Bug fixes |
| Word Lens 2.1.2
|October 2, 2013 |35.5 MB |None |iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad Air Wi-Fi, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad 2 Mini Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Mini Wi-Fi + Cellular |Improved user interface for iOS7, ability to restore purchased languages |
| Word Lens Unknown
|November 19, 2013 |Unknown |None |User command “Okay Glass, translate this” activates Word Lens |
| Word Lens 2.2
|February 7, 2014 |43.2 MB |English ↔ Russian |None |None |
| Word Lens 2.2.1
|March 3, 2014 |43.2 MB |None |None |Dictionary lookup fix for Russian demo |
| Word Lens 2.2.2
|April 8, 2014 |43.2 MB |None |None |Documentation update |
| Word Lens 2.2.3
|April 18, 2014 |43.3 MB |None |None |Translation improvements |
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://questvisual.com/ Quest Visual homepage]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2OfQdYrHRs Original video demonstration of Word Lens]
- Otavio Good [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-t80mHtM-Y explains] Word Lens 1.0
- Otavio Good [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-entrepreneur-wordlens-idUSTRE73I63P20110419?type=smallBusinessNews explains] Word Lens 1.0.1 (interview with Reuters)
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDBFeghJ1OA Independent demo of Word Lens]
- Apple ad [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9u7l-yE1ec Powerful] featuring Word Lens for iPhone 5S
Category:Discontinued iOS software