Google acquires maker of translation app Word Lens for Glass

Quest Visual, the company behind the popular AR translation app Word Lens, has announced on its website that it has been acquired by Google.

Word Lens App

The merger will see Quest Visual expanding Google’s translation capabilities in Android and Glass, as well as boosting the Google Translate service with its technology.

“With Word Lens, we’ve seen the beginnings of what’s possible when we harness the power of mobile devices to “see the world in your language.” By joining Google, we can incorporate Quest Visual’s technology into Google Translate’s broad language coverage and translation capabilities in the future,” Quest Visual stated.

Word Lens is an app which allows users to translate printed words with their device’s camera. Primarily translating between English and a second language, it has been popular with travelers for translating items such as road signs and menus in a foreign language. The app overlays the translated words back on top of the original, matching perspective, colour and font, and also work with Google Glass, providing instant translation for the $1500 spectacles.

Word Lens Example

No financial details on the deal have been disclosed so far, but the Word Lens app and the language packs for iOS and Android, which were previously paid apps, is now free to download the “for a limited time,” according to the site.

Sadly, this suggests that the app may be going away for good at some point, perhaps when the merger has been completed. But for now, get downloading whilst it’s still available!