Language Translations Via Camera Phone
MediaSeek has released a new mobile phone OCR-based application called “Camera Dictionary” (Kamera Jiten), which translates English words into Japanese characters by simply scanning the mobile phone’s camera over the word. The characters of a scanned word are then matched to a dictionary database in real-time ensuring that dictionary lookup is both fast and accurate. The application will be distributed via content provider Enfour Inc. on their EZweb menu site “General English Dictionary” (Sougoeigojiten). Also included is a client server facility where the user can access more detailed information such as explanations, examples, and even pronounciation sound files from the main online dictionary.
The service subscription is 105 Yen per month for this handy service, which is only BREW at this point. It is available from today on the following KDDI/au handsets: W32H, W21SA, W31SAII, W22SA. The dictionary data is provided by the CJK Dictionary Institute, Inc. The companies are planning to offer other popular language translation services in the future.