It's been two years since we reported that defense contractor Raytheon
Wired reports that Raytheon is going right back to the Android well for more soldier-friendly action. A software app designed to run on standard Android handsets can translate back and forth between English and the Arabic dialects spoken in Iraq and Afghanistan, complete with textual logs and a spoken real-time robot voice interpretation.
I find it interesting that Raytheon chose to go with yet another Android solution yet doesn't tap into the existing translation technologies that robot overlord Google
Google Translate's "conversation mode" in action. Anders' Spanish needs all the help it can get.
The technical challenge isn't overwhelming anymore. Google has already demonstrated similar communications tools for Spanish and English, and Raytheon's software was demonstrated on a lowly Motorola Mobility
Language expert Rosetta Stone
With or without Raytheon's help, smartphones are getting more science fiction-like every day. Your phone may soon make credit cards obsolete, as explained in this free video report. Not long after that, it will do your dishes and watch the kids. Stay tuned.