Pocketalk he has recently landed in Italy. It is a simultaneous and portable voice translator which will help you “speak” 74 different languages. In short, it is a real teaelectronic radiator designed to work easily in 109 countries. The question now is: does it really work? We have tried it for you and we will tell you about it in ours review (found at the beginning of this article).
Pocketalk: technical characteristics?
Pocketalk it's a small device portatile which acts as electronic voice translator. Designed by the Japanese company Sourcenext, Pocketalk is capable of “speaking” 74 languages and can accompany you - thanks to the integrated SIM with subscription - in 109 countries.
Pocketalk is a small "bar of soap”Weighing 100 grams that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. It features a 2.4-inch color touchscreen display with 320 × 240 pixel resolution and 3 different buttons. The two front keys are used to start voice recognition while the side key is dedicated to switching on and off. The operating system instead is an Android 8.1 with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory.
POCKETALK - White Voice Translator, with embedded data ...
- Global Connectivity Model - With a built-in SIM card and 2-year unlimited data plan, you don't need to ...
- It allows communication between two languages of your choice of 74 available (English (USA), English (UK), English (India), ...
- It can be used without a Wi-Fi connection or personal hotspot in 126 countries. For example: United States, United Kingdom, ...
On the right side we find it slot per una Micro SIM already present in the package and which includes two years of data traffic subscription for the use of the device. In Italy only the version with SIM will be marketed.
On the top there are also integrated speaker and microphone that allow a Pocketalk to do what it was designed for: translate through voice recognition.
Inside the package you will find - in addition to the electronic translator Pocketalk - also a USB Type-C cable for charging the 2200mAh battery capable of guaranteeing the use of 7 hours of translation.
The first time I came across this device was a few months ago in Tokyo in one of the largest electronics stores in Japan: Akihabara's Yodobashi Camera. I was immediately intrigued but after seeing the price I got a little scared. I said to myself “I'm waiting for you to arrive in Italy“. But now the time has come to try it out on the field.
Pocketalk: how exactly does it work?
It 'sArtificial intelligence the beating heart of Pocketalk, as expected. Using the most advanced engines speech-to-text, Pocketalk electronic translator produced by Sourcenxt, it has been designed for bidirectional translation: just speak normally and pronounce sentences up to 30 seconds of recording. This way the device will be able to offer highly accurate translations at the push of a button. The high-quality microphones, noise-canceling technology and powerful speakers enhance the user experience, allowing for peaceful use even in noisy environments.
Once you have pronounced your sentence in Italian, Pocketalk will play the translation from the speaker and - as if that were not enough - on the display you will find both what you said and the translation.
The thing that amazed me is the accuracy with which it recognizes even different accents or words spoken in Italian, even if they are a little crippled. This means that speech recognition is well designed and can be used by virtually everyone (even those with strong accent or dialect influences)
But does it really work? As you can hear in ours test, Pocketalk he gets along very well with some languages and much worse with others.
The Pocketalk Field Test
We have set Italian as the base language (the left button) and from time to time we have changed the target language. Remember that in any case you cannot make long speeches as Pocketalk is capable of recognizing and processing up to 30 seconds. So remember to say sentences that are concise and that go straight to the point.
With English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese and other quite popular languages the voice looks like slightly robotic but in any case the sentence is very understandable and allows two-way translation deserving of praise.
While with other more difficult languages, for example Albanian, Hungarian, we have been given a robotic, almost incomprehensible translation. If you try to answer in Albanian instead, yours Pocketalk will say that this language is not supported.
Some languages, on the other hand, do not provide for vocal reproduction: for example Filipino or good old Latin as well as many other languages, provide only the written translation which will appear on the display.
In summary there are 3 situations you will run into with Pocketalk (I'll use languages as a mere example):
- bidirectional translation (you speak Italian, translate into English with a non-robotic voice, and vice versa);
- one-way translation (you speak Italian, translates into Albanian with a robotic and incomprehensible voice and does not allow translation from Albanian into Italian);
- voice-written translation (you speak Italian and only the Filipino translation appears on the display).
Here you will find the official list of supported languages.
Pocketalk: price and availability
In Italy, Pocketalk is sold at a recommended retail price of 299 €, with an integrated SIM card and two years of data traffic and Wi-Fi for connections to personal hotspot.
The device is available from the month of December in the only White color, with the Gold and Black variants coming soon. It will be possible to buy it on the main e-commerce sites and at some selected points of sale. From January 2019 Sourcenext's personal interpreter will also land in the largest consumer electronics chains in the Bel Paese.
Is Pocketalk worth buying?
The answer is "it depends". Price certainly constitutes a solid barrier to buying. 299 euros with a data traffic subscription for two years are not easy to digest. However, there is to say that about 74 languages, a good 30% of them are well supported and represent a valid help for travelers but above all it is independent of the smartphone. This allows you greater versatility and easier use.
Yes it's true, there is the Google Translate application out there which today has improved a lot in terms of recognition and accuracy of translations and which allows you to do the exact same thing as a child. Pocketalk. I try to give you a concrete example. Take your parents around the age of 60 and tell them that they just have to press the two buttons and they don't have to worry about anything anymore. You will see how his eyes will shine. Furthermore, the SIM is global and works all over the world without having to worry about spending extra money for the connection or buying a local SIM. What can I say: the convenience of paying. And I assure you that this Pocketalk is really comfortable.
Having said that, I don't feel like recommending it to a young person. In that case, just tinker with your smartphone for a moment and the translation is done. Obviously all this loses its value if you are a "comfortable" person!
POCKETALK - White Voice Translator, with embedded data ...
- Global Connectivity Model - With a built-in SIM card and 2-year unlimited data plan, you don't need to ...
- It allows communication between two languages of your choice of 74 available (English (USA), English (UK), English (India), ...
- It can be used without a Wi-Fi connection or personal hotspot in 126 countries. For example: United States, United Kingdom, ...
