Google To Unveil Real-Time Voice To Text Translation App; Competition With Skype?

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There is buzz on the Street that Google Inc GOOG GOOGL is planning to unveil an updated version of its Google Translate App for Android, which will recognize speech and translate it to text in real-time, following the launch of similar program last month by Microsoft Corporation MSFT-owned Skype.

Tom's Guide Editor-in-chief, Mark Spoonauer, was on CNBC Monday to discuss about the rumored app.

How Important Is This Service For Google?

"Well there's about 500 million users who use this service already and it's installed in 100 million Android phones. So, even though it's not talked about a lot in press, it is an important service for them and for their users," Spoonauer said.

Competition From Skype?

"Well what we know so far, Google is not releasing a lot of details,” Spoonauer said. "But the idea is that when you are using the Translate App it will automatically recognize when you start speaking and then translate it into other language that you select. We are not sure which languages it will support yet, but one thing to keep in mind is Google is catching up to Microsoft in this case because with the Skype app, it's voice to voice translation -- this will be voice to text."

Why Focus Offering The Service On Mobile Phones?

"Well, when you think about it, that’s how millions and millions of people are getting online for the first time, especially in the developing world and that's where services like these are going to be most useful," Spoonauer added.

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Posted In: CNBCTechMediaMark SpoonauerTom's Guide
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