Introducing Word Lens • Hacker News Board

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#181

Post by prs » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 8:47 AM UTC

forkrulassail wrote: post #171

Seems dead. Forbidden You don't have permission to access / on this server. Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. Apache/2.2.16 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.16 OpenSSL/0.9.7a mod_fcgid/2.3.5 Phusion_Passenger/2.2.15 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at questvisual.com Port 80

See http://www.youtube.com/user/QuestVisual for QuestVisual YouTube channel and explanatory video.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-lens/id383463868 for direct iTunes link.

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#182

Post by johndeweese » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 8:57 AM UTC

pekinb wrote: post #132

Can someone at questvisual say more about the platform? I have some ideas I'd like to try.

we wrote everything ourselves. what would you like to try?

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#183

Post by bambax » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:03 AM UTC

John Deweese, "one of the creators" says here that "it's a platform".

Here's one thing they could do: open the platform to distribute dictionaries from third parties.

Questvisual could still sell "basic" or "standard" dictionaries for each language pair, but they would also sell competing dictionaries, that could either try to address the problem from a different angle (phrase translation vs. word translation), or be specialized dictionaries: legal, medical, etc.

They would take a cut, of course, and they would create a market that they would curate. Great wins for everyone!

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#184

Post by narag » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:06 AM UTC

ygd wrote: post #156

solutionyogi wrote: post #37

Wow. Just Wow. I had to put the App to test. Printed some simple English words and tried it out. Original paper: http://imgur.com/EYsko What the App shows in REALTIME: http://imgur.com/FhaSW Comparison with Google Translate: http://imgur.com/GOd94.jpg [EDIT: Note, Translating Muerto Fin to English in Google Translate, does result in 'Dead End'. Can any Spanish reader clarify why the original Google Translate chose to…

(2 years of classroom Spanish here.) I like how "Make right turn" becomes "Make correct turn".

It becomes "make correct shift" (as in "I work in the night shift"). The word in Spanish would be "giro". The natural translation would be "gira a la derecha".

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#185

Post by bl4k » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:15 AM UTC

Awesome. This should help me find my way around Redwood City

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#186

Post by jamii » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:18 AM UTC

acangiano wrote: post #2

Whoever created this deserves the boatload of money they are going to make. It has the potential of radically change the experience abroad for people traveling in foreign countries.

Absolutely. I travel pretty much nonstop and I would pay dearly to be able to translate signs on arrival into a new country. Things like 'ATM' and 'Toilet' are crucial.

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#187

Post by bl4k » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:20 AM UTC

forkrulassail wrote: post #171

Seems dead. Forbidden You don't have permission to access / on this server. Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. Apache/2.2.16 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.16 OpenSSL/0.9.7a mod_fcgid/2.3.5 Phusion_Passenger/2.2.15 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at questvisual.com Port 80

You should probably disable some of those Apache modules and trim it up a bit

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#188

Post by bl4k » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:23 AM UTC

revorad wrote: post #32

This is one of those times you have to admit it's not ALL about the execution. Good ideas do matter. And they are rare.

This idea has been around for decades. It is a prototypical futurist application. Difference is that these guys nailed it.

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#189

Post by KeithMajhor » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:29 AM UTC

Hacker Newsers usually downvote brief congratulatory comments. Seeing "you win" take home over 20 points is indicative of just how exciting this is.

Re: Introducing Word Lens

#190

Post by jamii » Fri, Dec 17, 2010, 9:35 AM UTC

51Cards wrote: post #80

frisco wrote: post #39

These guys are going to have some hard decisions to make in the next few months. This has such incredible potential I'd be really sad to see it get bought and languish as a side-feature at Google. Run as a business, rather than a free technology project liable to be side-lined on whatever whim, and really developed for the next 5 years, think about what it could be! I mean, just look at what it is today on day one! T…

I doubt they will be bought by Google, Apple is probably already writing cheques. Apple has been getting the pants beat off them by Google in mobile translation for awhile now. If there is a patent behind this then Apple will grab this for their stable just to keep it off the Android platform. It would be a huge 'one-up' for them. (which makes me sad as I strongly prefer Android devices) In time you'll see it license…

> just to keep it off the Android platform

Oh god, I hadn't thought of that. I just naturally assumed this would be coming to Android soon.