Google Translate comes to the iPhone

Google has released a version of its translation service that is specifically tailored to Apple's iPhone.

The Google Translate mobile service, launched on Friday, came about as the result of the company's '20 percent' time policy, which sets aside a day of each employee's week for work on any new project or idea they may wish to pursue. Google has not yet made any announcements about future versions of the service that could work on other handsets, but a spokesperson for the company told ZDNet.co.uk on Friday that such versions were intended.

Because the service works using the Apple handset's Safari browser, a data connection is needed most of the time — previously searched phrases and words are, however, stored on the phone itself for future access. The service can translate text between 24 languages, including Mandarin, French and Japanese.

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-Ken