Word Lens, the augmented reality app that translates text using your device's camera, has been released for Android. Just like the original iOS release, the app offers translations between English and a trio of other languages including Spanish, French, and Italian. Developers Quest Visual throw in one language pack with the initial download of the paid app and they're offering additional bundles at $4.99 apiece during an introductory offer. Network connectivity isn't required to use Word Lens, and you can also type in words for direct translation if the app is struggling to process captured text — it doesn't recognize stylized fonts, for example.

Word Lens for Android worked fairly well in our brief tests, though we did experience a rapid "flickering" of words going back and forth between translation and their original written form that has been brought up in numerous user reviews. Thankfully for those with unsteady hands, the included pause feature largely mitigates this annoyance by capturing your current shot and producing a translated image that won't suddenly change. The full version of Word Lens can be had for $4.99 and there's also a free "Lite" demo with limited functionality. With both iOS and Android covered, naturally the next step would be a Windows Phone release. But considering Microsoft is already providing a similar solution to its users, it won't surprise us if Word Lens doesn't make the jump to that platform.