Google Inc. is working on software that translates text captured by a phone camera, reports the Associated Press. At a demonstration Feb. 16 at Mobile World Congress, a cell-phone trade show in Barcelona, an engineer shot a picture of a German dinner menu with a phone running Google’s Android software. An application on the phone sent the shot to Google’s servers, which sent a translation back to the phone. There was no word on when the software would be available. Software that translates text from pictures is already available for some phones, but it generally does the processing on the phone. By sending the image to its servers for processing, Google can apply a lot more computing power for faster, more accurate results. The demonstration was part of Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s keynote speech at the trade show, the largest for the wireless industry. He said phone applications that take advantage of “cloud computing”—servers accessible through the wireless network—will bring powerful changes to the industry…
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Challengers gain in important phone software fight
As smart phones increasingly appear alike, with high-end models mostly taking their cues from Apple Inc.’s iPhone, more and more it’s the software they run that makes a difference, reports the Associated Press. A growing number of operating systems are jostling for the attention of phone buyers and manufacturers. The winners will determine what our phones can do, which web sites we’re steered to, and which manufacturers will survive the next few years. The battle will be on display as wireless carriers and phone makers gather next week in Barcelona, Spain, for the industry’s largest trade show, Mobile World Congress. The CEO of Google Inc., suddenly a strong contender in phone software, will address the show. Also hoping to make a splash is Microsoft Corp., which is struggling to revitalize its software.
These are the contenders, starting with the largest worldwide market share: (continued)…