The Xiaomi Mijia Dictionary Pen is now crowdfunding in China. You can use the multifunctional gadget to translate text by scanning a document. Multiple scanning angles allow you to translate line by line with laser-assisted positioning or a paragraph at a time using an 8 MP camera on the back of the product. You can also use a voice translator and convert recordings to text on the device or in the accompanying app.
The Dictionary Pen has over 15 million Chinese and English words stored with OCR technology providing a 99% recognition rate. An OTA update, due in January, will let you translate Japanese, Korean, German and Russian. You can store photos and audio recordings on the device with 16 GB of memory. The gadget is powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery, though Xiaomi does not indicate how long this lasts on a single charge.
The company suggests that the intelligent pen could also be used as an educational tool for children with exam questions to help them study. Plus, you can connect headphones via Bluetooth. The Xiaomi Mijia Dictionary Pen currently costs 699 yuan (~US100), and shipping is due to begin on December 22. The gadget measures 148.5 x 32.5 x 14.5 mm (~5.8 x 1.3 x 0.6-in), and orders are expected to be dispatched shortly.