Google plans live phone translation

Live language translation on mobile phones could be just two years away, according to search giant Google, reports The Telegraph.

The company already offers text translation services and voice recognition, and Franz Och, head of translation services, says work has already begun on combining the two.

The technology would work by translating phrases rather than individual words, and the company hopes that by looking at the huge amount of translated text already online, it can produce systems that are much more accurate than current versions.

In the fast-moving world of mobile computing, applications for BlackBerrys, iPhones, Droids and other gadgets have become the sultans of software, writes the Chicago Tribune.

This translates into a bonanza of business opportunities for application developers. Application stores had more than $4.2 billion in revenue last year, according to Gartner, which tracks IT worldwide.

Analysts expect that to increase to $29.5 billion by 2013.

The Commission on Elections in Eastern Visayas (Comelec), in the Philippines, will strictly enforce the ban on cellular phones with built-in cameras from voting precincts in the May elections, to protect ballot confidentiality, according to the Politics Inquirer.

"Cellular phones with cameras are prohibited to preserve the sanctity of our votes," Comelec-8 acting regional director Jose Nick Mendros said. Mendros added that the ban on camera cellphones would foil the tactics of vote buyers, who usually demand proof before paying up.

Comelec has learned from previous polls that people who sold their votes were asked to take pictures of their ballots before collecting their fees.