After more than a year of development and promotion, the proposal for a portable translator for travel is a reality. And is that ili Wearable Translator has been curdling over low heat for quite some time. With an approach that seems almost magic, he proposes to solve the problems of interaction abroad with people of another speech. All this without an Internet connection. As simple as pressing a button and talking.
Well, after its different stages of development, the product is now available for pre-purchase. This same day, May 30, reservations begin and will last until June 30 with limited units. Its price is 200 dollars, about 180 euros. A reduced price of 60 dollars for the first ones who decide to get it. Of course, although it has free international shipping, at the moment you cannot buy it in Spain.
Ili Wearable Translator
This simple (in appearance) device surprised in January 2016 at the CES technology fair in Las Vegas (USA). At that time, and with a somewhat different design, it proposed the solution to the great problems of travelers: the need to have a simultaneous translator . Something that allows you to speak with natives of another language without even having basic notions of their language.
As stated in the presentation video, ili Wearable Translator only requires pressing a button and dictating a phrase . Automatically, and in just a few seconds, the device is responsible for recognizing the phrase, translating it and expressing it through its loudspeaker. The problem is that, unlike what was seen in his first videos, ili Wearable Translator does not translate in the opposite direction. Thus, he is able to translate from English to Spanish to ask or give an indication. But you can't tell what Spanish says to English. Something that, according to those responsible, focuses solely on the traveler to help him reach his destination. Something that radically breaks the initial idea of this promising project.
But the best thing about this whole system is that you don't need an Internet connection . The device is self-sufficient in itself. Of course, it has a battery that must be recharged after an approximate day of use. However, you don't have to search for WiFi or spend data abroad. The different languages that it is capable of translating are stored inside it. Of course, for now, this device has a variation for each language combination it is capable of translating. Namely: English to Spanish, English to Mandarin Chinese, English to Japanese, Chinese to Japanese and Chinese to English. A collection that may be updated soon, although at the checkout. Still no pricing set for new languages.
For this reason, and for the moment, ili Wearable Translator is not sold in Spain. Only in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
A tool focused on tourism
Months ago, those responsible for ili Wearable Translator showed on their website the intention of focusing this product on the tourism industry . Thus, only travel companies would have a first contact with this product. Something like an audio guide, but to communicate without too many problems on organized trips abroad.
It seems that this goal has changed. And we are not surprised to see that now the device only translates in one direction. In this way, only the user who is carrying it can communicate. A tool that aspired to revolutionize the tourism industry, but for the moment it remains a kind of speaker for another language with relative utility. Practically nil for the Spanish.
The mobile as an alternative
As a similar or even better option to ili Wearable Translator, we have applications. Only smart phones with the Google Translate application can fight. Of course, in some of its simultaneous translation functions it is necessary to have an Internet connection . Or have previously downloaded the package of one or another language. After that, its effectiveness is quite high, although the ili approach is much more natural and intuitive. Will this product be successful? Now it only remains to see how the market reacts.
Via ili Wearable Translator