No longer confined to the realm of Star Trek, real-time language translation has arrived in the mainstream with new wireless earbuds.
According to Wareable, many companies have jumped into this space including the well-established Google and upstarts Bragi and Waverly Labs. At this point, Google's Pixel Buds are the most polished as they are integrated seamlessly with their own Google Translate software. The earbuds themselves only act as the medium through which a smartphone's software does the work, however, and it requires the user to hold their phone up between themselves and the person with whom they are conversing.
Newer player Waverly Labs should be shipping their entry, the Pilot, before the end of the year and their hardware promises to take translation to the next level. The smartphone still handles the grunt work wirelessly, but the buds themselves will be able to hear what is being said to and from the conversation partners. Each person will take one of the earbuds to use, and being able to eliminate the visible presence of a phone will help provide a more intimate and immersive experience for both users.
