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Incredible Word Lens app now free following Google acquisition

Published May 16th, 2014 3:15PM EDT
Google Quest Visual Acquisition

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We first covered Word Lens here on BGR all the way back in 2010, and the app is no less incredible today than it was nearly four years ago. The app allows users to view a sign or other printed text through the camera on their iPhone, Android phone or Google Glass, and Word Lens will replace the text with a translated version in fonts and colors that match the original. In other words, Word Lens truly augments reality in a fantastically useful way.

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

“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,'” the company wrote on its website. “By joining Google, we can incorporate Quest Visual’s technology into Google Translate’s broad language coverage and translation capabilities in the future.”

To celebrate the acquisition, the company is making Word Lens free on all platforms. It is also making all of its language packs free. If you haven’t checked this awesome app out before, now is your chance.

Word Lens can be downloaded from the iOS App Store or the Google Play store.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.