The Most Useful Travel Tool Yet: Real-Time, In-Ear Translator!

Ok, so Waverly Labs is taking cash for "pre-orders" of its Pilot System, and it's not a proven technology--yet. But let's hope this product reaches the marketplace and actually works. It's a cool looking earbud device that you can set to translate from one language into another--in "real time" (with a slight delay, according to the video demo). It would allow two people to actually have a decent conversation even though they both speak in different tongues.

The inventor is pushing this for two language, cross translations, but I think this is also a great tool for people (like me) who already know a lot of basic phrases and responses in a particular language, and want to fill in the gaps when people speak to them. For example, it would be great for me if I had to go into a situation that requires a bit more jargon or nuance--like at an auto repair shop or doctor's office. I could hold my own in restaurants and shops with Italian, but a doctor might talk too fast with too many specialized words that I never learned or have forgotten. This device might help...

With its smart phone app, it's possible to quickly toggle between languages quickly. This would have been helpful when I had a lunch in Altamura at a table with new friends speaking 4 different languages.

I hope this product makes it to market... and I hope it actually works well. For $129, I think its price point is right on.

--JF

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