Many smartwatches struggle to stand out, but for a certain type of user the new Time2Translate watch could have little in the way of competition, as it can translate voice messages in real-time in nine different languages.
Coming from Lingmo, the company that launched the similar Translate One2One earpiece last year, the Time2Translate has a microphone and speakers built into it, so you can speak into your wrist and hear responses from up to two meters away.
The watch supports English, Japanese, French, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Arabic, which combined represent 90% of the world’s spoken words. It can apparently translate with 85% accuracy, thanks to a combination of the IBM Watson natural language processing platform and Lingmo’s own tech.
And you’re not limited to one on one conversations, as the Time2Translate supports group chats with up to 1,000 participants.
Solid specs and a high price
The Time2Translate has 1.39-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, a 2MP camera and a 350mAh battery, with 4-5 hours of battery life when in use and 13-15 hours in standby.
It runs Android (as opposed to Android Wear) and can work independently of a phone thanks to its own SIM card. It also has Google Maps and Google Play, but really you’ll be buying this for its translation skills.
And you’ll have to really want them, as the Time2Translate starts at $699 (around £500/AU$900) for the ‘Lifestyle’ model, which has a black frame and a black silicon strap. There’s also an ‘Executive’ model with a stainless steel frame and a leather strap, for $899 (roughly £650/AU$1,150). If you want either model, they’re available to order now, with an April shipping date.
- Google Pixel Buds also offer real-time translation
Via Wareable and Business Insider